Flexible nurse staffing based on hourly bed census predictions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kortbeek, Nikky; Braaksma, Aleida; Burger, C.A.J.; Bakker, P.J.M; Boucherie, Richardus J.

Workloads in nursing wards depend highly on patient arrivals and lengths of stay, both of which are inherently variable. Predicting these workloads and staffing nurses accordingly are essential for guaranteeing quality of care in a cost-effective manner. This paper introduces a stochastic method

77 FR 14832 - Plumchoice, Inc., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Balance Staffing, Insight Global Staffing...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-13

...., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Balance Staffing, Insight Global Staffing, and Technisource..., Insight Global Staffing, and Technisource, Scarborough, Maine. The workers are engaged in activities... leased workers from Balance Staffing, Insight Global Staffing, and Technisource, Scarborough, Maine, who...

Medical physics staffing for radiation oncology: a decade of experience in Ontario, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Battista, Jerry J.; Patterson, Michael S.; Beaulieu, Luc; Sharpe, Michael B.; Schreiner, L. John; MacPherson, Miller S.; Van Dyk, Jacob

2012-01-01

The January 2010 articles in The New York Times generated intense focus on patient safety in radiation treatment, with physics staffing identified frequently as a critical factor for consistent quality assurance. The purpose of this work is to review our experience with medical physics staffing, and to propose a transparent and flexible staffing algorithm for general use. Guided by documented times required per routine procedure, we have developed a robust algorithm to estimate physics staffing needs according to center‐specific workload for medical physicists and associated support staff, in a manner we believe is adaptable to an evolving radiotherapy practice. We calculate requirements for each staffing type based on caseload, equipment inventory, quality assurance, educational programs, and administration. Average per‐case staffing ratios were also determined for larger‐scale human resource planning and used to model staffing needs for Ontario, Canada over the next 10 years. The workload specific algorithm was tested through a survey of Canadian cancer centers. For center‐specific human resource planning, we propose a grid of coefficients addressing specific workload factors for each staff group. For larger scale forecasting of human resource requirements, values of 260, 700, 300, 600, 1200, and 2000 treated cases per full‐time equivalent (FTE) were determined for medical physicists, physics assistants, dosimetrists, electronics technologists, mechanical technologists, and information technology specialists, respectively. PACS numbers: 87.55.N‐, 87.55.Qr PMID:22231223

A comparison of current Naval Facilities Engineering Command field office staffing methods, state staffing methods and the construction industry institutes owner contractor work structure

OpenAIRE

Monreal, Michael

2001-01-01

CIVINS (Civilian Institutions) Thesis document This report was generated by accepting a report topic contained in a list of topics on the Civil Engineer Corps Graduate School Information web page. The topic request and description is noted as follows: Topic. How to Measure Staffing Requirements in ROICC offices and Other Acquisition Functions with a description. Description: We base current staffing requirements on history and only adjust from what we have used in the past years. It is sus...

Technical basis for staffing levels at nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shurberg, D.A.; Haber, S.B. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Morisseau, D. [Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)] [and others

1995-04-01

The objective of this project is to provide a technical basis for the establishment of criteria for minimum staffing levels of licensed and non-licensed NPP shift personnel. Minimum staffing levels for the purpose of this study, are defined as those necessary for successful accomplishment of all safety and additional functions that must be performed in order for the licensee to meet applicable regulatory requirements. This project involves a multi-faceted approach to the investigation of the issue. Relevant NRC documentation was identified and reviewed. Using the information obtained from this documentation review, a test plan was developed to aid in the collection of further information regarding the adequacy of current shift staffing levels. The test plan addresses three different activities to be conducted to provide information to the NRC for use in the assessment of current minimum staffing levels. The first activity is collection of data related to industry shift staffing practices through site visits to seven nuclear power plants. The second activity is a simulator study, which will use licensed operator crews responding to a simulated event, under two different staffing levels. Finally, workload models will be constructed for both licensed and non-licensed personnel, using a priori knowledge of the simulator scenarios with data resulting from one of the staffing levels studied in the simulator, and the data collected from the site visits. The model will then be validated against the data obtained from the second staffing level studied in the simulator. The validated model can then be used to study the impact of changing staffing-related variables on the plant shift crew`s ability to effectively mitigate an event.

[The new methods to define the staffing requirements for doctors,nurses and nurses aides: an example of their implementation in an Italian hospital].

Science.gov (United States)

Laquintana, Dario; Pazzaglia, Silvia; Demarchi, Antonia

2017-01-01

. The new methods to define the staffing requirements for doctors, nurses and nurses aides: an example of their implementation in an Italian hospital. The Italian government, after the transposition of European Union legislation on working hours, made a declaration of commitment to increase the number of staff of the National Health Service (NHS). The method for assessing the staffing needs innovates the old one that dated back a few decades. To implement the method proposed by the Ministry of Health to an Italian hospital and assess its impact on staffing and costs. The model was implemented on all the wards, multiplying the minutes of care expected in 2016, dividing the result by 60 to obtain the hours of care, and further dividing by the number of yearly hours of work of a nurse (1418). Same was done for nurses aides. The minutes of care were related to mean weight of the Diagnosis Related Groups of the ward and the results obtained compared to the actual staffing of nurses and nurses aides. The costs of the differences were calculated. The implementation of the model produced an excess of 23 nurses and a scarcity of 95 nurses aides compared to the actual staffing, with an increase of the costs of € 1.828.562,00. The results obtained and the criticisms received so far show the need of major changes. The data from international studies that associate staffing and patients outcomes and the nurse/patient ratio are macro-indicators already available that may orient choices and investments on the health care professions.

Staffing Policy for Solving the Information Security

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. I. Tolstoy

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Determining staffing policy implementation of information security tasks is given. The basic requirements that must be taken into account when developing policies are defined. The policy framework is determined and recommendations for the design of such policies are formulated. Requirements for the implementation of the policy are defined.

Improvements in nuclear plant staffing resulting from the AP600 design programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mycoff, C.

2001-01-01

The staffing for a single-unit AP600 is estimated to require a staff for operation and maintenance about 32% smaller than current generation power plants of similar size. These staffing reductions are driven primarily by various features incorporated into the AP600 plant design. (author)

Staffing for Cyberspace Operations: Summary of Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-01

military-unique knowledge or skills required; (2) military incumbency is required by law, Executive Order, treaty or international agreement (e.g., DPH...civilian employment . 1 Thomas H. Barth et al., “(U) Staffing for Cyberspace Operations,” IDA Paper P...DoD cyberspace strategies, doctrine, and current concepts of operation and employment for CMF. Additionally, the team conducted interviews with

Development of Staffing Patterns in Six New Medical Schools Established 1952-1960.

Science.gov (United States)

National Institutes of Health (DHEW), Bethesda, MD. Resources Analysis Branch.

This summary report of staffing patterns in 6 medical schools established between 1952 and 1960 is the first phase of a proposed study of biomedical staffing requirements in institutions of higher education, 1965-1975. The 6 schools are: the University of Miami, Albert Einstein College of medicine at Yeshiva University, the University of Florida,…

Nurse dose: linking staffing variables to adverse patient outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Manojlovich, Milisa; Sidani, Souraya; Covell, Christine L; Antonakos, Cathy L

2011-01-01

Inconsistent findings in more than 100 studies have made it difficult to explain how variation in nurse staffing affects patient outcomes. Nurse dose, defined as the level of nurses required to provide patient care in hospital settings, draws on variables used in staffing studies to describe the influence of many staffing variables on outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the construct validity of nurse dose by determining its association with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and reported patient falls on a sample of inpatient adult acute care units. Staffing data came from 26 units in Ontario, Canada, and Michigan. Financial and human resource data were data sources for staffing variables. Sources of data for MRSA came from infection control departments. Incident reports were the data source for patient falls. Data analysis consisted of bivariate correlations and Poisson regression. Bivariate correlations revealed that nurse dose attributes (active ingredient and intensity) were associated significantly with both outcomes. Active ingredient (education, experience, skill mix) and intensity (full-time employees, registered nurse [RN]:patient ratio, RN hours per patient day) were significant predictors of MRSA. Coefficients for both attributes were negative and almost identical. Both attributes were significant predictors of reported patient falls, and coefficients were again negative, but coefficient sizes differed. By conceptualizing nurse and staffing variables (education, experience, skill mix, full-time employees, RN:patient ratio, RN hours per patient day) as attributes of nurse dose and by including these in the same analysis, it is possible to determine their relative influence on MRSA infections and reported patient falls.

Excellence and evidence in staffing: a data-driven model for excellence in staffing (2nd edition).

Science.gov (United States)

Baggett, Margarita; Batcheller, Joyce; Blouin, Ann Scott; Behrens, Elizabeth; Bradley, Carol; Brown, Mary J; Brown, Diane Storer; Bolton, Linda Burnes; Borromeo, Annabelle R; Burtson, Paige; Caramanica, Laura; Caspers, Barbara A; Chow, Marilyn; Christopher, Mary Ann; Clarke, Sean P; Delucas, Christine; Dent, Robert L; Disser, Tony; Eliopoulos, Charlotte; Everett, Linda Q; Garcia, Amy; Glassman, Kimberly; Goodwin, Susan; Haagenson, Deb; Harper, Ellen; Harris, Kathy; Hoying, Cheryl L; Hughes-Rease, Marsha; Kelly, Lesly; Kiger, Anna J; Kobs-Abbott, Ann; Krueger, Janelle; Larson, Jackie; March, Connie; Martin, Deborah Maust; Mazyck, Donna; Meenan, Penny; McGaffigan, Patricia; Myers, Karen K; Nell, Kate; Newcomer, Britta; Cathy, Rick; O'Rourke, Maria; Rosa, Billy; Rose, Robert; Rudisill, Pamela; Sanford, Kathy; Simpson, Roy L; Snowden, Tami; Strickland, Bob; Strohecker, Sharon; Weems, Roger B; Welton, John; Weston, Marla; Valentine, Nancy M; Vento, Laura; Yendro, Susan

2014-01-01

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, 2010) and the Institute of Medicine's (IOM, 2011) Future of Nursing report have prompted changes in the U.S. health care system. This has also stimulated a new direction of thinking for the profession of nursing. New payment and priority structures, where value is placed ahead of volume in care, will start to define our health system in new and unknown ways for years. One thing we all know for sure: we cannot afford the same inefficient models and systems of care of yesterday any longer. The Data-Driven Model for Excellence in Staffing was created as the organizing framework to lead the development of best practices for nurse staffing across the continuum through research and innovation. Regardless of the setting, nurses must integrate multiple concepts with the value of professional nursing to create new care and staffing models. Traditional models demonstrate that nurses are a commodity. If the profession is to make any significant changes in nurse staffing, it is through the articulation of the value of our professional practice within the overall health care environment. This position paper is organized around the concepts from the Data-Driven Model for Excellence in Staffing. The main concepts are: Core Concept 1: Users and Patients of Health Care, Core Concept 2: Providers of Health Care, Core Concept 3: Environment of Care, Core Concept 4: Delivery of Care, Core Concept 5: Quality, Safety, and Outcomes of Care. This position paper provides a comprehensive view of those concepts and components, why those concepts and components are important in this new era of nurse staffing, and a 3-year challenge that will push the nursing profession forward in all settings across the care continuum. There are decades of research supporting various changes to nurse staffing. Yet little has been done to move that research into practice and operations. While the primary goal of this position paper is to generate research

Raising the Bar with Trades Staffing Guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Weidner, Theodore J.

2000-01-01

Examines the APPA's Trades Staffing Guidelines Task Force for college campus building maintenance and presents descriptions of the proposed guideline levels and a matrix of indicators for the Trades Staffing Guidelines. The levels and matrix are intended to mimic features of the custodial staffing guidelines. (GR)

Benefits of High-Intensity Intensive Care Unit Physician Staffing under the Affordable Care Act

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sachin Logani

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama, with its value-based purchasing program, is designed to link payment to quality processes and outcomes. Treatment of critically ill patients represents nearly 1% of the gross domestic product and 25% of a typical hospital budget. Data suggest that high-intensity staffing patterns in the intensive care unit (ICU are associated with cost savings and improved outcomes. We evaluate the literature investigating the cost-effectiveness and clinical outcomes of high-intensity ICU physician staffing as recommended by The Leapfrog Group (a consortium of companies that purchase health care for their employees and identify ways to overcome barriers to nationwide implementation of these standards. Hospitals that have implemented the Leapfrog initiative have demonstrated reductions in mortality and length of stay and increased cost savings. High-intensity staffing models appear to be an immediate cost-effective way for hospitals to meet the challenges of health care reform.

STAFFING DALAM ALQURAN DAN HADIS DITINJAU DARI MANAJEMEN PENDIDIKAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tuti Andriani

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Staffing in an organization can be defined as a series of processes and efforts to acquire, develop, motivate, and evaluate the overall human resources. It is required within the organization in achieving its goals. In staffing, putting a person in a work should be in accordance with his capabilities and expertise so that all are expected to be achieved. Job placement principle is the principle of humanity, democracy, the right man on the right place, equal pay for equal work, unity of direction, the principle of unity of purpose, unity of command, Efficiency and Productivity Work. The concept is the placement, promotion, transfer and demotion. Staffing in the Qur'an and Hadith seen from education management is an employee must complete properly, responsibility, trust, has the capability and expertise, serve, work ethic, strong and trustworthy, honest, sincere, true and trustful, physical and mental strength, and high manners. Professionalism in view of sharia is characterized by three things, namely ahliyah (expertise, himmatul 'charity (high work ethic, trustworthy (reliable.

Hospitals with higher nurse staffing had lower odds of readmissions penalties than hospitals with lower staffing.

Science.gov (United States)

McHugh, Matthew D; Berez, Julie; Small, Dylan S

2013-10-01

The Affordable Care Act's Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) penalizes hospitals based on excess readmission rates among Medicare beneficiaries. The aim of the program is to reduce readmissions while aligning hospitals' financial incentives with payers' and patients' quality goals. Many evidence-based interventions that reduce readmissions, such as discharge preparation, care coordination, and patient education, are grounded in the fundamentals of basic nursing care. Yet inadequate staffing can hinder nurses' efforts to carry out these processes of care. We estimated the effect that nurse staffing had on the likelihood that a hospital was penalized under the HRRP. Hospitals with higher nurse staffing had 25 percent lower odds of being penalized compared to otherwise similar hospitals with lower staffing. Investment in nursing is a potential system-level intervention to reduce readmissions that policy makers and hospital administrators should consider in the new regulatory environment as they examine the quality of care delivered to US hospital patients.

Factors that affect implementation of a nurse staffing directive: results from a qualitative multi-case evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Claire H; Annis, Ann M; Forman, Jane; Krein, Sarah L; Yankey, Nicholas; Duffy, Sonia A; Taylor, Beth; Sales, Anne E

2016-08-01

To assess implementation of the Veterans Health Administration staffing methodology directive. In 2010 the Veterans Health Administration promulgated a staffing methodology directive for inpatient nursing units to address staffing and budget forecasting. A qualitative multi-case evaluation approach assessed staffing methodology implementation. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted from March - June 2014 with Nurse Executives and their teams at 21 facilities. Interviews focused on the budgeting process, implementation experiences, use of data, leadership support, and training. An implementation score was created for each facility using a 4-point rating scale. The scores were used to select three facilities (low, medium and high implementation) for more detailed case studies. After analysing interview summaries, the evaluation team developed a four domain scoring structure: (1) integration of staffing methodology into budget development; (2) implementation of the Directive elements; (3) engagement of leadership and staff; and (4) use of data to support the staffing methodology process. The high implementation facility had leadership understanding and endorsement of staffing methodology, confidence in and ability to work with data, and integration of staffing methodology results into the budgeting process. The low implementation facility reported poor leadership engagement and little understanding of data sources and interpretation. Implementation varies widely across facilities. Implementing staffing methodology in facilities with complex and changing staffing needs requires substantial commitment at all organizational levels especially for facilities that have traditionally relied on historical levels to budget for staffing. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

The effect of physician staffing model on patient outcomes in a medical progressive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, E J; Damaghi, N; Shakespeare, W G; Sherman, M S

2016-04-01

Although evidence supports the impact of intensivist physician staffing in improving intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes, the optimal coverage for progressive care units (PCU) is unknown. We sought to determine how physician staffing models influence outcomes for intermediate care patients. We conducted a retrospective observational comparison of patients admitted to the medical PCU of an academic hospital during 12-month periods of high-intensity and low-intensity staffing. A total of 318 PCU patients were eligible for inclusion (143 high-intensity and 175 low-intensity). We found that low-intensity patients were more often stepped up from the emergency department and floor, whereas high-intensity patients were ICU transfers (61% vs 42%, P = .001). However, Mortality Probability Model scoring was similar between the 2 groups. In adjusted analysis, there was no association between intensity of staffing and hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-1.99; P = .69) or PCU mortality (odds ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-2.45; P = .69). There was also no difference in subsequent ICU admission rates or in PCU length of stay. We found no evidence that high-intensity intensivist physician staffing improves outcomes for intermediate care patients. In a strained critical care system, our study raises questions about the role of the intensivist in the graded care options between intensive and conventional ward care. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Avoiding mandatory hospital nurse staffing ratios: an economic commentary.

Science.gov (United States)

Buerhaus, Peter I

2009-01-01

The imposition of mandatory hospital nurse staffing ratios is among the more visible public policy initiatives affecting the nursing profession. Although the practice is intended to address problems in hospital nurse staffing and quality of patient care, this commentary argues that staffing ratios will lead to negative consequences for nurses involving the equity, efficiency, and costs of producing nursing care in hospitals. Rather than spend time and effort attempting to regulate nurse staffing, this commentary offers alternatives strategies that are directed at fixing the problems that motivate the advocates of staffing ratios.

Design studies on staffing requirements for the new generation nuclear power units of WWER-640 and BN-800 reactor types

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solovyov, D.F.

2001-01-01

The paper outlines the main staffing requirements for the new generation power units with nuclear reactors. These requirements were developed taking into account IAEA recommendations. NPP staffing structure is described, including the main and auxiliary personnel. The main principles of personnel number determination are given. Special attention is taken to the issues of personnel skill and training, including both theoretical education and practical work on the power units in operation. The use of simulators, system of knowledge control and structure of training are considered. ''Shopless'' staffing structure approach is proposed for the NPP, assuming that the main scope of repair work is performed by the central repair organization, thus increasing the quality of repair and decreasing the number of personnel on the plant. Data are given on the personnel number for the WWER-640 and the BN-800 reactor designs. Specialists of the ''ATOMENERGOPROJECT'' Institute started their work on staffing on the early development stage of the basic design of WWER-640 reactor power unit which is the forerunner of the new generation reactors. This work was based on the approaches taken by the chief engineers of NPPs in operation during their meeting held in 1989 in Kalinin NPP. At this meeting definite decision was taken on changing over to involving manufacturer in the repair work of NPP components using manufacturer's technology. In 1992 the meeting of representatives of suppliers of the main components was held where representatives of ''ATOMENERGOREMONT'' and ''LENENERGOREMONT'' were present. The suppliers agreed on carrying out repair works on the components they produced. For this purpose special departments were set up having some experience. This repair work is already carried out by ''ATOMENERGOREMONT'' on some nuclear power plants. ''LENENERGOREMONT'' has gained considerable experience in this kind of repair work on the turbines of LO-1 and LO-2 NPP in Finland. Within the

Staffing and job satisfaction: nurses and nursing assistants.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalisch, Beatrice; Lee, Kyung Hee

2014-05-01

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between staffing and job satisfaction of registered nurses (RNs) and nursing assistants (NAs). Although a number of previous studies have demonstrated the link between the numbers of patients cared for on the last shift and/or perceptions of staffing adequacy, we could find only one study that utilized a measure of actual staffing (opposed to perceptions of staffing adequacy) and correlated it with job satisfaction of registered nurses. This cross-sectional study included 3523 RNs and 1012 NAs in 131 patient care units. Staff were surveyed to determine job satisfaction and demographic variables. In addition, actual staffing data were collected from each of the study units. Hours per patient day was a significant positive predictor for registered nurse job satisfaction after controlling for covariates. For NAs, a lower skill mix was marginally significant with higher job satisfaction. In addition, the more work experience the NAs reported, the lower their job satisfaction. Adequate staffing levels are essential for RN job satisfaction whereas NA job satisfaction depends on the number of assistive personnel in the mix of nursing staff. Two implications are (1) providing adequate staffing is critical to maintain RN job satisfaction and (2) the NA job needs to be re-engineered to make it a more attractive and satisfying career. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Impact of Increased Supply of Newly Licensed Nurses on Hospital Nurse Staffing and Policy Implications].

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yunmi; You, Sunju; Kim, Jinhyun

2017-12-01

This study aimed to analyze the impact of increasing the supply of newly licensed nurses on improving the hospital nurse staffing grades for the period of 2009~2014. Using public administrative data, we analyzed the effect of newly licensed nurses on staffing in 1,594 hospitals using Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) ordered logistic regression, and of supply variation on improving staffing grades in 1,042 hospitals using GEE logistic regression. An increase of one newly licensed nurse per 100 beds in general units had significantly lower odds of improving staffing grades (grades 6~0 vs. 7) (odds ratio=0.95, p=.005). The supply of newly licensed nurses increased by 32% from 2009 to 2014, and proportion of hospitals whose staffing grade had improved, not changed, and worsened was 19.1%, 70.1%, and 10.8% respectively. Compared to 2009, the supply variation of newly licensed nurses in 2014 was not significantly related to the increased odds of improving staffing grades in the region (OR=1.02, p=.870). To achieve a balance in the regional supply and demand for hospital nurses, compliance with nurse staffing legislation and revisions in the nursing fee differentiation policy are needed. Rather than relying on increasing nurse supply, retention policies for new graduate nurses are required to build and sustain competent nurse workforce in the future. © 2017 Korean Society of Nursing Science

Using a complex audit tool to measure workload, staffing and quality in district nursing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirby, Esther; Hurst, Keith

2014-05-01

This major community, workload, staffing and quality study is thought to be the most comprehensive community staffing project in England. It involved over 400 staff from 46 teams in 6 localities and is unique because it ties community staffing activity to workload and quality. Scotland was used to benchmark since the same evidence-based Safer Nursing Care Tool methodology developed by the second-named author was used (apart from quality) and took into account population and geographical similarities. The data collection method tested quality standards, acuity, dependency and nursing interventions by looking at caseloads, staff activity and service quality and funded, actual, temporary and recommended staffing. Key findings showed that 4 out of 6 localities had a heavy workload index that stretched staffing numbers and time spent with patients. The acuity and dependency of patients leaned heavily towards the most dependent and acute categories requiring more face-to-face care. Some areas across the localities had high levels of temporary staff, which affected quality and increased cost. Skill and competency shortages meant that a small number of staff had to travel significantly across the county to deliver complex care to some patients.

New law on staffing levels will save lives.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-17

Good news about nurse staffing levels can be hard to find, so how fantastic that a protracted campaign in Wales finally paid off last week with the passage of legislation to ensure hospital wards are staffed safely. Next month, the Queen will give royal assent to the Safe Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Bill, which will save lives, produce better outcomes and enhance the patient experience of care.

Nurse staffing, medical staffing and mortality in Intensive Care: An observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

West, Elizabeth; Barron, David N; Harrison, David; Rafferty, Anne Marie; Rowan, Kathy; Sanderson, Colin

2014-05-01

To investigate whether the size of the workforce (nurses, doctors and support staff) has an impact on the survival chances of critically ill patients both in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in the hospital. Investigations of intensive care outcomes suggest that some of the variation in patient survival rates might be related to staffing levels and workload, but the evidence is still equivocal. Information about patients, including the outcome of care (whether the patient lived or died) came from the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (ICNARC) Case Mix Programme. An Audit Commission survey of ICUs conducted in 1998 gave information about staffing levels. The merged dataset had information on 65 ICUs and 38,168 patients. This is currently the best available dataset for testing the relationship between staffing and outcomes in UK ICUs. A cross-sectional, retrospective, risk adjusted observational study. Multivariable, multilevel logistic regression. ICU and in-hospital mortality. After controlling for patient characteristics and workload we found that higher numbers of nurses per bed (odds ratio: 0.90, 95% confidence interval: [0.83, 0.97]) and higher numbers of consultants (0.85, [0.76, 0.95]) were associated with higher survival rates. Further exploration revealed that the number of nurses had the greatest impact on patients at high risk of death (0.98, [0.96, 0.99]) whereas the effect of medical staffing was unchanged across the range of patient acuity (1.00, [0.97, 1.03]). No relationship between patient outcomes and the number of support staff (administrative, clerical, technical and scientific staff) was found. Distinguishing between direct care and supernumerary nurses and restricting the analysis to patients who had been in the unit for more than 8h made little difference to the results. Separate analysis of in-unit and in-hospital survival showed that the clinical workforce in intensive care had a greater impact on ICU mortality than on

The Need for Higher Minimum Staffing Standards in U.S. Nursing Homes

Science.gov (United States)

Harrington, Charlene; Schnelle, John F.; McGregor, Margaret; Simmons, Sandra F.

2016-01-01

Many U.S. nursing homes have serious quality problems, in part, because of inadequate levels of nurse staffing. This commentary focuses on two issues. First, there is a need for higher minimum nurse staffing standards for U.S. nursing homes based on multiple research studies showing a positive relationship between nursing home quality and staffing and the benefits of implementing higher minimum staffing standards. Studies have identified the minimum staffing levels necessary to provide care consistent with the federal regulations, but many U.S. facilities have dangerously low staffing. Second, the barriers to staffing reform are discussed. These include economic concerns about costs and a focus on financial incentives. The enforcement of existing staffing standards has been weak, and strong nursing home industry political opposition has limited efforts to establish higher standards. Researchers should study the ways to improve staffing standards and new payment, regulatory, and political strategies to improve nursing home staffing and quality. PMID:27103819

Nurse Staffing and Quality of Care of Nursing Home Residents in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Juh Hyun; Hyun, Ta Kyung

2015-11-01

To investigate the relationship between nurse staffing and quality of care in nursing homes in Korea. This study used a cross-sectional design to describe the relationship between nurse staffing and 15 quality-of-care outcomes. Independent variables were hours per resident day (HPRD), skill mix, and turnover of each nursing staff, developed with the definitions of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the American Health Care Association. Dependent variables were prevalence of residents who experienced more than one fall in the recent 3 months, aggressive behaviors, depression, cognitive decline, pressure sores, incontinence, prescribed antibiotics because of urinary tract infection, weight loss, dehydration, tube feeding, bed rest, increased activities of daily living, decreased range of motion, use of antidepressants, and use of restraints. Outcome variables were quality indicators from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid and 2013 nursing home evaluation manual by the Korean National Health Insurance Service. The effects of registered nurse (RN) HPRD was supported in fall prevention, decreased tube feeding, decreased numbers of residents with deteriorated range of motion, and decreased aggressive behavior. Higher turnover of RNs related to more residents with dehydration, bed rest, and use of antipsychotic medication. Study results supported RNs' unique contribution to resident outcomes in comparison to alternative nurse staffing in fall prevention, decreased use of tube feeding, better range of motion for residents, and decreased aggressive behaviors in nursing homes in Korea. More research is required to confirm the effects of nurse staffing on residents' outcomes in Korea. We found consistency in the effects of RN staffing on resident outcomes acceptable. By assessing nurse staffing levels and compositions of nursing staffs, this study contributes to more effective long-term care insurance by reflecting on appropriate policies, and ultimately

STAF: A Powerful and Sophisticated CAI System.

Science.gov (United States)

Loach, Ken

1982-01-01

Describes the STAF (Science Teacher's Authoring Facility) computer-assisted instruction system developed at Leeds University (England), focusing on STAF language and major program features. Although programs for the system emphasize physical chemistry and organic spectroscopy, the system and language are general purpose and can be used in any…

Medicaid payment rates, case-mix reimbursement, and nursing home staffing--1996-2004.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Zhanlian; Grabowski, David C; Intrator, Orna; Zinn, Jacqueline; Mor, Vincent

2008-01-01

We examined the impact of state Medicaid payment rates and case-mix reimbursement on direct care staffing levels in US nursing homes. We used a recent time series of national nursing home data from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting system for 1996-2004, merged with annual state Medicaid payment rates and case-mix reimbursement information. A 5-category response measure of total staffing levels was defined according to expert recommended thresholds, and examined in a multinomial logistic regression model. Facility fixed-effects models were estimated separately for Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), and Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) staffing levels measured as average hours per resident day. Higher Medicaid payment rates were associated with increases in total staffing levels to meet a higher recommended threshold. However, these gains in overall staffing were accompanied by a reduction of RN staffing and an increase in both LPN and CNA staffing levels. Under case-mix reimbursement, the likelihood of nursing homes achieving higher recommended staffing thresholds decreased, as did levels of professional staffing. Independent of the effects of state, market, and facility characteristics, there was a significant downward trend in RN staffing and an upward trend in both LPN and CNA staffing. Although overall staffing may increase in response to more generous Medicaid reimbursement, it may not translate into improvements in the skill mix of staff. Adjusting for reimbursement levels and resident acuity, total staffing has not increased after the implementation of case-mix reimbursement.

Staffing and structure of infection prevention and control programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Patricia W; Dick, Andrew; Pogorzelska, Monika; Horan, Teresa C; Furuya, E Yoko; Larson, Elaine

2009-06-01

The nature of infection prevention and control is changing; however, little is known about current staffing and structure of infection prevention and control programs. Our objectives were to provide a snapshot of the staffing and structure of hospital-based infection prevention and control programs in the United States. A Web-based survey was sent to 441 hospitals that participate in the National Healthcare Safety Network. The response rate was 66% (n = 289); data were examined on 821 professionals. Infection preventionist (IP) staffing was significantly negatively related to bed size, with higher staffing in smaller hospitals (P hospital epidemiologists were reported to have authority to close beds for outbreaks always or most of the time (n = 225, 78%). Only 32% (n = 92) reported using an electronic surveillance system to track infections. This study is the first to provide a comprehensive description of current infection prevention and control staffing, organization, and support in a select group of hospitals across the nation. Further research is needed to identify effective staffing levels for various hospital types as well as examine how the IP role is changing over time.

An international comparison of commercial nuclear power plant staffing regulations and practice, 1980--1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melber, B.; Hauth, J.; Terrill, E.; Berk, B.; Gore, B.

1994-03-01

In this report an international review of regulatory and industry practices is provided in the area of nuclear power plant staffing during the 1980s in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The objective of this review is to highlight trends in staffing regulatory approaches, industry practices, and issues of concern in other countries that have potential relevance to nuclear power plant staffing issues in the United States. The decade of the 1980s was marked by a great deal of growth in nuclear power operations internationally; however, growth of nuclear power is not expected to continue in the 1990s except in France and Japan. A continuum of regulatory approaches to staffing was identified, ranging from prescribed regulations that are applied to all licensees (Germany is most similar to the United States in this regard), to indirect staffing regulations where the regulatory authority oversees plant operating practices that are agreed to in the plant operating license (most notably, France and the United Kingdom). Most of the changes observed in staffing regulations and practices in the early 1980s were made in response to the accident at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 nuclear power plant (TMI) in 1979. These changes included the widespread issuance of new operator and licensing requirements and the establishment of national training centers. After the post-TMI changes were implemented, a period of relative stability followed. Changes in the latter half of the 1980s have focused on continuing improvements and additions to training curricula and methods, most notably increased reliance on simulator training

Creating pharmacy staffing-to-demand models: predictive tools used at two institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Krogh, Paul; Ernster, Jason; Knoer, Scott

2012-09-15

The creation and implementation of data-driven staffing-to-demand models at two institutions are described. Predictive workload tools provide a guideline for pharmacy managers to adjust staffing needs based on hospital volume metrics. At Abbott Northwestern Hospital, management worked with the department's staff and labor management committee to clearly outline the productivity monitoring system and the process for reducing hours. Reference charts describing the process for reducing hours and a form to track the hours of involuntary reductions for each employee were created to further enhance communication, explain the rationale behind the new process, and promote transparency. The University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview, found a strong correlation between measured pharmacy workload and an adjusted census formula. If the daily census and admission report indicate that the adjusted census will provide enough workload for the fully staffed department, no further action is needed. If the census report indicates the adjusted census is less than the breakeven point, staff members are asked to leave work, either voluntarily or involuntarily. The opposite holds true for days when the adjusted census is higher than the breakeven point, at which time additional staff are required to synchronize worked hours with predicted workload. Successful staffing-to- demand models were implemented in two hospital pharmacies. Financial savings, as indicated by decreased labor costs secondary to reduction of staffed shifts, were approximately $42,000 and $45,500 over a three-month period for Abbott Northwestern Hospital and the University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview, respectively. Maintenance of 100% productively allowed the departments to continue to replace vacant positions and avoid permanent staff reductions.

Staffing Levels at National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision-Level Institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ms, Suzie Aparicio; Welch Bacon, Cailee E; Parsons, John T; Bay, R Curtis; Cohen, Randy P; DeZeeuw, Terry; McLeod, Tamara C Valovich

2015-12-01

The "Appropriate Medical Coverage for Intercollegiate Athletics" (AMCIA) document was created to support assessment and calculation of athletic training personnel requirements. However, little is known regarding disparities between current and recommended staffing practices. To identify the staffing and employment characteristics of athletic health care services at Football Bowl Subdivision-level institutions. Cross-sectional study. Web-based survey. Head athletic trainers and athletic training staff members who were knowledgeable about budget and staff. The survey, Assessment of Staffing Levels at National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision-Level Institutions, was used to evaluate personal, university, and staff demographics; staffing and employment topics; and AMCIA variables and use. The survey was accessed and partially completed by 104 individuals (response rate = 84.6%). A total of 79 athletic trainers (response rate = 76%) completed the entire survey. One-third of the respondents (34.2%, n = 26) met the recommended number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) for football, two-thirds of the respondents (65.7%, n = 50) failed to meet the recommendation, and 26.2% (n = 27) were missing data needed for FTE calculation. Among those who did not meet the recommended FTEs (n = 50), 38.0% (n = 19) were within 1 FTE of being compliant, 26.0% (n = 13) were within 2 FTEs, and 24.0% (n = 12) were within 3 FTEs. About one-third of respondents (35.9%, n = 37) reported not using the AMCIA, citing lack of funding (29.7%, n = 11), lack of administrative support (21.6%, n = 8), and other reasons (37.8%, n = 14). The majority of institutions that used the AMCIA were able to provide justification for staffing. For most of the institutions that failed to meet their recommendation, adding 1-3 FTE athletic trainers for football would change their compliance status. A uniform definition of the term FTE within collegiate athletics is needed to allow for structured

Staffing Levels at National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision-Level Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

MS, Suzie Aparicio; Welch Bacon, Cailee E.; Parsons, John T.; Bay, R. Curtis; Cohen, Randy P.; DeZeeuw, Terry; McLeod, Tamara C. Valovich

2015-01-01

Context The “Appropriate Medical Coverage for Intercollegiate Athletics” (AMCIA) document was created to support assessment and calculation of athletic training personnel requirements. However, little is known regarding disparities between current and recommended staffing practices. Objective To identify the staffing and employment characteristics of athletic health care services at Football Bowl Subdivision-level institutions. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Web-based survey. Patients or Other Participants Head athletic trainers and athletic training staff members who were knowledgeable about budget and staff. Main Outcome Measure(s) The survey, Assessment of Staffing Levels at National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision-Level Institutions, was used to evaluate personal, university, and staff demographics; staffing and employment topics; and AMCIA variables and use. Results The survey was accessed and partially completed by 104 individuals (response rate = 84.6%). A total of 79 athletic trainers (response rate = 76%) completed the entire survey. One-third of the respondents (34.2%, n = 26) met the recommended number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) for football, two-thirds of the respondents (65.7%, n = 50) failed to meet the recommendation, and 26.2% (n = 27) were missing data needed for FTE calculation. Among those who did not meet the recommended FTEs (n = 50), 38.0% (n = 19) were within 1 FTE of being compliant, 26.0% (n = 13) were within 2 FTEs, and 24.0% (n = 12) were within 3 FTEs. About one-third of respondents (35.9%, n = 37) reported not using the AMCIA, citing lack of funding (29.7%, n = 11), lack of administrative support (21.6%, n = 8), and other reasons (37.8%, n = 14). Conclusions The majority of institutions that used the AMCIA were able to provide justification for staffing. For most of the institutions that failed to meet their recommendation, adding 1–3 FTE athletic trainers for football would change their

Brown & Smith Communication Solutions: A Staffing System Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Small, Erika E.; Doll, Jessica L.; Bergman, Shawn M.; Heggestad, Eric D.

2018-01-01

Developing students' practical skills in strategic staffing and selection within the classroom can be challenging. This article describes a staffing system simulation designed to engage students and develop applied skills in strategic recruiting, assessment, and evaluation of job applicants. Instructors looking for a multifaceted team project…

Organization and staffing of the regulatory body for nuclear facilities. Safety guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The purpose of this safety guide is to provide recommendations for national authorities on the appropriate management system, organization and staffing for the regulatory body responsible for the regulation of nuclear facilities in order to achieve compliance with the applicable safety requirements. This safety guide covers the organization and staffing in relation to nuclear facilities such as: enrichment and fuel manufacturing plants. Nuclear power plants. Other reactors such as research reactors and critical assemblies. Spent fuel reprocessing plants. And radioactive waste management facilities such as treatment, storage and disposal facilities. This safety guide also covers issues related to the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, the closure of waste disposal facilities and site rehabilitation

Generalizable items and modular structure for computerised physician staffing calculation on intensive care units.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, Manfred; Marx, Gernot; Iber, Thomas

2017-08-04

Intensive care medicine remains one of the most cost-driving areas within hospitals with high personnel costs. Under the scope of limited budgets and reimbursement, realistic needs are essential to justify personnel staffing. Unfortunately, all existing staffing models are top-down calculations with a high variability in results. We present a workload-oriented model, integrating quality of care, efficiency of processes, legal, educational, controlling, local, organisational and economic aspects. In our model, the physician's workload solely related to the intensive care unit depends on three tasks: Patient-oriented tasks, divided in basic tasks (performed in every patient) and additional tasks (necessary in patients with specific diagnostic and therapeutic requirements depending on their specific illness, only), and non patient-oriented tasks. All three tasks have to be taken into account for calculating the required number of physicians. The calculation tool further allows to determine minimal personnel staffing, distribution of calculated personnel demand regarding type of employee due to working hours per year, shift work or standby duty. This model was introduced and described first by the German Board of Anesthesiologists and the German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine in 2008 and since has been implemented and updated 2012 in Germany. The modular, flexible nature of the Excel-based calculation tool should allow adaption to the respective legal and organizational demands of different countries. After 8 years of experience with this calculation, we report the generalizable key aspects which may help physicians all around the world to justify realistic workload-oriented personnel staffing needs.

Prevention and management of "do not return" notices: a quality improvement process for supplemental staffing nursing agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ade-Oshifogun, Jochebed Bosede; Dufelmeier, Thaddeus

2012-01-01

This article describes a quality improvement process for "do not return" (DNR) notices for healthcare supplemental staffing agencies and healthcare facilities that use them. It is imperative that supplemental staffing agencies partner with healthcare facilities in assuring the quality of supplemental staff. Although supplemental staffing agencies attempt to ensure quality staffing, supplemental staff are sometimes subjectively evaluated by healthcare facilities as "DNR." The objective of this article is to describe a quality improvement process to prevent and manage "DNR" within healthcare organizations. We developed a curriculum and accompanying evaluation tool by adapting Rampersad's problem-solving discipline approach: (a) definition of area(s) for improvement; (b) identification of all possible causes; (c) development of an action plan; (d) implementation of the action plan; (e) evaluation for program improvement; and (f) standardization of the process. Face and content validity of the evaluation tool was ascertained by input from a panel of experienced supplemental staff and nursing faculty. This curriculum and its evaluation tool will have practical implications for supplemental staffing agencies and healthcare facilities in reducing "DNR" rates and in meeting certification/accreditation requirements. Further work is needed to translate this process into future research. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Staff Assist: A Resource to Improve Nursing Home Quality and Staffing

Science.gov (United States)

Castle, Nicholas G.

2011-01-01

Purpose: This study describes the creation and use of a web-based resource, designed to help nursing homes implement quality improvements through changes in staffing characteristics. Design and Methods: Information on staffing characteristics (i.e., staffing levels, turnover, stability, and use of agency staff), facility characteristics (e.g.,…

Optimizing staffing, quality, and cost in home healthcare nursing: theory synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Claire Su-Yeon

2017-08-01

To propose a new theory pinpointing the optimal nurse staffing threshold delivering the maximum quality of care relative to attendant costs in home health care. Little knowledge exists on the theoretical foundation addressing the inter-relationship among quality of care, nurse staffing, and cost. Theory synthesis. Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, EBSCOhost Web and Web of Science (25 February - 26 April 2013; 20 January - 22 March 2015). Most of the existing theories/models lacked the detail necessary to explain the relationship among quality of care, nurse staffing and cost. Two notable exceptions are: 'Production Function for Staffing and Quality in Nursing Homes,' which describes an S-shaped trajectory between quality of care and nurse staffing and 'Thirty-day Survival Isoquant and Estimated Costs According to the Nurse Staff Mix,' which depicts a positive quadric relationship between nurse staffing and cost according to quality of care. A synthesis of these theories led to an innovative multi-dimensional econometric theory helping to determine the maximum quality of care for patients while simultaneously delivering nurse staffing in the most cost-effective way. The theory-driven threshold, navigated by Mathematical Programming based on the Duality Theorem in Mathematical Economics, will help nurse executives defend sufficient nurse staffing with scientific justification to ensure optimal patient care; help stakeholders set an evidence-based reasonable economical goal; and facilitate patient-centred decision-making in choosing the institution which delivers the best quality of care. A new theory to determine the optimum nurse staffing maximizing quality of care relative to cost was proposed. © 2017 The Author. Journal of Advanced Nursing © John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cost analysis of nursing home registered nurse staffing times.

Science.gov (United States)

Dorr, David A; Horn, Susan D; Smout, Randall J

2005-05-01

To examine potential cost savings from decreased adverse resident outcomes versus additional wages of nurses when nursing homes have adequate staffing. A retrospective cost study using differences in adverse outcome rates of pressure ulcers (PUs), urinary tract infections (UTIs), and hospitalizations per resident per day from low staffing and adequate staffing nursing homes. Cost savings from reductions in these events are calculated in dollars and compared with costs of increasing nurse staffing. Eighty-two nursing homes throughout the United States. One thousand three hundred seventy-six frail elderly long-term care residents at risk of PU development. Event rates are from the National Pressure Ulcer Long-Term Care Study. Hospital costs are estimated from Medicare statistics and from charges in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. UTI costs and PU costs are from cost-identification studies. Time horizon is 1 year; perspectives are societal and institutional. Analyses showed an annual net societal benefit of 3,191 dollars per resident per year in a high-risk, long-stay nursing home unit that employs sufficient nurses to achieve 30 to 40 minutes of registered nurse direct care time per resident per day versus nursing homes that have nursing time of less than 10 minutes. Sensitivity analyses revealed a robust set of estimates, with no single or paired elements reaching the cost/benefit equality threshold. Increasing nurse staffing in nursing homes may create significant societal cost savings from reduction in adverse outcomes. Challenges in increasing nurse staffing are discussed.

Cost-Effective Adjustments to Nursing Home Staffing to Improve Quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowblis, John R; Roberts, Amy Restorick

2018-06-01

Health care providers face fixed reimbursement rates from government sources and need to carefully adjust staffing to achieve the highest quality within a given cost structure. With data from the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (1999-2015), this study holistically examined how staffing levels affect two publicly reported measures of quality in the nursing home industry, the number of deficiency citations and the deficiency score. While higher staffing consistently yielded better quality, the largest quality improvements resulted from increasing administrative registered nurses and social service staffing. After adjusting for wages, the most cost-effective investment for improving overall deficiency outcomes was increasing social services. Deficiencies related to quality of care were improved most by increasing administrative nursing and social service staff. Quality of life deficiencies were improved most by increasing social service and activities staff. Approaches to improve quality through staffing adjustments should target specific types of staff to maximize return on investment.

Development, Validation, and Implementation of a Clinic Nurse Staffing Guideline.

Science.gov (United States)

Deeken, Debra Jean; Wakefield, Douglas; Kite, Cora; Linebaugh, Jeanette; Mitchell, Blair; Parkinson, Deidre; Misra, Madhukar

2017-10-01

Ensuring that the level of nurse staffing used to care for patients is appropriate to the setting and service intensity is essential for high-quality and cost-effective care. This article describes the development, validation, and implementation of the clinic technical skills permission list developed specifically to guide nurse staffing decisions in physician clinics of an academic medical center. Results and lessons learned in using this staffing guideline are presented.

Interim results of the study of control room crew staffing for advanced passive reactor plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hallbert, B.P.; Sebok, A.; Haugset, K.

1996-01-01

Differences in the ways in which vendors expect the operations staff to interact with advanced passive plants by vendors have led to a need for reconsideration of the minimum shift staffing requirements of licensed Reactor Operators and Senior Reactor Operators contained in current federal regulations (i.e., 10 CFR 50.54(m)). A research project is being carried out to evaluate the impact(s) of advanced passive plant design and staffing of control room crews on operator and team performance. The purpose of the project is to contribute to the understanding of potential safety issues and provide data to support the development of design review guidance. Two factors are being evaluated across a range of plant operating conditions: control room crew staffing; and characteristics of the operating facility itself, whether it employs conventional or advanced, passive features. This paper presents the results of the first phase of the study conducted at the Loviisa nuclear power station earlier this year. Loviisa served as the conventional plant in this study. Data collection from four crews were collected from a series of design basis scenarios, each crew serving in either a normal or minimum staffing configuration. Results of data analyses show that crews participating in the minimum shift staffing configuration experienced significantly higher workload, had lower situation awareness, demonstrated significantly less effective team performance, and performed more poorly as a crew than the crews participating in the normal shift staffing configuration. The baseline data on crew configurations from the conventional plant setting will be compared with similar data to be collected from the advanced plant setting, and a report prepared providing the results of the entire study

Improving Staffing and Nurse Engagement in a Neuroscience Intermediate Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Nadolski, Charles; Britt, Pheraby; Ramos, Leah C

2017-06-01

The neuroscience intermediate unit is a 23-bed unit that was initially staffed with a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:4 to 1:5. In time, the unit's capacity to care for the exceeding number of progressively acute patients fell short of the desired goals in the staff affecting the nurse satisfaction. The clinical nurses desired a lower nurse-patient ratio. The purpose of this project was to justify a staffing increase through a return on investment and increased quality metrics. This initiative used mixed methodology to determine the ideal staffing for a neuroscience intermediate unit. The quantitative section focused on a review of the acuity of the patients. The qualitative section was based on descriptive interviews with University Healthcare Consortium nurse managers from similar units. The study reviewed the acuity of 9,832 patient days to determine the accurate acuity of neuroscience intermediate unit patients. Nurse managers at 12 University Healthcare Consortium hospitals and 8 units at the Medical University of South Carolina were contacted to compare staffing levels. The increase in nurse staffing contributed to an increase in many quality metrics. There were an 80% decrease in controllable nurse turnover and a 75% reduction in falls with injury after the lowered nurse-patient ratio. These 2 metrics established a return on investment for the staffing increase. In addition, the staffing satisfaction question on the Press Ganey employee engagement survey increased from 2.44 in 2013 to 3.72 in 2015 in response to the advocacy of the bedside nurses.

Wage, Work Environment, and Staffing: Effects on Nurse Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

McHugh, Matthew D.; Ma, Chenjuan

2015-01-01

Research has shown that hospitals with better nurse staffing and work environments have better nurse outcomes—less burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intention to leave the job. Many studies, however, have not accounted for wage effects, which may confound findings. By using a secondary analysis with cross-sectional administrative data and a four-state survey of nurses, we investigated how wage, work environment, and staffing were associated with nurse outcomes. Logistic regression models, with and without wage, were used to estimate the effects of work environment and staffing on burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intent to leave. We discovered that wage was associated with job dissatisfaction and intent to leave but had little influence on burnout, while work environment and average patient-to-nurse ratio still have considerable effects on nurse outcomes. Wage is important for good nurse outcomes, but it does not diminish the significant influence of work environment and staffing on nurse outcomes. PMID:25121923

Staffing requirements for future small and medium reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McQuade, D.

2001-01-01

As power generators around the world grapple with the challenges of the environment, deregulation, competitions and changing prices of fuels, the economics of running a future power plant are influenced significantly by the component of labour costs. These costs, from plant staff, corporate support and purchased services, will affect the overall plant economics. To achieve improved efficiency and effectiveness of organization structures and staff, vendors and utilities are working jointly to apply lessons learned for future designs. This paper will examine the experience gained to date with Canadian CANDU 6 type reactors both in Canada and abroad. The strategies which have been very successful will be reviewed, together with the results of collaboration between Atomic Energy of Canada and the utilities. An assessment of the staffing numbers is provided as a comparison between current number at a Canadian utility and the projected number from a future plant with the improvements in the design. The influence to the overall plant economics are discussed with some broad generalities that look at the effects of increasing and reducing staff levels showing the probable impact on capacity factor. The lessons from other plants can contribute significantly to the performance improvement process. The paper points to the need for a balanced approach in the future for the distribution of operating maintenance and administration (OM and A) cost between nuclear safety studies; maintenance programs and staff training. In the future, utilities, together with the designers, will have to greatly improve plant maintenance and training. The improved design features detailed in the paper will support this strategy by utilizing operational experience. (author)

Impact of an electronic health record operating room management system in ophthalmology on documentation time, surgical volume, and staffing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, David S; Read-Brown, Sarah; Tu, Daniel C; Lambert, William E; Choi, Dongseok; Almario, Bella M; Yackel, Thomas R; Brown, Anna S; Chiang, Michael F

2014-05-01

Although electronic health record (EHR) systems have potential benefits, such as improved safety and quality of care, most ophthalmology practices in the United States have not adopted these systems. Concerns persist regarding potential negative impacts on clinical workflow. In particular, the impact of EHR operating room (OR) management systems on clinical efficiency in the ophthalmic surgery setting is unknown. To determine the impact of an EHR OR management system on intraoperative nursing documentation time, surgical volume, and staffing requirements. For documentation time and circulating nurses per procedure, a prospective cohort design was used between January 10, 2012, and January 10, 2013. For surgical volume and overall staffing requirements, a case series design was used between January 29, 2011, and January 28, 2013. This study involved ophthalmic OR nurses (n = 13) and surgeons (n = 25) at an academic medical center. Electronic health record OR management system implementation. (1) Documentation time (percentage of operating time documenting [POTD], absolute documentation time in minutes), (2) surgical volume (procedures/time), and (3) staffing requirements (full-time equivalents, circulating nurses/procedure). Outcomes were measured during a baseline period when paper documentation was used and during the early (first 3 months) and late (4-12 months) periods after EHR implementation. There was a worsening in total POTD in the early EHR period (83%) vs paper baseline (41%) (P system implementation was associated with worsening of intraoperative nursing documentation time especially in shorter procedures. However, it is possible to implement an EHR OR management system without serious negative impacts on surgical volume and staffing requirements.

Rostering from staffing levels: a branch-and-price approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Veen, Egbert; Veltman, Bart

Many rostering methods first create shifts from some given staffing levels, and after that create rosters from the set of created shifts. Although such a method has some nice properties, it also has some bad ones. In this paper we outline a method that creates rosters directly from staffing levels.

Dynamic Staffing and Rescheduling in Software Project Management: A Hybrid Approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yujia Ge

Full Text Available Resource allocation could be influenced by various dynamic elements, such as the skills of engineers and the growth of skills, which requires managers to find an effective and efficient tool to support their staffing decision-making processes. Rescheduling happens commonly and frequently during the project execution. Control options have to be made when new resources are added or tasks are changed. In this paper we propose a software project staffing model considering dynamic elements of staff productivity with a Genetic Algorithm (GA and Hill Climbing (HC based optimizer. Since a newly generated reschedule dramatically different from the initial schedule could cause an obvious shifting cost increase, our rescheduling strategies consider both efficiency and stability. The results of real world case studies and extensive simulation experiments show that our proposed method is effective and could achieve comparable performance to other heuristic algorithms in most cases.

Support sought for petition on safer staffing levels in Wales.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-11-01

RCN WALES is urging the public to sign an e-petition supporting draft legislation on safe staffing. The petition calls for support for the Safe Nursing Staffing Levels (Wales) Bill, drawn up by Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams.

Staffing decision processes and issues: Case studies of seven US Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melber, B.; Roussel, A.; Baker, K.; Durbin, N.; Hunt, P.; Hauth, J.; Forslund, C.; Terrill, E.; Gore, B.

1994-03-01

The objective of this report is to identify how decisions are made regarding staffing levels and positions for a sample of U.S. nuclear power plants. In this report, a framework is provided for understanding the major forces driving staffing and the implications of staffing decisions for plant safety. The focus of this report is on driving forces that have led to changes in staffing levels and to the establishment of new positions between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s. Processes used at utilities and nuclear power plants to make and implement these staffing decisions are also discussed in the report. While general trends affecting the plant as a whole are presented, the major emphasis of this report is on staffing changes and practices in the operations department, including the operations shift crew. The findings in this report are based on interviews conducted at seven nuclear power plants and their parent utilities. A discussion of the key findings is followed by a summary of the implications of staffing issues for plant safety

A scientific model to determine the optimal radiographer staffing component in a nuclear medicine department

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shipanga, A.N.; Ellmann, A.

2004-01-01

Full text: Introduction: Nuclear medicine in South Africa is developing fast. Much has changed since the constitution of a scientific model for determining an optimum number of radiographer posts in a Nuclear Medicine department in the late 1980's. Aim: The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the number of radiographers required by a Nuclear Medicine department can still be determined according to the norms established in 1988. Methods: A quantitative study using non-experimental evaluation design was conducted to determine the ratios between current radiographer workload and staffing norms. The workload ratios were analysed using the procedures statistics of the Nuclear Medicine department at Tygerberg Hospital. Radiographers provided data about their activities related to patient procedures, including information about the condition of the patients, activities in the radiopharmaceutical laboratory, and patient related administrative tasks. These were factored into an equation relating this data to working hours, including vacation and sick leave. The calculation of Activity Standards and an annual Standard Workload was used to finally calculate the staffing requirements for a Nuclear Medicine department. Results: Preliminary data confirmed that old staffing norms cannot be used in a modern Nuclear Medicine department. Protocols for several types of study have changed, including the additional acquisition of tomographic studies. Interest in the use of time-consuming non-imaging studies has been revived and should be factored Into the equation. Conclusions: All Nuclear Medicine departments In South Africa, where the types of studies performed have changed over the past years, should look carefully at their radiographer staffing ratio to ascertain whether the number of radiographers needed is adequate for the current workload. (author)

Fabulous award for staffing app.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-02

A safe staffing app giving up-to-date information on the number of nurses on the wards at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust scooped top prize at the inaugural Academy of Fabulous NHS Stuffawards in London last week.

Development of the staffing evaluation technique for mental tasks of the advanced main control room

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsieh Tsungling; Yang Chihwei; Lin Chiuhsiangjoe

2011-01-01

The key goals of staffing and qualifications review element are to ensure that the right numbers of people with the appropriate skills and abilities are available to support plant operations and events. If the staffing level is too few, excessive stress that caused human errors possibly will be placed on the operators. Accordingly, this study developed a staffing evaluation technique based on CPM-GOMS for the mental tasks such as operations in the advanced main control room. A within-subject experiment was designed to examine the validity of the staffing evaluation technique. The results indicated the performance of evaluated staffing level via the staffing evaluation technique was significantly higher than that of non-evaluated staffing level; thus, validity of the staffing evaluation technique can be accepted. Finally, the implications for managerial practice on the findings of this study were discussed. (author)

The relationship of California's Medicaid reimbursement system to nurse staffing levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukamel, Dana B; Kang, Taewoon; Collier, Eric; Harrington, Charlene

2012-10-01

Policy initiatives at the Federal and state level are aimed at increasing staffing in nursing homes. These include direct staffing standards, public reporting, and financial incentives. To examine the impact of California's Medicaid reimbursement for nursing homes which includes incentives directed at staffing. Two-stage limited-information maximum-likelihood regressions were used to model the relationship between staffing [registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants hours per resident day] and the Medicaid payment rate, accounting for the specific structure of the payment system, endogeneity of payment and case-mix, and controlling for facility and market characteristics. A total of 927 California free-standing nursing homes in 2006. The model included facility characteristics (case-mix, size, ownership, and chain affiliation), market competition and excess demand, labor supply and wages, unemployment, and female employment. The instrumental variable for Medicaid reimbursement was the peer group payment rate for 7 geographical market areas, and the instrumental variables for resident case-mix were the average county revenues for professional therapy establishments and the percent of county population aged 65 and over. Consistent with the rate incentives and rational expectation behavior, expected nursing home reimbursement rates in 2008 were associated with increased RN staffing levels in 2006 but had no relationship with licensed practical nurse and certified nursing assistant staffing. The effect was estimated at 2 minutes per $10 increase in rate. The incentives in the Medicaid system impacted only RN staffing suggesting the need to improve the state's rate setting methodology.

Applying WHO's 'workforce indicators of staffing need' (WISN) method to calculate the health worker requirements for India's maternal and child health service guarantees in Orissa State.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagopian, Amy; Mohanty, Manmath K; Das, Abhijit; House, Peter J

2012-01-01

In one district of Orissa state, we used the World Health Organization's Workforce Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) method to calculate the number of health workers required to achieve the maternal and child health 'service guarantees' of India's National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). We measured the difference between this ideal number and current staffing levels. We collected census data, routine health information data and government reports to calculate demand for maternal and child health services. By conducting 54 interviews with physicians and midwives, and six focus groups, we were able to calculate the time required to perform necessary health care tasks. We also interviewed 10 new mothers to cross-check these estimates at a global level and get assessments of quality of care. For 18 service centres of Ganjam District, we found 357 health workers in our six cadre categories, to serve a population of 1.02 million. Total demand for the MCH services guaranteed under India's NRHM outpaced supply for every category of health worker but one. To properly serve the study population, the health workforce supply should be enhanced by 43 additional physicians, 15 nurses and 80 nurse midwives. Those numbers probably under-estimate the need, as they assume away geographic barriers. Our study established time standards in minutes for each MCH activity promised by the NRHM, which could be applied elsewhere in India by government planners and civil society advocates. Our calculations indicate significant numbers of new health workers are required to deliver the services promised by the NRHM.

Does daily nurse staffing match ward workload variability? Three hospitals' experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabbay, Uri; Bukchin, Michael

2009-01-01

Nurse shortage and rising healthcare resource burdens mean that appropriate workforce use is imperative. This paper aims to evaluate whether daily nursing staffing meets ward workload needs. Nurse attendance and daily nurses' workload capacity in three hospitals were evaluated. Statistical process control was used to evaluate intra-ward nurse workload capacity and day-to-day variations. Statistical process control is a statistics-based method for process monitoring that uses charts with predefined target measure and control limits. Standardization was performed for inter-ward analysis by converting ward-specific crude measures to ward-specific relative measures by dividing observed/expected. Two charts: acceptable and tolerable daily nurse workload intensity, were defined. Appropriate staffing indicators were defined as those exceeding predefined rates within acceptable and tolerable limits (50 percent and 80 percent respectively). A total of 42 percent of the overall days fell within acceptable control limits and 71 percent within tolerable control limits. Appropriate staffing indicators were met in only 33 percent of wards regarding acceptable nurse workload intensity and in only 45 percent of wards regarding tolerable workloads. The study work did not differentiate crude nurse attendance and it did not take into account patient severity since crude bed occupancy was used. Double statistical process control charts and certain staffing indicators were used, which is open to debate. Wards that met appropriate staffing indicators prove the method's feasibility. Wards that did not meet appropriate staffing indicators prove the importance and the need for process evaluations and monitoring. Methods presented for monitoring daily staffing appropriateness are simple to implement either for intra-ward day-to-day variation by using nurse workload capacity statistical process control charts or for inter-ward evaluation using standardized measure of nurse workload intensity

Lessons learned from Gen II NPP staffing approaches applicable to new reactors - 15003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodnight, C.

2015-01-01

This paper discusses lessons learned from the operation of the Gen II fleet of existing nuclear power plants (NPPs), in terms of staffing, that can be applied to the final design, deployment, and operation of new reactor designs. The most significant of these lessons is the need to appropriately staff the facility, having the right number of people with the required skills and experience. This begs the question of how to identify those personnel requirements. For NPPs, there are five key factors that ultimately will determine the effectiveness and costs of operating nuclear power plants (NPPs): 1) The Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS) and the layout of the plant site; 2) The processes which the operating organization applies; 3) The organizational structure of the operating organization; 4) The organizational culture of the operating organization, and 5) The regulatory framework under which the licensee must operate. In summary, this paper identifies opportunities to minimize staffing and costs learned from Gen II NPPs that may be applicable for new nuclear plants. (author)

[Staffing levels in medical radiation physics in radiation therapy in Germany. Summary of a questionnaire].

Science.gov (United States)

Leetz, Hans-Karl; Eipper, Hermann Hans; Gfirtner, Hans; Schneider, Peter; Welker, Klaus

2003-10-01

To get a general idea of the actual staffing level situation in medical radiation physics in 1999 a survey was carried out by the task-group "Personalbedarf" of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Physik (DGMP) among all DGMP-members who are active in this field. Main components for equipment and activities are defined in Report 8 and 10 of DGMP for staffing requirements in medical radiation physics. 322 forms were sent out, 173 of them have been evaluated. From the answers regarding equipment and activities numbers for staff are calculated by the methods given in Report 8 and 10 for this spot check target and compared with effective staffing levels. The data of the spot check are then extrapolated on total Germany. The result is a calculated deficit of 865 medical physicists for the whole physics staff, 166 of them in radiation therapy. From the age distribution of DGMP-members and the calculated deficit resulted a training capacity of about 100 medical physicists at all per year (19 in radiation therapy) if the deficit shall be cut back in 10 years.

Consequences of Inadequate Staffing Include Missed Care, Potential Failure to Rescue, and Job Stress and Dissatisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, Kathleen Rice; Lyndon, Audrey; Ruhl, Catherine

2016-01-01

To evaluate responses of registered nurse members of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) to a survey that sought their recommendations for staffing guidelines and their perceptions of the consequences of inadequate nurse staffing. The goal was to use these member data to inform the work of the AWHONN nurse staffing research team. Secondary analysis of responses to the 2010 AWHONN nurse staffing survey. Online. AWHONN members (N = 884). Review of data from an online survey of AWHONN members through the use of thematic analysis for descriptions of the consequences of inadequate nurse staffing during the childbirth process. Three main themes emerged as consequences of inadequate staffing or being short-staffed: Missed Care, Potential for Failure to Rescue, and Job-Related Stress and Dissatisfaction. These themes are consistent with those previously identified in the literature related to inadequate nurse staffing. Based on the responses from participants in the 2010 AWHONN nurse staffing survey, consequences of inadequate staffing can be quite serious and may put patients at risk for preventable harm. Copyright © 2016 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of staffing parameters on operational reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hahn, H.A.; Houghton, F.K.

1993-01-01

This paper reports on a project related to human resource management of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) High-Level Waste (HLW) Tank program. Safety and reliability of waste tank operations is impacted by several issues, including not only the design of the tanks themselves, but also how operations and operational personnel are managed. As demonstrated by management assessments performed by the Tiger Teams, DOE believes that the effective use of human resources impacts environment safety, and health concerns. For the of the current paper, human resource management activities are identified as ''Staffing'' and include the of developing the functional responsibilities and qualifications of technical and administrative personnel. This paper discusses the importance of staff plans and management in the overall view of safety and reliability. The work activities and procedures associated with the project, a review of the results of these activities, including a summary of the literature and a preliminary analysis of the data. We conclude that although identification of staffing issues and the development of staffing plans contributes to the overall reliability and safety of the HLW tanks, the relationship is not well understood and is in need of further development

Impact of staffing parameters on operational reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hahn, H.A.; Houghton, F.K.

1993-01-01

This paper reports on a project related to human resource management of the Department of Energy (DOEs) High-Level Waste (HLW) Tank program. Safety and reliability of waste tank operations is impacted by several issues, including not only the design of the tanks themselves, but also how operations and operational personnel are managed. As demonstrated by management assessments performed by the Tiger Teams, DOE believes that the effective use of human resources impacts environment, safety, and health concerns. For the purposes of the current paper, human resource management activities are identified as 'Staffing' and include the process of developing the functional responsibilities and qualifications of technical and administrative personnel. This paper discusses the importance of staff plans and management in the overall view of safety and reliability, the work activities and procedures associated with the project, a review of the results of these activities, including a summary of the literature and a preliminary analysis of the data. We conclude that, although identification of staffing issues and the development of staffing plans contributes to the overall reliability and safety of the HLW tanks, the relationship is not well understood and is in need of further development

Effects of Medicare payment changes on nursing home staffing and deficiencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Konetzka, R Tamara; Yi, Deokhee; Norton, Edward C; Kilpatrick, Kerry E

2004-06-01

To investigate the effects of Medicare's Prospective Payment System (PPS) for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and associated rate changes on quality of care as represented by staffing ratios and regulatory deficiencies. Online Survey, Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) data from 1996-2000 were linked with Area Resource File (ARF) and Medicare Cost Report data to form a panel dataset. A difference-in-differences model was used to assess effects of the PPS and the BBRA (Balanced Budget Refinement Act) on staffing and deficiencies, a design that allows the separation of the effects of the policies from general trends. Ordinary least squares and negative binomial models were used. The OSCAR and Medicare Cost Report data are self-reported by nursing facilities; ARF data are publicly available. Data were linked by provider ID and county. We find that professional staffing decreased and regulatory deficiencies increased with PPS, and that both effects were mitigated with the BBRA rate increases. The effects appear to increase with the percent of Medicare residents in the facility except, in some cases, at the highest percentage of Medicare. The findings on staffing are statistically significant. The effects on deficiencies, though exhibiting consistent signs and magnitudes with the staffing results, are largely insignificant. Medicare's PPS system and associated rate cuts for SNFs have had a negative effect on staffing and regulatory compliance. Further research is necessary to determine whether these changes are associated with worse outcomes. Findings from this investigation could help guide policy modifications that support the provision of quality nursing home care.

Twenty years of staffing, practice environment, and outcomes research in military nursing.

Science.gov (United States)

Patrician, Patricia A; Loan, Lori A; McCarthy, Mary S; Swiger, Pauline; Breckenridge-Sproat, Sara; Brosch, Laura Ruse; Jennings, Bonnie Mowinski

Two decades ago, findings from an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report sparked the urgent need for evidence supporting relationships between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. This article provides an overview of nurse staffing, practice environment, and patient outcomes research, with an emphasis on findings from military studies. Lessons learned also are enumerated. This study is a review of the entire Military Nursing Outcomes Database (MilNOD) program of research. The MilNOD, in combination with evidence from other health care studies, provides nurses and leaders with information about the associations between staffing, patient outcomes, and the professional practice environment of nursing in the military. Leaders, therefore, have useful empirical evidence to make data-driven decisions. The MilNOD studies are the basis for the current Army nursing dashboard, and care delivery framework, called the Patent CaringTouch System. Future research is needed to identify ideal staffing based on workload demands, and provide leaders with factors to consider when operationalizing staffing recommendations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Staffing, overtime, and shift scheduling project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, P.M.

1989-01-01

Recent events at the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant have demonstrated the need to establish a quantifiable basis for assessing the safety significance of long work hours on nuclear power plant operators. The incidents at TMI-2, Chernobyl, and Bhopal, which all occurred during the late evening/night shift, further highlight the importance of the relationship between shift scheduling and performance. The objective of this project is to estimate, using statistical analysis on data from the nuclear industry, the effects on safety of staffing levels, overtime, and shift scheduling for operators and maintenance personnel. Regarding staffing levels, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) currently has no explicit regulation concerning the minimum acceptable levels of staffing in a plant that has an operating license. The NRC has no systematic method for collecting data on the number of licensed operators on the operating crews. In 1982 the NRC recommended that plants write into their technical specifications a model policy on overtime. Currently, 77 nuclear power plant units have the model policy or a modification of it written into their technical specifications; 33 units have no policy on overtime. The model policy sets limits on overtime for safety related personnel, although these limits can be exceeded with plant manger approval. The US nuclear power industry has three types of shift schedules: (1) forward-rotating 8-hour/day shift schedules, (2) backward-rotating 8-hour/day schedules, and (3) 12-hour/day schedules

Westinghouse, DOE see apples, oranges in IG staffing report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lobsenz, G.

1994-01-01

The operator of the Energy Department's Savannah River weapons plant has at least 1,800 more employees than it needs, and could save $400 million over a five-year period by cutting its staff accordingly, a DOE inspector general study says. Most of the boat - 1,206 employees - was attributed to excessive numbers of managers, with the inspector general concluding that Westinghouse Savannah River Co. had roughly twice as many layers of management than two other DOE weapons contractors. The study also concluded that Westinghouse in fiscal year 1992 significantly understated its actual staffing levels in reports to DOE, failing to disclose 1,765 full-time employees or the equivalent hours worked. Through such underreporting Westinghouse was able to open-quotes circumvent staffing ceilings established by the department,close quotes the study added. Overall, DOE Inspector General John Layton said Westinghouse's staff levels substantially exceeded those needed for efficient operation of the South Carolina nuclear weapons facility. Layton based his analysis on efficiency standards attained by other DOE weapons plant contractors, such as Martin Marietta Energy Systems at DOE's Oak Ridge, Tenn., plant and EG ampersand G Rocky Flats, as well as widely utilized worker performance requirements used by the Navy and private sector companies that perform work similar to that done at Savannah River

Extension Staffing Models to Serve 4-H Clientele in Changing Times

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donna R. Gillespie

2010-03-01

Full Text Available In response to budget cuts in 2002, 4-H staffing models were restructured. The response by University of Idaho Extension was intended to continue meeting the needs of Idaho’s citizens with fewer UI Extension faculty. This staffing reorganization led to the formation of the District III 4-H Team who united to bring stronger 4-H programs to south central Idaho and expand programs to underserved audiences. Information from surveys and interviews over the past seven years reflects the effectiveness, challenges and successes of the District III 4-H Team. In Making the Best Better: 4-H Staffing Patterns and Trends in the Largest Professional Network in the Nation (2007, author Kirk A. Astroth notes a nationwide change in 4-H leadership at the county level from 4-H faculty to program assistants or coordinators. The information gathered in our research may help other states determine staffing models to meet the needs of clientele in these changing times.

Radiotherapy staffing in the European countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lievens, Yolande; Defourny, Noémie; Coffey, Mary

2014-01-01

includes a detailed analysis of radiotherapy staffing (questionnaire items 47-60), analysed in relation to the annual number of treatment courses and the socio-economic status of the countries. The analysis was conducted between February and July 2014, and is based on validated responses from 24 of the 40...... of countries can be distinguished on the basis of available personnel resources and socio-economic status. CONCLUSIONS: The average personnel figures in Europe are now consistent with, or even more favourable than the QUARTS recommendations, probably reflecting a combination of better availability as such......, in parallel with the current use of more complex treatments than a decade ago. A considerable variation in available personnel and delivered courses per year however persists among the highest and lowest staffing levels. This not only reflects the variation in cancer incidence and socio-economic determinants...

District nursing renascent as Wales adopts safe staffing levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Labourne, Paul

2018-05-02

This article reflects on the history of the NHS in Wales and how this has led to its current structure. How this structure supports integrated working across primary, community and secondary care and how further integration with social care is moving forward and its direct effects on district nursing are explored. This article describes how district nursing is meeting these challenges. Support for district nurses as part of integrated multiprofessional teams is being developed to promote appropriately staffed teams centred on meeting the requirements of people within a designated area and ensuring that home is the best and first place of care.

The Implications of Flexible Staffing Arrangements for Job Stability

OpenAIRE

Houseman, Susan N.; Polivka, Anne E.

1999-01-01

In this paper, we examine the job stability of workers in a wide range of flexible staffing arrangements: agency temporary, direct-hire temporary, on-call, contract company, independent contractor, and regular part-time work. We draw upon two data sources in our analysis. The first is a nationwide survey of employers on their use of flexible staffing arrangements conducted by the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. This survey provides evidence on why employers use various types of flex...

The impact of managed care penetration and hospital quality on efficiency in hospital staffing.

Science.gov (United States)

Mobley, Lee R; Magnussen, Jon

2002-01-01

The state of California has recently mandated minimum nurse-staffing ratios, raising concerns about possible affects on hospital efficiency. In this study, we examine how market factors and quality were related to staffing levels in California hospitals in 1995 (prior to implementation of the new law). We are particularly interested in the affect of managed care penetration on this aspect of hospital efficiency because the call to legislative action was predicated on fears that hospitals were reducing staffing below optimal levels in response to managed care pressures. We derive a unique measure of excess staffing in hospitals based on a data envelopment analysis (DEA) production function model, which explicitly includes ancillary care among the inputs and outputs. This careful specification of production is important because ancillary care use has risen relative to daily hospital services, with the spread of managed care and advances in medical technology. We find that market share (adjusted for size) and market concentration are the major determinants of excess staffing while managed care penetration is insignificant. We also find that poor quality (outcomes worse than expected) is associated with less efficient staffing. These findings suggest that the larger, more efficient urban hospitals will be penalized more heavily under binding staffing ratios than smaller, less-urban hospitals.

Staffing Patterns in Public School Systems: Current Status and Trends, Update 2001. Research Snapshot.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Alicia D.; Protheroe, Nancy; Parks, Michael C.

Staffing patterns in American public-school systems are presented in this report of the 2000-01 school year. The report addresses the following: why information about staffing ratios is important; how many people currently work in public schools; what proportion of these are teachers, administrators, and support staff; current staffing patterns in…

The association between nurse staffing and omissions in nursing care: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Peter; Recio-Saucedo, Alejandra; Dall'Ora, Chiara; Briggs, Jim; Maruotti, Antonello; Meredith, Paul; Smith, Gary B; Ball, Jane

2018-03-08

To identify nursing care most frequently missed in acute adult inpatient wards and to determine evidence for the association of missed care with nurse staffing. Research has established associations between nurse staffing levels and adverse patient outcomes including in-hospital mortality. However, the causal nature of this relationship is uncertain and omissions of nursing care (referred as missed care, care left undone or rationed care) have been proposed as a factor which may provide a more direct indicator of nurse staffing adequacy. Systematic review. We searched the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase and Medline for quantitative studies of associations between staffing and missed care. We searched key journals, personal libraries and reference lists of articles. Two reviewers independently selected studies. Quality appraisal was based on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality appraisal checklist for studies reporting correlations and associations. Data were abstracted on study design, missed care prevalence and measures of association. Synthesis was narrative. Eighteen studies gave subjective reports of missed care. Seventy-five per cent or more nurses reported omitting some care. Fourteen studies found low nurse staffing levels were significantly associated with higher reports of missed care. There was little evidence that adding support workers to the team reduced missed care. Low Registered Nurse staffing is associated with reports of missed nursing care in hospitals. Missed care is a promising indicator of nurse staffing adequacy. The extent to which the relationships observed represent actual failures, is yet to be investigated. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pre-hospital critical care by anaesthesiologist-staffed pre-hospital services in Scandinavia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krüger, A J; Lossius, H M; Mikkelsen, S

2013-01-01

All Scandinavian countries provide anaesthesiologist-staffed pre-hospital services. Little is known of the incidence of critical illness or injury attended by these services. We aimed to investigate anaesthesiologist-staffed pre-hospital services in Scandinavia with special emphasis on incidence...

Nuclear power plant organization and staffing for improved performance: Lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-11-01

Experience from well operated nuclear power plants (NPPs) around the world indicates that an organizational structure which efficiently supports plant operation is essential in economically achieving both high level of safety and operational performance. At the same time energy markets are being opened to competition in many Member States. It is in consideration of this new competitive energy market that the overall objective of this document is to provide NPP managers information on lessons learned on improving the organization and staffing of NPP activities. Within this overall objective, specific objectives are to: Identify organisational design and staffing principles, Provide examples of how NPPs implement these principles, Identify typical NPP staffing levels, Factors affecting these levels, and staffing trends among various NPP types. Although it is not expected that any particular utility or NPP manager would consider all of the suggestions provided here to be appropriate, it is anticipated that nearly every NPP manager in IAEA Member States would find some ideas useful in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of NPP activities

Developing Staffing Models to Support Population Health Management And Quality Oucomes in Ambulatory Care Settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Haas, Sheila A; Vlasses, Frances; Havey, Julia

2016-01-01

There are multiple demands and challenges inherent in establishing staffing models in ambulatory heath care settings today. If health care administrators establish a supportive physical and interpersonal health care environment, and develop high-performing interprofessional teams and staffing models and electronic documentation systems that track performance, patients will have more opportunities to receive safe, high-quality evidence-based care that encourages patient participation in decision making, as well as provision of their care. The health care organization must be aligned and responsive to the community within which it resides, fully invested in population health management, and continuously scanning the environment for competitive, regulatory, and external environmental risks. All of these challenges require highly competent providers willing to change attitudes and culture such as movement toward collaborative practice among the interprofessional team including the patient.

Nursing teamwork, staff characteristics, work schedules, and staffing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalisch, Beatrice J; Lee, Hyunhwa

2009-01-01

This study aimed to explore whether and how staff characteristics, staffing, and scheduling variables are associated with the level of teamwork in nursing staff on acute care hospital patient units. This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 1,758 nursing staff members from two different hospitals on 38 patient care units who completed the Nursing Teamwork Survey in 2008. This study focused on nursing teams who are stationed on a particular patient care unit (as opposed to visitors to the units). The return rate was 56.9%. The sample was made up of 77.4% nurses (registered nurses and licensed practical nurses), 11.9% assistive personnel, and 7.9% unit secretaries. Teamwork varied by unit and service type, with the highest scores occurring in pediatrics and maternity and the lowest scores on the medical-surgical and emergency units. Staff with less than 6 months of experience, those working 8- or 10-hour shifts (as opposed to 12 hours or a combination of 8 and 12 hours), part-time staff (as opposed to full time), and those working on night shift had higher teamwork scores. The higher teamwork scores were also associated with no or little overtime. The higher perception of the adequacy of staffing and the fewer patients cared for on a previous shift, the higher the teamwork scores. There is a relationship between selected staff characteristics, aspects of work schedules, staffing, and teamwork. Nursing staff want to work where teamwork is high, and perceptions of good staffing lead to higher teamwork. Higher teamwork scores correlated with those who worked less overtime.

The effects of nurse staffing on hospital financial performance: competitive versus less competitive markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Everhart, Damian; Neff, Donna; Al-Amin, Mona; Nogle, June; Weech-Maldonado, Robert

2013-01-01

Hospitals facing financial uncertainty have sought to reduce nurse staffing as a way to increase profitability. However, nurse staffing has been found to be important in terms of quality of patient care and nursing-related outcomes. Nurse staffing can provide a competitive advantage to hospitals and as a result of better financial performance, particularly in more competitive markets. In this study, we build on the Resource-Based View of the Firm to determine the effect of nurse staffing on total profit margin in more competitive and less competitive hospital markets in Florida. By combining a Florida statewide nursing survey with the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and the Area Resource File, three separate multivariate linear regression models were conducted to determine the effect of nurse staffing on financial performance while accounting for market competitiveness. The analysis was limited to acute care hospitals. Nurse staffing levels had a positive association with financial performance (β = 3.3, p = .02) in competitive hospital markets, but no significant association was found in less competitive hospital markets. Hospitals in more competitive hospital markets should reconsider reducing nursing staff, as these cost-cutting measures may be inefficient and negatively affect financial performance.

Leadership, staffing and quality of care in nursing homes

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Leadership and staffing are recognised as important factors for quality of care. This study examines the effects of ward leaders' task- and relationship-oriented leadership styles, staffing levels, ratio of registered nurses and ratio of unlicensed staff on three independent measures of quality of care. Methods A cross-sectional survey of forty nursing home wards throughout Norway was used to collect the data. Five sources of data were utilised: self-report questionnaires to 444 employees, interviews with and questionnaires to 13 nursing home directors and 40 ward managers, telephone interviews with 378 relatives and 900 hours of field observations. Separate multi-level analyses were conducted for quality of care assessed by relatives, staff and field observations respectively. Results Task-oriented leadership style had a significant positive relationship with two of the three quality of care indexes. In contrast, relationship-oriented leadership style was not significantly related to any of the indexes. The lack of significant effect for relationship-oriented leadership style was due to a strong correlation between the two leadership styles (r = 0.78). Staffing levels and ratio of registered nurses were not significantly related to any of the quality of care indexes. The ratio of unlicensed staff, however, showed a significant negative relationship to quality as assessed by relatives and field observations, but not to quality as assessed by staff. Conclusions Leaders in nursing homes should focus on active leadership and particularly task-oriented behaviour like structure, coordination, clarifying of staff roles and monitoring of operations to increase quality of care. Furthermore, nursing homes should minimize use of unlicensed staff and address factors related to high ratios of unlicensed staff, like low staff stability. The study indicates, however, that the relationship between staffing levels, ratio of registered nurses and quality of care is

Leadership, staffing and quality of care in nursing homes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Havig Anders

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Leadership and staffing are recognised as important factors for quality of care. This study examines the effects of ward leaders' task- and relationship-oriented leadership styles, staffing levels, ratio of registered nurses and ratio of unlicensed staff on three independent measures of quality of care. Methods A cross-sectional survey of forty nursing home wards throughout Norway was used to collect the data. Five sources of data were utilised: self-report questionnaires to 444 employees, interviews with and questionnaires to 13 nursing home directors and 40 ward managers, telephone interviews with 378 relatives and 900 hours of field observations. Separate multi-level analyses were conducted for quality of care assessed by relatives, staff and field observations respectively. Results Task-oriented leadership style had a significant positive relationship with two of the three quality of care indexes. In contrast, relationship-oriented leadership style was not significantly related to any of the indexes. The lack of significant effect for relationship-oriented leadership style was due to a strong correlation between the two leadership styles (r = 0.78. Staffing levels and ratio of registered nurses were not significantly related to any of the quality of care indexes. The ratio of unlicensed staff, however, showed a significant negative relationship to quality as assessed by relatives and field observations, but not to quality as assessed by staff. Conclusions Leaders in nursing homes should focus on active leadership and particularly task-oriented behaviour like structure, coordination, clarifying of staff roles and monitoring of operations to increase quality of care. Furthermore, nursing homes should minimize use of unlicensed staff and address factors related to high ratios of unlicensed staff, like low staff stability. The study indicates, however, that the relationship between staffing levels, ratio of registered nurses

42 CFR 9.9 - Facility staffing.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Facility staffing. 9.9 Section 9.9 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL PROVISIONS STANDARDS OF CARE FOR... Biosafety Officer must have experience in developing and monitoring biohazards and dealing with biosafety...

The Effects of Nurse Staffing on Hospital Financial Performance: Competitive Versus Less Competitive Markets

Science.gov (United States)

Everhart, Damian; Neff, Donna; Al-Amin, Mona; Nogle, June; Weech-Maldonado, Robert

2013-01-01

Background Hospitals facing financial uncertainty have sought to reduce nurse staffing as a way to increase profitability. However, nurse staffing has been found to be important in terms of quality of patient care and nursing related outcomes. Nurse staffing can provide a competitive advantage to hospitals and as a result better financial performance, particularly in more competitive markets Purpose In this study we build on the Resource-Based View of the Firm to determine the effect of nurse staffing on total profit margin in more competitive and less competitive hospital markets in Florida. Methodology/Approach By combining a Florida statewide nursing survey with the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and the Area Resource File, three separate multivariate linear regression models were conducted to determine the effect of nurse staffing on financial performance while accounting for market competitiveness. The analysis was limited to acute care hospitals. Findings Nurse staffing levels had a positive association with financial performance (β=3.3; p=0.02) in competitive hospital markets, but no significant association was found in less competitive hospital markets. Practice Implications Hospitals in more competitive hospital markets should reconsider reducing nursing staff, as these cost cutting measures may be inefficient and negatively affect financial performance. PMID:22543824

77 FR 40638 - Syniverse Technologies, Inc., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Insight Global Stone Staffing...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-10

..., Inc., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Insight Global Stone Staffing, and Randstad Formerly Known..., Massachusetts, including on-site leased workers from Insight Global, Stone Staffing, Randstad formerly known as... Insight Global, Stone Staffing, Randstad, formerly known as Sapphire Technologies, were employed on-site...

Staffing to Maximize Profit for Call Centers with Impatient and Repeat-Calling Customers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Gong

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Motivated by call center practice, we study the optimal staffing of many-server queues with impatient and repeat-calling customers. A call center is modeled as an M/M/s+M queue, which is developed to a behavioral queuing model in which customers come and go based on their satisfaction with waiting time. We explicitly take into account customer repeat behavior, which implies that satisfied customers might return and have an impact on the arrival rate. Optimality is defined as the number of agents that maximize revenues net of staffing costs, and we account for the characteristic that revenues are a direct function of staffing. Finally, we use numerical experiments to make certain comparisons with traditional models that do not consider customer repeat behavior. Furthermore, we indicate how managers might allocate staffing optimally with various customer behavior mechanisms.

Improving value in primary total joint arthroplasty care pathways: changes in inpatient physical therapy staffing.

Science.gov (United States)

Pelt, Christopher E; Anderson, Mike B; Pendleton, Robert; Foulks, Matthew; Peters, Christopher L; Gililland, Jeremy M

2017-03-01

An early physical therapy (PT) care pathway was implemented to provide same-day ambulation after total joint arthroplasty by changing PT staffing hours. After receiving an exemption from our institutional review board, we performed a secondary data analysis on a cohort of patients that underwent primary TJA of the hip or knee 6 months before and 12 months after implementation of the change. Data on same-day ambulation rates, length of stay (LOS), and in-hospital costs were reviewed. Early evaluation and mobilization of patients by PT improved on postoperative day (POD) 0 from 64% to 85% after the change ( P ≤ .001). The median LOS before the change was 3.27 days compared to 3.23 days after the change ( P  = .014). Patients with higher American Society of Anesthesiologists scores were less likely to ambulate on POD 0 ( P  = .038) and had longer hospital stays ( P < .001). Early mobilization in the entire cohort was associated with a greater cost savings ( P < .001). A relatively simple change to staffing hours, using resources currently available to us, and little additional financial or institutional investment resulted in a significant improvement in the number of patients ambulating on POD 0, with a modest reduction in both LOS and inpatient costs.

Nursing Personnel Planning for Rural Hospitals in Burdwan District, West Bengal, India, Using Workload Indicators of Staffing Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Rabindra Nath; Dasgupta, Samir; Bhattacharyya, Krishna Das; Misra, Raghu Nath; Roy, Sima; Saha, Indranil

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Lack of appropriate human resources planning is an important factor in the inefficient use of the public health facilities. Workforce projections can be improved by using objective methods of staffing needs based on the workload and actual work undertaken by workers, a guideline developed by Peter J. Shipp in collaboration with WHO—Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN). A cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate the nursing stuff requirement for the rural hospitals and provide a quantitative description of imbalances, if there is any, in the allocation at the district level during 2011. The average WISN turns out to be 0.35 for entire district, which means only 35% of the required nurses is available or 65% understaffed. So, there is an urgent need for more allocations and deployment of staff so that workload can be tackled and evenly distributed among all nursing personnel. PMID:25895199

77 FR 63872 - Alternative Management Resources, Inc., Doepker Group, Inc., D.B.A. Time Staffing, Inc...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-17

... Resources, Inc., Doepker Group, Inc., D.B.A. Time Staffing, Inc., Personnel Management Group, Inc...., Doepker Group, Inc., D.B.A. Time Staffing, Inc., Personnel Management Group, Inc., Select Staffing, and... follows: ''All workers of Alternative Management Resources, Inc., Doepker Group, Inc., D.B.A. Time...

Staffing the Global Organization: "Cultural Nomads"

Science.gov (United States)

McPhail, Ruth; Fisher, Ron; Harvey, Michael; Moeller, Miriam

2012-01-01

This article explores the evolution of international staffing in an increasingly globalized and hypercompetitive marketplace. As the issue of staff retention becomes critical in global organizations, it is important to understand the types of managers that may be on or assigned to overseas assignments. The purpose of this article is to present a…

Age differences in the required coefficient of friction during level walking do not exist when experimentally-controlling speed and step length.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Dennis E; Franck, Christopher T; Madigan, Michael L

2014-08-01

The effects of gait speed and step length on the required coefficient of friction (COF) confound the investigation of age-related differences in required COF. The goals of this study were to investigate whether age differences in required COF during self-selected gait persist when experimentally-controlling speed and step length, and to determine the independent effects of speed and step length on required COF. Ten young and 10 older healthy adults performed gait trials under five gait conditions: self-selected, slow and fast speeds without controlling step length, and slow and fast speeds while controlling step length. During self-selected gait, older adults walked with shorter step lengths and exhibited a lower required COF. Older adults also exhibited a lower required COF when walking at a controlled speed without controlling step length. When both age groups walked with the same speed and step length, no age difference in required COF was found. Thus, speed and step length can have a large influence on studies investigating age-related differences in required COF. It was also found that speed and step length have independent and opposite effects on required COF, with step length having a strong positive effect on required COF, and speed having a weaker negative effect.

Worthy Work, Unlivable Wages: The National Child Care Staffing Study, 1988-1997.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitebook, Marcy; Howes, Carollee; Phillips, Deborah

In 1988, the National Child Care Staffing Study first gathered information on staffing and quality from a sample of child care centers in five metropolitan areas--Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Phoenix, and Seattle--and returned for updated information in 1992. In 1997, directors of the original sample of centers still in operation were contacted again…

Development of staffing evaluation principle for advanced main control room and the effect on situation awareness and mental workload

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Chiuhsiang Joe; Hsieh, Tsung-Ling; Lin, Shiau-Feng

2013-01-01

Highlights: • A staffing evaluation principle was developed for the advanced main control room. • The principle proposed to improve situation awareness and mental workload. • The principle has good validity that was examined by experimental design. - Abstract: Situation awareness and mental workload, both of which influence operator performance in the advanced main control room of a nuclear power plant, can be affected by staffing level. The key goal of staffing is to ensure the proper number of personnel to support plant operations and events. If the staffing level is not adaptive, the operators may have low situation awareness and an excessive mental workload, which lead to human error. Accordingly, this study developed a staffing evaluation principle based on CPM-GOMS modeling for operations in the advanced main control room. A within-subject experiment was designed to examine the validity of the staffing evaluation principle. The results indicated that the situation awareness, mental workload, and operating performance of the staffing level determined by the staffing evaluation principle was significantly better than that of the non-evaluated staffing level; thus, the validity of the staffing evaluation technique is acceptable. The implications of the findings of this study on managerial practice are discussed

Development of staffing evaluation principle for advanced main control room and the effect on situation awareness and mental workload

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Chiuhsiang Joe, E-mail: cjoelin@mail.ntust.edu.tw [Department of Industrial Management, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 43, Section 4, Keelung Road, Taipei 10607, Taiwan (China); Hsieh, Tsung-Ling, E-mail: bm1129@gmail.com [Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, 1000, Wenhua Road, Chiaan Village, Lungtan 32546, Taiwan (China); Lin, Shiau-Feng, E-mail: g9602411@cycu.edu.tw [Department of Industrial Engineering, Chung-Yuan Christian University, 200, Chung Pei Road, Chung-Li 32023, Taiwan (China)

2013-12-15

Highlights: • A staffing evaluation principle was developed for the advanced main control room. • The principle proposed to improve situation awareness and mental workload. • The principle has good validity that was examined by experimental design. - Abstract: Situation awareness and mental workload, both of which influence operator performance in the advanced main control room of a nuclear power plant, can be affected by staffing level. The key goal of staffing is to ensure the proper number of personnel to support plant operations and events. If the staffing level is not adaptive, the operators may have low situation awareness and an excessive mental workload, which lead to human error. Accordingly, this study developed a staffing evaluation principle based on CPM-GOMS modeling for operations in the advanced main control room. A within-subject experiment was designed to examine the validity of the staffing evaluation principle. The results indicated that the situation awareness, mental workload, and operating performance of the staffing level determined by the staffing evaluation principle was significantly better than that of the non-evaluated staffing level; thus, the validity of the staffing evaluation technique is acceptable. The implications of the findings of this study on managerial practice are discussed.

Nurse burnout in China: a questionnaire survey on staffing, job satisfaction, and quality of care.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Minmin; Ruan, Hui; Xing, Weijie; Hu, Yan

2015-05-01

The investigators examined how nurse staffing affects nurse job satisfaction and quality of care. Inadequate nurse staffing is a worldwide issue with profound effects on nurse job satisfaction and quality of care. Few studies have examined the relationship between nurse staffing and job satisfaction and quality of care in China. A cross-sectional design was adopted, wherein 873 nurses were surveyed on demographics, nurse staffing, job-related burnout, job dissatisfaction, intent to leave, and quality of care. The median patient-nurse ratio was five; 45.1% nurses reported high levels of job-related burnout, and 55.6%, job dissatisfaction. In adjusted regression models, patient-nurse ratios of four or less were related to a decrease in the odds of job dissatisfaction (odds ratio 0.55, 95% confidence interval 0.36-0.85) and increase in the odds of quality of care (odds ratio 1.78, 95% confidence interval 1.02-2.82). Nurse staffing is associated with job dissatisfaction and quality of care. Nurse managers should maintain an adequate level of nurse staffing, referring to the patient-nurse ratio. They should create new initiatives to increase job satisfaction among nurses and to evaluate their effects. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reducing the length of postnatal hospital stay: implications for cost and quality of care.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowers, John; Cheyne, Helen

2016-01-15

and safety of care would also require corresponding increases in community based postnatal care. Simply reducing staffing in proportion to the length of stay increases the workload for each staff member resulting in poorer quality of care and increased staff stress. Many policy debates, such as that about the length of postnatal hospital-stay, demand consideration of multiple dimensions. This paper demonstrates how diverse data sources and techniques can be integrated to provide a more holistic analysis. Our study suggests that while earlier discharge from the postnatal ward may achievable, it may not generate all of the anticipated cost savings. Some useful savings may be realised but if staff and bed capacity are simply reduced in proportion to the length of stay, care quality may be compromised.

The Size and Scope of Collegiate Athletic Training Facilities and Staffing.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallucci, Andrew R; Petersen, Jeffrey C

2017-08-01

  Athletic training facilities have been described in terms of general design concepts and from operational perspectives. However, the size and scope of athletic training facilities, along with staffing at different levels of intercollegiate competition, have not been quantified.   To define the size and scope of athletic training facilities and staffing levels at various levels of intercollegiate competition. To determine if differences existed in facilities (eg, number of facilities, size of facilities) and staffing (eg, full time, part time) based on the level of intercollegiate competition.   Cross-sectional study.   Web-based survey.   Athletic trainers (ATs) who were knowledgeable about the size and scope of athletic training programs.   Athletic training facility size in square footage; the AT's overall facility satisfaction; athletic training facility component spaces, including satellite facilities, game-day facilities, offices, and storage areas; and staffing levels, including full-time ATs, part-time ATs, and undergraduate students.   The survey was completed by 478 ATs (response rate = 38.7%) from all levels of competition. Sample means for facilities were 3124.7 ± 4425 ft 2 (290.3 ± 411 m 2 ) for the central athletic training facility, 1013 ± 1521 ft 2 (94 ± 141 m 2 ) for satellite athletic training facilities, 1272 ± 1334 ft 2 (118 ± 124 m 2 ) for game-day athletic training facilities, 388 ± 575 ft 2 (36 ± 53 m 2 ) for athletic training offices, and 424 ± 884 ft 2 (39 ± 82 m 2 ) for storage space. Sample staffing means were 3.8 ± 2.5 full-time ATs, 1.6 ± 2.5 part-time ATs, 25 ± 17.6 athletic training students, and 6.8 ± 7.2 work-study students. Division I schools had greater resources in multiple categories (P facilities in recent years was common, and almost half of ATs reported that upgrades have been approved for the near future.   This study provides benchmark descriptive data on athletic training staffing and

Impact of a physician-staffed helicopter on a regional trauma system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hesselfeldt, R; Steinmetz, J; Jans, H

2013-01-01

This study aims to compare the trauma system before and after implementing a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (PS-HEMS). Our hypothesis was that PS-HEMS would reduce time from injury to definitive care for severely injured patients.......This study aims to compare the trauma system before and after implementing a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (PS-HEMS). Our hypothesis was that PS-HEMS would reduce time from injury to definitive care for severely injured patients....

Nurse staffing issues are just the tip of the iceberg: a qualitative study about nurses' perceptions of nurse staffing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Oostveen, Catharina J.; Mathijssen, Elke; Vermeulen, Hester

2015-01-01

To obtain in-depth insight into the perceptions of nurses in the Netherlands regarding current nurse staffing levels and use of nurse-to-patient-ratios (NPR) and patient classification systems (PCS). In response to rising health care demands due to ageing of the patient population and increasing

Structure and staffing of radiotherapy physics in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thwaites, D I

1995-01-01

In 1989 IPSM brought out a policy document on the role of the physical scientist in radiotherapy. At roughly the same time IPSM also produced recommended minimum staffing levels for the medical physics support of radiotherapy, which drew heavily on comprehensive reviews of both physicist and physics technician staffing carried out by the Scottish Radiotherapy Physicists Group in 1980 (updated in 1989). The IPSM figures remain professional recommendations and have not been taken up by any official body. However some of the Scottish figures were included in a SHHD Planning Council Scientific Advisory report and so have some measure of official endorsement. All these figures were derived specifically for the UK situation of essentially regional oncology centres, where generally medium to large radiotherapy departments are the norm, to concentrate equipment, expertise and experience. Thus there are approximately 60 centres for a population of 55 million. In addition the recommendations reflect the typical structure of UK departments, in terms of professional roles and relationships. The current situation regarding physicist and physics technician numbers is reviewed, using evidence from recent surveys. The UK and other recommendations are applied to a number of representative centres and the figures obtained are compared to each other and to the actual staffing levels

Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, emotional exhaustion, and job dissatisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Halm, Margo; Peterson, Michelle; Kandels, Mary; Sabo, Julie; Blalock, Miriam; Braden, Rebecca; Gryczman, Anna; Krisko-Hagel, Kathryn; Larson, Dave; Lemay, Diane; Sisler, Bette; Strom, Linda; Topham, Debra

2005-01-01

To conduct an investigation similar to a landmark study that investigated the association between nurse-to-patient ratio and patient mortality, failure-to-rescue, emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction of nurses. Cross-sectional analysis of 2709 general, orthopedic, and vascular surgery patients, and 140 staff nurses (42% response rate) caring for these patients in a large Midwestern institution. The main outcome measures were mortality, failure-to-rescue, emotional exhaustion, and job dissatisfaction. Staffing was not a significant predictor of mortality or failure-to-rescue, nor did clinical specialty predict emotional exhaustion or job dissatisfaction. Although these findings reinforce adequate staffing ratios at this institution, programs that support nurses in their daily practice and positively impact job satisfaction need to be explored. The Nursing Research Council not only has heightened awareness of how staffing ratios affect patient and nurse outcomes, but also a broader understanding of how the research process can be used to effectively shape nurse's practice and work environments.

High School Administrative Staffing in Washington State: Principal Perspectives on Resource Needs and Utilization

Science.gov (United States)

Steach, John C.

2011-01-01

This mixed methods study explored how high school principals prioritize their work and utilize available human resources to adjust to inadequate administrative staffing. Analysis of staffing levels across the state of Washington and specifically inside two eastern Washington districts framed interview questions for central office administration…

NURSE STAFFING AND RENAL ANAEMIA OUTCOMES IN HAEMODIALYSIS CARE.

Science.gov (United States)

Erlingmark, Julia; Hedström, Mariann; Lindberg, Magnus

2016-09-01

Current trends in renal anaemia management place greater emphasis, and thus increased workload, on the role of the nurse in haemodialysis settings. However, there is little evidence that demonstrates the relationship between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. To describe nurse staffing in haemodialysis settings, its relationship with target levels of renal anaemia management and to describe target level achievement for different ways of organising anaemia management. Cross-sectional audit. Forty (out of 78) haemodialysis centres in Sweden reported quality assurance data. The numbers of bedside registered nurses, licensed nurse assistants and patients undergoing haemodialysis during a predefined morning shift; type of anaemia management and achieved target levels of anaemia management. The mean patient:registered nurse ratio was 2.4 and the mean patient:nurse assistant ratio was 12.8. There were no significant relationships between registered nurse staffing and target level achievement. On average, 45.6% of the patients had haemoglobin within the target levels at centres applying nurse-driven anaemia management, compared with 47.3% at physician-driven centres. These cross-sectional data suggest that renal anaemia outcomes are unrelated to the patient:registered nurse ratio. There is, however, room for improvement in renal anaemia management in the units included in this study, particularly the achievement of target levels of haemoglobin and transferrin saturation. © 2016 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.

[Model to predict staffing for anesthesiology and post-anesthesia intensive care units and pain clinics].

Science.gov (United States)

Canet, J; Moral, V; Villalonga, A; Pelegrí, D; Gomar, C; Montero, A

2001-01-01

Human resources account for a large part of the budgets of anesthesia and post-anesthesia intensive care units and pain clinics (A-PICU-PC). Adequate staffing is a key factor in providing for both effective care and professional staff development. Changes in professional responsibilities have rendered obsolete the concept of one anesthesiologist per operating room. Duties must be analyzed objectively to facilitate understanding between hospital administrators and A-PICU-PC chiefs of service when assigning human resources. The Catalan Society of Anesthesiology, Post-anesthesia Intensive Care and Pain Therapy has developed a model for estimating requirements for A-PICU-PC staffing based on three factors: 1) Definition of staff positions that must be filled and criteria for assigning human resources; 2) Estimation of non-care-related time required by the department for training, teaching, research and internal management, and 3) Estimation of staff required to cover absences from work for vacations, personal leave or illness. The model revealed that the ratio of number of staff positions to number of persons employed by an A-PICU-PC is approximately 1.3. Differences in the nature of services managed by an A-PICU-PC or the type of hospital might change the ratio slightly. The model can be applied universally, independently of differences that might exist among departments. Widespread application would allow adoption of a common language to be used by health care managers and A-PICU-PC departments when discussing a basis for consensus about our specialty.

75 FR 28295 - Cummins Filtration, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Manpower and Spherion Staffing...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-20

.... The Department has determined that workers from Spherion Staffing were sufficiently under the control..., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Manpower and Spherion Staffing, Including On-Site Workers From Hagemeyer North America, Lake Mills, IA; Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker...

Meeting human resources for health staffing goals by 2018: a quantitative analysis of policy options in Zambia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schroder Kate

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Ministry of Health (MOH in Zambia is currently operating with fewer than half of the health workers required to deliver basic health services. The MOH has developed a human resources for health (HRH strategic plan to address the crisis through improved training, hiring, and retention. However, the projected success of each strategy or combination of strategies is unclear. Methods We developed a model to forecast the size of the public sector health workforce in Zambia over the next ten years to identify a combination of interventions that would expand the workforce to meet staffing targets. The key forecasting variables are training enrolment, graduation rates, public sector entry rates for graduates, and attrition of workforce staff. We model, using Excel (Office, Microsoft; 2007, the effects of changes in these variables on the projected number of doctors, clinical officers, nurses and midwives in the public sector workforce in 2018. Results With no changes to current training, hiring, and attrition conditions, the total number of doctors, clinical officers, nurses, and midwives will increase from 44% to 59% of the minimum necessary staff by 2018. No combination of changes in staff retention, graduation rates, and public sector entry rates of graduates by 2010, without including training expansion, is sufficient to meet staffing targets by 2018 for any cadre except midwives. Training enrolment needs to increase by a factor of between three and thirteen for doctors, three and four for clinical officers, two and three for nurses, and one and two for midwives by 2010 to reach staffing targets by 2018. Necessary enrolment increases can be held to a minimum if the rates of retention, graduation, and public sector entry increase to 100% by 2010, but will need to increase if these rates remain at 2008 levels. Conclusions Meeting the minimum need for health workers in Zambia this decade will require an increase in health

Nurses experiences regarding staffing patterns in the surgical wards of a private hospital in Gauteng South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moloko Malatji

2017-12-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe nurses' experiences regarding staffing patterns in the surgical wards of a private hospital in Gauteng in order to develop recommendations for staffing patterns in these wards. Methodology: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. Data was collected by means of in-depth semi structured individual interviews from a purposive sample of professional nurses working in the surgical wards of this hospital. Data was analysed using Tesch's method of qualitative thematic analysis. Principles of trustworthiness and ethical principles to ensure the protection of human rights were applied throughout the study. Results: The findings of the study revealed one central theme which reflected that participants experienced the staffing patterns of the surgical wards negatively. Two main themes emerged as, nurses had negative experiences in the surgical wards as well as negative emotional experiences related to the staffing patterns. Conclusion: It is evident from the findings of the study that nurses are experiencing staffing patterns negatively.

A staffing decision support methodology using a quality loss function : a cross-disciplinary quantitative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mincsovics, G.Z.

2009-01-01

Background Understanding the quality loss implications of short staffing is essential in maintaining service quality on a limited budget. Objectives For elaborate financial control on staffing decisions, it is necessary to quantify the cost of the incidental quality loss that a given workload and

Capacity Adjustment through Contingent Staffing Outsourcing

OpenAIRE

Neubert , Gilles; Adjadj , Philippe

2009-01-01

International audience; For a long time, contingent staffing was considered as the responsability of the Human Resource department. The high needs of workforce flexibility combined with disseminated agencies have led some companies to a great number of labor suppliers. This situation has produced important cost variation, poor quality of service, and important risk due to the mistunderstanding by local managers of legal considerations. To face this situation, companies have started to move fr...

Medical staffing in Ontario neonatal intensive care units.

Science.gov (United States)

Paes, B; Mitchell, A; Hunsberger, M; Blatz, S; Watts, J; Dent, P; Sinclair, J; Southwell, D

1989-06-01

Advances in technology have improved the survival rates of infants of low birth weight. Increasing service commitments together with cutbacks in Canadian training positions have caused concerns about medical staffing in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Ontario. To determine whether an imbalance exists between the supply of medical personnel and the demand for health care services, in July 1985 we surveyed the medical directors, head nurses and staff physicians of nine tertiary level NICUs and the directors of five postgraduate pediatric residency programs. On the basis of current guidelines recommending an ideal neonatologist:patient ratio of 1:6 (assuming an adequate number of support personnel) most of the NICUs were understaffed. Concern about the heavy work pattern and resulting lifestyle implications has made Canadian graduates reluctant to enter this subspecialty. We propose strategies to correct staffing shortages in the context of rapidly increasing workloads resulting from a continuing cutback of pediatric residency positions and restrictions on immigration of foreign trainees.

The effect of investor-owned chain acquisitions on hospital expenses and staffing.

Science.gov (United States)

Manheim, L M; Shortell, S M; McFall, S

1989-01-01

Much concern has been raised about the effect of "corporatization" of health through the expansion of investor-owned hospital chains. One method of expansion is through hospital acquisition. At issue is the question of the effect of acquisitions on expenses and on such patient care inputs as staffing levels. In this article, we examine the effect of acquisition by one investor-owned chain on hospital costs and staffing. Subsequent to acquisition, hospital costs increase and staffing decreases, relative to competitor hospitals. However, since investor-owned hospitals not recently acquired do not have higher cost levels than their competitors, the increase in costs appears to be due to factors associated with the acquisition itself rather than factors associated with being an investor-owned hospital. Under the retrospective payment system in effect at the time, revenues also were higher for acquired hospitals. Under prospective payment, increasing revenues has been more difficult, decreasing acquisition incentives. PMID:2807933

Turnover, staffing, skill mix, and resident outcomes in a national sample of US nursing homes.

Science.gov (United States)

Trinkoff, Alison M; Han, Kihye; Storr, Carla L; Lerner, Nancy; Johantgen, Meg; Gartrell, Kyungsook

2013-12-01

The authors examined the relationship of staff turnover to selected nursing home quality outcomes, in the context of staffing and skill mix. Staff turnover is a serious concern in nursing homes as it has been found to adversely affect care. When employee turnover is minimized, better care quality is more likely in nursing homes. Data from the National Nursing Home Survey, a nationally representative sample of US nursing homes, were linked to Nursing Home Compare quality outcomes and analyzed using logistic regression. Nursing homes with high certified nursing assistant turnover had significantly higher odds of pressure ulcers, pain, and urinary tract infections even after controlling for staffing, skill mix, bed size, and ownership. Nurse turnover was associated with twice the odds of pressure ulcers, although this was attenuated when staffing was controlled. This study suggests turnover may be more important in explaining nursing home (NH) outcomes than staffing and skill mix and should therefore be given greater emphasis.

Ontario: linking nursing outcomes, workload and staffing decisions in the workplace: the Dashboard Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Fram, Nancy; Morgan, Beverley

2012-03-01

Research shows that nurses want to provide more input into assessing patient acuity, changes in patient needs and staffing requirements. The Dashboard Project involved the further development and application of an electronic monitoring tool that offers a single source of nursing, patient and organizational information. It is designed to help inform nurse staffing decisions within a hospital setting. The Dashboard access link was installed in computers in eight nursing units within the Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) network. The Dashboard indicators are populated from existing information/patient databases within the Decision Support Department at HHS. Committees composed of the unit manager, staff nurses, project coordinator, financial controller and an information controller met regularly to review the Dashboard indicators. Participants discussed the ability of the indicators to reflect their patients' needs and the feasibility of using the indicators to inform their clinical staffing plans. Project findings suggest that the Dashboard is a work in progress. Many of the indicators that had originally been incorporated were refined and will continue to be revised based on suggestions from project participants and further testing across HHS. Participants suggested the need for additional data, such as the time that nurses are off the unit (for code blue response, patient transfers and accompanying patients for tests); internal transfers/bed moves to accommodate patient-specific issues and particularly to address infection control issues; deaths and specific unit-centred data in addition to the generic indicators. The collaborative nature of the project enabled staff nurses and management to work together on a matter of high importance to both, providing valuable recommendations for shared nursing and interprofessional planning, further Dashboard development and project management.

Workload and time management in central cancer registries: baseline data and implication for registry staffing.

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, Susan A; Mulvihill, Linda; Herrera, Carolina

2012-01-01

The Workload and Time Management Survey of Central Cancer Registries was conducted in 2011 to assess the amount of time spent on work activities usually performed by cancer registrars. A survey including 39 multi-item questions,together with a work activities data collection log, was sent by email to the central cancer registry (CCR) manager in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Twenty-four central cancer registries (47%) responded to the survey.Results indicate that registries faced reductions in budgeted staffing from 2008-2009. The number of source records and total cases were important indicators of workload. Four core activities, including abstracting at the registry, visual editing,case consolidation, and resolving edit reports, accounted for about half of registry workload. We estimate an average of 12.4 full-time equivalents (FTEs) are required to perform all cancer registration activities tracked by the survey; however,estimates vary widely by registry size. These findings may be useful for registries as a benchmark for their own registry workload and time-management data and to develop staffing guidelines.

Physician staffed helicopter emergency medical service dispatch via centralised control or directly by crew – case identification rates and effect on the Sydney paediatric trauma system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garner Alan A

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Severe paediatric trauma patients benefit from direct transport to dedicated Paediatric Trauma Centres (PTC. Parallel case identification systems utilising paramedics from a centralised dispatch centre versus the crew of a physician staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS allowed comparison of the two systems for case identification rates and subsequent timeliness of direct transfer to a PTC. Methods Paediatric trauma patients over a two year period from the Sydney region with an Injury Severity Score (ISS > 15 were retrospectively identified from a state wide trauma registry. Overall paediatric trauma system performance was assessed by comparisons of the availability of the physician staffed HEMS for patient characteristics, transport mode (direct versus indirect and the times required for the patient to arrive at the paediatric trauma centre. The proportion of patients transported directly to a PTC was compared between the times that the HEMS service was available versus the time that it was unavailable to determine if the HEMS system altered the rate of direct transport to a PTC. Analysis of variance was used to compare the identifying systems for various patient characteristics when the HEMS was available. Results Ninety nine cases met the inclusion criteria, 44 when the HEMS system was operational. Patients identified for physician response by the HEMS system were significantly different to those that were not identified with higher median ISS (25 vs 18, p = 0.011, and shorter times to PTC (67 vs 261mins, p = 0.015 and length of intensive care unit stays (2 vs 0 days, p = 0.045. Of the 44 cases, 21 were not identified, 3 were identified by the paramedic system and 20 were identified by the HEMS system, (P  Conclusions Physician staffed HEMS crew dispatch is significantly more likely to identify cases of severe paediatric trauma and is associated with a greater proportion of transports

Nurse turnover in New Zealand: costs and relationships with staffing practises and patient outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

North, Nicola; Leung, William; Ashton, Toni; Rasmussen, Erling; Hughes, Frances; Finlayson, Mary

2013-04-01

To determine the rates and costs of nurse turnover, the relationships with staffing practises, and the impacts on outcomes for nurses and patients. In the context of nursing shortages, information on the rates and costs of nursing turnover can improve nursing staff management and quality of care. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected prospectively for 12 months. A re-analysis of these data used descriptive statistics and correlational analysis techniques. The cost per registered nurse turnover represents half an average salary. The highest costs were related to temporary cover, followed by productivity loss. Both are associated with adverse patient events. Flexible management of nursing resources (staffing below budgeted levels and reliance on temporary cover), and a reliance on new graduates and international recruitment to replace nurses who left, contributed to turnover and costs. Nurse turnover is embedded in staffing levels and practises, with costs attributable to both. A culture of turnover was found that is inconsistent with nursing as a knowledge workforce. Nurse managers did not challenge flexible staffing practices and high turnover rates. Information on turnover and costs is needed to develop strategies that retain nurses as knowledge-based workers. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Does the STAF score help detect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in acute stroke patients?

Science.gov (United States)

Horstmann, S; Rizos, T; Güntner, J; Hug, A; Jenetzky, E; Krumsdorf, U; Veltkamp, R

2013-01-01

Detecting paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) soon after acute cerebral ischaemia has a major impact on secondary stroke prevention. Recently, the STAF score, a composite of clinical and instrumental findings, was introduced to identify stroke patients at risk of pAF. We aimed to validate this score in an independent study population. Consecutive patients admitted to our stroke unit with acute ischaemic stroke were prospectively enrolled. The diagnostic work-up included neuroimaging, neuroultrasound, baseline 12-channel electrocardiogram (ECG), 24-h Holter ECG, continuous ECG monitoring, and echocardiography. Presence of AF was documented according to the medical history of each patient and after review of 12-lead ECG, 24-h Holter ECG, or continuous ECG monitoring performed during the stay on the ward. Additionally, a telephone follow-up visit was conducted for each patient after 3 months to inquire about newly diagnosed AF. Items for each patient-age, baseline NIHSS, left atrial dilatation, and stroke etiology according to the TOAST criteria - were assessed to calculate the STAF score. Overall, 584 patients were enrolled in our analysis. AF was documented in 183 (31.3%) patients. In multivariable analysis, age, NIHSS, left atrial dilatation, and absence of vascular etiology were independent predictors for AF. The logistic AF-prediction model of the STAF score revealed fair classification accuracy in receiver operating characteristic curve analysis with an area under the curve of 0.84. STAF scores of ≥5 had a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 74% for predicting AF. The value of the STAF score for predicting the risk of pAF in stroke patients is limited. © 2012 The Author(s) European Journal of Neurology © 2012 EFNS.

The effects of staffing and training on firm productivity and profit growth before, during, and after the Great Recession.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Youngsang; Ployhart, Robert E

2014-05-01

This study integrates research from strategy, economics, and applied psychology to examine how organizations may leverage their human resources to enhance firm performance and competitive advantage. Staffing and training are key human resource management practices used to achieve firm performance through acquiring and developing human capital resources. However, little research has examined whether and why staffing and training influence firm-level financial performance (profit) growth under different environmental (economic) conditions. Using 359 firms with over 12 years of longitudinal firm-level profit data, we suggest that selective staffing and internal training directly and interactively influence firm profit growth through their effects on firm labor productivity, implying that staffing and training contribute to the generation of slack resources that help buffer and then recover from the effects of the Great Recession. Further, internal training that creates specific human capital resources is more beneficial for prerecession profitability, but staffing is more beneficial for postrecession recovery, apparently because staffing creates generic human capital resources that enable firm flexibility and adaptation. Thus, the theory and findings presented in this article have implications for the way staffing and training may be used strategically to weather economic uncertainty (recession effects). They also have important practical implications by demonstrating that firms that more effectively staff and train will outperform competitors throughout all pre- and postrecessionary periods, even after controlling for prior profitability. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Mining routinely collected acute data to reveal non-linear relationships between nurse staffing levels and outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Leary, Alison; Cook, Rob; Jones, Sarahjane; Smith, Judith; Gough, Malcolm; Maxwell, Elaine; Punshon, Geoffrey; Radford, Mark

2016-12-16

Nursing is a safety critical activity but not easily quantified. This makes the building of predictive staffing models a challenge. The aim of this study was to determine if relationships between registered and non-registered nurse staffing levels and clinical outcomes could be discovered through the mining of routinely collected clinical data. The secondary aim was to examine the feasibility and develop the use of 'big data' techniques commonly used in industry for this area of healthcare and examine future uses. The data were obtained from 1 large acute National Health Service hospital trust in England. Routinely collected physiological, signs and symptom data from a clinical database were extracted, imported and mined alongside a bespoke staffing and outcomes database using Mathmatica V.10. The physiological data consisted of 120 million patient entries over 6 years, the bespoke database consisted of 9 years of daily data on staffing levels and safety factors such as falls. To discover patterns in these data or non-linear relationships that would contribute to modelling. To examine feasibility of this technique in this field. After mining, 40 correlations (pdata (such as the presence or absence of nausea) and staffing factors. Several inter-related factors demonstrated step changes where registered nurse availability appeared to relate to physiological parameters or outcomes such as falls and the management of symptoms. Data extraction proved challenging as some commercial databases were not built for extraction of the massive data sets they contain. The relationship between staffing and outcomes appears to exist. It appears to be non-linear but calculable and a data-driven model appears possible. These findings could be used to build an initial mathematical model for acute staffing which could be further tested. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services Staffing: Policies in U.S. School Districts.

Science.gov (United States)

Brener, Nancy; Demissie, Zewditu

2018-06-01

Schools are in a unique position to meet the mental and behavioral health needs of children and adolescents because approximately 95% of young people aged 7-17 years attend school. Little is known, however, about policies related to counseling, psychological, and social services staffing in school districts. This study analyzed the prevalence of such policies in public school districts in the U.S. Data from four cycles (2000, 2006, 2012, and 2016) of the School Health Policies and Practices Study, a national survey periodically conducted to assess policies and practices for ten components of school health, were analyzed in 2017. The survey collected data related to counseling, psychological, and social services among nationally representative samples of school districts using online or mailed questionnaires. Sampled districts identified respondents responsible for or most knowledgeable about the content of each questionnaire. The percentage of districts with a district-level counseling, psychological, and social services coordinator increased significantly from 62.6% in 2000 to 79.5% in 2016. In 2016, 56.3% of districts required each school to have someone to coordinate counseling, psychological, and social services at the school. Fewer districts required schools at each level to have a specified ratio of counselors to students (16.2% for elementary schools, 16.8% for middle schools, and 19.8% for high schools), and the percentage of districts with these requirements has decreased significantly since 2012. Increases in the prevalence of district-level staffing policies could help increase the quantity and quality of counseling, psychological, and social services staff in schools nationwide, which in turn could improve mental and behavioral health outcomes for students. This article is part of a supplement entitled The Behavioral Health Workforce: Planning, Practice, and Preparation, which is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Why Employers Use Flexible Staffing Arrangements: Evidence from an Establishment Survey. Upjohn Institute Staff Working Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Houseman, Susan N.

Use of flexible staffing arrangements--including temporary help agency, short-term, on-call, regular part-time, and contract workers--is widespread and two-thirds of employers believe this trend will increase in the near future. A study examined which employers use flexible staffing arrangements, why they use these arrangements, and their…

Staffing UK University Campuses Overseas: Lessons from MNE Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Salt, John; Wood, Peter

2014-01-01

This article suggests that as their internal labor markets become more multinational in scope, UK universities may acquire similar staffing characteristics to commercial multinational enterprises (MNEs). Comparing evidence from four UK universities with several surveys of MNEs it concludes that, although there are broad similarities in the…

Investigation of the required length for fully developed pipe flow with drag-reducing polymer solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Farsiani, Yasaman; Elbing, Brian

2015-11-01

Adding trace amounts of long chain polymers into a liquid flow is known to reduce skin friction drag by up to 80%. While polymer drag reduction (PDR) has been successfully implemented in internal flows, diffusion and degradation have limited its external flow applications. A weakness in many previous PDR studies is that there was no characterization of the polymer being injected into the turbulent boundary layer, which can be accomplished by testing a sample in a pressure-drop tube. An implicit assumption in polymer characterization is that the flow is fully developed at the differential pressure measurement. While available data in the literature shows that the entry length to achieve fully developed flow increases with polymeric solutions, it is unclear how long is required to achieve fully developed flow for non-Newtonian turbulent flows. In the present study, the pressure-drop is measured across a 1.05 meter length section of a 1.04 cm inner diameter pipe. Differential pressure is measured with a pressure transducer for different entry lengths, flow and polymer solution properties. This presentation will present preliminary data on the required entrance length as well as characterization of polymer solution an estimate of the mean molecular weight.

75 FR 45166 - Jeld-Wen, Inc., Hawkins Window Division, Including On-Site Leased Workers of Nicolet Staffing...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-02

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-71,014] Jeld-Wen, Inc., Hawkins Window Division, Including On-Site Leased Workers of Nicolet Staffing, Hawkins, WI; Notice of Negative...., Hawkins Window Division, including on-site leased workers of Nicolet Staffing, Hawkins, Wisconsin. Signed...

The Association of Team-Specific Workload and Staffing with Odds of Burnout Among VA Primary Care Team Members.

Science.gov (United States)

Helfrich, Christian D; Simonetti, Joseph A; Clinton, Walter L; Wood, Gordon B; Taylor, Leslie; Schectman, Gordon; Stark, Richard; Rubenstein, Lisa V; Fihn, Stephan D; Nelson, Karin M

2017-07-01

Work-related burnout is common in primary care and is associated with worse patient safety, patient satisfaction, and employee mental health. Workload, staffing stability, and team completeness may be drivers of burnout. However, few studies have assessed these associations at the team level, and fewer still include members of the team beyond physicians. To study the associations of burnout among primary care providers (PCPs), nurse care managers, clinical associates (MAs, LPNs), and administrative clerks with the staffing and workload on their teams. We conducted an individual-level cross-sectional analysis of survey and administrative data in 2014. Primary care personnel at VA clinics responding to a national survey. Burnout was measured with a validated single-item survey measure dichotomized to indicate the presence of burnout. The independent variables were survey measures of team staffing (having a fully staffed team, serving on multiple teams, and turnover on the team), and workload both from survey items (working extended hours), and administrative data (patient panel overcapacity and average panel comorbidity). There were 4610 respondents (estimated response rate of 20.9%). The overall prevalence of burnout was 41%. In adjusted analyses, the strongest associations with burnout were having a fully staffed team (odds ratio [OR] = 0.55, 95% CI 0.47-0.65), having turnover on the team (OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.43-1.94), and having patient panel overcapacity (OR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.01-1.40). The observed burnout prevalence was 30.1% lower (28.5% vs. 58.6%) for respondents working on fully staffed teams with no turnover and caring for a panel within capacity, relative to respondents in the inverse condition. Complete team staffing, turnover among team members, and panel overcapacity had strong, cumulative associations with burnout. Further research is needed to understand whether improvements in these factors would lower burnout.

Flexible Training Strategy (National Task Force on Medical Staffing)

OpenAIRE

Department of Health (Ireland)

2003-01-01

Flexible Training Strategy (National Task Force on Medical Staffing) The Flexible Training Strategy, while endorsing flexible/part-time options recognises that the preferred option for the majority of doctors-in-training and consultants is most likely to continue to be full-time training and work. Click here to download PDF

New Directions for Academic Libraries in Research Staffing: A Case Study at National University of Ireland Galway

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, John

2017-01-01

New research needs, global developments and local shifts in emphasis are demanding a broader range of interactions by librarians with researchers and are challenging previous staffing structures. Research has a higher institutional profile and academic libraries have responded by creating new roles and staffing models, with stronger linkage across…

Registered Nurse Staffing in Pennsylvania Nursing Homes: Comparison before and after Implementation of Medicare's Prospective Payment System.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanda, Katsuya; Mezey, Mathy

1991-01-01

Examined changes in resident acuity and registered nurse staffing in all nursing homes in Pennsylvania before and after introduction of Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS) in 1983. Found that acuity of nursing home residents increased significantly since introduction of PPS, full-time registered nurse staffing remained unchanged, and…

Physician staffed helicopter emergency medical service dispatch via centralised control or directly by crew - case identification rates and effect on the Sydney paediatric trauma system.

Science.gov (United States)

Garner, Alan A; Lee, Anna; Weatherall, Andrew

2012-12-18

Severe paediatric trauma patients benefit from direct transport to dedicated Paediatric Trauma Centres (PTC). Parallel case identification systems utilising paramedics from a centralised dispatch centre versus the crew of a physician staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) allowed comparison of the two systems for case identification rates and subsequent timeliness of direct transfer to a PTC. Paediatric trauma patients over a two year period from the Sydney region with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15 were retrospectively identified from a state wide trauma registry. Overall paediatric trauma system performance was assessed by comparisons of the availability of the physician staffed HEMS for patient characteristics, transport mode (direct versus indirect) and the times required for the patient to arrive at the paediatric trauma centre. The proportion of patients transported directly to a PTC was compared between the times that the HEMS service was available versus the time that it was unavailable to determine if the HEMS system altered the rate of direct transport to a PTC. Analysis of variance was used to compare the identifying systems for various patient characteristics when the HEMS was available. Ninety nine cases met the inclusion criteria, 44 when the HEMS system was operational. Patients identified for physician response by the HEMS system were significantly different to those that were not identified with higher median ISS (25 vs 18, p = 0.011), and shorter times to PTC (67 vs 261mins, p = 0.015) and length of intensive care unit stays (2 vs 0 days, p = 0.045). Of the 44 cases, 21 were not identified, 3 were identified by the paramedic system and 20 were identified by the HEMS system, (P system was available (RR 1.81, 95% CI 1.20-2.73). The median time (minutes) to arrival at the PTC was shorter when HEMS available (HEMS available 92, IQR 50-261 versus HEMS unavailable 296, IQR 84-583, P < 0.01). Physician staffed

Staffing the Principalship: Finding, Coaching, and Mentoring School Leaders

Science.gov (United States)

Lovely, Suzette

2004-01-01

"Help Wanted" signs are springing up outside schools. The shortage of school administrators is not coming, it is here. To thwart the shortage and keep schools on the cutting edge, diligence in cultivating, training, and inspiring a new generation of school leaders--especially for the principalship, must be exercised. Staffing the Principalship…

Healthcare security staffing for smaller facilities: where science meets art.

Science.gov (United States)

Warren, Bryan

2013-01-01

Obtaining effective security resourcing and staffing for smaller healthcare facilities presents many difficulties, according to the author In this article, he provides guidance to security practitioners on taking existing data and translating it into a language that administration will understand and appreciate.

45 CFR 1336.65 - Staffing and organization of the Revolving Loan Fund: Responsibilities of the Loan Administrator.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... organization table, including: (a) The structure and composition of the Board of Directors of the RLF; (b) The... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Staffing and organization of the Revolving Loan... Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund Demonstration Project § 1336.65 Staffing and organization of the Revolving...

Who Hires Social Workers? Structural and Contextual Determinants of Social Service Staffing in Nursing Homes.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Amy Restorick; Bowblis, John R

2017-02-01

Although nurse staffing has been extensively studied within nursing homes (NHs), social services has received less attention. The study describes how social service departments are organized in NHs and examines the structural characteristics of NHs and other macro-focused contextual factors that explain differences in social service staffing patterns using longitudinal national data (Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports, 2009-2012). NHs have three patterns of staffing for social services, using qualified social workers (QSWs); paraprofessional social service staff; and interprofessional teams, consisting of both QSWs and paraprofessionals. Although most NHs employ a QSW (89 percent), nearly half provide social services through interprofessional teams, and 11 percent rely exclusively on paraprofessionals. Along with state and federal regulations that depend on facility size, other contextual and structural factors within NHs also influence staffing. NHs most likely to hire QSWs are large facilities in urban areas within a health care complex, owned by nonprofit organizations, with more payer mixes associated with more profitable reimbursement. QSWs are least likely to be hired in small facilities in rural areas. The influence of policy in supporting the professionalization of social service staff and the need for QSWs with expertise in gerontology, especially in rural NHs, are discussed. © 2016 National Association of Social Workers.

Nurses’ Shift Length and Overtime Working in 12 European Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Dall’Ora, Chiara; Simon, Michael; Ball, Jane; Lindqvist, Rikard; Rafferty, Anne-Marie; Schoonhoven, Lisette; Tishelman, Carol; Aiken, Linda H.

2014-01-01

Background: Despite concerns as to whether nurses can perform reliably and effectively when working longer shifts, a pattern of two 12- to 13-hour shifts per day is becoming common in many hospitals to reduce shift to shift handovers, staffing overlap, and hence costs. Objectives: To describe shift patterns of European nurses and investigate whether shift length and working beyond contracted hours (overtime) is associated with nurse-reported care quality, safety, and care left undone. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 31,627 registered nurses in general medical/surgical units within 488 hospitals across 12 European countries. Results: A total of 50% of nurses worked shifts of ≤8 hours, but 15% worked ≥12 hours. Typical shift length varied between countries and within some countries. Nurses working for ≥12 hours were more likely to report poor or failing patient safety [odds ratio (OR)=1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13–1.76], poor/fair quality of care (OR=1.30; 95% CI, 1.10–1.53), and more care activities left undone (RR=1.13; 95% CI, 1.09–1.16). Working overtime was also associated with reports of poor or failing patient safety (OR=1.67; 95% CI, 1.51–1.86), poor/fair quality of care (OR=1.32; 95% CI, 1.23–1.42), and more care left undone (RR=1.29; 95% CI, 1.27–1.31). Conclusions: European registered nurses working shifts of ≥12 hours and those working overtime report lower quality and safety and more care left undone. Policies to adopt a 12-hour nursing shift pattern should proceed with caution. Use of overtime working to mitigate staffing shortages or increase flexibility may also incur additional risk to quality. PMID:25226543

[Impact of nurse, nurses' aid staffing and turnover rate on inpatient health outcomes in long term care hospitals].

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yunmi; Lee, Ji Yun; Kang, Hyuncheol

2014-02-01

This study was conducted to explore the impact of registered nurse/nurses' aid (RN/NA) staffing and turnover rate on inpatient health outcomes in long term care hospitals. A secondary analysis was done of national data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Services including evaluation of long term care hospitals in October-December 2010 and hospital general characteristics in July-September 2010. Final analysis of data from 610 hospitals included RN/NA staffing, turnover rate of nursing staff and 5 patient health outcome indicators. Finding showed that, when variables of organization and community level were controlled, patients per RN was a significant indicator of decline in ADL for patients with dementia, and new pressure ulcer development in the high risk group and worsening of pressure ulcers. Patients per NA was a significant indicator for new pressure ulcer development in the low risk group. Turnover rate was not significant for any variable. To maintain and improve patient health outcomes of ADL and pressure ulcers, policies should be developed to increase the staffing level of RN. Studies are also needed to examine causal relation of NA staffing level, RN staffing level and patient health outcomes with consideration of the details of nursing practice.

Applying cost accounting to operating room staffing in otolaryngology: time-driven activity-based costing and outpatient adenotonsillectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Balakrishnan, Karthik; Goico, Brian; Arjmand, Ellis M

2015-04-01

(1) To describe the application of a detailed cost-accounting method (time-driven activity-cased costing) to operating room personnel costs, avoiding the proxy use of hospital and provider charges. (2) To model potential cost efficiencies using different staffing models with the case study of outpatient adenotonsillectomy. Prospective cost analysis case study. Tertiary pediatric hospital. All otolaryngology providers and otolaryngology operating room staff at our institution. Time-driven activity-based costing demonstrated precise per-case and per-minute calculation of personnel costs. We identified several areas of unused personnel capacity in a basic staffing model. Per-case personnel costs decreased by 23.2% by allowing a surgeon to run 2 operating rooms, despite doubling all other staff. Further cost reductions up to a total of 26.4% were predicted with additional staffing rearrangements. Time-driven activity-based costing allows detailed understanding of not only personnel costs but also how personnel time is used. This in turn allows testing of alternative staffing models to decrease unused personnel capacity and increase efficiency. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2015.

Strategic foresight, leadership, and the future of rural healthcare staffing in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Reimers-Hild, Connie

2018-05-01

This article uses a strategic foresight tool, megatrends, to examine forces influencing long-term healthcare staffing in the rural United States. Two megatrends-exponential advances in science and technology and the continued evolution of the decentralized global marketplace-will influence and ultimately help shape the future of rural healthcare. Successful health ecosystems of the future will need to be customer-driven, more affordable, and tech-savvy. Successful evolution in an era of continuous change will require a blend of intentional engagement with stakeholders, strategic foresight, and future-focused leadership. More research is needed to fully understand not only the challenges of rural healthcare but also the emerging opportunities.

A consensus-based template for documenting and reporting in physician-staffed pre-hospital services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kruger, Andreas J; Lockey, David; Kurola, Jouni

2011-01-01

-staffed pre-hospital services in Europe. METHODS: Using predefined criteria, we recruited sixteen European experts in the field of pre-hospital care. These experts were guided through a four-step modified nominal group technique. The process was carried out using both e-mail-based communication and a plenary...... have established a core data set for documenting and reporting in physician-staffed pre-hospital services. We believe that this template could facilitate future studies within the field and facilitate standardised reporting and future shared research efforts in advanced pre-hospital care....

Implementing an inclusive staffing model for today's reference services a practical guide for librarians

CERN Document Server

Nims, Julia K; Stevens, Robert

2013-01-01

Reference service remains a core function of modern libraries. However, how and where we provide assistance has evolved with changing technologies and the shifting habits and preferences of our users. One way libraries can provide the on-demand, in-person assistance while managing and developing new services and resources that will benefit current and future users is to reconsider how their reference points and services are staffed and adopt a staff-based reference model. In Implementing an Inclusive Staffing Model for Today's Reference Services, Nims, Storm, and Stevens describe step-by-step

Nurse staffing patterns and hospital efficiency in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Bloom, J R; Alexander, J A; Nuchols, B A

1997-01-01

The objective of this exploratory study was to assess the effects of four nurse staffing patterns on the efficiency of patient care delivery in the hospital: registered nurses (RNs) from temporary agencies; part-time career RNs; RN rich skill mix; and organizationally experienced RNs. Using Transaction Cost Analysis, four regression models were specified to consider the effect of these staffing plans on personnel and benefit costs and on non-personnel operating costs. A number of additional variables were also included in the models to control for the effect of other organization and environmental determinants of hospital costs. Use of career part-time RNs and experienced staff reduced both personnel and benefit costs, as well as total non-personnel operating costs, while the use of temporary agencies for RNs increased non-personnel operating costs. An RN rich skill mix was not related to either measure of hospital costs. These findings provide partial support of the theory. Implications of our findings for future research on hospital management are discussed.

Nurse Staffing Calculation in the Emergency Department - Performance-Oriented Calculation Based on the Manchester Triage System at the University Hospital Bonn.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ingo Gräff

Full Text Available To date, there are no valid statistics regarding the number of full time staff necessary for nursing care in emergency departments in Europe.Staff requirement calculations were performed using state-of-the art procedures which take both fluctuating patient volume and individual staff shortfall rates into consideration. In a longitudinal observational study, the average nursing staff engagement time per patient was assessed for 503 patients. For this purpose, a full-time staffing calculation was estimated based on the five priority levels of the Manchester Triage System (MTS, taking into account specific workload fluctuations (50th-95th percentiles.Patients classified to the MTS category red (n = 35 required the most engagement time with an average of 97.93 min per patient. On weighted average, for orange MTS category patients (n = 118, nursing staff were required for 85.07 min, for patients in the yellow MTS category (n = 181, 40.95 min, while the two MTS categories with the least acute patients, green (n = 129 and blue (n = 40 required 23.18 min and 14.99 min engagement time per patient, respectively. Individual staff shortfall due to sick days and vacation time was 20.87% of the total working hours. When extrapolating this to 21,899 (2010 emergency patients, 67-123 emergency patients (50-95% percentile per month can be seen by one nurse. The calculated full time staffing requirement depending on the percentiles was 14.8 to 27.1.Performance-oriented staff planning offers an objective instrument for calculation of the full-time nursing staff required in emergency departments.

Prehospital interventions before and after implementation of a physician-staffed helicopter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sonne, Asger; Wulffeld, Sandra; Steinmetz, Jacob

2017-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Implementation of a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) in eastern Denmark was associated with increased survival for severely injured patients. This study aimed to assess the potential impact of advanced prehospital interventions by comparing the proportion...

Quality of life following trauma before and after implementation of a physician-staffed helicopter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Funder, Kamilia S; Rasmussen, L.S.; Hesselfeldt, R

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Implementation of a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (PS-HEMS) in Denmark was associated with lower 30-day mortality in severely injured trauma patients and less time on social subsidy. However, the reduced 30-day mortality in severely injured patients might...... be at the expense of a worse functional outcome and quality of life (QoL) in those who survive. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a physician-staffed helicopter on long-term QoL in trauma patients. METHODS: Prospective, observational study including trauma patients who survived at least 3 years...

Obesity and intensive staffing needs of nursing home residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, John Alexander; Engberg, John; Castle, Nicholas George

2018-06-05

The objective of this study is to examine how increasing body mass index (BMI) among nursing home residents affects the amount of staffing assistance needed for activities of daily living (ADL). We analyzed 1,627,141 US nursing home residents reported in the 2013 Minimum Data Set in seven BMI categories, from underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m 2 ) to obesity Class IIIB (≥50 kg/m 2 ). Logistic regression models estimated the odds of nursing home-reported need for extensive (≥2 staff member) assistance needed for ADLs. The adjusted odds increased from 1.07 (95% Confidence Interval (95%CI) 1.06-1.08) for Class I, 1.16 (95%CI 1.14-1.17) for Class II, 1.33 (95%CI 1.31-1.35) for Class IIIA, and 1.90 (95%CI 1.86-1.95) for Class IIIB obesity residents compared to residents of normal weight. As a nursing home resident's BMI increases, especially for BMI ≥40 kg/m 2 , the need for extensive staffing assistance with ADLs also increases substantially. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Staffing an Academic Reference Desk with Librarians is not Cost-effective. A Review of: Ryan, Susan M. “Reference Transactions Analysis: The Cost-effectiveness of Staffing a Traditional Academic Reference Desk.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 34.5 (2008: 389-99.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cari Merkley

2009-06-01

five full-time and three part-time librarians rather than the numbers initially stated (396. This may reflect staffing changes during the study period, with the first set of numbers referring to positions rather than individuals, but this cannot be verified with the evidence presented in the article.Main Results – It was determined that most questions asked at the reference desk during the study period could have been addressed by trained student and staff member rather than librarians. Only 11% (784 of questions logged were deemed sufficiently complex by the researcher to require the attention of a librarian. The remaining 6175 transactions (89% of all those logged could most likely be handled by a different staffing complement. According to Ryan, approximately 74% of the reference transactions, including directional, technology, “quick internet,” and known item searching questions could have been answered by “trained student and staff” (396. Questions on catalogue searching, databases, citations, Serial Solutions, and personal knowledge/referrals, representing approximately 15% of all questions, could have been handled by experienced and knowledgeable staff with limited librarian intervention. The complexity of the question was in part judged by the number of sources required to answer it, with most (75% answerable with just one source. The total cost of staffing the reference desk with librarians for the eight months studied was approximately US$49,328.00. A total of 6959 questions were logged during this period, resulting in an average cost of US$7.09 per reference transaction. This cost is approximate, as the exact time spent on each question was not recorded. The cost of answering “non-informational” directional and technical questions was the most significant (396. This category represented 36.3% of all questions received at the reference desk, with a total staffing cost of $17, 919.41 ($7.09 x 2528. “Information-orientated” directional and

Neuroscience Intermediate-Level Care Units Staffed by Intensivists: Clinical Outcomes and Cost Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyeremanteng, Kwadwo; Hendin, Ariel; Bhardwaj, Kalpana; Thavorn, Kednapa; Neilipovitz, Dave; Kubelik, Dalibour; D'Egidio, Gianni; Stotts, Grant; Rosenberg, Erin

2017-01-01

With an aging population and increasing numbers of intensive care unit admissions, novel ways of providing quality care at reduced cost are required. Closed neurointensive care units improve outcomes for patients with critical neurological conditions, including decreased mortality and length of stay (LOS). Small studies have demonstrated the safety of intermediate-level units for selected patient populations. However, few studies analyze both cost and safety outcomes of these units. This retrospective study assessed clinical and cost-related outcomes in an intermediate-level neurosciences acute care unit (NACU) before and after the addition of an intensivist to the unit's care team. Starting in October 2011, an intensivist-led model was adopted in a 16-bed NACU unit, including daytime coverage by a dedicated intensivist. Data were obtained from all patients admitted 1 year prior to and 2 years after this intervention. Primary outcomes were LOS and hospital costs. Safety outcomes included mortality and readmissions. Descriptive and analytic statistics were calculated. Individual and total patient costs were calculated based on per-day NACU and ward cost estimates and significance measured using bootstrapping. A total of 2931 patients were included over the study period. Patients were on average 59.5 years and 53% male. The most common reasons for admission were central nervous system (CNS) tumor (27.6%), ischemic stroke (27%), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (11%). Following the introduction of an intensivist, there was a significant reduction in NACU and hospital LOS, by 1 day and 3 days, respectively. There were no differences in readmissions or mortality. Adding an intensivist produced an individual cost savings of US$963 in NACU and US$2687 per patient total hospital stay. An intensivist-led model of intermediate-level neurointensive care staffed by intensivists is safe, decreases LOS, and produces cost savings in a system increasingly strained to provide quality

Early intravenous ibuprofen decreases narcotic requirement and length of stay after traumatic rib fracture.

Science.gov (United States)

Bayouth, Lilly; Safcsak, Karen; Cheatham, Michael L; Smith, Chadwick P; Birrer, Kara L; Promes, John T

2013-11-01

Pain control after traumatic rib fracture is essential to avoid respiratory complications and prolonged hospitalization. Narcotics are commonly used, but adjunctive medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be beneficial. Twenty-one patients with traumatic rib fractures treated with both narcotics and intravenous ibuprofen (IVIb) (Treatment) were retrospectively compared with 21 age- and rib fracture-matched patients who received narcotics alone (Control). Pain medication requirements over the first 7 hospital days were evaluated. Mean daily IVIb dose was 2070 ± 880 mg. Daily intravenous morphine-equivalent requirement was 19 ± 16 vs 32 ± 24 mg (P pain scores were lower in the Treatment group (P rib fractures significantly decreases narcotic requirement and results in clinically significant decreases in hospital length of stay. IVIb therapy should be initiated in patients with traumatic rib fractures to improve patient comfort and reduce narcotic requirement.

Effects of nurse staffing, work environments, and education on patient mortality: an observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Eunhee; Sloane, Douglas M; Kim, Eun-Young; Kim, Sera; Choi, Miyoung; Yoo, Il Young; Lee, Hye Sun; Aiken, Linda H

2015-02-01

While considerable evidence has been produced showing a link between nursing characteristics and patient outcomes in the U.S. and Europe, little is known about whether similar associations are present in South Korea. To examine the effects of nurse staffing, work environment, and education on patient mortality. This study linked hospital facility data with staff nurse survey data (N=1024) and surgical patient discharge data (N=76,036) from 14 high-technology teaching hospitals with 700 or more beds in South Korea, collected between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008. Logistic regression models that corrected for the clustering of patients in hospitals were used to estimate the effects of the three nursing characteristics on risk-adjusted patient mortality within 30 days of admission. Risk-adjusted models reveal that nurse staffing, nurse work environments, and nurse education were significantly associated with patient mortality (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00-1.10; OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.31-0.88; and OR 0.91, CI 0.83-0.99; respectively). These odds ratios imply that each additional patient per nurse is associated with an 5% increase in the odds of patient death within 30 days of admission, that the odds of patient mortality are nearly 50% lower in the hospitals with better nurse work environments than in hospitals with mixed or poor nurse work environments, and that each 10% increase in nurses having Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree is associated with a 9% decrease in patient deaths. Nurse staffing, nurse work environments, and percentages of nurses having Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree in South Korea are associated with patient mortality. Improving hospital nurse staffing and work environments and increasing the percentages of nurses having Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree would help reduce the number of preventable in-hospital deaths. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

California's minimum-nurse-staffing legislation and nurses' wages.

Science.gov (United States)

Mark, Barbara; Harless, David W; Spetz, Joanne

2009-01-01

In 2004, California became the first state to implement minimum-nurse-staffing ratios in acute care hospitals. We examined the wages of registered nurses (RNs) before and after the legislation was enacted. Using four data sets-the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, the Current Population Survey, the National Compensation Survey, and the Occupational Employment Statistics Survey-we found that from 2000 through 2006, RNs in California metropolitan areas experienced real wage growth as much as twelve percentage points higher than the growth in the wages of nurses employed in metropolitan areas outside of California.

Comparing the staffing models of outsourcing in selected companies

OpenAIRE

Chaloupková, Věra

2010-01-01

This thesis deals with problems of takeover of employees in outsourcing. The capital purpose is to compare the staffing model of outsourcing in selected companies. To compare in selected companies I chose multi-criteria analysis. This thesis is dividend into six chapters. The first charter is devoted to the theoretical part. In this charter describes the basic concepts as outsourcing, personal aspects, phase of the outsourcing projects, communications and culture. The rest of thesis is devote...

Staffing Levels and Inpatient Outcomes at Military Health Care Facilities: A Resource-Based View

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Yap, Glenn

2004-01-01

Using a Resource-Based Theory/View of the firm, this study examined if increased inpatient staffing levels at military hospitals can generate a competitive advantage based on better patient quality outcomes...

Asterless is required for centriole length control and sperm development

Science.gov (United States)

Galletta, Brian J.; Jacobs, Katherine C.; Fagerstrom, Carey J.

2016-01-01

Centrioles are the foundation of two organelles, centrosomes and cilia. Centriole numbers and functions are tightly controlled, and mutations in centriole proteins are linked to a variety of diseases, including microcephaly. Loss of the centriole protein Asterless (Asl), the Drosophila melanogaster orthologue of Cep152, prevents centriole duplication, which has limited the study of its nonduplication functions. Here, we identify populations of cells with Asl-free centrioles in developing Drosophila tissues, allowing us to assess its duplication-independent function. We show a role for Asl in controlling centriole length in germline and somatic tissue, functioning via the centriole protein Cep97. We also find that Asl is not essential for pericentriolar material recruitment or centrosome function in organizing mitotic spindles. Lastly, we show that Asl is required for proper basal body function and spermatid axoneme formation. Insights into the role of Asl/Cep152 beyond centriole duplication could help shed light on how Cep152 mutations lead to the development of microcephaly. PMID:27185836

Refining Lane-Based Traffic Signal Settings to Satisfy Spatial Lane Length Requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanping Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In conventional lane-based signal optimization models, lane markings guiding road users in making turns are optimized with traffic signal settings in a unified framework to maximize the overall intersection capacity or minimize the total delay. The spatial queue requirements of road lanes should be considered to avoid overdesigns of green durations. Point queue system adopted in the conventional lane-based framework causes overflow in practice. Based on the optimization results from the original lane-based designs, a refinement is proposed to enhance the lane-based settings to ensure that spatial holding limits of the approaching traffic lanes are not exceeded. A solution heuristic is developed to modify the green start times, green durations, and cycle length by considering the vehicle queuing patterns and physical holding capacities along the approaching traffic lanes. To show the effectiveness of this traffic signal refinement, a case study of one of the busiest and most complicated intersections in Hong Kong is given for demonstration. A site survey was conducted to collect existing traffic demand patterns and existing traffic signal settings in peak periods. Results show that the proposed refinement method is effective to ensure that all vehicle queue lengths satisfy spatial lane capacity limits, including short lanes, for daily operation.

Economic evaluation of nurse staffing and nurse substitution in health care: a scoping review.

Science.gov (United States)

Goryakin, Yevgeniy; Griffiths, Peter; Maben, Jill

2011-04-01

Several systematic reviews have suggested that greater nurse staffing as well as a greater proportion of registered nurses in the health workforce is associated with better patient outcomes. Others have found that nurses can substitute for doctors safely and effectively in a variety of settings. However, these reviews do not generally consider the effect of nurse staff on both patient outcomes and costs of care, and therefore say little about the cost-effectiveness of nurse-provided care. Therefore, we conducted a scoping literature review of economic evaluation studies which consider the link between nurse staffing, skill mix within the nursing team and between nurses and other medical staff to determine the nature of the available economic evidence. Scoping literature review. English-language manuscripts, published between 1989 and 2009, focussing on the relationship between costs and effects of care and the level of registered nurse staffing or nurse-physician substitution/nursing skill mix in the clinical team, using cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, or cost-benefit analysis. Articles selected for the review were identified through Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects and Google Scholar database searches. After selecting 17 articles representing 16 unique studies for review, we summarized their main findings, and assessed their methodological quality using criteria derived from recommendations from the guidelines proposed by the Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health Care. In general, it was found that nurses can provide cost effective care, compared to other health professionals. On the other hand, more intensive nurse staffing was associated with both better outcomes and more expensive care, and therefore cost effectiveness was not easy to assess. Although considerable progress in economic evaluation studies has been reached in recent years, a number of methodological issues remain. In the future

Daddy's Gone to Colorado: Male-Staffed Child Care for Father-Absent Boys.

Science.gov (United States)

Brody, Steve

1978-01-01

The article presents the goals, methods, and case examples of The Nutury, a predominantly male-staffed child care center serving single-parent children. The primary goal is to provide consistent relationships with men for children without a male model in their home. Clinical observations reveal positive life-styles and attitudes. (LPG)

Staffing a call center with uncertain non-stationary arrival rate and flexibility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liao, S.; van Delft, C.; Jouini, O.; Koole, G.M.

2012-01-01

We consider a multi-period staffing problem in a single-shift call center. The call center handles inbound calls, as well as some alternative back-office jobs. The call arrival process is assumed to follow a doubly non-stationary stochastic process with a random mean arrival rate. The inbound calls

Is Theory Applied in Practice?A Stady of Linkage between Swedish MNC's Strategies and Húman Resource Staffing Policies

OpenAIRE

Ivinger, Linnea; Lindvetter, Lisa

2006-01-01

Theory suggests that there is a linkage between strategies and human resource staffing policies. Our aim with the dissertation was to test if such a linkage could be proven in Swedish MNCs. Also, indications spoke for ethnocentric tendencies in MNCs. We wanted to test if this was the reality for Swedish companies. In order to test the linkage we had to categorise the companies’ strategies and human resource staffing policies. By a survey we concluded that there was not full consistency in the...

Factors that guide nurse managers regarding the staffing of agency nurses in intensive care units at private hospitals in Pretoria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karien Jooste

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Staffing needs affect the nursing department’s budget, staff productivity, the quality of care provided to patients and even the retention of nurses. It is unclear how the role players (the nursing agency manager, the nurse manager and the agency nurse perceive the staffing of agency nurses in intensive care units (ICUs. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the factors that guide nurse managers regarding the staffing of agency nurses in ICUs at private hospitals in Pretoria. A quantitative exploratory and descriptive design was used. A survey by means of a structured questionnaire was carried out. Probability sampling was implemented to obtain a study sample (n = 124. One similar self-administered 5-point scale instrument was completed by the participants. Data was analysed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. The principles of validity and reliability were adhered to and ethical considerations were also taken into account. The results indicated limitations in the determining of posts, recruitment and advertising, as well as the selection and appointment of agency nurses in ICUs at private hospitals in Pretoria. Recommendations on staffing are made to nurse managers in ICUs.

Factors that guide nurse managers regarding the staffing of agency nurses in intensive care units at private hospitals in Pretoria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karien Jooste

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Staffing needs affect the nursing department’s budget, staff productivity, the quality of care provided to patients and even the retention of nurses. It is unclear how the role players (the nursing agency manager, the nurse manager and the agency nurse perceive the staffing of agency nurses in intensive care units (ICUs. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the factors that guide nurse managers regarding the staffing of agency nurses in ICUs at private hospitals in Pretoria. A quantitative exploratory and descriptive design was used. A survey by means of a structured questionnaire was carried out. Probability sampling was implemented to obtain a study sample (n = 124. One similar self-administered 5-point scale instrument was completed by the participants. Data was analysed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. The principles of validity and reliability were adhered to and ethical considerations were also taken into account. The results indicated limitations in the determining of posts, recruitment and advertising, as well as the selection and appointment of agency nurses in ICUs at private hospitals in Pretoria. Recommendations on staffing are made to nurse managers in ICUs.

Staffing requirements for SMRs: The South African view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roscoe, W.

2001-01-01

Eskom has, since 1993, been investigating ways of producing electricity at lowest possible cost to its customer base. As part of this research, a concerted effort was made to investigate not only the types of power plant but also their impact on the environment and the economy. The chosen route followed was that of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor. This is due amongst other reasons to its economic power production; its lack of visual impact and the integral 'walk away safety design'. Eskom, along with its technology partners is now at the stage of drawing up the detail design for the plant, in line with this design stage, cognisance has to be taken of the required synergy between man, the plant design and its operability and maintainability. (author)

Synthesis of the project leadership staffing needs for successful development of alternative delivery programs.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-08-01

This research provides a synthesis of practices in organizational structuring and professional staffing of the innovative delivery units in several state DOTs across the nation that are actively utilizing alternative project delivery. Several major c...

Running Head: Evaluation of Contract Versus VA-Staffed CBOCs. Evaluating Contract versus VA-Staffed Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) Using Patient Satisfaction and Access Measures in the Veterans Health Administration

Science.gov (United States)

2009-06-01

staffed CBOC, with dependent variables adjusting for SHEP scores and case mix factors. The equation for the null hypothesis is Hho = In (estimated...that the model can be further improved through combining several of the satisfaction scores. The equation for the null hypothesis is that Hho = In

Enhancing Nursing Staffing Forecasting With Safety Stock Over Lead Time Modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

McNair, Douglas S

2015-01-01

In balancing competing priorities, it is essential that nursing staffing provide enough nurses to safely and effectively care for the patients. Mathematical models to predict optimal "safety stocks" have been routine in supply chain management for many years but have up to now not been applied in nursing workforce management. There are various aspects that exhibit similarities between the 2 disciplines, such as an evolving demand forecast according to acuity and the fact that provisioning "stock" to meet demand in a future period has nonzero variable lead time. Under assumptions about the forecasts (eg, the demand process is well fit as an autoregressive process) and about the labor supply process (≥1 shifts' lead time), we show that safety stock over lead time for such systems is effectively equivalent to the corresponding well-studied problem for systems with stationary demand bounds and base stock policies. Hence, we can apply existing models from supply chain analytics to find the optimal safety levels of nurse staffing. We use a case study with real data to demonstrate that there are significant benefits from the inclusion of the forecast process when determining the optimal safety stocks.

Identifying nurse staffing research in Medline: development and testing of empirically derived search strategies with the PubMed interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Michael; Hausner, Elke; Klaus, Susan F; Dunton, Nancy E

2010-08-23

The identification of health services research in databases such as PubMed/Medline is a cumbersome task. This task becomes even more difficult if the field of interest involves the use of diverse methods and data sources, as is the case with nurse staffing research. This type of research investigates the association between nurse staffing parameters and nursing and patient outcomes. A comprehensively developed search strategy may help identify nurse staffing research in PubMed/Medline. A set of relevant references in PubMed/Medline was identified by means of three systematic reviews. This development set was used to detect candidate free-text and MeSH terms. The frequency of these terms was compared to a random sample from PubMed/Medline in order to identify terms specific to nurse staffing research, which were then used to develop a sensitive, precise and balanced search strategy. To determine their precision, the newly developed search strategies were tested against a) the pool of relevant references extracted from the systematic reviews, b) a reference set identified from an electronic journal screening, and c) a sample from PubMed/Medline. Finally, all newly developed strategies were compared to PubMed's Health Services Research Queries (PubMed's HSR Queries). The sensitivities of the newly developed search strategies were almost 100% in all of the three test sets applied; precision ranged from 6.1% to 32.0%. PubMed's HSR queries were less sensitive (83.3% to 88.2%) than the new search strategies. Only minor differences in precision were found (5.0% to 32.0%). As with other literature on health services research, nurse staffing studies are difficult to identify in PubMed/Medline. Depending on the purpose of the search, researchers can choose between high sensitivity and retrieval of a large number of references or high precision, i.e. and an increased risk of missing relevant references, respectively. More standardized terminology (e.g. by consistent use of the

Reversing Course: The Troubled State of Academic Staffing and a Path Forward

Science.gov (United States)

American Federation of Teachers (NJ), 2008

2008-01-01

Over the last generation, the instructional staffing system in American higher education has experienced a significant reduction in the proportion of jobs for full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members and a dramatic growth in fixed-term full- and part-time instructional jobs without tenure. About 70 percent of the people teaching in…

The impact of service-specific staffing, case scheduling, turnovers, and first-case starts on anesthesia group and operating room productivity: a tutorial using data from an Australian hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

McIntosh, Catherine; Dexter, Franklin; Epstein, Richard H

2006-12-01

In this tutorial, we consider the impact of operating room (OR) management on anesthesia group and OR labor productivity and costs. Most of the tutorial focuses on the steps required for each facility to refine its OR allocations using its own data collected during patient care. Data from a hospital in Australia are used throughout to illustrate the methods. OR allocation is a two-stage process. During the initial tactical stage of allocating OR time, OR capacity ("block time") is adjusted. For operational decision-making on a shorter-term basis, the existing workload can be considered fixed. Staffing is matched to that workload based on maximizing the efficiency of use of OR time. Scheduling cases and making decisions on the day of surgery to increase OR efficiency are worthwhile interventions to increase anesthesia group productivity. However, by far, the most important step is the appropriate refinement of OR allocations (i.e., planning service-specific staffing) 2-3 mo before the day of surgery. Reducing surgical and/or turnover times and delays in first-case-of-the-day starts generally provides small reductions in OR labor costs. Results vary widely because they are highly sensitive both to the OR allocations (i.e., staffing) and to the appropriateness of those OR allocations.

The effects of ownership, staffing level and organisational justice on nurse commitment, involvement, and satisfaction: a questionnaire study.

Science.gov (United States)

Heponiemi, Tarja; Elovainio, Marko; Kouvonen, Anne; Kuusio, Hannamaria; Noro, Anja; Finne-Soveri, Harriet; Sinervo, Timo

2011-12-01

Elderly care systems have undergone a lot of changes in many European countries, including Finland. Most notably, the number of private for-profit firms has increased. Previous studies suggest that employee well-being and the quality of care might differ according to the ownership type. The present study examined whether the ownership type and the staffing level were associated with organisational commitment, job involvement, and job satisfaction. In addition, we examined the potential moderating effect of organisational justice on these associations. Cross-sectional questionnaire study. 1047 Finnish female staff members aged 18-69 years working in sheltered housing or nursing homes (units n=179). The relationships were studied with analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusting for the effects of age and case-mix. Organisational commitment and job satisfaction levels were low in for-profit sheltered homes when justice levels were low, but when justice levels were high, for-profit sheltered homes did not differ from other ownership types. Similarly, organisational justice acted as a buffer against low commitment resulting from low staffing levels. Staffing levels were lowest in public sheltered homes and highest in not-for-profit sheltered homes. The results show that organisational justice can act as a buffer against low organisational commitment that results from low staffing levels and working in for-profit sheltered homes. Increasing justice in regard to the management, outcomes, and procedures in the organisation would thus be important. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the applicability of existing nuclear power plant regulatory requirements in the U.S. to advanced small modular reactors.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

LaChance, Jeffrey L.; Wheeler, Timothy A.; Farnum, Cathy Ottinger; Middleton, Bobby D.; Jordan, Sabina Erteza; Duran, Felicia Angelica; Baum, Gregory A.

2013-05-01

The current wave of small modular reactor (SMR) designs all have the goal of reducing the cost of management and operations. By optimizing the system, the goal is to make these power plants safer, cheaper to operate and maintain, and more secure. In particular, the reduction in plant staffing can result in significant cost savings. The introduction of advanced reactor designs and increased use of advanced automation technologies in existing nuclear power plants will likely change the roles, responsibilities, composition, and size of the crews required to control plant operations. Similarly, certain security staffing requirements for traditional operational nuclear power plants may not be appropriate or necessary for SMRs due to the simpler, safer and more automated design characteristics of SMRs. As a first step in a process to identify where regulatory requirements may be met with reduced staffing and therefore lower cost, this report identifies the regulatory requirements and associated guidance utilized in the licensing of existing reactors. The potential applicability of these regulations to advanced SMR designs is identified taking into account the unique features of these types of reactors.

Impact of nurse work environment and staffing on hospital nurse and quality of care in Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Nantsupawat, Apiradee; Srisuphan, Wichit; Kunaviktikul, Wipada; Wichaikhum, Orn-Anong; Aungsuroch, Yupin; Aiken, Linda H

2011-12-01

To determine the impact of nurse work environment and staffing on nurse outcomes, including job satisfaction and burnout, and on quality of nursing care. Secondary data analysis of the 2007 Thai Nurse Survey. The sample consisted of 5,247 nurses who provided direct care for patients across 39 public hospitals in Thailand. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the impact of nurse work environment and staffing on nurse outcomes and quality of care. Nurses cared for an average of 10 patients each. Forty-one percent of nurses had a high burnout score as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory; 28% of nurses were dissatisfied with their job; and 27% rated quality of nursing care as fair or poor. At the hospital level, after controlling for nurse characteristics (age, years in unit), the addition of each patient to a nurse's workload was associated with a 2% increase in the odds on nurses reporting high emotional exhaustion (odds ratio [OR] 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.03; p work environments were about 30% less likely to report fair to poor care quality (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.48-0.98; p work environments. The addition of each patient to a nurse's workload was associated with a 4% increase in the odds on nurses reporting quality of nursing care as fair or poor (OR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02-1.05; p work environments and nurse staffing in Thai hospitals holds promise for reducing nurse burnout, thus improving nurse retention at the hospital bedside as well as potentially improving the quality of care. Nurses should work with management and policymakers to achieve safe staffing levels and good work environments in hospitals throughout the world. © 2011 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Trauma Center Staffing, Infrastructure, and Patient Characteristics that Influence Trauma Center Need

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faul, Mark

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The most effective use of trauma center resources helps reduce morbidity and mortality, while saving costs. Identifying critical infrastructure characteristics, patient characteristics and staffing components of a trauma center associated with the proportion of patients needing major trauma care will help planners create better systems for patient care.   Methods: We used the 2009 National Trauma Data Bank-Research Dataset to determine the proportion of critically injured patients requiring the resources of a trauma center within each Level I-IV trauma center (n=443. The outcome variable was defined as the portion of treated patients who were critically injured. We defined the need for critical trauma resources and interventions (“trauma center need” as death prior to hospital discharge, admission to the intensive care unit, or admission to the operating room from the emergency department as a result of acute traumatic injury. Generalized Linear Modeling (GLM was used to determine how hospital infrastructure, staffing Levels, and patient characteristics contributed to trauma center need.     Results: Nonprofit Level I and II trauma centers were significantly associated with higher levels of trauma center need. Trauma centers that had a higher percentage of transferred patients or a lower percentage of insured patients were associated with a higher proportion of trauma center need.  Hospital infrastructure characteristics, such as bed capacity and intensive care unit capacity, were not associated with trauma center need. A GLM for Level III and IV trauma centers showed that the number of trauma surgeons on staff was associated with trauma center need. Conclusion: Because the proportion of trauma center need is predominantly influenced by hospital type, transfer frequency, and insurance status, it is important for administrators to consider patient population characteristics of the catchment area when planning the

Successful Implementation of Six Sigma to Schedule Student Staffing for Circulation Service Desks

Science.gov (United States)

Jankowski, Janiece

2013-01-01

In fall of 2011 the University at Buffalo Libraries circulation department undertook Six Sigma training for the purpose of overhauling its student scheduling process. The department was able to mitigate significant staffing budgetary reductions and resource reallocations and to overcome the unique challenges of scheduling student labor for a…

The Staffing Policies of Swedish Companies at their Chinese Production Units

OpenAIRE

Dolinska, Nina; Hrlovic, Dzenita; Swane, Katarina

2006-01-01

Increasing production costs and high pressure from the consumers are leading Swedish companies towards an expansion to China. Since more and more companies are moving their production, we found it interesting to study the problems they might encounter while employing personnel. The purpose of this dissertation is to analyse what staffing policies companies choose and variables that influence the decision at Swedish production plants in China. Ethnocentric, polycentric and geocentric polic...

The Benefit Implications of Recent Trends in Flexible Staffing Arrangements. Staff Working Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Houseman, Susan N.

Workers in flexible staffing arrangementsincluding temporary agency, direct-hire temporary, on-call, and contract workersare much less likely than regular, direct-hire employees to be covered by laws mandating or regulating workplace benefits. They are also much less likely to receive pension, health insurance, and other benefits on the job.…

Customer Perception of a Supermarket Nutrition Centre Staffed by a Registered Dietitian.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, KATE; Taper, JANETTE; Quintal, DEBORAH

2000-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' attitudes toward a supermarket nutrition centre staffed full time by a registered dietitian. A questionnaire was administered over three consecutive days in that store and in a control store that was similar to the experimental site in every way, except for the absence of a nutrition centre. Participants were chosen randomly at timed intervals in specific areas of the store. Of 428 customers approached, 232 agreed to participate in the survey. At the experimental site, 75% of the participants were extremely satisfied with the registered dietitian's services and 69% ranked having a registered dietitian on staff in any store as extremely important, compared to 31% at the control site (p importance of 13 required and optional services offered by the supermarkets, 15% of participants at the experimental site ranked having a registered dietitian on staff in the top five, compared with 4% at the control site (p service. There may therefore be an expanded role for registered dietitians in the supermarket setting.

Experiences and lessons learnt on staffing from the first Indian nuclear power plant (PHWR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, A.S.

2001-01-01

Three decades of operating experience in India has led to sustained high performance of NPPs. The staffing modules and policies are standardised. The basic functions of operation, maintenance, technical support and quality assurance are carried out by a team of 727 in-plant persons (for a 2 x 220 MW PHWR station) organised at five levels, for fifty positions in ten job families. Specific qualification levels apply to each position - six at management positions, five licensed positions with the rest qualified through an equivalent training scheme. Practically all O and M activities are carried out on-site by the utility manpower with minimum involvement of contractors. The entire process of human resource development is in-house - with each NPP organisation comprised of 30% experienced staff transferred from older NPPs and 70% totally developed out of fresh recruits. Four to eight years lead time goes to qualify fresh recruits depending on the position. This optimisation of manpower is a result of continuous learning - through operating experience and regulatory feed back and self assessment for (i) optimising quantum of work load and (ii) improving productivity. For the first category, design improvements over older NPP's increased reliability, operability, maintainability and human factors are described separately in the companion paper. In this paper the organisation factors are discussed, starting with the initial lessons that demanded improved management and enhanced quality programmes and caused temporarily, high demand of staffing for bringing out new systems, e.g., (i) attaining maturity of units; (ii) standardising training, retraining and cross training and qualifications; (in) job rotations, (iv) in service inspection of reactor components; (v) quality audits. The experiences on subsequent optimisation of staffing levels are outlined. (author)

76 FR 72978 - Whirlpool Corporation Including On-Site Leased Workers From Career Solutions TEC Staffing...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-28

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-74,593] Whirlpool Corporation Including On-Site Leased Workers From Career Solutions TEC Staffing, Andrews International, IBM Corporation... workers are engaged in the production of refrigerators and trash compactors. The notice was published in...

Outcomes and Costs of Community Living: Semi-Independent Living and Fully Staffed Group Homes

Science.gov (United States)

Felce, David; Perry, Jonathan; Romeo, Renee; Robertson, Janet; Meek, Andrea; Emerson, Eric; Knapp, Martin

2008-01-01

In a matched-groups design, costs and quality of life outcomes for adults with intellectual disabilities with relatively low support needs were compared between those in fully staffed group homes (n = 35) and in semi-independent living (n = 35). Data were collected on participant characteristics, setting organization, various lifestyle outcomes,…

Manpower and training requirements for operation and maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, J.C.

1975-01-01

The experience in India with regard to the staffing of nuclear power station operations and maintenance is encouraging in the sense that given the effort and time, developing countries should not find it unduly difficult to meet their requirements. (orig.) [de

Extended fuel cycle length

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruyere, M.; Vallee, A.; Collette, C.

1986-09-01

Extended fuel cycle length and burnup are currently offered by Framatome and Fragema in order to satisfy the needs of the utilities in terms of fuel cycle cost and of overall systems cost optimization. We intend to point out the consequences of an increased fuel cycle length and burnup on reactor safety, in order to determine whether the bounding safety analyses presented in the Safety Analysis Report are applicable and to evaluate the effect on plant licensing. This paper presents the results of this examination. The first part indicates the consequences of increased fuel cycle length and burnup on the nuclear data used in the bounding accident analyses. In the second part of this paper, the required safety reanalyses are presented and the impact on the safety margins of different fuel management strategies is examined. In addition, systems modifications which can be required are indicated

Staffing, recruitment, training, qualification and certification of operating personnel of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-10-01

Safety of public, occupational workers and the protection of environment should be assured while activities for economic and social progress are pursued. These activities include the establishment and utilisation of nuclear facilities and the use of radioactive sources. This safety guide provides guidance on the aspects of staffing, recruitment, training, qualification and certification of operating personnel of nuclear power plants

Improving value in primary total joint arthroplasty care pathways: changes in inpatient physical therapy staffing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher E. Pelt, MD

2017-03-01

Conclusions: A relatively simple change to staffing hours, using resources currently available to us, and little additional financial or institutional investment resulted in a significant improvement in the number of patients ambulating on POD 0, with a modest reduction in both LOS and inpatient costs.

76 FR 73683 - Whirlpool Corporation, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Career Solutions TEC Staffing...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-29

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-74,593] Whirlpool Corporation, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Career Solutions TEC Staffing, Andrews International, IBM Corporation... refrigerators and trash compactors. The notice was published in the Federal Register on October 25, 2010 (75 FR...

75 FR 16512 - Willstaff Staffing Agency, Willstaff Crystal, Inc., and MDS Industrial Resources, Inc., Working...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Agency, Willstaff Crystal, Inc., and MDS Industrial Resources, Inc., Working On-Site at Tyler Pipe... MDS Industrial Resources, Inc., working on-site at Tyler Pipe Company, Waterworks Division, South... Staffing Agency, Willstaff Crystal, Inc., and MDS Industrial Resources, Inc., working on-site at Tyler Pipe...

Diagnostic Grouping among Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Autistic Spectrum Disorders in Staffed Housing

Science.gov (United States)

Felce, D.; Perry, J.

2012-01-01

Background: There is little evidence to guide the commissioning of residential provision for adults with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) in the UK. We aim to explore the degree and impact of diagnostic congregation among adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) and ASD living in staffed housing. Methods: One hundred and fifty-seven adults with…

Staffing in postnatal units: is it adequate for the provision of quality care? Staff perspectives from a state-wide review of postnatal care in Victoria, Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lumley Judith

2006-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background State-wide surveys of recent mothers conducted over the past decade in Victoria, one state of Australia, have identified that women are consistently less satisfied with the care they received in hospital following birth compared with other aspects of maternity care. Little is known of caregivers' perspectives on the provision ofhospital postnatal care: how care is organised and provided in different hospitals; what constrains the provision of postnatal care (apart from funding and what initiatives are being undertaken to improve service delivery. A state-widereview of organisational structures and processes in relation to the provision of hospital postnatal care in Victoria was undertaken. This paper focuses on the impact of staffing issues on the provision of quality postnatal care from the perspective of care providers. Methods A study of care providers from Victorian public hospitals that provide maternity services was undertaken. Datawere collected in two stages. Stage one: a structured questionnaire was sent to all public hospitals in Victoria that provided postnatal care (n = 73, exploring the structure and organisation of care (e.g. staffing, routine observations, policy framework and discharge planning. Stage two: 14 maternity units were selected and invited to participate in a more in-depth exploration of postnatal care. Thirty-eight key informant interviews were undertaken with midwives (including unit managers, associate unit managers and clinical midwives and a medical practitioner from eachselected hospital. Results Staffing was highlighted as a major factor impacting on the provision of quality postnatal care. There were significant issues associated with inadequate staff/patient ratios; staffing mix; patient mix; prioritisation of birth suites over postnatal units; and the use of non-permanent staff. Forty-three percent of hospitals reported having only midwives (i.e. no non-midwives providing postnatal care

Library/Media Centers in U.S. Public Schools: Growth, Staffing, and Resources. Full Report

Science.gov (United States)

Tuck, Kathy D.; Holmes, Dwight R.

2016-01-01

At the request of New Business Item: 89 (NBI: 89) adopted at the 2015 NEA Representative Assembly, this study examines the extent to which students have access to public school library/media centers with qualified staff and up-to-date resources. The study explores trends in library/media center openings and closings as well as staffing patterns…

Determinants of hospital fall rate trajectory groups: a longitudinal assessment of nurse staffing and organizational characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Everhart, Damian; Schumacher, Jessica R; Duncan, R Paul; Hall, Allyson G; Neff, Donna F; Shorr, Ronald I

2014-01-01

Patient falls in acute care hospitals represent a significant patient safety concern. Although cross-sectional studies have shown that fall rates vary widely between acute care hospitals, it is not clear whether hospital fall rates remain consistent over time. The aim of this study was to determine whether hospitals can be categorized into fall rate trajectory groups over time and to identify nurse staffing and hospital characteristics associated with hospital fall rate trajectory groups. We conducted a 54-month (July 2006-December 2010) longitudinal study of U.S. acute care general hospitals participating in the National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators (2007). We used latent class growth modeling to categorize hospitals into groups based on their long-term fall rates. Nurse staffing and hospital characteristics associated with membership in the highest hospital fall rate group were identified using logistic regression. A sample of 1,529 hospitals (mean fall rate of 3.65 per 1,000 patient days) contributed data to the analysis. Latent class growth modeling findings classified hospital into three groups based on fall rate trajectories: consistently high (mean fall rate of 4.96 per 1,000 patient days), consistently medium (mean fall rate of 3.63 per 1,000 patient days), and consistently low (mean fall rate of 2.50 per 1,000 patient days). Hospitals with higher total nurse staffing (odds ratio [OR] = 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.85, 0.99]), Magnet status (OR = 0.49, 95% CI [0.35, 0.70]), and bed size greater than 300 beds (OR = 0.70, 95% CI [0.51, 0.94]) were significantly less likely to be categorized in the "consistently high" fall rate group. Over this 54-month period, hospitals were categorized into three groups based on long-term fall rates. Hospital-level factors differed among these three groups. This suggests that there may be hospitals in which "best practices" for fall prevention might be identified. In addition, administrators may be able

75 FR 43556 - Badger Meter, Inc., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Sourcepoint Staffing, Seek, and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-26

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-73,666] Badger Meter, Inc... of Badger Meter, Inc., including on-site leased workers from Sourcepoint Staffing, Milwaukee... workers are engaged in the production of flow measurement devices and automatic meter reading equipment...

Strategies for using international domain standards within a national context: The case of the Dutch temporary staffing industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Folmer, Erwin Johan Albert; van Bekkum, Michael; Verhoosel, Jack

2009-01-01

This paper will discuss strategies for using international domain standards within a national context. The various strategies are illustrated by means of a case study of the temporary staffing industry.

Staffing for infectious diseases, clinical microbiology and infection control in hospitals in 2015: results of an ESCMID member survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickstein, Y; Nir-Paz, R; Pulcini, C; Cookson, B; Beović, B; Tacconelli, E; Nathwani, D; Vatcheva-Dobrevska, R; Rodríguez-Baño, J; Hell, M; Saenz, H; Leibovici, L; Paul, M

2016-09-01

We aimed to assess the current status of infectious diseases (ID), clinical microbiology (CM) and infection control (IC) staffing in hospitals and to analyse modifiers of staffing levels. We conducted an Internet-based survey of European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases members and affiliates, collecting data on hospital characteristics, ID management infrastructure, ID/IC-related activities and the ratio of physicians per 100 hospital beds. Regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with the physician-bed ratio. Five hundred sixty-seven hospital responses were collected between April and June 2015 from 61 countries, 81.2% (384/473) from Europe. A specialized inpatient ward for ID patients was reported in 58.4% (317/543) of hospitals. Rates of antibiotic stewardship programmes (ASP) and surveillance activities in survey hospitals were high, ranging from 88% to 90% for local antibiotic guidelines and 70% to 82% for programmes monitoring hospital-acquired infections. The median ID/CM/IC physician per 100 hospital beds ratio was 1.12 (interquartile range 0.56-2.13). In hospitals performing basic ASP and IC (including local antibiotic guidelines and monitoring device-related or surgical site infections), the ratio was 1.21 (interquartile range 0.57-2.14). Factors independently associated with higher ratios included compliance with European Union of Medical Specialists standards, smaller hospital size, tertiary-care institution, presence of a travel clinic, beds dedicated to ID and a CM unit. More than half of respondents estimated that additional staffing is needed for appropriate IC or ID management. No standard of physician staffing for ID/CM/IC in hospitals is available. A ratio of 1.21/100 beds will serve as an informed point of reference enabling ASP and infection surveillance. Copyright © 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Staffing and training experience at the Bilibino nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tukhvetov, F.

2001-01-01

Bilibino NPP has four 12 MW(e) water cooled graphite moderated channel reactors. The plant has been in operation since 1973 in conditions of isolated local energy system in a remote area with extreme climatic conditions. The plant accounts for almost 70 per cent of energy produced in the region, it also provides heating to the regional centre. The plant's organisational structure is on the whole consistent with the standard structure of other NPPs of ex-USSR. At the same time there are some specific features due to high cost of personnel in the prime cost of the generated energy. As a result a need arises to broaden the task of catering for each worker and, therefore, to extend and increase the level of training. The number of high-quality personnel is on the increase. A method of step-by-step training is widely used at all work areas for training operations personnel. At the end of each step a worker is engaged in independent activities at this work area. When a plant is located in a remote area efficient and effective maintenance becomes highly instrumental. The engineering and design support on the part of the utility and equipment manufacturer begins to play a greater role. Activities to optimise the plant organisational structure were mostly characterised by merging of subdivisions and by some change in the proportion of different categories of personnel. It would be an optimum decision to put all supporting services, namely, logistics, book-keeping and staffing departments, within the utility's authority. Operations experience of the Bilibino plant will certainly be valuable for projection, location choice and staffing of plants with small and medium reactors. (author)

75 FR 77665 - Whirlpool Corporation, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Career Solutions TEC Staffing and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-13

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-74,593] Whirlpool Corporation, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Career Solutions TEC Staffing and Andrews International, Fort Smith... subject firm. The workers are engaged in the production of refrigerators and trash compactors. The company...

Staffing and Workflow of a Maturing Institutional Repository

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debora L. Madsen

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Institutional repositories (IRs have become established components of many academic libraries. As an IR matures it will face the challenge of how to scale up its operations to increase the amount and types of content archived. These challenges involve staffing, systems, workflows, and promotion. In the past eight years, Kansas State University's IR (K-REx has grown from a platform for student theses, dissertations, and reports to also include faculty works. The initial workforce of a single faculty member was expanded as a part of a library-wide reorganization, resulting in a cross-departmental team that is better able to accommodate the expansion of the IR. The resultant need to define staff responsibilities and develop resources to manage the workflows has led to the innovations described here, which may prove useful to the greater library community as other IRs mature.

A strategy for optimizing staffing to improve the timeliness of inpatient phlebotomy collections.

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, Aileen P; Tanasijevic, Milenko J; Torrence-Hill, Joi N; Goonan, Ellen M; Gustafson, Michael L; Melanson, Stacy E F

2011-12-01

The timely availability of inpatient test results is a key to physician satisfaction with the clinical laboratory, and in an institution with a phlebotomy service may depend on the timeliness of blood collections. In response to safety reports filed for delayed phlebotomy collections, we applied Lean principles to the inpatient phlebotomy service at our institution. Our goal was to improve service without using additional resources by optimizing our staffing model. To evaluate the effect of a new phlebotomy staffing model on the timeliness of inpatient phlebotomy collections. We compared the median time of morning blood collections and average number of safety reports filed for delayed phlebotomy collections during a 6-month preimplementation period and 5-month postimplementation period. The median time of morning collections was 17 minutes earlier after implementation (7:42 am preimplementation; interquartile range, 6:27-8:48 am; versus 7:25 am postimplementation; interquartile range, 6:20-8:26 am). The frequency of safety reports filed for delayed collections decreased 80% from 10.6 per 30 days to 2.2 per 30 days. Reallocating staff to match the pattern of demand for phlebotomy collections throughout the day represents a strategy for improving the performance of an inpatient phlebotomy service.

Longitudinal comparative evaluation of the equivalence of an integrated peer-support and clinical staffing model for residential mental health rehabilitation: a mixed methods protocol incorporating multiple stakeholder perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Stephen; Dark, Frances; Newman, Ellie; Korman, Nicole; Meurk, Carla; Siskind, Dan; Harris, Meredith

2016-06-02

A novel staffing model integrating peer support workers and clinical staff within a unified team is being trialled at community based residential rehabilitation units in Australia. A mixed-methods protocol for the longitudinal evaluation of the outcomes, expectations and experiences of care by consumers and staff under this staffing model in two units will be compared to one unit operating a traditional clinical staffing. The study is unique with regards to the context, the longitudinal approach and consideration of multiple stakeholder perspectives. The longitudinal mixed methods design integrates a quantitative evaluation of the outcomes of care for consumers at three residential rehabilitation units with an applied qualitative research methodology. The quantitative component utilizes a prospective cohort design to explore whether equivalent outcomes are achieved through engagement at residential rehabilitation units operating integrated and clinical staffing models. Comparative data will be available from the time of admission, discharge and 12-month period post-discharge from the units. Additionally, retrospective data for the 12-month period prior to admission will be utilized to consider changes in functioning pre and post engagement with residential rehabilitation care. The primary outcome will be change in psychosocial functioning, assessed using the total score on the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS). Planned secondary outcomes will include changes in symptomatology, disability, recovery orientation, carer quality of life, emergency department presentations, psychiatric inpatient bed days, and psychological distress and wellbeing. Planned analyses will include: cohort description; hierarchical linear regression modelling of the predictors of change in HoNOS following CCU care; and descriptive comparisons of the costs associated with the two staffing models. The qualitative component utilizes a pragmatic approach to grounded theory, with

The daily relationships between staffing, safety perceptions and personality in hospital nursing: A longitudinal on-line diary study.

Science.gov (United States)

Louch, Gemma; O'Hara, Jane; Gardner, Peter; O'Connor, Daryl B

2016-07-01

The association between poor staffing conditions and negative patient safety consequences is well established within hospital nursing. However, many studies have been limited to nurse population level associations, and have used routine data to examine relationships. As a result, it is less clear how these relationships might be manifested at the individual nurse level on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, personality may have direct and moderating roles in terms of work environment and patient safety associations, but limited research has explored personality in this context. To further our understanding of these associations, this paper takes a within-person approach to examine nurses' daily perceptions of staffing and patient safety. In addition, we explore the potential role of personality factors as moderators of daily level associations. We recruited eighty-three hospital nurses from three acute NHS Trusts in the UK between March and July 2013. Nurses completed online end-of-shift diaries over three-five shifts which collected information on perceptions of staffing, patient-nurse ratio and patient safety (perceptions of patient safety, ability to act as a safe practitioner, and workplace cognitive failure). Personality was also assessed within a baseline questionnaire. Data were analysed using hierarchical linear modelling, and moderation effects of personality factors were examined using simple slopes analyses, which decomposed relationships at high and low levels of the moderator. On days when lower patient-nurse ratios were indicated, nurses reported being more able to act as a safe practitioner (p=.011) and more favourable perceptions of patient safety (p=workplace cognitive failure (p=personality factors. The findings elucidate the potential mechanisms by which patient safety risks arise within hospital nursing, and suggest that nurses may not respond to staffing conditions in the same way, dependent upon personality. Further understanding of these

Manpower requirements of quality assurance personnel for the nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aly, A.E.; El-sayed, A.A.; Shabaan, I.H.

1987-01-01

Basic principles for structuring and staffing of the quality assurance (Q.A.)organisation in the nuclear power plant (NPP) are presented. the manpower requirements of the Q.A.organisation in the NPP during both construction and operational stages are determined. the manpower requirements for Q.A./Q.C. functions in a NPP are found to be proportional to the number of craft workers needed to perform the required level of the construction. The Q.A./Q.C. personnel are about 15% of the total number of the craft workers required during construction

Comparing Hospitalist-Resident to Hospitalist-Midlevel Practitioner Team Performance on Length of Stay and Direct Patient Care Cost.

Science.gov (United States)

Iannuzzi, Michael C; Iannuzzi, James C; Holtsbery, Andrew; Wright, Stuart M; Knohl, Stephen J

2015-03-01

A perception exists that residents are more costly than midlevel providers (MLPs). Since graduate medical education (GME) funding is a key issue for teaching programs, hospitals should conduct cost-benefit analyses when considering staffing models. Our aim was to compare direct patient care costs and length of stay (LOS) between resident and MLP inpatient teams. We queried the University HealthSystems Consortium clinical database (UHC CDB) for 13 553 "inpatient" discharges at our institution from July 2010 to June 2013. Patient assignment was based on bed availability rather than "educational value." Using the UHC CDB data, discharges for resident and MLP inpatient teams were compared for observed and expected LOS, direct cost derived from hospital charges, relative expected mortality (REM), and readmissions. We also compared patient satisfaction for physician domain questions using Press Ganey data. Bivariate analysis was performed for factors associated with differences between the 2 services using χ(2) analysis and Student t test for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. During the 3-year period, while REM was higher on the hospitalist-resident services (P higher for resident teams. There were no differences in patient demographics, daily discharge rates, readmissions, or deaths. Resident teams are economically more efficient than MLP teams and have higher patient satisfaction. The findings offer guidance when considering GME costs and inpatient staffing models.

Characteristics and Working Conditions of Moonlighting Teachers: Evidence from the 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Fitchett, Paul G.; Heafner, Tina L.; Harden, Susan B.

2016-01-01

Moonlighting, an employment practice where individuals work outside of their primary job, is popular within the public education sector. Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics Schools and Staffing Survey, this study examined both the characteristics and motivations of public school teachers across moonlighting categories.…

Managerial Ownership in Nursing Homes: Staffing, Quality, and Financial Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Sean Shenghsiu; Bowblis, John R

2017-06-20

Ownership of nursing homes (NHs) has primarily focused broadly on differences between for-profit (FP), nonprofit (NFP), and government-operated facilities. Yet, among FPs, the understanding of detailed ownership structures at individual NHs is rather limited. Particularly, NH administrators may hold significant equity interests in their facilities, leading to heterogeneous financial incentives and NH outcomes. Through the principal-agent theory, this article studies how managerial ownership of individual facilities affects NH outcomes. We use a unique panel dataset of Ohio NHs (2005-2010) to empirically examine the relationship between managerial equity ownership and NH staffing, quality, and financial performance. We identify facility administrators as owner-managers if they have more than 5% of the equity stakes or are relatives of the owners. The statistical analysis is based on the pooled ordinary least squares and NH-fixed effect models. We find that owner-managed NHs are associated with higher nursing staff levels compared to other FP NHs. Surprisingly, despite higher staffing levels, owner-managed NHs are not associated with better quality and we find no statistically significant difference in financial performance between owner-managed and nonowner-managed FP NHs. Our results do not support the principal-agent model and we offer alternative explanations for future research. Our findings provide empirical evidence that NH ownership structures are more nuanced than simply broadly categorizing facilities as FP or NFP, and our results do not fully align with the standard principal-agent model. The role of managerial ownership should be considered in future NH research and policy discussions. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Nurses' shift length and overtime working in 12 European countries: the association with perceived quality of care and patient safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Peter; Dall'Ora, Chiara; Simon, Michael; Ball, Jane; Lindqvist, Rikard; Rafferty, Anne-Marie; Schoonhoven, Lisette; Tishelman, Carol; Aiken, Linda H

2014-11-01

Despite concerns as to whether nurses can perform reliably and effectively when working longer shifts, a pattern of two 12- to 13-hour shifts per day is becoming common in many hospitals to reduce shift to shift handovers, staffing overlap, and hence costs. To describe shift patterns of European nurses and investigate whether shift length and working beyond contracted hours (overtime) is associated with nurse-reported care quality, safety, and care left undone. Cross-sectional survey of 31,627 registered nurses in general medical/surgical units within 488 hospitals across 12 European countries. A total of 50% of nurses worked shifts of ≤ 8 hours, but 15% worked ≥ 12 hours. Typical shift length varied between countries and within some countries. Nurses working for ≥ 12 hours were more likely to report poor or failing patient safety [odds ratio (OR)=1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13-1.76], poor/fair quality of care (OR=1.30; 95% CI, 1.10-1.53), and more care activities left undone (RR=1.13; 95% CI, 1.09-1.16). Working overtime was also associated with reports of poor or failing patient safety (OR=1.67; 95% CI, 1.51-1.86), poor/fair quality of care (OR=1.32; 95% CI, 1.23-1.42), and more care left undone (RR=1.29; 95% CI, 1.27-1.31). European registered nurses working shifts of ≥ 12 hours and those working overtime report lower quality and safety and more care left undone. Policies to adopt a 12-hour nursing shift pattern should proceed with caution. Use of overtime working to mitigate staffing shortages or increase flexibility may also incur additional risk to quality.

The relationship of staffing and work environment with implicit rationing of nursing care in Swiss nursing homes--A cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zúñiga, Franziska; Ausserhofer, Dietmar; Hamers, Jan P H; Engberg, Sandra; Simon, Michael; Schwendimann, René

2015-09-01

Implicit rationing of nursing care refers to the withdrawal of or failure to carry out necessary nursing care activities due to lack of resources, in the literature also described as missed care, omitted care, or nursing care left undone. Under time constraints, nurses give priority to activities related to vital medical needs and the safety of the patient, leaving out documentation, rehabilitation, or emotional support of patients. In nursing homes, little is known about the occurrence of implicit rationing of nursing care and possible contributing factors. The purpose of this study was (1) to describe levels and patterns of self-reported implicit rationing of nursing care in Swiss nursing homes and (2) to explore the relationship between staffing level, turnover, and work environment factors and implicit rationing of nursing care. Cross-sectional, multi-center sub-study of the Swiss Nursing Home Human Resources Project (SHURP). Nursing homes from all three language regions of Switzerland. A random selection of 156 facilities with 402 units and 4307 direct care workers from all educational levels (including 25% registered nurses). We utilized data from established scales to measure implicit rationing of nursing care (Basel Extent of Rationing of Nursing Care), perceptions of leadership ability and staffing resources (Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index), teamwork and safety climate (Safety Attitudes Questionnaire), and work stressors (Health Professions Stress Inventory). Staffing level and turnover at the unit level were measured with self-developed questions. Multilevel linear regression models were used to explore the proposed relationships. Implicit rationing of nursing care does not occur frequently in Swiss nursing homes. Care workers ration support in activities of daily living, such as eating, drinking, elimination and mobilization less often than documentation of care and the social care of nursing homes residents. Statistically

ANALISIS FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI TURNOVER INTENTIONS PADA STAF KANTOR AKUNTAN PUBLIK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agus Arianto Toly

2001-01-01

Full Text Available The high level of turnover intentions by accountant staffs had raised the potential cost for public accountant firms. The prior research done by Suwandi and Indriantoro (1999 had succesfully identified the process of turnover intentions, which related to the antecedents and consequences of job insecurity. The responses of 30 accountant staffs from some public accountant firms to a questionnaire designed to measure variables were analyzed using a Pearson's correlation coefficient. The result of this study was not generally consistent with Suwandi and Indriantoro (1999 because some hypotheses were rejected. This study identified that public accountant firm must be noticed organizational factors, such as organizational commitment, role conflict, role ambiguity, and organizational change. Abstract in Bahasa Indonesia : Tingkat keinginan berpindah yang tinggi para staf akuntan telah menimbulkan biaya potensial untuk Kantor Akuntan Publik (KAP. Penelitian sebelumnya yang dilakukan oleh Suwandi dan Indriantoro (1999 telah berhasil mengidentifikasi proses keinginan berpindah, yang berhubungan dengan anteseden dan konsekuensi dari ketidakamanan kerja. Respon 30 staf akuntan dari beberapa KAP terhadap kuesioner yang dibuat untuk mengukur berbagai variabel, dianalisis menggunakan kofisien korelasi Pearson. Hasil dari studi ini secara umum tidak konsisten dengan Suwandi dan Indriantoro (1999 karena ditolaknya beberapa hipotesis. Studi ini mengidentifikasi bahwa KAP harus memberi perhatian terhadap beberapa faktor organisasional, seperti komitmen organisasional, konflik peran, ketidakjelasan peran, dan perubahan organisasional. Kata kunci: konflik peran; ketidakjelasan peran; perubahan organisasional; ketidakamanan kerja; komitmen organisasional; keinginan berpindah.

Influence of design improvements in optimising staffing of NPPs - an Indian experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, A.S.

2001-01-01

Three decades of operating experience in India has led to sustained high performance of NPP's. The staffing modules and policies are standardised. The basic functions of operation, maintenance, technical support and quality assurance are carried out by a team of 727 in-plant persons (for a 2 x 220 MW PHWR station) organised at five levels, for fifty positions in ten job families. The organisational factors that led to optimising of staff are described in the companion paper. This optimisation of manpower is a result of continuous learning - for (i) optimising quantum of workload and (ii) improving productivity. For the first category, design improvements over older Indian NPP's have increased reliability, operability, maintainability and human factors. Few examples: (i) improved man-machine interface in plant controls and on-power refuelling system with operator guidance, logging as well as diagnostic/health monitoring features; (ii) spread out layout for better access and ease of maintenance, separation of plant services for unit-1 from unit-2 and, removal of reactor auxiliaries out to separate buildings; (iii) reduction of maintenance tasks through redesigned equipment and improved condition monitoring means. However, design and procedural improvements also include additional equipment for upgradation of safety measures, e.g. larger number of safety related pumps separate switchyard control room and increased service system equipment. This paper outlines experience of design improvements in optimising staffing and uses a specific case illustration to establish the findings for better use of staff. (author)

Variation in cancer surgical outcomes associated with physician and nurse staffing: a retrospective observational study using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination Database

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasunaga Hideo

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Little is known about the effects of professional staffing on cancer surgical outcomes. The present study aimed to investigate the association between cancer surgical outcomes and physician/nurse staffing in relation to hospital volume. Methods We analyzed 131,394 patients undergoing lung lobectomy, esophagectomy, gastrectomy, colorectal surgery, hepatectomy or pancreatectomy for cancer between July and December, 2007–2008, using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database linked to the Survey of Medical Institutions data. Physician-to-bed ratio (PBR and nurse-to-bed ratio (NBR were determined for each hospital. Hospital volume was categorized into low, medium and high for each of six cancer surgeries. Failure to rescue (FTR was defined as a proportion of inhospital deaths among those with postoperative complications. Multi-level logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between physician/nurse staffing and FTR, adjusting for patient characteristics and hospital volume. Results Overall inhospital mortality was 1.8%, postoperative complication rate was 15.2%, and FTR rate was 11.9%. After adjustment for hospital volume, FTR rate in the group with high PBR (≥19.7 physicians per 100 beds and high NBR (≥77.0 nurses per 100 beds was significantly lower than that in the group with low PBR ( Conclusions Well-staffed hospitals confer a benefit for cancer surgical patients regarding reduced FTR, irrespective of hospital volume. These results suggest that consolidation of surgical centers linked with migration of medical professionals may improve the quality of cancer surgical management.

Guidelines for equipment and staffing of radiotherapy facilities in the European countries: Final results of the ESTRO-HERO survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunscombe, Peter; Grau, Cai; Defourny, Noémie; Malicki, Julian; Borras, Josep M.; Coffey, Mary; Bogusz, Marta; Gasparotto, Chiara; Slotman, Ben; Lievens, Yolande; Kokobobo, Arianit; Sedlmayer, Felix; Slobina, Elena; De Hertogh, Olivier; Hadjieva, Tatiana; Petera, Jiri; Eriksen, Jesper Grau; Jaal, Jana; Bly, Ritva; Azria, David

2014-01-01

Background and purpose: In planning to meet evidence based needs for radiotherapy, guidelines for the provision of capital and human resources are central if access, quality and safety are not to be compromised. A component of the ESTRO-HERO (Health Economics in Radiation Oncology) project is to document the current availability and content of guidelines for radiotherapy in Europe. Materials and methods: An 84 part questionnaire was distributed to the European countries through their national scientific and professional radiotherapy societies with 30 items relating to the availability of guidelines for equipment and staffing and selected operational issues. Twenty-nine countries provided full or partial evaluable responses. Results: The availability of guidelines across Europe is far from uniform. The metrics used for capital and human resources are variable. There seem to have been no major changes in the availability or specifics of guidelines over the ten-year period since the QUARTS study with the exception of the recent expansion of RTT staffing models. Where comparison is possible it appears that staffing for radiation oncologists, medical physicists and particularly RTTs tend to exceed guidelines suggesting developments in clinical radiotherapy are moving faster than guideline updating. Conclusion: The efficient provision of safe, high quality radiotherapy services would benefit from the availability of well-structured guidelines for capital and human resources, based on agreed upon metrics, which could be linked to detailed estimates of need

77 FR 29362 - Kohler Company, Malvern Division, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Manpower Staffing and Dow...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-17

... Division, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Manpower Staffing and Dow Cleaning Services, Malvern, AR..., and components. The company reports that workers from Dow Cleaning Services were employed on-site at... leased from Dow Cleaning Services working on-site at the Malvern, Arkansas location of Kohler Company...

[Compliance with the requirements of paediatric emergency departments in Spain: a self-assessment survey].

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez Etxaniz, J; Luaces I Cubells, C; Benito Fernández, J

2011-08-01

Paediatric emergency medicine in Spain is practiced in differently configured departments, staffing and organisation. Our goal was to determine the situation in Paediatric Emergency Departments (PED) and their adaptation to the quality standards proposed by the Spanish Society of Paediatric Emergencies. A self-assessment questionnaire on standards performance was sent to 47 PED directors by e-mail. It consisted of 101 items, 69 considered mandatory. According to the fulfilment of these 69 items 4 PED groups were selected: group I: in the best position (met 69), group II: requiring minimal changes (meeting 62-68), group III: requiring major changes (meeting 41-61); group IV: requiring a lot of major changes (meeting less than 41). Thirty nine questionnaires were completed in full. The PED included in the study tended to an average of 35310 annual emergencies (5000-115000). No PED was included in group I, 6 in II 27 in III and 6 in IV. There was a tendency towards higher compliance with standards in larger PED, but there was no significant relationship between the number of emergencies and the number of items fulfilled. 1. Staffing and architectural and organizational aspects may not be adequate to achieve optimal patient outcome in many PED in Spain. This fact does not appear to be related to the annual patient census. 2. The areas for improvement mainly affect functional issues that must be undertaken by those responsible. 3. A significant number of PED have serious architectural and staffing deficiencies, which would require economic measures by their managers. 4. Our self-assessment questionnaire identifies improvement actions. Copyright © 2010 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Medical Physics Staffing Needs in Diagnostic Imaging and Radionuclide Therapy: An Activity Based Approach [Endorsed by International Organization for Medical Physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2018-01-01

Over the last decades, the rapid technological development of diagnostic and interventional radiology and nuclear medicine has made them major tools of modern medicine. However, at the same time the involved risks, the growing number of procedures and the increasing complexity of the procedures require competent professional staff to ensure safe and effective patient diagnosis, treatment and management. Medical physicists (or clinically qualified medical physicists) have been recognized as vital health professionals with important and clear responsibilities related to quality and safety of applications of ionizing radiation in medicine. This publication describes an algorithm developed to determine the recommended staffing levels for clinical medical physics services in medical imaging and radionuclide therapy, based on current best practice, as described in international guidelines.

77 FR 63873 - Johnson Controls, Inc. Including On-Site Leased Workers of Valley Staffing and AZ Quality Hudson...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-17

... workers of Johnson Controls, Inc., including on-site leased workers from Valley Staffing, Hudson..., Wisconsin location of Johnson Controls, Inc. The Department has determined that these workers were sufficiently under the control of the subject firm to be considered leased workers. Based on these findings...

Economic evaluation of nurse staffing and nurse substitution in health care: a scoping review

OpenAIRE

Griffiths, P; Goryakin, Y.; Maben, J.

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Several systematic reviews have suggested that greater nurse staffing as well as a greater proportion of registered nurses in the health workforce is associated with better patient outcomes. Others have found that nurses can substitute for doctors safely and effectively in a variety of settings. However, these reviews do not generally consider the effect of nurse staff on both patient outcomes and costs of care, and therefore say little about the cost-effectiveness of nurse-provide...

Seniority Rules: Do Staffing Reforms Help Redistribute Teacher Quality and Reduce Teacher Turnover? CRPE Working Paper 2010-1

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Betheny; DeArmond, Michael; Goldhaber, Dan

2010-01-01

Education reformers routinely call on school districts to stop hiring teachers based on seniority, which they argue interferes with effective staffing, especially in disadvantaged schools. The few researchers who have empirically studied the issue, however, disagree about whether seniority-based hiring is systematically associated with staffing…

The compound microscope: optical tube length or parfocalization?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon, J M; Comastri, S A

2005-01-01

In various well-known textbooks for undergraduate students of physics, the compound microscope is described as having a standardized 'optical tube length'. On the other hand, in order to fulfil the parfocalization condition required by the human visual system to understand the relation between what is viewed with and without the microscope, the distance between the object and its image through the objective must remain constant as objectives are interchanged. In this paper, we show that these two requirements are not compatible in microscopes containing a revolver with various objectives and that the 'optical tube length' (which differs from the mechanical tube length) cannot be standardized. Moreover, we consider the Deutsche Industrie Norm (DIN) and the Japanese Industry Standards (JIS) norms employed in the microscope industry for standardization of the object-to-intermediate image distance, the parfocal distance and the mechanical tube length

Nuclear reactor with scrammable part length rod

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bevilacqua, F.

1979-01-01

A new part length rod is provided. It may be used to control xenon induced power oscillations but to contribute to shutdown reactivity when a rapid shutdown of the reactor is required. The part length rod consists of a control rod with three regions. The lower control region is a longer weaker active portion separated from an upper stronger shorter poison section by an intermediate section which is a relative non-absorber of neutrons. The combination of the longer weaker control section with the upper high worth poison section permits the part length rod of this to be scrammed into the core when a reactor shutdown is required but also permits the control rod to be used as a tool to control power distribution in both the axial and radial directions during normal operation

Nursing Management Minimum Data Set: Cost-Effective Tool To Demonstrate the Value of Nurse Staffing in the Big Data Science Era.

Science.gov (United States)

Pruinelli, Lisiane; Delaney, Connie W; Garciannie, Amy; Caspers, Barbara; Westra, Bonnie L

2016-01-01

There is a growing body of evidence of the relationship of nurse staffing to patient, nurse, and financial outcomes. With the advent of big data science and developing big data analytics in nursing, data science with the reuse of big data is emerging as a timely and cost-effective approach to demonstrate nursing value. The Nursing Management Minimum Date Set (NMMDS) provides standard administrative data elements, definitions, and codes to measure the context where care is delivered and, consequently, the value of nursing. The integration of the NMMDS elements in the current health system provides evidence for nursing leaders to measure and manage decisions, leading to better patient, staffing, and financial outcomes. It also enables the reuse of data for clinical scholarship and research.

42 CFR 1007.13 - Staffing requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... investigation or prosecution of civil fraud or criminal cases, who are capable of giving informed advice on applicable law and procedures and providing effective prosecution or liaison with other prosecutors; (2) One or more experienced auditors capable of supervising the review of financial records and advising or...

System Requirements Analysis for a Computer-based Procedure in a Research Reactor Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Jaek Wan; Jang, Gwi Sook; Seo, Sang Moon; Shin, Sung Ki [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

This can address many of the routine problems related to human error in the use of conventional, hard-copy operating procedures. An operating supporting system is also required in a research reactor. A well-made CBP can address the staffing issues of a research reactor and reduce the human errors by minimizing the operator's routine tasks. A CBP for a research reactor has not been proposed yet. Also, CBPs developed for nuclear power plants have powerful and various technical functions to cover complicated plant operation situations. However, many of the functions may not be required for a research reactor. Thus, it is not reasonable to apply the CBP to a research reactor directly. Also, customizing of the CBP is not cost-effective. Therefore, a compact CBP should be developed for a research reactor. This paper introduces high level requirements derived by the system requirements analysis activity as the first stage of system implementation. Operation support tools are under consideration for application to research reactors. In particular, as a full digitalization of the main control room, application of a computer-based procedure system has been required as a part of man-machine interface system because it makes an impact on the operating staffing and human errors of a research reactor. To establish computer-based system requirements for a research reactor, this paper addressed international standards and previous practices on nuclear plants.

Preparing emergency personnel in dialysis: a just-in-time training program for additional staffing during disasters.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoler, Genevieve B; Johnston, James R; Stevenson, Judy A; Suyama, Joe

2013-06-01

There are 341 000 patients in the United States who are dependent on routine dialysis for survival. Recent large-scale disasters have emphasized the importance of disaster preparedness, including supporting dialysis units, for people with chronic disease. Contingency plans for staffing are important for providing continuity of care for a technically challenging procedure such as dialysis. PReparing Emergency Personnel in Dialysis (PREP-D) is a just-in-time training program designed to train individuals having minimum familiarity with the basic steps of dialysis to support routine dialysis staff during a disaster. A 5-module educational program was developed through a collaborative, multidisciplinary effort. A pilot study testing the program was performed using 20 nontechnician dialysis facility employees and 20 clinical-year medical students as subjects. When comparing pretest and posttest scores, the entire study population showed a mean improvement of 28.9%, with dialysis facility employees and medical students showing improvements of 21.8% and 36.4%, respectively (P just-in-time training format. The knowledge gained by using the PREP-D program during a staffing shortage may allow for continuity of care for critical services such as dialysis during a disaster.

Incorporating nurse absenteeism into staffing with demand uncertainty.

Science.gov (United States)

Maass, Kayse Lee; Liu, Boying; Daskin, Mark S; Duck, Mary; Wang, Zhehui; Mwenesi, Rama; Schapiro, Hannah

2017-03-01

Increased nurse-to-patient ratios are associated negatively with increased costs and positively with improved patient care and reduced nurse burnout rates. Thus, it is critical from a cost, patient safety, and nurse satisfaction perspective that nurses be utilized efficiently and effectively. To address this, we propose a stochastic programming formulation for nurse staffing that accounts for variability in the patient census and nurse absenteeism, day-to-day correlations among the patient census levels, and costs associated with three different classes of nursing personnel: unit, pool, and temporary nurses. The decisions to be made include: how many unit nurses to employ, how large a pool of cross-trained nurses to maintain, how to allocate the pool nurses on a daily basis, and how many temporary nurses to utilize daily. A genetic algorithm is developed to solve the resulting model. Preliminary results using data from a large university hospital suggest that the proposed model can save a four-unit pool hundreds of thousands of dollars annually as opposed to the crude heuristics the hospital currently employs.

Operating safety requirements for the intermediate level liquid waste system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-07-01

The operation of the Intermediate Level Liquid Waste (ILW) System, which is described in the Final Safety Analysis, consists of two types of operations, namely: (1) the operation of a tank farm which involves the storage and transportation through pipelines of various radioactive liquids; and (2) concentration of the radioactive liquids by evaporation including rejection of the decontaminated condensate to the Waste Treatment Plant and retention of the concentrate. The following safety requirements in regard to these operations are presented: safety limits and limiting control settings; limiting conditions for operation; and surveillance requirements. Staffing requirements, reporting requirements, and steps to be taken in the event of an abnormal occurrence are also described

The evaluation on clamping force of high strength bolts by length parameter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Kang-Seok; Nah, Hwan-Seon; Lee, Hyeon-Ju; Lee, Kang-Min

2009-01-01

It has been reported that the length parameter of high strength bolts results in the variance in tension loads. The required turn for each length is specified in AISC RCSC specification. This study was focused on evaluating any influence on the clamping torque subjected to length parameter of high strength bolts. The two kinds of high strength bolts of specimen are as follows; High Strength Hexagon bolt defined on ASTM A490 and Torque Shear Bolt on KS B 2819. The length parameter ranged from 60mm(3d) to 140mm(7d). The torque, turn of nut and the clamping force were analyzed to review whether length parameter can be affected on the required tension load. To test whether the length parameter has an impact on the torque and turn of nut for the required strength and clamping force, statistical analysis is carried out. (author)

The Implications of Flexible Staffing Arrangements for Job Stability. Upjohn Institute Staff Working Paper No. 99-056. Revised.

Science.gov (United States)

Houseman, Susan N.; Polivka, Anne E.

A study examined the job stability of workers in the following flexible staffing arrangements: agency temporary, direct-hire temporary, on-call, contract company, independent contractor, and regular part-time work. Two data sources were used in the analysis. The first was a nationwide survey of employers on their use of flexible staffing…

Metadata Quality in Institutional Repositories May be Improved by Addressing Staffing Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Stovold

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A Review of: Moulaison, S. H., & Dykas, F. (2016. High-quality metadata and repository staffing: Perceptions of United States–based OpenDOAR participants. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 54(2, 101-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2015.1116480 Objective – To investigate the quality of institutional repository metadata, metadata practices, and identify barriers to quality. Design – Survey questionnaire. Setting – The OpenDOAR online registry of worldwide repositories. Subjects – A random sample of 50 from 358 administrators of institutional repositories in the United States of America listed in the OpenDOAR registry. Methods – The authors surveyed a random sample of administrators of American institutional repositories included in the OpenDOAR registry. The survey was distributed electronically. Recipients were asked to forward the email if they felt someone else was better suited to respond. There were questions about the demographics of the repository, the metadata creation environment, metadata quality, standards and practices, and obstacles to quality. Results were analyzed in Excel, and qualitative responses were coded by two researchers together. Main results – There was a 42% (n=21 response rate to the section on metadata quality, a 40% (n=20 response rate to the metadata creation section, and 40% (n=20 to the section on obstacles to quality. The majority of respondents rated their metadata quality as average (65%, n=13 or above average (30%, n=5. No one rated the quality as high or poor, while 10% (n=2 rated the quality as below average. The survey found that the majority of descriptive metadata was created by professional (84%, n=16 or paraprofessional (53%, n=10 library staff. Professional staff were commonly involved in creating administrative metadata, reviewing the metadata, and selecting standards and documentation. Department heads and advisory committees were also involved in standards and documentation

Lack of sensitivity of staffing for 8-hour sessions to standard deviation in daily actual hours of operating room time used for surgeons with long queues.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandit, Jaideep J; Dexter, Franklin

2009-06-01

At multiple facilities including some in the United Kingdom's National Health Service, the following are features of many surgical-anesthetic teams: i) there is sufficient workload for each operating room (OR) list to almost always be fully scheduled; ii) the workdays are organized such that a single surgeon is assigned to each block of time (usually 8 h); iii) one team is assigned per block; and iv) hardly ever would a team "split" to do cases in more than one OR simultaneously. We used Monte-Carlo simulation using normal and Weibull distributions to estimate the times to complete lists of cases scheduled into such 8 h sessions. For each combination of mean and standard deviation, inefficiencies of use of OR time were determined for 10 h versus 8 h of staffing. When the mean actual hours of OR time used averages standard deviation and relative cost of over-run to under-run. When mean > or = 8 h 50 min, 10 h staffing has higher OR efficiency. For 8 h 25 min standard deviation of 60 min and relative cost of over-run to under-run of 2.0 versus (b) 8 h 48 min for normal, standard deviation of 0 min and relative cost ratio of 1.50. Although the simplest decision rule would be to staff for 8 h if the mean workload is standard deviation 60 min, and relative cost ratio of 2.00, the inefficiency of use of OR time would be 34% larger if staffing were planned for 8 h instead of 10 h. For surgical teams with 8 h sessions, use the following decision rule for anesthesiology and OR nurse staffing. If actual hours of OR time used averages or = 8 h 50 min, plan 10 h staffing. For averages in between, perform the full analysis of McIntosh et al. (Anesth Analg 2006;103:1499-516).

Study on the Connecting Length of CFRP

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiongfei; Li, Yue; Li, Zhanguo

2018-05-01

The paper studied the varying mode of shear stress in the connecting zone of CFRP. Using epoxy resin (EP) as bond material, performance of specimens with different connecting length of CFRP was tested to obtain the conclusion. CFRP-confined concrete column was tested subsequently to verify the conclusion. The results show that: (1) The binding properties of modified epoxy resin with CFRP is good; (2) As the connecting length increased, the ultimate tensile strength of CFRP increased as well in the range of the experiment parameters; (3) Tensile strength of CFRP can reach the ultimate strength when the connecting length is 90mm;(4) The connecting length of 90mm of CFRP meet the reinforcement requirements.

The Nuclear Education and Staffing Challenge: Rebuilding Critical Skills in Nuclear Science and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wogman, Ned A.; Bond, Leonard J.; Waltar, Alan E.; Leber, R E.

2005-01-01

The United States, the Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Laboratories, including the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), are facing a serious attrition of nuclear scientists and engineers and their capabilities through the effects of aging staff. Within the DOE laboratories, 75% of nuclear personnel will be eligible to retire by 2010. It is expected that there will be a significant loss of senior nuclear science and technology staff at PNNL within five years. PNNL's nuclear legacy is firmly rooted in the DOE Hanford site, the World War II Manhattan Project, and subsequent programs. Historically, PNNL was a laboratory were 70% of its activities were nuclear/radiological, and now just under 50% of its current business science and technology are nuclear and radiologically oriented. Programs in the areas of Nuclear Legacies, Global Security, Nonproliferation, Homeland Security and National Defense, Radiobiology and Nuclear Energy still involve more than 1,000 of the 3,800 current laboratory staff, and these include more than 420 staff who are certified as nuclear/radiological scientists and engineers. This paper presents the current challenges faced by PNNL that require an emerging strategy to solve the nuclear staffing issues through the maintenance and replenishment of the human nuclear capital needed to support PNNL nuclear science and technology programs

The Nuclear Education and Staffing Challenge: Rebuilding Critical Skills in Nuclear Science and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wogman, Ned A.; Bond, Leonard J.; Waltar, Alan E.; Leber, R E.

2005-01-01

The United States, the Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Laboratories, including the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), are facing a serious attrition of nuclear scientists and engineers and their capabilities through the effects of aging staff. Within the DOE laboratories, 75% of nuclear personnel will be eligible to retire by 2010. It is expected that there will be a significant loss of senior nuclear science and technology staff at PNNL within five years. PNNL's nuclear legacy is firmly rooted in the DOE Hanford site, the World War II Manhattan Project, and subsequent programs. Historically, PNNL was a laboratory where 70% of its activities were nuclear/radiological, and now just under 50% of its current business science and technology are nuclear and radiologically oriented. Programs in the areas of Nuclear Legacies, Global Security, Nonproliferation, Homeland Security and National Defense, Radiobiology and Nuclear Energy still involve more than 1,000 of the 3,800 current laboratory staff, and these include more than 420 staff who are certified as nuclear/radiological scientists and engineers. This paper presents the current challenges faced by PNNL that require an emerging strategy to solve the nuclear staffing issues through the maintenance and replenishment of the human nuclear capital needed to support PNNL nuclear science and technology programs

The nuclear education and staffing challenge: Rebuilding critical skills in nuclear science and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wogman, N.A.; Bond, L.J.; Waltar, A.E.; Leber, R.E.

2005-01-01

The United States, the Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Laboratories, including the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), are facing a serious attrition of nuclear scientists and engineers and their capabilities through the effects of aging staff. Within the DOE laboratories, 75% of nuclear personnel will be eligible to retire by 2010. It is expected that there will be a significant loss of senior nuclear science and technology staff at PNNL within five years. PNNL's nuclear legacy is firmly rooted in the DOE Hanford site, the World War II Manhattan Project, and subsequent programs. Historically, PNNL was a laboratory where 70% of its activities were nuclear/radiological, and now just under 50% of its current business science and technology are nuclear and radiologically oriented. Programs in the areas of nuclear legacies, global security, nonproliferation, homeland security and national defense, radiobiology and nuclear energy still involve more than 1,000 of the 3,800 current laboratory staff, and these include more than 420 staff who are certified as nuclear/radiological scientists and engineers. Current challenges faced by PNNL that require an emerging strategy to solve the nuclear staffing issues through the maintenance and replenishment of the human nuclear capital needed to support PNNL nuclear science and technology programs are presented. (author)

Airway management by physician-staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Services - a prospective, multicentre, observational study of 2,327 patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Sunde, Geir Arne; Heltne, Jon-Kenneth; Lockey, David; Burns, Brian; Sandberg, Mårten; Fredriksen, Knut; Hufthammer, Karl Ove; Soti, Akos; Lyon, Richard; Jäntti, Helena; Kämäräinen, Antti; Reid, Bjørn Ole; Silfvast, Tom; Harm, Falko; Sollid, Stephen J M

2015-08-07

Despite numerous studies on prehospital airway management, results are difficult to compare due to inconsistent or heterogeneous data. The objective of this study was to assess advanced airway management from international physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical services. We collected airway data from 21 helicopter emergency medical services in Australia, England, Finland, Hungary, Norway and Switzerland over a 12-month period. A uniform Utstein-style airway template was used for collecting data. The participating services attended 14,703 patients on primary missions during the study period, and 2,327 (16 %) required advanced prehospital airway interventions. Of these, tracheal intubation was attempted in 92 % of the cases. The rest were managed with supraglottic airway devices (5 %), bag-valve-mask ventilation (2 %) or continuous positive airway pressure (0.2 %). Intubation failure rates were 14.5 % (first-attempt) and 1.2 % (overall). Cardiac arrest patients showed significantly higher first-attempt intubation failure rates (odds ratio: 2.0; 95 % CI: 1.5-2.6; p < 0.001) compared to non-cardiac arrest patients. Complications were recorded in 13 %, with recognised oesophageal intubation being the most frequent (25 % of all patients with complications). For non-cardiac arrest patients, important risk predictors for first-attempt failure were patient age (a non-linear association) and administration of sedatives (reduced failure risk). The patient's sex, provider's intubation experience, trauma type (patient category), indication for airway intervention and use of neuromuscular blocking agents were not risk factors for first-attempt intubation failure. Advanced airway management in physician-staffed prehospital services was performed frequently, with high intubation success rates and low complication rates overall. However, cardiac arrest patients showed significantly higher first-attempt failure rates compared to non-cardiac arrest patients. All

Does mental health staffing level affect antipsychotic prescribing? Analysis of Italian national statistics.

Science.gov (United States)

Starace, Fabrizio; Mungai, Francesco; Barbui, Corrado

2018-01-01

In mental healthcare, one area of major concern identified by health information systems is variability in antipsychotic prescribing. While most studies have investigated patient- and prescriber-related factors as possible reasons for such variability, no studies have investigated facility-level characteristics. The present study ascertained whether staffing level is associated with antipsychotic prescribing in community mental healthcare. A cross-sectional analysis of data extracted from the Italian national mental health information system was carried out. For each Italian region, it collects data on the availability and use of mental health facilities. The rate of individuals exposed to antipsychotic drugs was tested for evidence of association with the rate of mental health staff availability by means of univariate and multivariate analyses. In Italy there were on average nearly 60 mental health professionals per 100,000 inhabitants, with wide regional variations (range 21 to 100). The average rate of individuals prescribed antipsychotic drugs was 2.33%, with wide regional variations (1.04% to 4.01%). Univariate analysis showed that the rate of individuals prescribed antipsychotic drugs was inversely associated with the rate of mental health professionals available in Italian regions (Kendall's tau -0.438, p = 0.006), with lower rates of antipsychotic prescriptions in regions with higher rates of mental health professionals. After adjustment for possible confounders, the total availability of mental health professionals was still inversely associated with the rate of individuals exposed to antipsychotic drugs. The evidence that staffing level was inversely associated with antipsychotic prescribing indicates that any actions aimed at decreasing variability in antipsychotic prescribing need to take into account aspects related to the organization of the mental health system.

Fundamental length and relativistic length

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strel'tsov, V.N.

1988-01-01

It si noted that the introduction of fundamental length contradicts the conventional representations concerning the contraction of the longitudinal size of fast-moving objects. The use of the concept of relativistic length and the following ''elongation formula'' permits one to solve this problem

The European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics. Policy Statement No. 7.1: The roles, responsibilities and status of the medical physicist including the criteria for the staffing levels in a Medical Physics Department approved by EFOMP Council on 5th February 2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Stephen; Christofides, Stelios; Brambilla, Marco

2016-04-01

This EFOMP Policy Statement is an amalgamation and an update of the EFOMP Policy Statements No. 2, 4 and 7. It presents guidelines for the roles, responsibilities and status of the medical physicist together with recommended minimum staffing levels. These recommendations take into account the ever-increasing demands for competence, patient safety, specialisation and cost effectiveness of modern healthcare services, the requirements of the European Union Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom laying down the basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation, the European Commission's Radiation Protection Report No. 174: "Guidelines on medical physics expert", as well as the relevant publications of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The provided recommendations on minimum staffing levels are in very good agreement with those provided by both the European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Requirements for internal contamination monitoring units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werner, E.; Beyer, D.; Doerfel, H.; Erlenbach, H.; Fischbach, G.; Henrichs, K.; Keller, K.D.; Koenig, K.; Riedel, W.; Scheler, R.; Schieferdecker, H.

1994-01-01

For the evaluation of internal contamination by officially authorized monitoring units according to section 63 (6) of the German radiation protection ordinance, a directive will be prepared in order to define uniform requirements for the laboratories in charge of incorporation monitoring by appointment of the relevant authorities. These requirements refer to equipment, to performance of measurements, to interpretation of measured values, to quality control as well as to documentation and to delivery of results. The duties of such laboratories comprise measurements of radioactivity, evaluation of intakes of radionuclides and of the resulting internal radiation dose, but also transmission of results to the employer, to the central dose registry, and under certain circumstances to the authorities. Among the requirements to be met by the laboratory for incorporation control are a sufficient measuring efficiency, the implementation of in-house checks, and the participation in intercomparison programs. For the accomplishment of such duties the laboratory needs appropriate apparatus, rooms, facilities, and staffing. (orig.) [de

Staffing Foreign Subsidiaries with Parent Country Nationals or Host Country Nationals?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dörrenbächer, Christoph; Gammelgaard, Jens; McDonald, Frank

captures the effects of PCN verses HCN managers on key characteristics of subsidiaries. The results of the study indicate that the PCN/HCN dichotomy widely used in the international staffing literature needs to take account of the following issues: First: The study confirms theoretical assumptions based...... on social capital theory that subsidiaries led by HCNs are more embedded in the host country's external environment (by having more frequent relationships with host country customers, suppliers and competitors). However, the study reveals that the assumed advantages PCN led subsidiaries have...... to the local institutional environment (HRM). Our study finds that this is also the case with regard to strategic decisions on financial control as well as on R&D and new product development. Third: On average, HCN led subsidiaries perform significantly better than PCN led subsidiaries with regard to sales...

Implementing the psychosocial standards in pediatric cancer: Current staffing and services available.

Science.gov (United States)

Scialla, Michele A; Canter, Kimberly S; Chen, Fang Fang; Kolb, E Anders; Sandler, Eric; Wiener, Lori; Kazak, Anne E

2017-11-01

Fifteen evidence-based Standards for Psychosocial Care for Children with Cancer and Their Families (Standards) were published in 2015. The Standards cover a broad range of topics and circumstances and require qualified multidisciplinary staff to be implemented. This paper presents data on the availability of psychosocial staff and existing practices at pediatric oncology programs in the United States, providing data that can be used to advocate for expanded services and prepare for implementation of the Standards. Up to three healthcare professionals from 144 programs (72% response rate) participated in an online survey conducted June-December 2016. There were 99 pediatric oncologists with clinical leadership responsibility (Medical Director/Clinical Director), 132 psychosocial leaders in pediatric oncology (Director of Psychosocial Services/Manager/most senior staff member), and 58 administrators in pediatric oncology (Administrative Director/Business Administrator/Director of Operations). The primary outcomes were number and type of psychosocial staff, psychosocial practices, and identified challenges in the delivery of psychosocial care. Over 90% of programs have social workers and child life specialists who provide care to children with cancer and their families. Fewer programs have psychologists (60%), neuropsychologists (31%), or psychiatrists (19%). Challenges in psychosocial care are primarily based on pragmatic issues related to funding and reimbursement. Most participating pediatric oncology programs appear to have at least the basic level of staffing necessary to implement of some of the Standards. However, the lack of a more comprehensive multidisciplinary team is a likely barrier in the implementation of the full set of Standards. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ant colony optimization and event-based dynamic task scheduling and staffing for software projects

Science.gov (United States)

Ellappan, Vijayan; Ashwini, J.

2017-11-01

In programming change organizations from medium to inconceivable scale broadens, the issue of wander orchestrating is amazingly unusual and testing undertaking despite considering it a manual system. Programming wander-organizing requirements to deal with the issue of undertaking arranging and in addition the issue of human resource portion (also called staffing) in light of the way that most of the advantages in programming ventures are individuals. We propose a machine learning approach with finds respond in due order regarding booking by taking in the present arranging courses of action and an event based scheduler revives the endeavour arranging system moulded by the learning computation in perspective of the conformity in event like the begin with the Ander, the instant at what time possessions be free starting to ended errands, and the time when delegates stick together otherwise depart the wander inside the item change plan. The route toward invigorating the timetable structure by the even based scheduler makes the arranging method dynamic. It uses structure components to exhibit the interrelated surges of endeavours, slip-ups and singular all through different progression organizes and is adjusted to mechanical data. It increases past programming wander movement ask about by taking a gander at a survey based process with a one of a kind model, organizing it with the data based system for peril assessment and cost estimation, and using a choice showing stage.

Nurse staffing and system integration and change indicators in acute care hospitals: evidence from a balanced scorecard.

Science.gov (United States)

McGillis Hall, Linda; Peterson, Jessica; Baker, G Ross; Brown, Adalsteinn D; Pink, George H; McKillop, Ian; Daniel, Imtiaz; Pedersen, Cheryl

2008-01-01

This study examined relationships between financial indicators for nurse staffing and organizational system integration and change indicators. These indicators, along with hospital location and type, were examined in relation to the nursing financial indicators. Results showed that different indicators predicted each of the outcome variables. Nursing care hours were predicted by the hospital type, geographic location, and the system. Both nursing and patient care hours were significantly related to dissemination and benchmarking of clinical data.

Internationalization manager’s identity and authority identification:staffing of the export department in Greek internationalized manufacturing companies

OpenAIRE

Garri, Myropi; Konstantopoulos, Nikolaos

2011-01-01

The research objective of this paper is to examine the staffing procedure of the internationalization department of the company in reference to the origin of the individuals selected to compose it. Subsequently, we endeavour to outline the identity of the individual at the head of internationalization, where a special department doesn’t exist. Additionally, we attempt to recognize the overall responsibilities and authority spaces of the internationalization manager. Results implied the prefer...

Achieving effective staffing through a shared decision-making approach to open-shift management.

Science.gov (United States)

Valentine, Nancy M; Nash, Jan; Hughes, Douglas; Douglas, Kathy

2008-01-01

Managing costs while retaining qualified nurses and finding workforce solutions that ensure the delivery of high-quality patient care is of primary importance to nurse leaders and executive management. Leading healthcare organizations are using open-shift management technology as a strategy to improve staffing effectiveness and the work environment. In many hospitals, open-shift management technology has become an essential workforce management tool, nursing benefit, and recruitment and retention incentive. In this article, the authors discuss how a successful nursing initiative to apply automation to open-shift scheduling and fulfillment across a 3-hospital system had a broad enterprise-wide impact resulting in dramatic improvements in nurse satisfaction, retention, recruitment, and the bottom line.

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African Journals Online (AJOL)

veldmaarskalk. Von Hinden- burg (1847-1934) word hoof van die generale staf van die Duitse veldleer, genl. Erich. Ludendorff ..... of the war - where today a white stone colon- nade of ... Oak het Leon Trotski (1879-1940) uit die vreem-. Scientia ...

Compliant walking appears metabolically advantageous at extreme step lengths.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jaehoon; Bertram, John E A

2018-05-19

Humans alter gait in response to unusual gait circumstances to accomplish the task of walking. For instance, subjects spontaneously increase leg compliance at a step length threshold as step length increases. Here we test the hypothesis that this transition occurs based on the level of energy expenditure, where compliant walking becomes less energetically demanding at long step lengths. To map and compare the metabolic cost of normal and compliant walking as step length increases. 10 healthy individuals walked on a treadmill using progressively increasing step lengths (100%, 120%, 140% and 160% of preferred step length), in both normal and compliant leg walking as energy expenditure was recorded via indirect calorimetry. Leg compliance was controlled by lowering the center-of-mass trajectory during stance, forcing the leg to flex and extend as the body moved over the foot contact. For normal step lengths, compliant leg walking was more costly than normal walking gait, but compliant leg walking energetic cost did not increase as rapidly for longer step lengths. This led to an intersection between normal and compliant walking cost curves at 114% relative step length (regression analysis; r 2  = 0.92 for normal walking; r 2  = 0.65 for compliant walking). Compliant leg walking is less energetically demanding at longer step lengths where a spontaneous shift to compliant walking has been observed, suggesting the human motor control system is sensitive to energetic requirements and will employ alternate movement patterns if advantageous strategies are available. The transition could be attributed to the interplay between (i) leg work controlling body travel during single stance and (ii) leg work to control energy loss in the step-to-step transition. Compliant leg walking requires more stance leg work at normal step lengths, but involves less energy loss at the step-to-step transition for very long steps. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental determination of probe-length requirements for studies of the turbulent wake behind a cylinder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheih, C.M.; Finnigan, J.J.; Bradley, E.F.; Mulhearn, P.J.

1979-01-01

The attenuation of turbulence and mean velocity signals due to the line averaging imposed by hot wires when used in the wake of an isolated circular cylinder has been investigated in a wind tunnel by measurements using several choices of hot-wire length, cylinder diameter, and freestream mean velocity. The results are presented graphically in order to provide a practical method for determining attenuation of the turbulence and mean velocity signals obtained in a wake. The length scale of the wake can be defined as L=0.6[(x-x/sub o/) d]/sup 1/2/, where x is the downstream distance from the cylinder, d is the cylinder diameter, and x/sub o/=25d. For all the wires tested, the attenuation of the measured turbulence signal is limited to within 5% only if the wire length is smaller than 0.1 L. For a wire normal to the cylinder and cross wind, the attenuation of the signal of the mean velocity-defect factor, expressed as (1-u/u/sub infinity/), where u and u/sub infinity/ are local and free-stream velocities, respectively, is less than 5% only if the wire is less than 0.5 L in length

Universal Documentation System Handbook. Volume 2. Requirement Formats and Instructions; Program Introduction, Program Requirements Document/Operations Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

1989-08-01

and the local horizontal plane, measured positive above the horizontal plane. The local horizontal plane is defined as a plane normal to the geocentric ...preparation instructions for Format 1000. LOCATION: Enter the areas or locations that are to be staffed with medical personnel, i.e., Vandenberg AFB

"Get a Blue and You Will See Your Money Back Again": Staffing and Marketing the English Prep School, 1890-1912

Science.gov (United States)

Benson, John

2014-01-01

This article explores the ways in which English prep schools were staffed and marketed in the years before the First World War. Its aim more specifically is to employ a biographical approach to consider the emphasis that the schools placed upon sport, and in particular the extent to which they recruited Oxford and Cambridge Blues as teachers…

Optimum Discharge Burnup and Cycle Length for PWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Secker, Jeffrey R.; Johansen, Baard J.; Stucker, David L.; Ozer, Odelli; Ivanov, Kostadin; Yilmaz, Serkan; Young, E.H.

2005-01-01

This paper discusses the results of a pressurized water reactor fuel management study determining the optimum discharge burnup and cycle length. A comprehensive study was performed considering 12-, 18-, and 24-month fuel cycles over a wide range of discharge burnups. A neutronic study was performed followed by an economic evaluation. The first phase of the study limited the fuel enrichments used in the study to 235 U consistent with constraints today. The second phase extended the range of discharge burnups for 18-month cycles by using fuel enriched in excess of 5 wt%. The neutronic study used state-of-the-art reactor physics methods to accurately determine enrichment requirements. Energy requirements were consistent with today's high capacity factors (>98%) and short (15-day) refueling outages. The economic evaluation method considers various component costs including uranium, conversion, enrichment, fabrication and spent-fuel storage costs as well as the effect of discounting of the revenue stream. The resulting fuel cycle costs as a function of cycle length and discharge burnup are presented and discussed. Fuel costs decline with increasing discharge burnup for all cycle lengths up to the maximum discharge burnup considered. The choice of optimum cycle length depends on assumptions for outage costs

Universal and idiosyncratic characteristic lengths in bacterial genomes

Science.gov (United States)

Junier, Ivan; Frémont, Paul; Rivoire, Olivier

2018-05-01

In condensed matter physics, simplified descriptions are obtained by coarse-graining the features of a system at a certain characteristic length, defined as the typical length beyond which some properties are no longer correlated. From a physics standpoint, in vitro DNA has thus a characteristic length of 300 base pairs (bp), the Kuhn length of the molecule beyond which correlations in its orientations are typically lost. From a biology standpoint, in vivo DNA has a characteristic length of 1000 bp, the typical length of genes. Since bacteria live in very different physico-chemical conditions and since their genomes lack translational invariance, whether larger, universal characteristic lengths exist is a non-trivial question. Here, we examine this problem by leveraging the large number of fully sequenced genomes available in public databases. By analyzing GC content correlations and the evolutionary conservation of gene contexts (synteny) in hundreds of bacterial chromosomes, we conclude that a fundamental characteristic length around 10–20 kb can be defined. This characteristic length reflects elementary structures involved in the coordination of gene expression, which are present all along the genome of nearly all bacteria. Technically, reaching this conclusion required us to implement methods that are insensitive to the presence of large idiosyncratic genomic features, which may co-exist along these fundamental universal structures.

Long Length Contaminated Equipment Maintenance Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ESVELT, C.A.

2000-01-01

The purpose of this document is to provide the maintenance requirements of the Long Length Contaminated Equipment (LLCE) trailers and provide a basis for the maintenance frequencies selected. This document is applicable to the LLCE Receiver trailer and Transport trailer assembled by Mobilized Systems Inc. (MSI). Equipment used in conjunction with, or in support of, these trailers is not included. This document does not provide the maintenance requirements for checkout and startup of the equipment following the extended lay-up status which began in the mid 1990s. These requirements will be specified in other documentation

Universal Documentation System Handbook. Volume 2. Requirement Formats and Instructions, Program Introduction, Program Requirements Document/Operations Requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

1989-08-01

horizontal plane is defined as a plane normal to the geocentric position vector. Inertial Azimuth Heading Angle entries are the angles measured east of north...0CATICN: Enter the areas or locations that are to be staffed with redical perscnel, i.e., Vandenberg AFB Hospital, PMIC; or offshore boats, etc. NUMB

Negative regulation of ciliary length by ciliary male germ cell-associated kinase (Mak) is required for retinal photoreceptor survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Omori, Yoshihiro; Chaya, Taro; Katoh, Kimiko; Kajimura, Naoko; Sato, Shigeru; Muraoka, Koichiro; Ueno, Shinji; Koyasu, Toshiyuki; Kondo, Mineo; Furukawa, Takahisa

2010-12-28

Cilia function as cell sensors in many organs, and their disorders are referred to as "ciliopathies." Although ciliary components and transport machinery have been well studied, regulatory mechanisms of ciliary formation and maintenance are poorly understood. Here we show that male germ cell-associated kinase (Mak) regulates retinal photoreceptor ciliary length and subcompartmentalization. Mak was localized both in the connecting cilia and outer-segment axonemes of photoreceptor cells. In the Mak-null retina, photoreceptors exhibit elongated cilia and progressive degeneration. We observed accumulation of intraflagellar transport 88 (IFT88) and IFT57, expansion of kinesin family member 3A (Kif3a), and acetylated α-tubulin signals in the Mak-null photoreceptor cilia. We found abnormal rhodopsin accumulation in the Mak-null photoreceptor cell bodies at postnatal day 14. In addition, overexpression of retinitis pigmentosa 1 (RP1), a microtubule-associated protein localized in outer-segment axonemes, induced ciliary elongation, and Mak coexpression rescued excessive ciliary elongation by RP1. The RP1 N-terminal portion induces ciliary elongation and increased intensity of acetylated α-tubulin labeling in the cells and is phosphorylated by Mak. These results suggest that Mak is essential for the regulation of ciliary length and is required for the long-term survival of photoreceptors.

Costs, Staffing, and Services of Assisted Living in the United States: A Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kisling-Rundgren, Amy; Paul, David P; Coustasse, Alberto

2016-01-01

Assisted-living facilities (ALFs), which provide a community for residents who require assistance throughout their day, are an important part of the long-term-care system in the United States. The costs of ALFs are paid either out of pocket, by Medicaid, or by long-term-care insurance. Monthly costs of ALFs have increased over the past 5 years on an average of 4.1%. The purpose of this research was to examine the future trends in ALFs in the United States to determine the impact of health care on costs. The methodology for this study was a literature review, and a total of 32 sources were referenced. Trends in monthly costs of ALFs have increased from 2004 to 2014. Within the past 5 years, there has been an increase on average of 4.1% in assisted-living costs. Medicaid is one payer for residents of ALFs, whereas another alternative is the use of long-term-care insurance. Unfortunately, Medicare does not pay for ALFs. Staffing concerns in ALFs are limited because of each state having different rules and regulations. Turnover and retention rates of nurses in ALFs are suggested to be high, whereas vacancy rate for nurses is suggested to be lower. The baby-boomer generation can be one contribution to the increase in costs. Over the years, there has been an increase in Alzheimer disease, which has had also an effect on cost in ALFs.

The relationship between UK hospital nurse staffing and emotional exhaustion and job dissatisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheward, Louisa; Hunt, Jennifer; Hagen, Suzanne; Macleod, Margaret; Ball, Jane

2005-01-01

To explore the relationship between nurse outcomes (dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion) and nurse workload, nurse characteristics and hospital variables. Concern about the impact of restructuring of nurse staffing, and reports of nurse shortages, on nurse and patient outcomes led to the research being reported on in this article. A questionnaire survey of registered nurses in Scotland and England. A questionnaire survey of the hospitals in which these nurses worked. Respondents in the two countries were similar in terms of demographic, work and employment characteristics. Significant relationships were found using the combined English and Scottish data between nurse patient ratios and (1) emotional exhaustion and (2) dissatisfaction with current job reported by nurses. Increasing numbers of patients to nurses was associated with increasing risk of emotional exhaustion and dissatisfaction with current job.

Extending electronic length frequency analysis in R

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Taylor, M. H.; Mildenberger, Tobias K.

2017-01-01

VBGF (soVBGF) requires a more intensive search due to two additional parameters. This work describes the implementation of two optimisation approaches ("simulated annealing" and "genetic algorithm") for growth function fitting using the open-source software "R." Using a generated LFQ data set......Electronic length frequency analysis (ELEFAN) is a system of stock assessment methods using length-frequency (LFQ) data. One step is the estimation of growth from the progression of LFQ modes through time using the von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF). The option to fit a seasonally oscillating...... of the asymptotic length parameter (L-infinity) are found to have significant effects on parameter estimation error. An outlook provides context as to the significance of the R-based implementation for further testing and development, as well as the general relevance of the method for data-limited stock assessment....

THE NETWORK OF CITY PUBLIC TRANSPORT AS THE BASE FOR TRIP LENGTH DISTRIBUTION DETERMINING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Horbachov

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The up-to-date methods of modelling the demand for public transport services require an objective estimation and improvement. Such an improvement can be achieved by taking into account the trip length distribution during trip matrix calculation that requires determining the reasons of regularities occurance in city population trip lengths.

Economic Feasibility of Staffing the Intensive Care Unit with a Communication Facilitator.

Science.gov (United States)

Khandelwal, Nita; Benkeser, David; Coe, Norma B; Engelberg, Ruth A; Curtis, J Randall

2016-12-01

In the intensive care unit (ICU), complex decision making by clinicians and families requires good communication to ensure that care is consistent with the patients' values and goals. To assess the economic feasibility of staffing ICUs with a communication facilitator. Data were from a randomized trial of an "ICU communication facilitator" linked to hospital financial records; eligible patients (n = 135) were admitted to the ICU at a single hospital with predicted mortality ≥30% and a surrogate decision maker. Adjusted regression analyses assessed differences in ICU total and direct variable costs between intervention and control patients. A bootstrap-based simulation assessed the cost efficiency of a facilitator while varying the full-time equivalent of the facilitator and the ICU mortality risk. Total ICU costs (mean 22.8k; 95% CI, -42.0k to -3.6k; P = 0.02) and average daily ICU costs (mean, -0.38k; 95% CI, -0.65k to -0.11k; P = 0.006)] were reduced significantly with the intervention. Despite more contacts, families of survivors spent less time per encounter with facilitators than did families of decedents (mean, 25 [SD, 11] min vs. 36 [SD, 14] min). Simulation demonstrated maximal weekly savings with a 1.0 full-time equivalent facilitator and a predicted ICU mortality of 15% (total weekly ICU cost savings, $58.4k [95% CI, $57.7k-59.2k]; weekly direct variable savings, $5.7k [95% CI, $5.5k-5.8k]) after incorporating facilitator costs. Adding a full-time trained communication facilitator in the ICU may improve the quality of care while simultaneously reducing short-term (direct variable) and long-term (total) health care costs. This intervention is likely to be more cost effective in a lower-mortality population.

Reasonable designing method for fillet welding leg length

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiso, T; Michiyuki, T; Nagao, S; Yoshikawa, M; Miyazaki, S

1976-12-01

In VLCC and ULCC vessels, the scantling of structural members, especially the thickness of web plate, increases naturally. The present rule of each classification society generally prescribes that welding leg length should be based on the thickness of the web plate. Welding leg length between this web plate and skin plate such as shell plate, deck plate, etc., or face plate, increases according to increase of the thickness of the web plate. We investigated the method to decide reasonable welding leg length and its programming by using the results of finite element method structural analysis, without adhering to the above rule about welding leg length. As a result of applying this method to actual ships under classification societies' approval, the amount of welding decreased by from about 10 percent to 15 percent compared with that required by the above rule. The rationality of the method has been already confirmed by successful results of the application to several vessels in service.

Method for operating a nuclear reactor with scrammable part length rod

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bevilacqua, F.

1979-01-01

A new part length rod is provided which may be used to control xenon induced power oscillations but also to contribute to shutdown reactivity when a rapid shutdown of the reactor is required. The part length rod consists of a control rod with three regions. The lower control region is a longer weaker active portion separated from an upper stronger shorter poison section by an intermediate section which is a relative non-absorber of neutrons. The combination of the longer weaker control section with the upper high worth poison section permits the part length rod to be scrammed into the core. When a reactor shutdown is required but also permits the control rod to be used as a tool to control power distribution in both the axial and radial directions during normal operation

A survey of nurse staffing levels in interventional radiology units throughout the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christie, A.; Robertson, I.

2016-01-01

Aim: To supplement previous surveys analysing provision of interventional radiology (IR), in-hours (IH) and out-of-hours (OOH), by specifically surveying the level of nursing support provided. Materials and methods: A web-based questionnaire was distributed to all British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) members. This addressed several aspects of radiology nursing support for IR procedures, both IH and OOH. Results: Sixty percent of respondents indicated that they have a formal OOH service. Of these, all have a dedicated nursing rota, with the vast majority operating with one nurse. IH, 77% of respondents always have a scrubbed nurse assistant, but this reduces to 40% OOH. IH, 4% never have a scrubbed radiology nurse assistant, which rises to 25% OOH. IH, 75% of respondents always have a radiology nurse dedicated to patient monitoring, but this reduces to 20% OOH. IH, 3% never have a radiology nurse dedicated to patient monitoring, which rises to 42% OOH. Conclusion: A significant disparity exists in the level of IR nursing support between IH and OOH. The majority of sites provide a single nurse with ad hoc additional support. This is potentially putting patients at increased risk. Radiology nurses are integral to the safe and sustainable provision of IR OOH services and a greater focus is required to ensure adequate and safe staffing levels for 24/7 IR services. - Highlights: • A significant disparity exists between the level of nursing support provided in-hours and OOH. • This applies to both the availability of a nurse to scrub and to monitor the patient. • Having a dedicated 24/7 nursing rota is mandatory to providing a deliverable OOH service.

Comparison between length and velocity gauges in quantum simulations of high-order harmonic generation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Han, Yong-Chang; Madsen, Lars Bojer

2010-01-01

, and acceleration forms, and two gauges, the length and velocity gauges. The relationships among the harmonic phases obtained from the Fourier transform of the three forms are discussed in detail. Although quantum mechanics is gauge invariant and the length and velocity gauges should give identical results, the two...... gauges present different computation efficiencies, which reflects the different behavior in terms of characteristics of the physical couplings acting in the two gauges. In order to obtain convergence, more angular momentum states are required in the length gauge, while more grid points are required...

Intravenous dextrose administration reduces postoperative antiemetic rescue treatment requirements and postanesthesia care unit length of stay.

Science.gov (United States)

Dabu-Bondoc, Susan; Vadivelu, Nalini; Shimono, Chantelle; English, Annette; Kosarussavadi, Boonsri; Dai, Feng; Shelley, Kirk; Feinleib, Jessica

2013-09-01

, postanesthesia IV dextrose administration resulted in improved PONV management as defined by reductions in antiemetic rescue medication requirements and PACU length of stay that are worthy of further study. In light of its ease, low risk, and benefit to patient care and satisfaction, this therapeutic modality could be considered.

The length-weight and length-length relationships of bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766 from Samsun, middle Black Sea region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melek Özpiçak

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In this study, length-weight relationship (LWR and length-length relationship (LLR of bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix were determined. A total of 125 specimens were sampled from Samsun, the middle Black Sea in 2014 fishing season. Bluefish specimens were monthly collected from commercial fishing boats from October to December 2014. All captured individuals (N=125 were measured to the nearest 0.1 cm for total, fork and standard lengths. The weight of each fish (W was recorded to the nearest 0.01 g. According to results of analyses, there were no statistically significant differences between sexes in term of length and weight (P˃0.05. The minimum and maximum total, fork and standard lengths of bluefish ranged between 13.5-23.6 cm, 12.50-21.80 cm and 10.60-20.10 cm, respectively. The equation of length-weight relationship were calculated as W=0.008TL3.12 (r2>0.962. Positive allometric growth was observed for bluefish (b>3. Length-length relationship was also highly significant (P<0.001 with coefficient of determination (r2 ranging from 0.916 to 0.988.

Are Staffing, Work Environment, Work Stressors, and Rationing of Care Related to Care Workers' Perception of Quality of Care? A Cross-Sectional Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zúñiga, Franziska; Ausserhofer, Dietmar; Hamers, Jan P H; Engberg, Sandra; Simon, Michael; Schwendimann, René

2015-10-01

To describe care worker-reported quality of care and to examine its relationship with staffing variables, work environment, work stressors, and implicit rationing of nursing care. Cross-sectional study. National, randomly selected sample of Swiss nursing homes, stratified according to language region and size. A total of 4311 care workers of all educational backgrounds (registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse aides) from 402 units in 155 nursing homes completed a survey between May 2012 and April 2013. Care worker-reported quality of care was measured with a single item; predictors were assessed with established instruments (eg, Practice Environment Scale-Nurse Working Index) adapted for nursing home use. A multilevel logistic regression model was applied to assess predictors for quality of care. Overall, 7% of care workers rated the quality of care provided as rather low or very low. Important factors related to better quality of care were higher teamwork and safety climate (odds ratio [OR] 6.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.36-8.79); better staffing and resources adequacy (OR 2.94, 95% CI 2.08-4.15); less stress due to workload (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.55-0.93); less implicit rationing of caring, rehabilitation, and monitoring (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.24-0.49); and less rationing of social care (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69-0.92). Neither leadership nor staffing levels, staff mix, or turnover was significantly related to quality of care. Work environment factors and organizational processes are vital to provide high quality of care. The improvement of work environment, support in handling work stressors, and reduction of rationing of nursing care might be intervention points to promote high quality of care in nursing homes. Copyright © 2015 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interplay between multiple length and time scales in complex ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

Processes in complex chemical systems, such as macromolecules, electrolytes, interfaces, ... by processes operating on a multiplicity of length .... real time. The design and interpretation of femto- second experiments has required considerable ...

Staffing requirements for future small and medium reactors based on projections in the Russian Federation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonovsky, G.M.; Kodochigov, N.G.; Kurachenkov, A.V.; Novikov, V.V.

2001-01-01

Experimental Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering (OKBM) specializes in the development of small and medium power reactors having different purposes. They include reactor plants for NPHPP, nuclear district heating power plants and propulsion plants. Small and medium power plants have simpler processes of electricity and heat production, less systems, simpler control algorithms and considerably enhanced inherent safety properties. These plants are mainly equipped with passive safety systems. These properties are especially characteristic for reactor plants of nuclear district heating power plants and HTG reactor plants. The designs of small and medium power plants actually provide a high degree of control automation which considerably reduces workload on the personnel in both normal and abnormal operation conditions. All this allows the reduction in personnel for small and medium power reactors if compared to high capacity reactor plants. But due to objective reasons the specific number of personnel (man/MW) for average and especially small capacity reactors considerably exceeds the value for high capacity reactor plants. At the same time one can propose a set of organization - technical measures allowing the increase in this value in future. Safety requirements imposed for small and average capacity reactors are the same or more strict than those for high capacity reactors. That's why the requirements to the training of personnel for such reactor plants are not allowed to be lowered if compared to the requirements imposed to the personnel of high capacity reactors. (author)

Shift work in hospitals: what are the effects on patient and employee outcomes?

OpenAIRE

Griffiths, Peter; Dall'ora, Chiara

2017-01-01

The healthcare sector works around the clock and requires the availability of staff 24 hours a day. This means that shift work is an essential aspect of staffing hospital departments. However, concerns have been raised about the consequences of some shift patterns for both patient and staff. Although there is no “ideal” shift system, this brief reports on evidence of the effect of shift characteristics including the length of the shift, rotation and days off on patient and employee outcomes.

Distance and Cable Length Measurement System

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, Sergio Elias; Acosta, Leopoldo; Toledo, Jonay

2009-01-01

A simple, economic and successful design for distance and cable length detection is presented. The measurement system is based on the continuous repetition of a pulse that endlessly travels along the distance to be detected. There is a pulse repeater at both ends of the distance or cable to be measured. The endless repetition of the pulse generates a frequency that varies almost inversely with the distance to be measured. The resolution and distance or cable length range could be adjusted by varying the repetition time delay introduced at both ends and the measurement time. With this design a distance can be measured with centimeter resolution using electronic system with microsecond resolution, simplifying classical time of flight designs which require electronics with picosecond resolution. This design was also applied to position measurement. PMID:22303169

Different Levels of Leadership for Learning: Investigating Differences between Teachers Individually and Collectively Using Multilevel Factor Analysis of the 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Boyce, Jared; Bowers, Alex J.

2018-01-01

This study investigated the differences between how individual teachers perceive leadership for learning and how teachers collectively perceive leadership for learning, using a large nationally generalizable data-set of 7070 schools from the National Center for Education Statistics 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey. This study used…

Configuration Management Plan for Long Length Contaminated Equipment Receiver and Transport Trailers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DALE, R.N.

2000-01-01

Long Length Contaminated Equipment Removal System Receiver Trailer and Transport Trailer require a configuration management plan for design, requirements and operations baseline documents. This report serves as the plan for the Trailers

Cellular Mechanisms of Ciliary Length Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacob Keeling

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Cilia and flagella are evolutionarily conserved, membrane-bound, microtubule-based organelles on the surface of most eukaryotic cells. They play important roles in coordinating a variety of signaling pathways during growth, development, cell mobility, and tissue homeostasis. Defects in ciliary structure or function are associated with multiple human disorders called ciliopathies. These diseases affect diverse tissues, including, but not limited to the eyes, kidneys, brain, and lungs. Many processes must be coordinated simultaneously in order to initiate ciliogenesis. These include cell cycle, vesicular trafficking, and axonemal extension. Centrioles play a central role in both cell cycle progression and ciliogenesis, making the transition between basal bodies and mitotic spindle organizers integral to both processes. The maturation of centrioles involves a functional shift from cell division toward cilium nucleation which takes place concurrently with its migration and fusion to the plasma membrane. Several proteinaceous structures of the distal appendages in mother centrioles are required for this docking process. Ciliary assembly and maintenance requires a precise balance between two indispensable processes; so called assembly and disassembly. The interplay between them determines the length of the resulting cilia. These processes require a highly conserved transport system to provide the necessary substances at the tips of the cilia and to recycle ciliary turnover products to the base using a based microtubule intraflagellar transport (IFT system. In this review; we discuss the stages of ciliogenesis as well as mechanisms controlling the lengths of assembled cilia.

Universal Documentation System Handbook. Volume 2: Program Requirements and Operations Requirements Documents

Science.gov (United States)

1979-11-01

plane. The local horizontal plane is de- lined as a plane normal to the geocentric position vector. Boxes 11J and UJ are the angles measured east...support the program/mission. BOX 1-9 Follow instructions for Pa«« 1010. BOX 10 LOCATION: Enter the areas or locations that are to be staffed with

Length of urethra in the Indian adult male population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Venkatesh Krishnamoorthy

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: The urethral length has not been measured in the Indian population. Even the international literature in this arena is very sparse. This paper is an attempt to develop a simple anatomical database for urethral length. Materials and Methods: Between January 2010 and April 2011, the urethral lengths of 422 adult male patients who required catheterization as part of regular treatment at our hospital, were recorded after obtaining consent from the patients and from the scientific and ethics review boards of the institution. Patients with history of prostatic or urethral abnormalities were excluded. The balloon of a sterile Foley′s catheter was inflated using 10 cc of saline. The length from the junction of the balloon to the ′Y′ junction of the Foley was measured. The catheter was then passed into the bladder and re-inflated to same volume. The penis was gently straightened and the length of the catheter outside the penis was measured till the premarked point at the ′Y′ junction. Subtracting this from the original length gave the length of the urethra. Results: The mean length of the urethra was 17.55 + 1.42 cm with a range between 14 and 22.5 cm. Conclusions: Literature in which the length of the normal adult male urethra is recorded for a significant sample size is very scarce. Our data adds to basic anatomic information of the male urethra specific to the Indian population. Statistical Methods: Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. The non-linear regression analysis was employed to find the normative values of urethral length according to age class.

Anomalous length of electron bunches as an instability threshold

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Messerschmid, E.; Month, M.

1976-01-01

A mechanism for the anomalous length of electron bunches, based on the existence of a ''fast'' longitudinal instability, is proposed. The equilibrium length is obtained by requiring that the growth rate be sufficiently larger than the rate of synchrotron oscillations. The theory is used to describe the bunch length data for SPEAR at 1.5 GeV. The low voltage and/or high current regime is dominated by a set of ''low'' frequency, low Q resonators [e.g., f = 320 MHz, Δf(fwhm) = 130 MHz]. To fit the observations in the high voltage and/or low current regime, a high frequency, low Q impedance is required (e.g., f = 3.8 GHz, Δf = 1.0 GHz). The mechanism is mediated by the resistive component of the impedance. Thus, there is qualitative agreement with the observed distortion of the bunch tail. This is in contrast to the predictions of the potential well models based on a reactive impedance source. These latter theories yield large distortions of the head of the bunch. The calculated power dissipated in the assumed sources by the given electron bunch is not inconsistent with estimates made for SPEAR

Optimal qualifications, staffing and scope of practice for first responder nurses in disaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Huahua; He, Haiyan; Arbon, Paul; Zhu, Jingci; Tan, Jing; Zhang, Limei

2012-01-01

To explore: the selection criteria for first responder nurses during disaster; scope of practice for disaster relief nurses; appropriate nurse - medical practitioner ratio at the disaster site. Nurses are key members of disaster response medical teams. A scarcity of literature exists relating to nurses attending disasters, their qualifications, experience, scope of practice and appropriate staffing ratios. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected via survey using self-developed questionnaires. Participants were 95 medical workers, who participated in emergency rescue teams following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China. A response rate of 93·7% achieved. The questionnaire included questions relating to nurses: previous experience in disaster relief; scope of practice at the disaster site; optimal ratio of medical practitioners to nurses in disaster relief teams. Following a disaster, first responder nurses considered most suitable were those with at least three years clinical experience, particularly in the emergency department or having emergency rescue skills training. The scope of practice for disaster relief nurses was different to that of nurses working in a hospital. The majority of participants reported insufficient nurses during the relief effort, concluding the optimal ratio of medical practitioner to nurse should range between 1:1-1:2 depending on the task and situation. At the scene of disaster, the preferred first responder nurses were nurses: with emergency rescue training; experienced in the emergency department; with at least three years clinical experience. The scope of practice for first responder nurses needs to be extended. Appropriate nurse - medical practitioner ratios in responding medical teams is dependant on the specific medical requirements of the disaster. The recommendations made by this study provide a guide to ensure that nurses can contribute effectively as essential members of first responder emergency disaster relief teams

Guidelines for equipment and staffing of radiotherapy facilities in the European countries: Final results of the ESTRO-HERO survey

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dunscombe, Peter; Grau, Cai; Defourny, Noémie

2014-01-01

of guidelines for equipment and staffing and selected operational issues. Twenty-nine countries provided full or partial evaluable responses. RESULTS: The availability of guidelines across Europe is far from uniform. The metrics used for capital and human resources are variable. There seem to have been no major...... guidelines suggesting developments in clinical radiotherapy are moving faster than guideline updating. CONCLUSION: The efficient provision of safe, high quality radiotherapy services would benefit from the availability of well-structured guidelines for capital and human resources, based on agreed upon...

The length-weight and length-length relationships of bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766) from Samsun, middle Black Sea region

OpenAIRE

Özpiçak, Melek; Saygın, Semra; Polat, Nazmi

2017-01-01

In this study, length-weight relationship (LWR) and length-length relationship (LLR) of bluefish,Pomatomus saltatrix were determined. A total of 125 specimens were sampled from Samsun, themiddle Black Sea in 2014 fishing season. Bluefish specimens were monthly collected fromcommercial fishing boats from October to December 2014. All captured individuals (N=125) weremeasured to the nearest 0.1 cm for total, fork and standard lengths. The weight of each fish (W)was recorded to the nearest 0.01 ...

Appendix VI: KHNP staffing plan of construction site office: ULCHIN 5 and 6 construction project (ROK)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

KHNP, as an owner/operator organization, is responsible for all project activities including design, procurement, construction, and commissioning, for Korea's nuclear power plant (NPP) construction projects. Four separate functional offices of KHNP are set up to complete the construction management work. These offices are (1) home office, (2) field construction office, (3) field quality assurance office, and (4) field startup/commissioning office. This paper presents a staffing plan for the field construction office starting initial project implementation to final turnover to operations stages. It is recognized that the plan may not be applicable to other utility situations in terms of project management of site activity depending upon how the overall project contract is structured

Dynamic Length Metrology (DLM) for measurements with sub-micrometre uncertainty in a production environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

De Chiffre, Leonardo; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Hattel, Jesper Henri

2016-01-01

Conventional length metrology for traceable accurate measurements requires costly temperature controlled facilities, long waiting time for part acclimatisation, and separate part material characterisation. This work describes a method called Dynamic Length Metrology (DLM) developed to achieve sub...

Development of Human Factor Management Requirements and Human Error Classification for the Prevention of Railway Accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwak, Sang Log; Park, Chan Woo; Shin, Seung Ryoung

2008-08-01

Railway accident analysis results show that accidents cased by human factors are not decreasing, whereas H/W related accidents are steadily decreasing. For the efficient management of human factors, many expertise on design, conditions, safety culture and staffing are required. But current safety management activities on safety critical works are focused on training, due to the limited resource and information. In order to improve railway safety, human factors management requirements for safety critical worker and human error classification is proposed in this report. For this accident analysis, status of safety measure on human factor, safety management system on safety critical worker, current safety planning is analysis

Telomere length analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Canela, Andrés; Klatt, Peter; Blasco, María A

2007-01-01

Most somatic cells of long-lived species undergo telomere shortening throughout life. Critically short telomeres trigger loss of cell viability in tissues, which has been related to alteration of tissue function and loss of regenerative capabilities in aging and aging-related diseases. Hence, telomere length is an important biomarker for aging and can be used in the prognosis of aging diseases. These facts highlight the importance of developing methods for telomere length determination that can be employed to evaluate telomere length during the human aging process. Telomere length quantification methods have improved greatly in accuracy and sensitivity since the development of the conventional telomeric Southern blot. Here, we describe the different methodologies recently developed for telomere length quantification, as well as their potential applications for human aging studies.

The influence of finite-length flaw effects on PTS analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keeney-Walker, J.; Dickson, T.L.

1993-01-01

Current licensing issues within the nuclear industry dictate a need to investigate the effects of cladding on the extension of small finite-length cracks near the inside surface of a vessel. Because flaws having depths of the order of the combined clad and heat affected zone thickness dominate the frequency distribution of flaws, their initiation probabilities can govern calculated vessel failure probabilities. Current pressurized-thermal-shock (PTS) analysis computer programs recognize the influence of the inner-surface cladding layer in the heat transfer and stress analysis models, but assume the cladding fracture toughness is the same as that for the base material. The programs do not recognize the influence cladding may have in inhibiting crack initiation and propagation of shallow finite-length surface flaws. Limited experimental data and analyses indicate the cladding can inhibit the propagation of certain shallow flaws. This paper describes an analytical study which was carried out to determine (1) the minimum flaw depth for crack initiation under PTS loading for semicircular surface flaws in a clad reactor pressure vessel and (2) the impact, in terms of the conditional probability of vessel failure, of using a semicircular surface flaw as the initial flaw and assuming that the flaw cannot propagate in the cladding. The analytical results indicate that for initiation a much deeper critical crack depth is required for the finite-length flaw than for the infinite-length flaw, except for the least severe transient. The minimum flaw depths required for crack initiation from the finite-length flaw analyses were incorporated into a modified version of the OCA-P code. The modified code was applied to the analysis of selected PTS transients, and the results produced a substantial decrease in the conditional probability of failure. This initial study indicates a significant effect on probabilistic fracture analyses by incorporating finite-length flaw results

A computational algorithm addressing how vessel length might depend on vessel diameter

Science.gov (United States)

Jing Cai; Shuoxin Zhang; Melvin T. Tyree

2010-01-01

The objective of this method paper was to examine a computational algorithm that may reveal how vessel length might depend on vessel diameter within any given stem or species. The computational method requires the assumption that vessels remain approximately constant in diameter over their entire length. When this method is applied to three species or hybrids in the...

Does Reproductive Investment Decrease Telomere Length in Menidia menidia?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin Gao

Full Text Available Given finite resources, intense investment in one life history trait is expected to reduce investment in others. Although telomere length appears to be strongly tied to age in many taxa, telomere maintenance requires energy. We therefore hypothesize that telomere maintenance may trade off against other life history characters. We used natural variation in laboratory populations of Atlantic silversides (Menidia menidia to study the relationship between growth, fecundity, life expectancy, and relative telomere length. In keeping with several other studies on fishes, we found no clear dependence of telomere length on age. However, we did find that more fecund fish tended to have both reduced life expectancy and shorter telomeres. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that there is a trade-off between telomere maintenance and reproductive output.

Oligonucleotide Length-Dependent Formation of Virus-Like Particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Maassen, Stan J; de Ruiter, Mark V; Lindhoud, Saskia; Cornelissen, Jeroen J L M

2018-05-23

Understanding the assembly pathway of viruses can contribute to creating monodisperse virus-based materials. In this study, the cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) is used to determine the interactions between the capsid proteins of viruses and their cargo. The assembly of the capsid proteins in the presence of different lengths of short, single-stranded (ss) DNA is studied at neutral pH, at which the protein-protein interactions are weak. Chromatography, electrophoresis, microscopy, and light scattering data show that the assembly efficiency and speed of the particles increase with increasing length of oligonucleotides. The minimal length required for assembly under the conditions used herein is 14 nucleotides. Assembly of particles containing such short strands of ssDNA can take almost a month. This slow assembly process enabled the study of intermediate states, which confirmed a low cooperative assembly for CCMV and allowed for further expansion of current assembly theories. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Alternatives Generation Analysis Long Length Contaminated Equipment Removal System Storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BOGER, R.M.

1999-01-01

Major pieces of Characterization sampling equipment are currently stored outdoors. This includes the Long Length Contaminated Equipment receiver trailer and transportation trailer. A decision is required to determine the preferred alternative for facilities to store and maintain this equipment. The Long Length Contaminated Equipment Removal System (LLCERS) consists of many tools, mechanisms, and controllers currently stored in various locations. Much of this equipment should be protected from the elements while being stored. Some of the LLCERS equipment should be protected with some kind of roof cover. This decision analysis is to determine the best alternative for weather protection for the large equipment requiring a cover. Additional details are included in Sections 2.0 and 5.0. Key assumptions used in this analysis are detailed in Section 3.2

Elliptic Length Scales in Laminar, Two-Dimensional Supersonic Flows

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

sophisticated computational fluid dynamics ( CFD ) methods. Additionally, for 3D interactions, the length scales would require determination in spanwise as well...Manna, M. “Experimental, Analytical, and Computational Methods Applied to Hypersonic Compression Ramp Flows,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 32, No. 2, Feb. 1994

Length-weight and length-length relationships of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) in the middle and southern Iraq provinces

Science.gov (United States)

Al-jebory, Taymaa A.; Das, Simon K.; Usup, Gires; Bakar, Y.; Al-saadi, Ali H.

2018-04-01

In this study, length-weight and length-length relationships of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) in the middle and southern Iraq provinces were determined. Fish specimens were procured from seven provinces from July to December, 2015. A negative and positive allometric growth pattern was obtained, where the total length (TL) ranged from 25.60 cm to 33.53 cm, and body weight (BW) ranged from 700 g to 1423 g. Meanwhile, the lowest of 1.03 and highest of 3.54 in "b" value was recorded in group F and group C, respectively. Therefore, Fulton condition factor (K) range from 2.57 to 4.94. While, relative condition factor (Kn) was in the ranged of 0.95 to 1.01. A linear relationship between total length (TL) and standard length (SL) among the provinces for fish groups was obtained. The variances in "b" value ranged from 0.10 to 0.93 with correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.02 to 0.97. This research could be used as a guide to study the ecology and biology of common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) in the middle and southern Iraq provinces.

Multiple Word-Length High-Level Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coussy Philippe

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Digital signal processing (DSP applications are nowadays widely used and their complexity is ever growing. The design of dedicated hardware accelerators is thus still needed in system-on-chip and embedded systems. Realistic hardware implementation requires first to convert the floating-point data of the initial specification into arbitrary length data (finite-precision while keeping an acceptable computation accuracy. Next, an optimized hardware architecture has to be designed. Considering uniform bit-width specification allows to use traditional automated design flow. However, it leads to oversized design. On the other hand, considering non uniform bit-width specification allows to get a smaller circuit but requires complex design tasks. In this paper, we propose an approach that inputs a C/C++ specification. The design flow, based on high-level synthesis (HLS techniques, automatically generates a potentially pipeline RTL architecture described in VHDL. Both bitaccurate integer and fixed-point data types can be used in the input specification. The generated architecture uses components (operator, register, etc. that have different widths. The design constraints are the clock period and the throughput of the application. The proposed approach considers data word-length information in all the synthesis steps by using dedicated algorithms. We show in this paper the effectiveness of the proposed approach through several design experiments in the DSP domain.

Multiple Word-Length High-Level Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominique Heller

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Digital signal processing (DSP applications are nowadays widely used and their complexity is ever growing. The design of dedicated hardware accelerators is thus still needed in system-on-chip and embedded systems. Realistic hardware implementation requires first to convert the floating-point data of the initial specification into arbitrary length data (finite-precision while keeping an acceptable computation accuracy. Next, an optimized hardware architecture has to be designed. Considering uniform bit-width specification allows to use traditional automated design flow. However, it leads to oversized design. On the other hand, considering non uniform bit-width specification allows to get a smaller circuit but requires complex design tasks. In this paper, we propose an approach that inputs a C/C++ specification. The design flow, based on high-level synthesis (HLS techniques, automatically generates a potentially pipeline RTL architecture described in VHDL. Both bitaccurate integer and fixed-point data types can be used in the input specification. The generated architecture uses components (operator, register, etc. that have different widths. The design constraints are the clock period and the throughput of the application. The proposed approach considers data word-length information in all the synthesis steps by using dedicated algorithms. We show in this paper the effectiveness of the proposed approach through several design experiments in the DSP domain.

Determination of Onramp Weaving Length for Resolving Merging Dilemma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiu Liu

2012-03-01

Full Text Available It is physically known that onramp merging may turn out to be difficult if the onramp (weaving/merging length is too short because a driver under certain driving circumstances may find that either merging ahead or merging behind a neighboring vehicle on the adjacent highway lane cannot be completed. Various existing guidelines or design manuals provide no clear physical understanding and explanations to the design onramp weaving length but often based on evolved empirical experiences. By integrating human factors, vehicle dynamic characteristics, roadway surface condition, and the onramp weaving design into a single unified analytic framework, the onramp length required for a driver to merge into the highway traffic successfully is determined exactly with formulas and physical solutions to avoid the merging dilemma and enhance driving safety at highway interchanges. The design onramp weaving length is examined and evaluated with various foreseeable merging scenarios and physical examples. This analytic framework sheds light on the understanding of the onramp weaving the first time strictly on a physical human-vehicle-roadway interaction setting. Practitioners can easily apply these user friendly formulae and equations derived from the unified framework to calculate the onramp weaving length to resolve the merging dilemma and enhance driving safety for any highway interchanges.

Blood capillary length estimation from three-dimensional microscopic data by image analysis and stereology.

Science.gov (United States)

Kubínová, Lucie; Mao, Xiao Wen; Janáček, Jiří

2013-08-01

Studies of the capillary bed characterized by its length or length density are relevant in many biomedical studies. A reliable assessment of capillary length from two-dimensional (2D), thin histological sections is a rather difficult task as it requires physical cutting of such sections in randomized directions. This is often technically demanding, inefficient, or outright impossible. However, if 3D image data of the microscopic structure under investigation are available, methods of length estimation that do not require randomized physical cutting of sections may be applied. Two different rat brain regions were optically sliced by confocal microscopy and resulting 3D images processed by three types of capillary length estimation methods: (1) stereological methods based on a computer generation of isotropic uniform random virtual test probes in 3D, either in the form of spatial grids of virtual "slicer" planes or spherical probes; (2) automatic method employing a digital version of the Crofton relations using the Euler characteristic of planar sections of the binary image; and (3) interactive "tracer" method for length measurement based on a manual delineation in 3D of the axes of capillary segments. The presented methods were compared in terms of their practical applicability, efficiency, and precision.

Assessing Fatigue and Ultimate Load Uncertainty in Floating Offshore Wind Turbines Due to Varying Simulation Length

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stewart, G.; Lackner, M.; Haid, L.; Matha, D.; Jonkman, J.; Robertson, A.

2013-07-01

With the push towards siting wind turbines farther offshore due to higher wind quality and less visibility, floating offshore wind turbines, which can be located in deep water, are becoming an economically attractive option. The International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) 61400-3 design standard covers fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines, but there are a number of new research questions that need to be answered to modify these standards so that they are applicable to floating wind turbines. One issue is the appropriate simulation length needed for floating turbines. This paper will discuss the results from a study assessing the impact of simulation length on the ultimate and fatigue loads of the structure, and will address uncertainties associated with changing the simulation length for the analyzed floating platform. Recommendations of required simulation length based on load uncertainty will be made and compared to current simulation length requirements.

Bunch Length Measurements using Coherent Radiation

CERN Document Server

Ischebeck, Rasmus; Barnes, Christopher; Blumenfeld, Ian; Clayton, Chris; Decker, Franz Josef; Deng, Suzhi; Hogan, Mark; Huang Cheng Kun; Iverson, Richard; Johnson, Devon K; Krejcik, Patrick; Lu, Wei; Marsh, Kenneth; Oz, Erdem; Siemann, Robert; Walz, Dieter

2005-01-01

The accelerating field that can be obtained in a beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator depends on the current of the electron beam that excites the wake. In the E-167 experiment, a peak current above 10kA will be delivered at a particle energy of 28GeV. The bunch has a length of a few ten micrometers and several methods are used to measure its longitudinal profile. Among these, autocorrelation of coherent transition radiation (CTR) is employed. The beam passes a thin metallic foil, where it emits transition radiation. For wavelengths greater than the bunch length, this transition radiation is emitted coherently. This amplifies the long-wavelength part of the spectrum. A scanning Michelson interferometer is used to autocorrelate the CTR. However, this method requires the contribution of many bunches to build an autocorrelation trace. The measurement is influenced by the transmission characteristics of the vacuum window and beam splitter. We present here an analysis of materials, as well as possible layouts ...

Assessing Telomere Length Using Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Zong, Shenfei; Wang, Zhuyuan; Chen, Hui; Cui, Yiping

2014-11-01

Telomere length can provide valuable insight into telomeres and telomerase related diseases, including cancer. Here, we present a brand-new optical telomere length measurement protocol using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). In this protocol, two single strand DNA are used as SERS probes. They are labeled with two different Raman molecules and can specifically hybridize with telomeres and centromere, respectively. First, genome DNA is extracted from cells. Then the telomere and centromere SERS probes are added into the genome DNA. After hybridization with genome DNA, excess SERS probes are removed by magnetic capturing nanoparticles. Finally, the genome DNA with SERS probes attached is dropped onto a SERS substrate and subjected to SERS measurement. Longer telomeres result in more attached telomere probes, thus a stronger SERS signal. Consequently, SERS signal can be used as an indicator of telomere length. Centromere is used as the inner control. By calibrating the SERS intensity of telomere probe with that of the centromere probe, SERS based telomere measurement is realized. This protocol does not require polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or electrophoresis procedures, which greatly simplifies the detection process. We anticipate that this easy-operation and cost-effective protocol is a fine alternative for the assessment of telomere length.

Octasaccharide is the minimal length unit required for efficient binding of cyclophilin B to heparin and cell surface heparan sulphate.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanpouille, Christophe; Denys, Agnès; Carpentier, Mathieu; Pakula, Rachel; Mazurier, Joël; Allain, Fabrice

2004-09-01

Cyclophilin B (CyPB) is a heparin-binding protein first identified as a receptor for cyclosporin A. In previous studies, we reported that CyPB triggers chemotaxis and integrin-mediated adhesion of T-lymphocytes by way of interaction with two types of binding sites. The first site corresponds to a signalling receptor; the second site has been identified as heparan sulphate (HS) and appears crucial to induce cell adhesion. Characterization of the HS-binding unit is critical to understand the requirement of HS in pro-adhesive activity of CyPB. By using a strategy based on gel mobility shift assays with fluorophore-labelled oligosaccharides, we demonstrated that the minimal heparin unit required for efficient binding of CyPB is an octasaccharide. The mutants CyPB(KKK-) [where KKK- refers to the substitutions K3A(Lys3-->Ala)/K4A/K5A] and CyPB(DeltaYFD) (where Tyr14-Phe-Asp16 has been deleted) failed to interact with octasaccharides, confirming that the Y14FD16 and K3KK5 clusters are required for CyPB binding. Molecular modelling revealed that both clusters are spatially arranged so that they may act synergistically to form a binding site for the octasaccharide. We then demonstrated that heparin-derived octasaccharides and higher degree of polymerization oligosaccharides inhibited the interaction between CyPB and fluorophore-labelled HS chains purified from T-lymphocytes, and strongly reduced the HS-dependent pro-adhesive activity of CyPB. However, oligosaccharides or heparin were unable to restore adhesion of heparinase-treated T-lymphocytes, indicating that HS has to be present on the cell membrane to support the pro-adhesive activity of CyPB. Altogether, these results demonstrate that the octasaccharide is likely to be the minimal length unit required for efficient binding of CyPB to cell surface HS and consequent HS-dependent cell responses.

Is DNA a worm-like chain in Couette flow? In search of persistence length, a critical review.

Science.gov (United States)

Rittman, Martyn; Gilroy, Emma; Koohya, Hashem; Rodger, Alison; Richards, Adair

2009-01-01

Persistence length is the foremost measure of DNA flexibility. Its origins lie in polymer theory which was adapted for DNA following the determination of BDNA structure in 1953. There is no single definition of persistence length used, and the links between published definitions are based on assumptions which may, or may not be, clearly stated. DNA flexibility is affected by local ionic strength, solvent environment, bound ligands and intrinsic sequence-dependent flexibility. This article is a review of persistence length providing a mathematical treatment of the relationships between four definitions of persistence length, including: correlation, Kuhn length, bending, and curvature. Persistence length has been measured using various microscopy, force extension and solution methods such as linear dichroism and transient electric birefringence. For each experimental method a model of DNA is required to interpret the data. The importance of understanding the underlying models, along with the assumptions required by each definition to determine a value of persistence length, is highlighted for linear dichroism data, where it transpires that no model is currently available for long DNA or medium to high shear rate experiments.

Telomere Length and Mortality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kimura, Masayuki; Hjelmborg, Jacob V B; Gardner, Jeffrey P

2008-01-01

Leukocyte telomere length, representing the mean length of all telomeres in leukocytes, is ostensibly a bioindicator of human aging. The authors hypothesized that shorter telomeres might forecast imminent mortality in elderly people better than leukocyte telomere length. They performed mortality...

Reinventing Emergency Department Flow via Healthcare Delivery Science.

Science.gov (United States)

DeFlitch, Christopher; Geeting, Glenn; Paz, Harold L

2015-01-01

Healthcare system flow resulting in emergency departments (EDs) crowding is a quality and access problem. This case study examines an overcrowded academic health center ED with increasing patient volumes and limited physical space for expansion. ED capacity and efficiency improved via engineering principles application, addressing patient and staffing flows, and reinventing the delivery model. Using operational data and staff input, patient and staff flow models were created, identifying bottlenecks (points of inefficiency). A new flow model of emergency care delivery, physician-directed queuing, was developed. Expanding upon physicians in triage, providers passively evaluate all patients upon arrival, actively manage patients requiring fewer resources, and direct patients requiring complex resources to further evaluation in ED areas. Sustained over time, ED efficiency improved as measured by near elimination of "left without being seen" patients and waiting times with improvement in door to doctor, patient satisfaction, and total length of stay. All improvements were in the setting on increased patient volume and no increase in physician staffing. Our experience suggests that practical application of healthcare delivery science can be used to improve ED efficiency. © The Author(s) 2015.

Managing carbon sinks by changing rotation length in European forests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaipainen, Terhi; Liski, Jari; Pussinen, Ari; Karjalainen, Timo

2004-01-01

Elongation of rotation length is a forest management activity countries may choose to apply under Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol to help them meet their commitments for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. We used the CO2FIX model to analyze how the carbon stocks of trees, soil and wood products depend on rotation length in different European forests. Results predicted that the carbon stock of trees increased in each forest when rotation length was increased, but the carbon stock of soil decreased slightly in German and Finnish Scots pine forests; the carbon stock of wood products also decreased slightly in cases other than the Sitka spruce forest in UK. To estimate the efficiency of increasing rotation length as an Article 3.4 activity, we looked at changes in the carbon stock of trees resulting from a 20-year increase in current rotation lengths. To achieve the largest eligible carbon sink mentioned in Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol, the rotation lengths need to be increased on areas varying from 0.3 to 5.1 Mha depending on the forest. This would in some forests cause 1-6% declines in harvesting possibilities. The possible decreases in the carbon stock of soil indicate that reporting the changes in the carbon stocks of forests under Article 3.4 may require measuring soil carbon

Front-line management, staffing and nurse-doctor relationships as predictors of nurse and patient outcomes. a survey of Icelandic hospital nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunnarsdóttir, Sigrún; Clarke, Sean P; Rafferty, Anne Marie; Nutbeam, Don

2009-07-01

To investigate aspects of nurses' work environments linked with job outcomes and assessments of quality of care in an Icelandic hospital. Prior research suggests that poor working environments in hospitals significantly hinder retention of nurses and high quality patient care. On the other hand, hospitals with high retention rates (such as Magnet hospitals) show supportive management, professional autonomy, good inter-professional relations and nurse job satisfaction, reduced nurse burnout and improved quality of patient care. Cross-sectional survey of 695 nurses at Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavík. Nurses' work environments were measured using the nursing work index-revised (NWI-R) and examined as predictors of job satisfaction, the Maslach burnout inventory (MBI) and nurse-assessed quality of patient care using linear and logistic regression approaches. An Icelandic adaptation of the NWI-R showed a five-factor structure similar to that of Lake (2002). After controlling for nurses' personal characteristics, job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion and nurse rated quality of care were found to be independently associated with perceptions of support from unit-level managers, staffing adequacy, and nurse-doctor relations. The NWI-R measures elements of hospital nurses' work environments that predict job outcomes and nurses' ratings of the quality of patient care in Iceland. Efforts to improve and maintain nurses' relations with nurse managers and doctors, as well as their perceptions of staffing adequacy, will likely improve nurse job satisfaction and employee retention, and may improve the quality of patient care.

Does length or neighborhood size cause the word length effect?

Science.gov (United States)

Jalbert, Annie; Neath, Ian; Surprenant, Aimée M

2011-10-01

Jalbert, Neath, Bireta, and Surprenant (2011) suggested that past demonstrations of the word length effect, the finding that words with fewer syllables are recalled better than words with more syllables, included a confound: The short words had more orthographic neighbors than the long words. The experiments reported here test two predictions that would follow if neighborhood size is a more important factor than word length. In Experiment 1, we found that concurrent articulation removed the effect of neighborhood size, just as it removes the effect of word length. Experiment 2 demonstrated that this pattern is also found with nonwords. For Experiment 3, we factorially manipulated length and neighborhood size, and found only effects of the latter. These results are problematic for any theory of memory that includes decay offset by rehearsal, but they are consistent with accounts that include a redintegrative stage that is susceptible to disruption by noise. The results also confirm the importance of lexical and linguistic factors on memory tasks thought to tap short-term memory.

Correlated evolution of sternal keel length and ilium length in birds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Zhao

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The interplay between the pectoral module (the pectoral girdle and limbs and the pelvic module (the pelvic girdle and limbs plays a key role in shaping avian evolution, but prior empirical studies on trait covariation between the two modules are limited. Here we empirically test whether (size-corrected sternal keel length and ilium length are correlated during avian evolution using phylogenetic comparative methods. Our analyses on extant birds and Mesozoic birds both recover a significantly positive correlation. The results provide new evidence regarding the integration between the pelvic and pectoral modules. The correlated evolution of sternal keel length and ilium length may serve as a mechanism to cope with the effect on performance caused by a tradeoff in muscle mass between the pectoral and pelvic modules, via changing moment arms of muscles that function in flight and in terrestrial locomotion.

Fundamental length

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pradhan, T.

1975-01-01

The concept of fundamental length was first put forward by Heisenberg from purely dimensional reasons. From a study of the observed masses of the elementary particles known at that time, it is sumrised that this length should be of the order of magnitude 1 approximately 10 -13 cm. It was Heisenberg's belief that introduction of such a fundamental length would eliminate the divergence difficulties from relativistic quantum field theory by cutting off the high energy regions of the 'proper fields'. Since the divergence difficulties arise primarily due to infinite number of degrees of freedom, one simple remedy would be the introduction of a principle that limits these degrees of freedom by removing the effectiveness of the waves with a frequency exceeding a certain limit without destroying the relativistic invariance of the theory. The principle can be stated as follows: It is in principle impossible to invent an experiment of any kind that will permit a distintion between the positions of two particles at rest, the distance between which is below a certain limit. A more elegant way of introducing fundamental length into quantum theory is through commutation relations between two position operators. In quantum field theory such as quantum electrodynamics, it can be introduced through the commutation relation between two interpolating photon fields (vector potentials). (K.B.)

Constant scattering length fits to low energy K-p interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conboy, J.E.

1985-10-01

The paper concerns the data on low energy K - p interactions analysed using the constant scattering length (C.S.L.) approximation. The scattering lengths are found to differ significantly from those required to fit data from previous K -1 p experiments, and these differences are discussed. The data indicate an Tspin=1 P- wave interaction, from the production angle distributions of the K-bar 0 n, Σ +- π -+ and Λπ 0 channels. However the authors have been unable to fit both the P-wave and K 0 sub(L)p data with the simple C.S.L. model. (U.K.)

Radiotherapy staffing in the European countries: Final results from the ESTRO-HERO survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lievens, Yolande; Defourny, Noémie; Coffey, Mary; Borras, Josep M.; Dunscombe, Peter; Slotman, Ben; Malicki, Julian; Bogusz, Marta; Gasparotto, Chiara; Grau, Cai; Kokobobo, Arianit; Sedlmayer, Felix; Slobina, Elena; Coucke, Philippe; Gabrovski, Roumen; Vosmik, Milan; Eriksen, Jesper Grau; Jaal, Jana; Dejean, Catherine; Polgar, Csaba

2014-01-01

Background: The ESTRO Health Economics in Radiation Oncology (HERO) project has the overall aim to develop a knowledge base of the provision of radiotherapy in Europe and build a model for health economic evaluation of radiation treatments at the European level. The first milestone was to assess the availability of radiotherapy resources within Europe. This paper presents the personnel data collected in the ESTRO HERO database. Materials and methods: An 84-item questionnaire was sent out to European countries, through their national scientific and professional radiotherapy societies. The current report includes a detailed analysis of radiotherapy staffing (questionnaire items 47–60), analysed in relation to the annual number of treatment courses and the socio-economic status of the countries. The analysis was conducted between February and July 2014, and is based on validated responses from 24 of the 40 European countries defined by the European Cancer Observatory (ECO). Results: A large variation between countries was found for most parameters studied. Averages and ranges for personnel numbers per million inhabitants are 12.8 (2.5–30.9) for radiation oncologists, 7.6 (0–19.7) for medical physicists, 3.5 (0–12.6) for dosimetrists, 26.6 (1.9–78) for RTTs and 14.8 (0.4–61.0) for radiotherapy nurses. The combined average for physicists and dosimetrists is 9.8 per million inhabitants and 36.9 for RTT and nurses. Radiation oncologists on average treat 208.9 courses per year (range: 99.9–348.8), physicists and dosimetrists conjointly treat 303.3 courses (range: 85–757.7) and RTT and nurses 76.8 (range: 25.7–156.8). In countries with higher GNI per capita, all personnel categories treat fewer courses per annum than in less affluent countries. This relationship is most evident for RTTs and nurses. Different clusters of countries can be distinguished on the basis of available personnel resources and socio-economic status. Conclusions: The average personnel

Radiotherapy staffing in the European countries: final results from the ESTRO-HERO survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Lievens, Yolande; Defourny, Noémie; Coffey, Mary; Borras, Josep M; Dunscombe, Peter; Slotman, Ben; Malicki, Julian; Bogusz, Marta; Gasparotto, Chiara; Grau, Cai; Kokobobo, Arianit; Sedlmayer, Felix; Slobina, Elena; Coucke, Philippe; Gabrovski, Roumen; Vosmik, Milan; Eriksen, Jesper Grau; Jaal, Jana; Dejean, Catherine; Polgar, Csaba; Johannsson, Jakob; Cunningham, Moya; Atkocius, Vydmantas; Back, Carlo; Pirotta, Martin; Karadjinovic, Vanja; Levernes, Sverre; Maciejewski, Boguslaw; Trigo, Maria Lurdes; Šegedin, Barbara; Palacios, Amalia; Pastoors, Bert; Beardmore, Charlotte; Erridge, Sara; Smyth, Gaile; Cleries Soler, Ramon

2014-08-01

The ESTRO Health Economics in Radiation Oncology (HERO) project has the overall aim to develop a knowledge base of the provision of radiotherapy in Europe and build a model for health economic evaluation of radiation treatments at the European level. The first milestone was to assess the availability of radiotherapy resources within Europe. This paper presents the personnel data collected in the ESTRO HERO database. An 84-item questionnaire was sent out to European countries, through their national scientific and professional radiotherapy societies. The current report includes a detailed analysis of radiotherapy staffing (questionnaire items 47-60), analysed in relation to the annual number of treatment courses and the socio-economic status of the countries. The analysis was conducted between February and July 2014, and is based on validated responses from 24 of the 40 European countries defined by the European Cancer Observatory (ECO). A large variation between countries was found for most parameters studied. Averages and ranges for personnel numbers per million inhabitants are 12.8 (2.5-30.9) for radiation oncologists, 7.6 (0-19.7) for medical physicists, 3.5 (0-12.6) for dosimetrists, 26.6 (1.9-78) for RTTs and 14.8 (0.4-61.0) for radiotherapy nurses. The combined average for physicists and dosimetrists is 9.8 per million inhabitants and 36.9 for RTT and nurses. Radiation oncologists on average treat 208.9 courses per year (range: 99.9-348.8), physicists and dosimetrists conjointly treat 303.3 courses (range: 85-757.7) and RTT and nurses 76.8 (range: 25.7-156.8). In countries with higher GNI per capita, all personnel categories treat fewer courses per annum than in less affluent countries. This relationship is most evident for RTTs and nurses. Different clusters of countries can be distinguished on the basis of available personnel resources and socio-economic status. The average personnel figures in Europe are now consistent with, or even more favourable than

[Renal length measured by ultrasound in adult mexican population].

Science.gov (United States)

Oyuela-Carrasco, J; Rodríguez-Castellanos, F; Kimura, E; Delgado-Hernández, R; Herrera-Félix, J P

2009-01-01

Renal length estimation by ultrasound is an important parameter in clinical evaluation of kidney disease and healthy donors. Changes in renal volume may be a sign of kidney disease. Correct interpretation of renal length requires the knowledge of normal limits, these have not been described for Latin American population. To describe normal renal length (RL) by ultrasonography in a group of Mexican adults. Ultrasound measure of RL in 153 healthy Mexican adults stratified by age. Describe the association of RL to several anthropometric variables. A total of 77 males and 76 females were scanner. The average age for the group was 44.12 +/- 15.44 years. The mean weight, body mass index (BMI) and height were 68.87 +/- 11.69 Kg, 26.77 +/- 3.82 kg/m2 and 160 +/- 8.62 cm respectively. Dividing the population by gender, showed a height of 166 +/- 6.15 cm for males and 154.7 +/- 5.97 cm for females (p =0.000). Left renal length (LRL) in the whole group was 105.8 +/- 7.56 mm and right renal length (RRL) was 104.3 +/- 6.45 mm (p = 0.000.) The LRL for males was 107.16 +/- 6.97 mm and for females was 104.6 +/- 7.96 mm. The average RRL for males was 105.74 +/- 5.74 mm and for females 102.99 +/- 6.85 mm (p = 0.008.) We noted that RL decreased with age and the rate of decline accelerates alter 60 years of age. Both lengths correlated significantly and positively with weight, BMI and height. The RL was significantly larger in males than in females in both kidneys (p = 0.036) in this Mexican population. Renal length declines after 60 years of age and specially after 70 years.

Data bank for short-length red oak lumber

Science.gov (United States)

Janice K. Wiedenbeck; Charles J. Gatchell; Elizabeth S. Walker

1994-01-01

This data bank for short-length lumber (less than 8 feet long) contains information on board outlines and defect size and quality for 426 414-inch-thick red oak boards. The Selects, 1 Common, 2A Common, and 3A Common grades are represented in the data bank. The data bank provides the kind of detailed lumber description that is required as input by computer programs...

Scaling of the critical free length for progressive unfolding of self-bonded graphene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwan, Kenny; Cranford, Steven W., E-mail: s.cranford@neu.edu [Laboratory of Nanotechnology in Civil Engineering (NICE), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, 400 Snell Engineering, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States)

2014-05-19

Like filled pasta, rolled or folded graphene can form a large nanocapsule surrounding a hollow interior. Use as a molecular carrier, however, requires understanding of the opening of such vessels. Here, we investigate a monolayer sheet of graphene as a theoretical trial platform for such a nanocapsule. The graphene is bonded to itself via aligned disulfide (S-S) bonds. Through theoretical analysis and atomistic modeling, we probe the critical nonbonded length (free length, L{sub crit}) that induces fracture-like progressive unfolding as a function of folding radius (R{sub i}). We show a clear linear scaling relationship between the length and radius, which can be used to determine the necessary bond density to predict mechanical opening/closing. However, stochastic dissipated energy limits any exact elastic formulation, and the required energy far exceeds the dissociation energy of the S-S bond. We account for the necessary dissipated kinetic energy through a simple scaling factor (Ω), which agrees well with computational results.

Working together: critical care nurses experiences of temporary staffing within Swedish health care: A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Berg Jansson, Anna; Engström, Åsa

2017-08-01

The aim of this study is to describe critical care nurses (CCN's) experiences of working with or as temporary agency staff. This explorative qualitative study is based on interviews with five agency CCNs and five regular CCNs, a total of ten interviews, focusing on the interviewees' experiences of daily work and temporary agency staffing. The interviews were analysed manually and thematically following an inductive approach. Four themes that illustrate both similarities and differences between regular and temporary agency CCNs emerged: "working close to patients versus being responsible for everything", "teamwork versus independence", "both groups needed" and "opportunities and challenges". The study findings illustrate the complexity of the working situation for agency and regular staff in terms of the organisation and management of the temporary agency nurses and the opportunities and challenges faced by both groups. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Periprosthetic hip fractures: A review of the economic burden based on length of stay.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Rebecca F; Piggott, Robert P; Curtin, William; Murphy, Colin G

2018-03-01

With the increasing rates of total hip replacements being performed worldwide, there is an increasing incidence of periprosthetic fractures. As our patients' demographics change to include older patients with multiple medical co-morbidities, there is a concurrent increase in morbidity and mortality rates. This leads to longer hospital stays and increasing hospital costs. In the current economic climate, the cost of treating periprosthetic fractures must be addressed and appropriate resource and funding allocation for future provision of services should be planned. All periprosthetic hip fractures that were admitted to a single trauma unit over a three-year period were reviewed. Independent chart review, haematological and radiological review was undertaken. All patients with a periprosthetic fracture associated with a total hip arthroplasty or hemiarthroplasty were included. Follow up data including complications were collated. Data from the hospital inpatient database and finance department was utilized for cost analysis. All statistical analysis was preformed using Minitab version 17. 48 patients were identified who met the inclusion criteria for review. The majority of participants were female with a mean age of 73.5 years. The mean time to fracture was 4.5 years (9 months-18.5 years). Periprosthetic fracture was associated with total hip arthroplasty in 24 cases and a Vancouver B2 classification was most common at n = 20. The majority of patients had revision arthroplasty, with a mean length of stay of 24 days for the whole cohort (9-42). Vancouver B3 fractures had the longest inpatient stay at a mean of 26 days. The mean cost of for a full revision of stem with additional plate and cable fixation was over €27000 compared to €14,600 for ORIF and cable fixation based on length of hospital stay. The prolonged length of stay associated with Vancouver B2 and B3 fractures leads to increased costs to the healthcare service. Accurately calculating

Human microcephaly protein RTTN interacts with STIL and is required to build full-length centrioles.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsin-Yi; Wu, Chien-Ting; Tang, Chieh-Ju C; Lin, Yi-Nan; Wang, Won-Jing; Tang, Tang K

2017-08-15

Mutations in many centriolar protein-encoding genes cause primary microcephaly. Using super-resolution and electron microscopy, we find that the human microcephaly protein, RTTN, is recruited to the proximal end of the procentriole at early S phase, and is located at the inner luminal walls of centrioles. Further studies demonstrate that RTTN directly interacts with STIL and acts downstream of STIL-mediated centriole assembly. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated RTTN gene knockout in p53-deficient cells induce amplification of primitive procentriole bodies that lack the distal-half centriolar proteins, POC5 and POC1B. Additional analyses show that RTTN serves as an upstream effector of CEP295, which mediates the loading of POC1B and POC5 to the distal-half centrioles. Interestingly, the naturally occurring microcephaly-associated mutant, RTTN (A578P), shows a low affinity for STIL binding and blocks centriole assembly. These findings reveal that RTTN contributes to building full-length centrioles and illuminate the molecular mechanism through which the RTTN (A578P) mutation causes primary microcephaly.Mutations in many centriolar protein-encoding genes cause primary microcephaly. Here the authors show that human microcephaly protein RTTN directly interacts with STIL and acts downstream of STIL-mediated centriole assembly, contributing to building full-length centrioles.

45 CFR 303.20 - Minimum organizational and staffing requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... any person who has decision-making authority over individual cases on a day-to-day basis and includes... such as legal, interviewer, investigative, accounting, clerical, and other supportive staff. (g) If it...; 64 FR 6250, Feb. 9, 1999; 68 FR 25304, May 12, 2003] Effective Date Note: At 73 FR 56443, Sept. 26...

Testing the time-of-flight model for flagellar length sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishikawa, Hiroaki; Marshall, Wallace F

2017-11-07

Cilia and flagella are microtubule-based organelles that protrude from the surface of most cells, are important to the sensing of extracellular signals, and make a driving force for fluid flow. Maintenance of flagellar length requires an active transport process known as intraflagellar transport (IFT). Recent studies reveal that the amount of IFT injection negatively correlates with the length of flagella. These observations suggest that a length-dependent feedback regulates IFT. However, it is unknown how cells recognize the length of flagella and control IFT. Several theoretical models try to explain this feedback system. We focused on one of the models, the "time-of-flight" model, which measures the length of flagella on the basis of the travel time of IFT protein in the flagellar compartment. We tested the time-of-flight model using Chlamydomonas dynein mutant cells, which show slower retrograde transport speed. The amount of IFT injection in dynein mutant cells was higher than that in control cells. This observation does not support the prediction of the time-of-flight model and suggests that Chlamydomonas uses another length-control feedback system rather than that described by the time-of-flight model. © 2017 Ishikawa and Marshall. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

A parallel VLSI architecture for a digital filter of arbitrary length using Fermat number transforms

Science.gov (United States)

Truong, T. K.; Reed, I. S.; Yeh, C. S.; Shao, H. M.

1982-01-01

A parallel architecture for computation of the linear convolution of two sequences of arbitrary lengths using the Fermat number transform (FNT) is described. In particular a pipeline structure is designed to compute a 128-point FNT. In this FNT, only additions and bit rotations are required. A standard barrel shifter circuit is modified so that it performs the required bit rotation operation. The overlap-save method is generalized for the FNT to compute a linear convolution of arbitrary length. A parallel architecture is developed to realize this type of overlap-save method using one FNT and several inverse FNTs of 128 points. The generalized overlap save method alleviates the usual dynamic range limitation in FNTs of long transform lengths. Its architecture is regular, simple, and expandable, and therefore naturally suitable for VLSI implementation.

Situation of the medical physics in the Republic of Argentina. Regulatory problem linked to the requirement of physic specialists

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arbor Gonzalez, A.; Larcher, A.; Blanco, S.

2001-01-01

This paper provides up-to-date data on the participation of medical physicists in current staffs for radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and diagnostic radiology in Argentina, and it presents projections on the academic education of specialists in the next five years. At the same time, the regulatory framework including the requirements for physicists staffing levels in medical practices is presented. This panorama permits to stick out the important role of the professional associations and the academic institutions in the development of Medical Physics in the country. (author)

Alternative staffing services. Contract transcription.

Science.gov (United States)

Tessier, C

1992-03-01

Contract medical transcription services can be of great assistance in meeting the demands for transcription, without jeopardizing patient, physician, or institutional confidentiality. You simply must require the contract service to provide at least the same degree of protection and preservation of confidentiality that you should require inhouse. To achieve this you must make these requirements explicit, comprehensive, comprehensible, believable, and enforceable. Discuss the requirements with prospective contractors. Review them at least annually with existing contractors and when contracts are due for renewal. Be sure to specify the consequence of breaching confidentiality, and if there are breaches, enforce the terms of the contract. Consult your institution's legal counsel both in developing the contract and in enforcing its provisions. Take into consideration your department's and institution's policies, AHIMA's statement on confidentiality, as well as local, state, and federal laws. Above all, never lose sight of the patient. Ultimately, it is not patient information that you are obligated to protect. It is the patient.

Influence of step length and landing pattern on patellofemoral joint kinetics during running.

Science.gov (United States)

Willson, J D; Ratcliff, O M; Meardon, S A; Willy, R W

2015-12-01

Elevated patellofemoral joint kinetics during running may contribute to patellofemoral joint symptoms. The purpose of this study was to test for independent effects of foot strike pattern and step length on patellofemoral joint kinetics while running. Effects were tested relative to individual steps and also taking into account the number of steps required to run a kilometer with each step length. Patellofemoral joint reaction force and stress were estimated in 20 participants running at their preferred speed. Participants ran using a forefoot strike and rearfoot strike pattern during three different step length conditions: preferred step length, long (+10%) step length, and short (-10%) step length. Patellofemoral kinetics was estimated using a biomechanical model of the patellofemoral joint that accounted for cocontraction of the knee flexors and extensors. We observed independent effects of foot strike pattern and step length. Patellofemoral joint kinetics per step was 10-13% less during forefoot strike conditions and 15-20% less with a shortened step length. Patellofemoral joint kinetics per kilometer decreased 12-13% using a forefoot strike pattern and 9-12% with a shortened step length. To the extent that patellofemoral joint kinetics contribute to symptoms among runners, these running modifications may be advisable for runners with patellofemoral pain. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dependence of the product chain-length on detergents for long-chain E-polyprenyl diphosphate synthases

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Jian-Jung; Ramamoorthy, Gurusankar; Poulter, C. Dale

2013-01-01

Long-chain E-polyprenyl diphosphate synthases (E-PDS) catalyze repetitive addition of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) to the growing prenyl chain of an allylic diphosphate. The polyprenyl diphosphate products are required for the biosynthesis of ubiquinones and menaquinones required for electron transport during oxidative phosphorylation to generate ATP. In vitro, the long-chain PDSs require addition of phospholipids or detergents to the assay buffer to enhance product release and maintain efficient turnover. During preliminary assays of product chain-length with anionic, zwitterionic, and non-ionic detergents, we discovered considerable variability. Examination of a series of non-ionic PEG detergents with several long-chain E-PDSs from different organisms revealed that in vitro incubations with nonaethylene glycol monododecyl ether or Triton X-100 typically gave chain lengths that corresponded to those of the isoprenoid moieties in respiratory quinones synthesized in vivo. In contrast incubations in buffer with n-butanol, CHAPS, DMSO, n-octyl-β-glucopyranoside, or β-cyclodextrin or in buffer without detergent typically proceeded more slowly and gave a broad range of chain lengths. PMID:23802587

Functional requirements for the man-vehicle systems research facility. [identifying and correcting human errors during flight simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Clement, W. F.; Allen, R. W.; Heffley, R. K.; Jewell, W. F.; Jex, H. R.; Mcruer, D. T.; Schulman, T. M.; Stapleford, R. L.

1980-01-01

The NASA Ames Research Center proposed a man-vehicle systems research facility to support flight simulation studies which are needed for identifying and correcting the sources of human error associated with current and future air carrier operations. The organization of research facility is reviewed and functional requirements and related priorities for the facility are recommended based on a review of potentially critical operational scenarios. Requirements are included for the experimenter's simulation control and data acquisition functions, as well as for the visual field, motion, sound, computation, crew station, and intercommunications subsystems. The related issues of functional fidelity and level of simulation are addressed, and specific criteria for quantitative assessment of various aspects of fidelity are offered. Recommendations for facility integration, checkout, and staffing are included.

Generation of Length Distribution, Length Diagram, Fibrogram, and Statistical Characteristics by Weight of Cotton Blends

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Azzouz

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The textile fibre mixture as a multicomponent blend of variable fibres imposes regarding the proper method to predict the characteristics of the final blend. The length diagram and the fibrogram of cotton are generated. Then the length distribution, the length diagram, and the fibrogram of a blend of different categories of cotton are determined. The length distributions by weight of five different categories of cotton (Egyptian, USA (Pima, Brazilian, USA (Upland, and Uzbekistani are measured by AFIS. From these distributions, the length distribution, the length diagram, and the fibrogram by weight of four binary blends are expressed. The length parameters of these cotton blends are calculated and their variations are plotted against the mass fraction x of one component in the blend .These calculated parameters are compared to those of real blends. Finally, the selection of the optimal blends using the linear programming method, based on the hypothesis that the cotton blend parameters vary linearly in function of the components rations, is proved insufficient.

Umbilical cord length in singleton gestations: a Finnish population-based retrospective register study.

Science.gov (United States)

Georgiadis, L; Keski-Nisula, L; Harju, M; Räisänen, S; Georgiadis, S; Hannila, M-L; Heinonen, S

2014-04-01

Many complications of pregnancy and delivery are associated with umbilical cord length. It is important to examine the variation in length, in order to identify normal and abnormal conditions. Moreover, the factors influencing cord growth and development are not precisely known. The main objectives were to provide updated reference charts for umbilical cord length in singleton pregnancies and to evaluate potential factors affecting cord length. Birth register data of 47,284 singleton pregnant women delivering in Kuopio University Hospital, Finland was collected prospectively. Gender-specific centile charts for cord length from 22 to 44 gestational weeks were obtained using generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS). Gestational, fetal, and maternal factors were studied for their potential influence on cord length with single variable analysis and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Cord length increased according to gestational age, while the growth decelerated post-term. Birth weight, placental weight, pregravid maternal body mass index, parity, and maternal age correlated to cord length. Gestational diabetes and previous miscarriages were associated with longer cords, while female gender and placental abruption were associated with shorter cords. Girls had shorter cords throughout gestation although there was substantial variation in length in both genders. Cord length associated significantly with birth weight, placental weight, and gestational age. Significantly shorter cords were found in women with placental abruption. This important finding requires further investigation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Word length, set size, and lexical factors: Re-examining what causes the word length effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Guitard, Dominic; Gabel, Andrew J; Saint-Aubin, Jean; Surprenant, Aimée M; Neath, Ian

2018-04-19

The word length effect, better recall of lists of short (fewer syllables) than long (more syllables) words has been termed a benchmark effect of working memory. Despite this, experiments on the word length effect can yield quite different results depending on set size and stimulus properties. Seven experiments are reported that address these 2 issues. Experiment 1 replicated the finding of a preserved word length effect under concurrent articulation for large stimulus sets, which contrasts with the abolition of the word length effect by concurrent articulation for small stimulus sets. Experiment 2, however, demonstrated that when the short and long words are equated on more dimensions, concurrent articulation abolishes the word length effect for large stimulus sets. Experiment 3 shows a standard word length effect when output time is equated, but Experiments 4-6 show no word length effect when short and long words are equated on increasingly more dimensions that previous demonstrations have overlooked. Finally, Experiment 7 compared recall of a small and large neighborhood words that were equated on all the dimensions used in Experiment 6 (except for those directly related to neighborhood size) and a neighborhood size effect was still observed. We conclude that lexical factors, rather than word length per se, are better predictors of when the word length effect will occur. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

New Finnish growth references for children and adolescents aged 0 to 20 years: Length/height-for-age, weight-for-length/height, and body mass index-for-age.

Science.gov (United States)

Saari, Antti; Sankilampi, Ulla; Hannila, Marja-Leena; Kiviniemi, Vesa; Kesseli, Kari; Dunkel, Leo

2011-05-01

Growth curves require regular updates due to secular trends in linear growth. We constructed contemporary growth curves, assessed secular trends in height, and defined body mass index (BMI) cut-off points for thinness, overweight, and obesity in Finnish children. Mixed cross-sectional/longitudinal data of 73,659 healthy subjects aged 0-20 years (born 1983-2008) were collected from providers in the primary health care setting. Growth references for length/height-for-age, weight-for-length/height, and BMI-for-age were fitted using generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS). BMI percentile curves passing through BMIs 30, 25, 18.5, 17, and 16 kg/m(2) at the age of 18 years were calculated to define limits for obesity, overweight, and various grades of thinness. Increased length/height-for-age was seen in virtually all age-groups when compared to previous Finnish growth data from 1959 to 1971. Adult height was increased by 1.9 cm in girls and 1.8 cm in boys. The largest increases were seen during the peripubertal years: up to 2.8 cm in girls and 5.6 cm in boys. Median weight-for-length/height had not increased. New Finnish references for length/height-for-age, weight-for-length/height, and BMI-for-age were constructed and should be implemented to monitor growth of children in Finland.

Gap length distributions by PEPR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warszawer, T.N.

1980-01-01

Conditions guaranteeing exponential gap length distributions are formulated and discussed. Exponential gap length distributions of bubble chamber tracks first obtained on a CRT device are presented. Distributions of resulting average gap lengths and their velocity dependence are discussed. (orig.)

Detecting Scareware by Mining Variable Length Instruction Sequences

OpenAIRE

Shahzad, Raja Khurram; Lavesson, Niklas

2011-01-01

Scareware is a recent type of malicious software that may pose financial and privacy-related threats to novice users. Traditional countermeasures, such as anti-virus software, require regular updates and often lack the capability of detecting novel (unseen) instances. This paper presents a scareware detection method that is based on the application of machine learning algorithms to learn patterns in extracted variable length opcode sequences derived from instruction sequences of binary files....

Peyronie's Reconstruction for Maximum Length and Girth Gain: Geometrical Principles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo H. Egydio

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Peyronie's disease has been associated with penile shortening and some degree of erectile dysfunction. Surgical reconstruction should be based on giving a functional penis, that is, rectifying the penis with rigidity enough to make the sexual intercourse. The procedure should be discussed preoperatively in terms of length and girth reconstruction in order to improve patient satisfaction. The tunical reconstruction for maximum penile length and girth restoration should be based on the maximum length of the dissected neurovascular bundle possible and the application of geometrical principles to define the precise site and size of tunical incision and grafting procedure. As penile rectification and rigidity are required to achieve complete functional restoration of the penis and 20 to 54% of patients experience associated erectile dysfunction, penile straightening alone may not be enough to provide complete functional restoration. Therefore, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, self-injection, or penile prosthesis may need to be added in some cases.

The impact of precise robotic lesion length measurement on stent length selection: ramifications for stent savings.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Paul T; Kruse, Kevin R; Kroll, Christopher R; Patterson, Janet Y; Esposito, Michele J

2015-09-01

Coronary stent deployment outcomes can be negatively impacted by inaccurate lesion measurement and inappropriate stent length selection (SLS). We compared visual estimate of these parameters to those provided by the CorPath 200® Robotic PCI System. Sixty consecutive patients who underwent coronary stent placement utilizing the CorPath System were evaluated. The treating physician assessed orthogonal images and provided visual estimates of lesion length and SLS. The robotic system was then used for the same measures. SLS was considered to be accurate when visual estimate and robotic measures were in agreement. Visual estimate SLSs were considered to be "short" or "long" if they were below or above the robotic-selected stents, respectively. Only 35% (21/60) of visually estimated lesions resulted in accurate SLS, whereas 33% (20/60) and 32% (19/60) of the visually estimated SLSs were long and short, respectively. In 5 cases (8.3%), 1 less stent was placed based on the robotic lesion measurement being shorter than the visual estimate. Visual estimate assessment of lesion length and SLS is highly variable with 65% of the cases being inaccurately measured when compared to objective measures obtained from the robotic system. The 32% of the cases where lesions were visually estimated to be short represents cases that often require the use of extra stents after the full lesion is not covered by 1 stent [longitudinal geographic miss (LGM)]. Further, these data showed that the use of the robotic system prevented the use of extra stents in 8.3% of the cases. Measurement of lesions with robotic PCI may reduce measurement errors, need for extra stents, and LGM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study of force induced melting of dsDNA as a function of length and conformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danilowicz, Claudia; Hatch, Kristi; Conover, Alyson; Gunaratne, Ruwan; Coljee, Vincent; Prentiss, Mara; Ducas, Theodore

2010-01-01

We measure the constant force required to melt double-stranded (ds) DNA as a function of length for lengths from 12 to 100 000 base pairs, where the force is applied to the 3'3' or 5'5' ends of the dsDNA. Molecules with 32 base pairs or fewer melt before overstretching. For these short molecules, the melting force is independent of the ends to which the force is applied and the shear force as a function of length is well described by de Gennes theory with a de Gennes length of less than 10 bp. Molecules with lengths of 500 base pairs or more overstretch before melting. For these long molecules, the melting force depends on the ends to which the force is applied. The melting force as a function of length increases even when the length exceeds 1000 bp, where the length dependence is inconsistent with de Gennes theory. Finally, we expand de Gennes melting theory to 3'5' pulling and compare the predictions with experimental results.

Study on optimum length of raw material in stainless steel high-lock nuts forging

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Meiwen; Liu, Fenglei; Zhao, Qingyun; Wang, Lidong

2018-04-01

Taking 302 stainless steel (1Cr18Ni9) high-lock nuts for research objects, adjusting the length of raw material, then using DEFORM software to simulate the isothermal forging process of each station and conducting the corresponding field tests to study the effects of raw material size on the stainless steel high-lock nuts forming performance. The tests show that the samples of each raw material length is basically the same as the results of the DEFORM software. When the length of the raw material is 10mm, the appearance size of the parts can meet the design requirements.

The normal chain length distribution of the O antigen is required for the interaction of Shigella flexneri 2a with polarized Caco-2 cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anilei Hoare

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Shigella flexneri causes bacillary dysentery in humans. Essential to the establishment of the disease is the invasion of the colonic epithelial cells. Here we investigated the role of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS O antigen in the ability of S. flexneri to adhere to and invade polarized Caco-2 cells. The S. flexneri 2a O antigen has two preferred chain lengths: a short O antigen (S-OAg regulated by the WzzB protein and a very long O antigen (VL-OAg regulated by Wzz pHS2. Mutants with defined deletions of the genes required for O-antigen assembly and polymerization were constructed and assayed for their abilities to adhere to and enter cultured epithelial cells. The results show that both VL- and S-OAg are required for invasion through the basolateral cell membrane. In contrast, the absence of O antigen does not impair adhesion. Purified LPS does not act as a competitor for the invasion of Caco-2 cells by the wild-type strain, suggesting that LPS is not directly involved in the internalization process by epithelial cells.

Cutting Whole Length or Partial Length of Internal Anal Sphincter in Managementof Fissure in Ano

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Furat Shani Aoda

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A chronic anal fissure is a common painful perianal condition.The main operative procedure to treat this painful condition is a lateral internal sphincteretomy (LIS.The aim of study is to compare the outcome and complications of closed LIS up to the dentate line (whole length of internal sphincter or up to the fissure apex (partial length of internal sphincter in the treatment of anal fissure.It is a prospective comparativestudy including 100 patients with chronic fissure in ano. All patients assigned to undergo closed LIS. Those patients were randomly divided into two groups: 50 patients underwent LIS to the level of dentate line (whole length and other 50 patients underwent LIS to the level of fissure apex (partial length. Patients were followed up weekly in the 1st month, twice monthly in the second month then monthly   for next 2 months and finally after 1 year. There was satisfactory relief of pain in all patients in both groups & complete healing of the fissure occurred. Regarding post operative incontinence no major degree of incontinence occur in both group but minor degree of incontinence persists In 7 patients after whole length LIS after one year. In conclusion, both whole length & partial length LIS associated with improvement of pain, good chance of healing but whole length LIS associated with more chance of long term  flatus incontinence. Hence,we recommend partial length LIS as treatment forchronic anal fissure.

Telomere length and depression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wium-Andersen, Marie Kim; Ørsted, David Dynnes; Rode, Line

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Depression has been cross-sectionally associated with short telomeres as a measure of biological age. However, the direction and nature of the association is currently unclear. AIMS: We examined whether short telomere length is associated with depression cross-sectionally as well...... as prospectively and genetically. METHOD: Telomere length and three polymorphisms, TERT, TERC and OBFC1, were measured in 67 306 individuals aged 20-100 years from the Danish general population and associated with register-based attendance at hospital for depression and purchase of antidepressant medication....... RESULTS: Attendance at hospital for depression was associated with short telomere length cross-sectionally, but not prospectively. Further, purchase of antidepressant medication was not associated with short telomere length cross-sectionally or prospectively. Mean follow-up was 7.6 years (range 0...

All-optical, thermo-optical path length modulation based on the vanadium-doped fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Matjasec, Ziga; Campelj, Stanislav; Donlagic, Denis

2013-05-20

This paper presents an all-fiber, fully-optically controlled, optical-path length modulator based on highly absorbing optical fiber. The modulator utilizes a high-power 980 nm pump diode and a short section of vanadium-co-doped single mode fiber that is heated through absorption and a non-radiative relaxation process. The achievable path length modulation range primarily depends on the pump's power and the convective heat-transfer coefficient of the surrounding gas, while the time response primarily depends on the heated fiber's diameter. An absolute optical length change in excess of 500 µm and a time-constant as short as 11 ms, were demonstrated experimentally. The all-fiber design allows for an electrically-passive and remote operation of the modulator. The presented modulator could find use within various fiber-optics systems that require optical (remote) path length control or modulation.

Challenges in Human Resources Management for Sustainable Nuclear Power Generation: U.S. Perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodnight, Charles T.

2017-01-01

In the US, average 2-unit staffing is ~1,200 personnel; average 1-unit staffing is ~860 personnel. Staff per megawatt, electric (MWe) are much lower for 2-Unit plants due to economies of scale achieved in most work functions (maintenance, engineering, licensing/regulatory affairs, quality assurance, etc.) when a second reactor unit is present. Staffing models show GEN III/III+ and GEN IV reactors will have fewer personnel than GEN II plants. Staffing requirements have multiple drivers that must be taken into consideration

Dealing with time-varying recruitment and length in Hill-type muscle models.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamouda, Ahmed; Kenney, Laurence; Howard, David

2016-10-03

Hill-type muscle models are often used in muscle simulation studies and also in the design and virtual prototyping of functional electrical stimulation systems. These models have to behave in a sufficiently realistic manner when recruitment level and contractile element (CE) length change continuously. For this reason, most previous models have used instantaneous CE length in the muscle׳s force vs. length (F-L) relationship, but thereby neglect the instability problem on the descending limb (i.e. region of negative slope) of the F-L relationship. Ideally CE length at initial recruitment should be used but this requires a multiple-motor-unit muscle model to properly account for different motor-units having different initial lengths when recruited. None of the multiple-motor-unit models reported in the literature have used initial CE length in the muscle׳s F-L relationship, thereby also neglecting the descending limb instability problem. To address the problem of muscle modelling for continuously varying recruitment and length, and hence different values of initial CE length for different motor-units, a new multiple-motor-unit muscle model is presented which considers the muscle to comprise 1000 individual Hill-type virtual motor-units, which determine the total isometric force. Other parts of the model (F-V relationship and passive elements) are not dependent on the initial CE length and, therefore, they are implemented for the muscle as a whole rather than for the individual motor-units. The results demonstrate the potential errors introduced by using a single-motor-unit model and also the instantaneous CE length in the F-L relationship, both of which are common in FES control studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automatic Determination of Fiber-Length Distribution in Composite Material Using 3D CT Data

Science.gov (United States)

Teßmann, Matthias; Mohr, Stephan; Gayetskyy, Svitlana; Haßler, Ulf; Hanke, Randolf; Greiner, Günther

2010-12-01

Determining fiber length distribution in fiber reinforced polymer components is a crucial step in quality assurance, since fiber length has a strong influence on overall strength, stiffness, and stability of the material. The approximate fiber length distribution is usually determined early in the development process, as conventional methods require a destruction of the sample component. In this paper, a novel, automatic, and nondestructive approach for the determination of fiber length distribution in fiber reinforced polymers is presented. For this purpose, high-resolution computed tomography is used as imaging method together with subsequent image analysis for evaluation. The image analysis consists of an iterative process where single fibers are detected automatically in each iteration step after having applied image enhancement algorithms. Subsequently, a model-based approach is used together with a priori information in order to guide a fiber tracing and segmentation process. Thereby, the length of the segmented fibers can be calculated and a length distribution can be deduced. The performance and the robustness of the segmentation method is demonstrated by applying it to artificially generated test data and selected real components.

Recruitment and Employment of the Water Pollution Control Specialist.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrard, J. H.; Sherrard, F. A.

1979-01-01

Presented are the basic principles of personnel recruitment and employment for the water pollution control field. Attention is given to determination of staffing requirements, effective planning, labor sources, affirmative action, and staffing policies. (CS)

Integration of EEG lead placement templates into traditional technologist-based staffing models reduces costs in continuous video-EEG monitoring service.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolls, Brad J; Lai, Amy H; Srinivas, Anang A; Reid, Robert R

2014-06-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative cost reductions within different staffing models for continuous video-electroencephalography (cvEEG) service by introducing a template system for 10/20 lead application. We compared six staffing models using decision tree modeling based on historical service line utilization data from the cvEEG service at our center. Templates were integrated into technologist-based service lines in six different ways. The six models studied were templates for all studies, templates for intensive care unit (ICU) studies, templates for on-call studies, templates for studies of ≤ 24-hour duration, technologists for on-call studies, and technologists for all studies. Cost was linearly related to the study volume for all models with the "templates for all" model incurring the lowest cost. The "technologists for all" model carried the greatest cost. Direct cost comparison shows that any introduction of templates results in cost savings, with the templates being used for patients located in the ICU being the second most cost efficient and the most practical of the combined models to implement. Cost difference between the highest and lowest cost models under the base case produced an annual estimated savings of $267,574. Implementation of the ICU template model at our institution under base case conditions would result in a $205,230 savings over our current "technologist for all" model. Any implementation of templates into a technologist-based cvEEG service line results in cost savings, with the most significant annual savings coming from using the templates for all studies, but the most practical implementation approach with the second highest cost reduction being the template used in the ICU. The lowered costs determined in this work suggest that a template-based cvEEG service could be supported at smaller centers with significantly reduced costs and could allow for broader use of cvEEG patient monitoring.

Amplitude-independent flaw length determination using differential eddy current

Science.gov (United States)

Shell, E.

2013-01-01

Military engine component manufacturers typically specify the eddy current (EC) inspection requirements as a crack length or depth with the assumption that the cracks in both the test specimens and inspected component are of a similar fixed aspect ratio. However, differential EC response amplitude is dependent on the area of the crack face, not the length or depth. Additionally, due to complex stresses, in-service cracks do not always grow in the assumed manner. It would be advantageous to use more of the information contained in the EC data to better determine the full profile of cracks independent of the fixed aspect ratio amplitude response curve. A specimen with narrow width notches is used to mimic cracks of varying aspect ratios in a controllable manner. The specimen notches have aspect ratios that vary from 1:1 to 10:1. Analysis routines have been developed using the shape of the EC response signals that can determine the length of a surface flaw of common orientations without use of the amplitude of the signal or any supporting traditional probability of detection basis. Combined with the relationship between signal amplitude and area, the depth of the flaw can also be calculated.

Does safety climate moderate the influence of staffing adequacy and work conditions on nurse injuries?

Science.gov (United States)

Mark, Barbara A; Hughes, Linda C; Belyea, Michael; Chang, Yunkyung; Hofmann, David; Jones, Cheryl B; Bacon, Cynthia T

2007-01-01

Hospital nurses have one of the highest work-related injury rates in the United States. Yet, approaches to improving employee safety have generally focused on attempts to modify individual behavior through enforced compliance with safety rules and mandatory participation in safety training. We examined a theoretical model that investigated the impact on nurse injuries (back injuries and needlesticks) of critical structural variables (staffing adequacy, work engagement, and work conditions) and further tested whether safety climate moderated these effects. A longitudinal, non-experimental, organizational study, conducted in 281 medical-surgical units in 143 general acute care hospitals in the United States. Work engagement and work conditions were positively related to safety climate, but not directly to nurse back injuries or needlesticks. Safety climate moderated the relationship between work engagement and needlesticks, while safety climate moderated the effect of work conditions on both needlesticks and back injuries, although in unexpected ways. DISCUSSION AND IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Our findings suggest that positive work engagement and work conditions contribute to enhanced safety climate and can reduce nurse injuries.

Kidney Length in Normal Korean Children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, In One; Cheon, Jung Eun; Lee, Young Seok; Lee, Sun Wha; Kim, Ok Hwa; Kim, Ji Hye; Kim, Hong Dae; Sim, Jung Suk

2010-01-01

Renal length offers important information to detect or follow-up various renal diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the kidney length of normal Korean children in relation to age, height, weight, body surface area (BSA), and body mass index (BMI). Children between 1 month and 15 years of age without urological abnormality were recruited. Children below 3rd percentile and over 97th percentile for height or weight were excluded. Both renal lengths were measured in the prone position three times and then averaged by experienced radiologists. The mean length and standard deviation for each age group was obtained, and regression equation was calculated between renal length and age, weight, height, BSA, and BMI, respectively. Renal length was measured in 550 children. Renal length grows rapidly until 24 month, while the growth rate is reduced thereafter. The regression equation for age is: renal length (mm) = 45.953 + 1.064 x age (month, ≤ 24 months) (R2 = 0.720) or 62.173 + 0.203 x age (months, > 24 months) (R2 = 0.711). The regression equation for height is: renal length (mm) = 24.494 + 0.457 x height (cm) (R2 = 0.894). The regression equation for weight is: renal length (mm) = 38.342 + 2.117 x weight (kg, ≤18 kg) (R2 = 0.852) or 64.498 + 0.646 x weight (kg, > 18 kg) (R2 = 0.651). The regression equation for BSA is: renal length (mm) = 31.622 + 61.363 x BSA (m2, ≤ 0.7) (R2 = 0.857) or 52.717 + 29.959 x BSA (m2, > 0.7) (R2 = 0.715). The regression equation for BMI is: renal length (mm) = 44.474 + 1.163 x BMI (R2 = 0.079). This study provides data on the normal renal length and its association with age, weight, height, BSA and BMI. The results of this study will guide the detection and follow-up of renal diseases in Korean children

The comparison between the length of vertical dimension of occlusion and the length of thumb on undergraduate Mongoloid students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goh Li Teng

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The Thumb Rule of Leonardo da Vinci states that many proportions of the face show relationship with the length of thumb which is measured from the proximal tip of the proximal phalanx to the distal tip of the distal phalanx. Previous studies have shown that the length of the vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO is similar to the length of thumb of the Caucasoid race. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the length of VDO have correlations with the length of thumb among those of the Mongoloid race. This study took a survey method with the analytical cross-sectional approach. A total of 80 students of Faculty of Dentistry who have fulfilled all population criteria were randomly chosen to measure the length of VDO and the length of the thumb. Results analyzed with Student's t-test statistic revealed that there was a significant difference between males and females in the length of VDO and the length of the thumb, however, there was no significant difference between the length of VDO and the length of the thumb. There were very strong correlations (P<0.05 between the length of VDO and the length of the thumb. As a conclusion, the length of thumb can be suggested as an objective method to determine the length of VDO in this population.

The cost-effectiveness of physician staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) transport to a major trauma centre in NSW, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Colman; Jan, Stephen; Curtis, Kate; Tzannes, Alex; Li, Qiang; Palmer, Cameron; Dickson, Cara; Myburgh, John

2012-11-01

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) are highly resource-intensive facilities that are well established as part of trauma systems in many high-income countries. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a physician-staffed HEMS intervention in combination with treatment at a major trauma centre versus ground ambulance or indirect transport (via a referral hospital) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Cost and effectiveness estimates were derived from a cohort of trauma patients arriving at St George Hospital in NSW, Australia during an 11-year period. Adjusted estimates of in-hospital mortality were derived using logistic regression and adjusted hospital costs were estimated through a general linear model incorporating a gamma distribution and log link. These estimates along with other assumptions were incorporated into a Markov model with an annual cycle length to estimate a cost per life saved and a cost per life-year saved at one year and over a patient's lifetime respectively in three patient groups (all patients; patients with serious injury [Injury Severity Score>12]; patients with traumatic brain injury [TBI]). Results showed HEMS to be more costly but more effective at reducing in-hospital mortality leading to a cost per life saved of $1,566,379, $533,781 and $519,787 in all patients, patients with serious injury and patients with TBI respectively. When modelled over a patient's lifetime, the improved mortality associated with HEMS led to a cost per life year saved of $96,524, $50,035 and $49,159 in the three patient groups respectively. Sensitivity analyses revealed a higher probability of HEMS being cost-effective in patients with serious injury and TBI. Our investigation confirms a HEMS intervention is associated with improved mortality in trauma patients, especially in patients with serious injury and TBI. The improved benefit of HEMS in patients with serious injury and TBI leads to improved estimated cost-effectiveness. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier

Flame Length

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — Flame length was modeled using FlamMap, an interagency fire behavior mapping and analysis program that computes potential fire behavior characteristics. The tool...

Detection of an amphiphilic biosample in a paper microchannel based on length.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yu-Tzu; Yang, Jing-Tang

2015-01-01

We developed a simple method to achieve semiquantitative detection of an amphiphilic biosample through measuring the length of flow on a microfluidic analytical device (μPAD) based on paper. When an amphiphilic sample was dripped into a straight microchannel defined with a printed wax barrier (hydrophobic) on filter paper (hydrophilic), the length of flow was affected by the reciprocal effect between the sample, the filter-paper channel and the wax barrier. The flow length decreased with increasing concentration of an amphiphilic sample because of adsorption of the sample on the hydrophobic barrier. Measurement of the flow length enabled a determination of the concentration of the amphiphilic sample. The several tested samples included surfactants (Tween 20 and Triton X-100), oligonucleotides (DNA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), human albumin, nitrite, glucose and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The results show that the measurement of the flow length determined directly the concentration of an amphiphilic sample, whereas a non-amphiphilic sample was not amenable to this method. The proposed method features the advantages of small cost, simplicity, convenience, directness, rapidity (<5 min) and requirement of only a small volume (5 μL) of sample, with prospective applications in developing areas and sites near patients for testing at a point of care (POCT).

Purification and Fibrillation of Full-Length Recombinant PrP

OpenAIRE

Makarava, Natallia; Baskakov, Ilia V.

2012-01-01

Misfolding and aggregation of prion protein (PrP) is related to several neurodegenerative diseases in humans such as Creutzfeldt–Jacob disease, fatal familial insomnia, and Gerstmann–Straussler–Sheinker disease. Certain applications in prion area require recombinant PrP of high purity and quality. Here, we report an experimental procedure for expression and purification of full-length mammalian PrP. This protocol has been proved to yield PrP of extremely high purity that lac...

Automatic Determination of Fiber-Length Distribution in Composite Material Using 3D CT Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Günther Greiner

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Determining fiber length distribution in fiber reinforced polymer components is a crucial step in quality assurance, since fiber length has a strong influence on overall strength, stiffness, and stability of the material. The approximate fiber length distribution is usually determined early in the development process, as conventional methods require a destruction of the sample component. In this paper, a novel, automatic, and nondestructive approach for the determination of fiber length distribution in fiber reinforced polymers is presented. For this purpose, high-resolution computed tomography is used as imaging method together with subsequent image analysis for evaluation. The image analysis consists of an iterative process where single fibers are detected automatically in each iteration step after having applied image enhancement algorithms. Subsequently, a model-based approach is used together with a priori information in order to guide a fiber tracing and segmentation process. Thereby, the length of the segmented fibers can be calculated and a length distribution can be deduced. The performance and the robustness of the segmentation method is demonstrated by applying it to artificially generated test data and selected real components.

Intraflagellar transport particle size scales inversely with flagellar length: revisiting the balance-point length control model.

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, Benjamin D; Ludington, William B; Marshall, Wallace F

2009-10-05

The assembly and maintenance of eukaryotic flagella are regulated by intraflagellar transport (IFT), the bidirectional traffic of IFT particles (recently renamed IFT trains) within the flagellum. We previously proposed the balance-point length control model, which predicted that the frequency of train transport should decrease as a function of flagellar length, thus modulating the length-dependent flagellar assembly rate. However, this model was challenged by the differential interference contrast microscopy observation that IFT frequency is length independent. Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy to quantify protein traffic during the regeneration of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii flagella, we determined that anterograde IFT trains in short flagella are composed of more kinesin-associated protein and IFT27 proteins than trains in long flagella. This length-dependent remodeling of train size is consistent with the kinetics of flagellar regeneration and supports a revised balance-point model of flagellar length control in which the size of anterograde IFT trains tunes the rate of flagellar assembly.

A QoS-Based Dynamic Queue Length Scheduling Algorithm in Multiantenna Heterogeneous Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verikoukis Christos

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The use of real-time delay-sensitive applications in wireless systems has significantly grown during the last years. Therefore the designers of wireless systems have faced a challenging issue to guarantee the required Quality of Service (QoS. On the other hand, the recent advances and the extensive use of multiple antennas have already been included in several commercial standards, where the multibeam opportunistic transmission beamforming strategies have been proposed to improve the performance of the wireless systems. A cross-layer-based dynamically tuned queue length scheduler is presented in this paper, for the Downlink of multiuser and multiantenna WLAN systems with heterogeneous traffic requirements. To align with modern wireless systems transmission strategies, an opportunistic scheduling algorithm is employed, while a priority to the different traffic classes is applied. A tradeoff between the maximization of the throughput of the system and the guarantee of the maximum allowed delay is obtained. Therefore, the length of the queue is dynamically adjusted to select the appropriate conditions based on the operator requirements.

Nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries: a retrospective observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Aiken, Linda H; Sloane, Douglas M; Bruyneel, Luk; Van den Heede, Koen; Griffiths, Peter; Busse, Reinhard; Diomidous, Marianna; Kinnunen, Juha; Kózka, Maria; Lesaffre, Emmanuel; McHugh, Matthew D; Moreno-Casbas, M T; Rafferty, Anne Marie; Schwendimann, Rene; Scott, P Anne; Tishelman, Carol; van Achterberg, Theo; Sermeus, Walter

2014-05-24

Austerity measures and health-system redesign to minimise hospital expenditures risk adversely affecting patient outcomes. The RN4CAST study was designed to inform decision making about nursing, one of the largest components of hospital operating expenses. We aimed to assess whether differences in patient to nurse ratios and nurses' educational qualifications in nine of the 12 RN4CAST countries with similar patient discharge data were associated with variation in hospital mortality after common surgical procedures. For this observational study, we obtained discharge data for 422,730 patients aged 50 years or older who underwent common surgeries in 300 hospitals in nine European countries. Administrative data were coded with a standard protocol (variants of the ninth or tenth versions of the International Classification of Diseases) to estimate 30 day in-hospital mortality by use of risk adjustment measures including age, sex, admission type, 43 dummy variables suggesting surgery type, and 17 dummy variables suggesting comorbidities present at admission. Surveys of 26,516 nurses practising in study hospitals were used to measure nurse staffing and nurse education. We used generalised estimating equations to assess the effects of nursing factors on the likelihood of surgical patients dying within 30 days of admission, before and after adjusting for other hospital and patient characteristics. An increase in a nurses' workload by one patient increased the likelihood of an inpatient dying within 30 days of admission by 7% (odds ratio 1·068, 95% CI 1·031-1·106), and every 10% increase in bachelor's degree nurses was associated with a decrease in this likelihood by 7% (0·929, 0·886-0·973). These associations imply that patients in hospitals in which 60% of nurses had bachelor's degrees and nurses cared for an average of six patients would have almost 30% lower mortality than patients in hospitals in which only 30% of nurses had bachelor's degrees and nurses cared

Controlling the optical path length in turbid media using differential path-length spectroscopy: fiber diameter dependence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaspers, O. P.; Sterenborg, H. J. C. M.; Amelink, A.

2008-01-01

We have characterized the path length for the differential path-length spectroscopy (DPS) fiber optic geometry for a wide range of optical properties and for fiber diameters ranging from 200 mu m to 1000 mu m. Phantom measurements show that the path length is nearly constant for scattering

Mental and substance use disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa: predictions of epidemiological changes and mental health workforce requirements for the next 40 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Charlson, Fiona J; Diminic, Sandra; Lund, Crick; Degenhardt, Louisa; Whiteford, Harvey A

2014-01-01

The world is undergoing a rapid health transition, with an ageing population and disease burden increasingly defined by disability. In Sub-Saharan Africa the next 40 years are predicted to see reduced mortality, signalling a surge in the impact of chronic diseases. We modelled these epidemiological changes and associated mental health workforce requirements. Years lived with a disability (YLD) predictions for mental and substance use disorders for each decade from 2010 to 2050 for four Sub-Saharan African regions were calculated using Global Burden of Disease 2010 study (GBD 2010) data and UN population forecasts. Predicted mental health workforce requirements for 2010 and 2050, by region and for selected countries, were modelled using GBD 2010 prevalence estimates and recommended packages of care and staffing ratios for low- and middle-income countries, and compared to current staffing from the WHO Mental Health Atlas. Significant population growth and ageing will result in an estimated 130% increase in the burden of mental and substance use disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2050, to 45 million YLDs. As a result, the required mental health workforce will increase by 216,600 full time equivalent staff from 2010 to 2050, and far more compared to the existing workforce. The growth in mental and substance use disorders by 2050 is likely to significantly affect health and productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. To reduce this burden, packages of care for key mental disorders should be provided through increasing the mental health workforce towards targets outlined in this paper. This requires a shift from current practice in most African countries, involving substantial investment in the training of primary care practitioners, supported by district based mental health specialist teams using a task sharing model that mobilises local community resources, with the expansion of inpatient psychiatric units based in district and regional general hospitals.

Mental and substance use disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa: predictions of epidemiological changes and mental health workforce requirements for the next 40 years.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fiona J Charlson

Full Text Available The world is undergoing a rapid health transition, with an ageing population and disease burden increasingly defined by disability. In Sub-Saharan Africa the next 40 years are predicted to see reduced mortality, signalling a surge in the impact of chronic diseases. We modelled these epidemiological changes and associated mental health workforce requirements. Years lived with a disability (YLD predictions for mental and substance use disorders for each decade from 2010 to 2050 for four Sub-Saharan African regions were calculated using Global Burden of Disease 2010 study (GBD 2010 data and UN population forecasts. Predicted mental health workforce requirements for 2010 and 2050, by region and for selected countries, were modelled using GBD 2010 prevalence estimates and recommended packages of care and staffing ratios for low- and middle-income countries, and compared to current staffing from the WHO Mental Health Atlas. Significant population growth and ageing will result in an estimated 130% increase in the burden of mental and substance use disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2050, to 45 million YLDs. As a result, the required mental health workforce will increase by 216,600 full time equivalent staff from 2010 to 2050, and far more compared to the existing workforce. The growth in mental and substance use disorders by 2050 is likely to significantly affect health and productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. To reduce this burden, packages of care for key mental disorders should be provided through increasing the mental health workforce towards targets outlined in this paper. This requires a shift from current practice in most African countries, involving substantial investment in the training of primary care practitioners, supported by district based mental health specialist teams using a task sharing model that mobilises local community resources, with the expansion of inpatient psychiatric units based in district and regional general hospitals.

Mental and Substance Use Disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa: Predictions of Epidemiological Changes and Mental Health Workforce Requirements for the Next 40 Years

Science.gov (United States)

Charlson, Fiona J.; Diminic, Sandra; Lund, Crick; Degenhardt, Louisa; Whiteford, Harvey A.

2014-01-01

The world is undergoing a rapid health transition, with an ageing population and disease burden increasingly defined by disability. In Sub-Saharan Africa the next 40 years are predicted to see reduced mortality, signalling a surge in the impact of chronic diseases. We modelled these epidemiological changes and associated mental health workforce requirements. Years lived with a disability (YLD) predictions for mental and substance use disorders for each decade from 2010 to 2050 for four Sub-Saharan African regions were calculated using Global Burden of Disease 2010 study (GBD 2010) data and UN population forecasts. Predicted mental health workforce requirements for 2010 and 2050, by region and for selected countries, were modelled using GBD 2010 prevalence estimates and recommended packages of care and staffing ratios for low- and middle-income countries, and compared to current staffing from the WHO Mental Health Atlas. Significant population growth and ageing will result in an estimated 130% increase in the burden of mental and substance use disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2050, to 45 million YLDs. As a result, the required mental health workforce will increase by 216,600 full time equivalent staff from 2010 to 2050, and far more compared to the existing workforce. The growth in mental and substance use disorders by 2050 is likely to significantly affect health and productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. To reduce this burden, packages of care for key mental disorders should be provided through increasing the mental health workforce towards targets outlined in this paper. This requires a shift from current practice in most African countries, involving substantial investment in the training of primary care practitioners, supported by district based mental health specialist teams using a task sharing model that mobilises local community resources, with the expansion of inpatient psychiatric units based in district and regional general hospitals. PMID:25310010

The Development of a Human Systems Simulation Laboratory at Idaho National Laoboratory: Progress, Requirements and Lessons Learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gertman, David I.; LeBlanc, Katya L.; Phoenix, William; Mecham, Alan R.

2010-01-01

Next generation nuclear power plants and digital upgrades to the existing nuclear fleet introduce potential human performance issues in the control room. Safe application of new technologies calls for a thorough understanding of how those technologies affect human performance and in turn, plant safety. In support of advancing human factors for small modular reactors and light water reactor sustainability, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has developed a reconfigurable simulation laboratory capable of testing human performance in multiple nuclear power plant (NPP) control room simulations. This paper discusses the laboratory infrastructure and capabilities, the laboratory's staffing requirements, lessons learned, and the researcher's approach to measuring human performance in the simulation lab.

An Engineering Method of Civil Jet Requirements Validation Based on Requirements Project Principle

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yue; Gao, Dan; Mao, Xuming

2018-03-01

A method of requirements validation is developed and defined to meet the needs of civil jet requirements validation in product development. Based on requirements project principle, this method will not affect the conventional design elements, and can effectively connect the requirements with design. It realizes the modern civil jet development concept, which is “requirement is the origin, design is the basis”. So far, the method has been successfully applied in civil jet aircraft development in China. Taking takeoff field length as an example, the validation process and the validation method of the requirements are detailed introduced in the study, with the hope of providing the experiences to other civil jet product design.

The length of the male urethra

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tobias. S. Kohler

2008-08-01

Full Text Available PURPOSE: Catheter-based medical devices are an important component of the urologic armamentarium. To our knowledge, there is no population-based data regarding normal male urethral length. We evaluated the length of the urethra in men with normal genitourinary anatomy undergoing either Foley catheter removal or standard cystoscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male urethral length was obtained in 109 men. After study permission was obtained, the subject's penis was placed on a gentle stretch and the catheter was marked at the tip of the penis. The catheter was then removed and the distance from the mark to the beginning of the re-inflated balloon was measured. Alternatively, urethral length was measured at the time of cystoscopy, on removal of the cystoscope. Data on age, weight, and height was obtained in patients when possible. RESULTS: The mean urethral length was 22.3 cm with a standard deviation of 2.4 cm. Urethral length varied between 15 cm and 29 cm. No statistically significant correlation was found between urethral length and height, weight, body mass index (BMI, or age. CONCLUSIONS: Literature documenting the length of the normal male adult urethra is scarce. Our data adds to basic anatomic information of the male urethra and may be used to optimize genitourinary device design.

Short Rayleigh Length Free Electron Lasers

CERN Document Server

Crooker, P P; Armstead, R L; Blau, J

2004-01-01

Conventional free electron laser (FEL) oscillators minimize the optical mode volume around the electron beam in the undulator by making the resonator Rayleigh length about one third of the undulator length. This maximizes gain and beam-mode coupling. In compact configurations of high-power infrared FELs or moderate power UV FELs, the resulting optical intensity can damage the resonator mirrors. To increase the spot size and thereby reduce the optical intensity at the mirrors below the damage threshold, a shorter Rayleigh length can be used, but the FEL interaction is significantly altered. A new FEL interaction is described and analyzed with a Rayleigh length that is only one tenth the undulator length, or less. The effect of mirror vibration and positioning are more critical in the short Rayleigh length design, but we find that they are still within normal design tolerances.

Dynamic Allan Variance Analysis Method with Time-Variant Window Length Based on Fuzzy Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shanshan Gu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available To solve the problem that dynamic Allan variance (DAVAR with fixed length of window cannot meet the identification accuracy requirement of fiber optic gyro (FOG signal over all time domains, a dynamic Allan variance analysis method with time-variant window length based on fuzzy control is proposed. According to the characteristic of FOG signal, a fuzzy controller with the inputs of the first and second derivatives of FOG signal is designed to estimate the window length of the DAVAR. Then the Allan variances of the signals during the time-variant window are simulated to obtain the DAVAR of the FOG signal to describe the dynamic characteristic of the time-varying FOG signal. Additionally, a performance evaluation index of the algorithm based on radar chart is proposed. Experiment results show that, compared with different fixed window lengths DAVAR methods, the change of FOG signal with time can be identified effectively and the evaluation index of performance can be enhanced by 30% at least by the DAVAR method with time-variant window length based on fuzzy control.

Comparison of reconfigurable structures for flexible word-length multiplication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. A. Pfänder

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Binary multiplication continues to be one of the essential arithmetic operations in digital circuits. Even though field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs are becoming more and more powerful these days, the vendors cannot avoid implementing multiplications with high word-lengths using embedded blocks instead of configurable logic. But on the other hand, the circuit's efficiency decreases if the provided word-length of the hard-wired multipliers exceeds the precision requirements of the algorithm mapped into the FPGA. Thus it is beneficial to use multiplier blocks with configurable word-length, optimized for area, speed and power dissipation, e.g. regarding digital signal processing (DSP applications.

In this contribution, we present different approaches and structures for the realization of a multiplication with variable precision and perform an objective comparison. This includes one approach based on a modified Baugh and Wooley algorithm and three structures using Booth's arithmetic operand recoding with different array structures. All modules have the option to compute signed two's complement fix-point numbers either as an individual computing unit or interconnected to a superior array. Therefore, a high throughput at low precision through parallelism, or a high precision through concatenation can be achieved.

A new subgrid characteristic length for turbulence simulations on anisotropic grids

Science.gov (United States)

Trias, F. X.; Gorobets, A.; Silvis, M. H.; Verstappen, R. W. C. P.; Oliva, A.

2017-11-01

Direct numerical simulations of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are not feasible yet for most practical turbulent flows. Therefore, dynamically less complex mathematical formulations are necessary for coarse-grained simulations. In this regard, eddy-viscosity models for Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) are probably the most popular example thereof. This type of models requires the calculation of a subgrid characteristic length which is usually associated with the local grid size. For isotropic grids, this is equal to the mesh step. However, for anisotropic or unstructured grids, such as the pancake-like meshes that are often used to resolve near-wall turbulence or shear layers, a consensus on defining the subgrid characteristic length has not been reached yet despite the fact that it can strongly affect the performance of LES models. In this context, a new definition of the subgrid characteristic length is presented in this work. This flow-dependent length scale is based on the turbulent, or subgrid stress, tensor and its representations on different grids. The simplicity and mathematical properties suggest that it can be a robust definition that minimizes the effects of mesh anisotropies on simulation results. The performance of the proposed subgrid characteristic length is successfully tested for decaying isotropic turbulence and a turbulent channel flow using artificially refined grids. Finally, a simple extension of the method for unstructured meshes is proposed and tested for a turbulent flow around a square cylinder. Comparisons with existing subgrid characteristic length scales show that the proposed definition is much more robust with respect to mesh anisotropies and has a great potential to be used in complex geometries where highly skewed (unstructured) meshes are present.

Axial length elongation in adults with long-standing unilateral traumatic cataract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonel Steffen

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Unilateral eye elongation with resultant axial myopia has been reported to occur secondary to visual deprivation from birth or early childhood. Acquired axial length elongation secondary to visual deprivation in adults has rarely been reported. Aim: To report acquired axial myopia in adults with visual deprivation due to long-standing unilateral traumatic cataract. Methods: Eleven consecutive adult patients who presented for cataract surgery with unilateral, long-standing, mature, traumatic cataracts and an interocular axial length difference of more than 1 mm were studied. Patients with a post-operative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA of < 6/12 were excluded to rule out possible pre-existing anisometropic amblyopia. Results: Of the 11 patients with significant interocular axial length difference, 5 patients were excluded on the basis of possible pre-existing amblyopia. The remaining 6 patients had final BCVA of 6/12 or better. The median length of the cataractous eyes was 2.83 mm longer than the fellow eyes (range 1.12 mm – 3.52 mm. The intraocular lens power required for emmetropia was 6.8 dioptres (range 3.5 dioptres – 11.5 dioptres less in the cataractous eyes. A refractive outcome within 1 dioptre of the target refraction was achieved in all patients. The median delay between ocular trauma and cataract surgery was 20 years (range 8–24 years. Conclusion: Significant unilateral axial length elongation may occur in adults with longstanding traumatic cataracts and visual deprivation. A potential correlation may exist between delay to surgery and degree of axial length difference. This rare phenomenon must be considered when determining intraocular lens power to avoid post-operative refractive surprises.

Length dependent properties of SNS microbridges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sauvageau, J.E.; Jain, R.K.; Li, K.; Lukens, J.E.; Ono, R.H.

1985-01-01

Using an in-situ, self-aligned deposition scheme, arrays of variable length SNS junctions in the range of 0.05 μm to 1 μm have been fabricated. Arrays of SNS microbridges of lead-copper and niobium-copper fabricated using this technique have been used to study the length dependence, at constant temperature, of the critical current I and bridge resistance R /SUB d/ . For bridges with lengths pounds greater than the normal metal coherence length xi /SUB n/ (T), the dependence of I /SUB c/ on L is consistent with an exponential dependence on the reduced length l=L/xi /SUB n/ (T). For shorter bridges, deviations from this behavior is seen. It was also found that the bridge resistance R /SUB d/ does not vary linearly with the geometric bridge length but appears to approach a finite value as L→O

Characteristics of Public, Private, and Bureau of Indian Education Elementary and Secondary School Teachers in the United States: Results From the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey. First Look. NCES 2009-324

Science.gov (United States)

Coopersmith, Jared

2009-01-01

This report presents selected findings from the school teacher data files of the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is a nationally representative sample survey of public, private, and Bureau of Indian Education-funded (BIE) K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The public school…

Effective Debye length in closed nanoscopic systems: a competition between two length scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Tessier, Frédéric; Slater, Gary W

2006-02-01

The Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PBE) is widely employed in fields where the thermal motion of free ions is relevant, in particular in situations involving electrolytes in the vicinity of charged surfaces. The applications of this non-linear differential equation usually concern open systems (in osmotic equilibrium with an electrolyte reservoir, a semi-grand canonical ensemble), while solutions for closed systems (where the number of ions is fixed, a canonical ensemble) are either not appropriately distinguished from the former or are dismissed as a numerical calculation exercise. We consider herein the PBE for a confined, symmetric, univalent electrolyte and quantify how, in addition to the Debye length, its solution also depends on a second length scale, which embodies the contribution of ions by the surface (which may be significant in high surface-to-volume ratio micro- or nanofluidic capillaries). We thus establish that there are four distinct regimes for such systems, corresponding to the limits of the two parameters. We also show how the PBE in this case can be formulated in a familiar way by simply replacing the traditional Debye length by an effective Debye length, the value of which is obtained numerically from conservation conditions. But we also show that a simple expression for the value of the effective Debye length, obtained within a crude approximation, remains accurate even as the system size is reduced to nanoscopic dimensions, and well beyond the validity range typically associated with the solution of the PBE.

Sighting optics including an optical element having a first focal length and a second focal length

Science.gov (United States)

Crandall, David Lynn [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-08-01

One embodiment of sighting optics according to the teachings provided herein may include a front sight and a rear sight positioned in spaced-apart relation. The rear sight includes an optical element having a first focal length and a second focal length. The first focal length is selected so that it is about equal to a distance separating the optical element and the front sight and the second focal length is selected so that it is about equal to a target distance. The optical element thus brings into simultaneous focus, for a user, images of the front sight and the target.

length-weight relationhip of freshwater wild fish species

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Naeem

2012-06-21

Jun 21, 2012 ... Length-weight (LWR) and length-length relationships (LLR) were determined for a freshwater catfish ... Key words: Mystus bleekeri, length-weight relationship, length-length relationship, predictive equations. INTRODUCTION. Mystus bleekeri (freshwater catfish Day, 1877), locally ..... fish farmers, Aquacult.

Nurses' shift length and overtime working in 12 European countries: the association with perceived quality of care and patient safety

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Griffiths, P.; Dall'Ora, C.; Simon, M.; Ball, J.; Lindqvist, R.; Rafferty, A.M.; Schoonhoven, L.; Tishelman, C.; Aiken, L.H.; et al.,

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Despite concerns as to whether nurses can perform reliably and effectively when working longer shifts, a pattern of two 12- to 13-hour shifts per day is becoming common in many hospitals to reduce shift to shift handovers, staffing overlap, and hence costs. OBJECTIVES: To describe shift

78 FR 44915 - Turtles Intrastate and Interstate Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-25

.... FDA-2013-N-0639] Turtles Intrastate and Interstate Requirements AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration... turtle eggs and live turtles with a carapace length of less than 4 inches to remove procedures for... viable turtle eggs and turtles with a carapace length of less than 4 inches to stop the spread of turtle...

Type of Valvular Heart Disease Requiring Surgery in the 21st Century: Mortality and Length-of-Stay Related to Surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Boudoulas, Konstantinos Dean; Ravi, Yazhini; Garcia, Daniel; Saini, Uksha; Sofowora, Gbemiga G.; Gumina, Richard J.; Sai-Sudhakar, Chittoor B.

2013-01-01

Aim: While the incidence of rheumatic heart disease has declined dramatically over the last half-century, the number of valve surgeries has not changed. This study was undertaken to define the most common type of valvular heart disease requiring surgery today, and determine in-hospital surgical mortality and length-of-stay (LOS) for isolated aortic or mitral valve surgery in a United States tertiary-care hospital. Methods: Patients with valve surgery between January 2002 to June 2008 at The Ohio State University Medical Center were studied. Patients only with isolated aortic or mitral valve surgery were analyzed. Results: From 915 patients undergoing at least aortic or mitral valve surgery, the majority had concomitant cardiac proce-dures mostly coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG); only 340 patients had isolated aortic (n=204) or mitral (n=136) valve surgery. In-hospital surgical mortality for mitral regurgitation (n=119), aortic stenosis (n=151), aortic insufficiency (n=53) and mitral stenosis (n=17) was 2.5% (replacement 3.4%; repair 1.6%), 3.9%, 5.6% and 5.8%, respectively (p=NS). Median LOS for aortic insufficiency, aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, and mitral stenosis was 7, 8, 9 (replacement 11.5; repair 7) and 11 days, respectively (p<0.05 for group). In-hospital surgical mortality for single valve surgery plus CABG was 10.2% (p<0.005 compared to single valve surgery). Conclusions: Aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation are the most common valvular lesions requiring surgery today. Surgery for isolated aortic or mitral valve disease has low in-hospital mortality with modest LOS. Concomitant CABG with valve surgery increases mortality substantially. Hospital analysis is needed to monitor quality and stimulate improvement among Institutions. PMID:24339838

Correcting length-frequency distributions for imperfect detection

Science.gov (United States)

Breton, André R.; Hawkins, John A.; Winkelman, Dana L.

2013-01-01

Sampling gear selects for specific sizes of fish, which may bias length-frequency distributions that are commonly used to assess population size structure, recruitment patterns, growth, and survival. To properly correct for sampling biases caused by gear and other sources, length-frequency distributions need to be corrected for imperfect detection. We describe a method for adjusting length-frequency distributions when capture and recapture probabilities are a function of fish length, temporal variation, and capture history. The method is applied to a study involving the removal of Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu by boat electrofishing from a 38.6-km reach on the Yampa River, Colorado. Smallmouth Bass longer than 100 mm were marked and released alive from 2005 to 2010 on one or more electrofishing passes and removed on all other passes from the population. Using the Huggins mark–recapture model, we detected a significant effect of fish total length, previous capture history (behavior), year, pass, year×behavior, and year×pass on capture and recapture probabilities. We demonstrate how to partition the Huggins estimate of abundance into length frequencies to correct for these effects. Uncorrected length frequencies of fish removed from Little Yampa Canyon were negatively biased in every year by as much as 88% relative to mark–recapture estimates for the smallest length-class in our analysis (100–110 mm). Bias declined but remained high even for adult length-classes (≥200 mm). The pattern of bias across length-classes was variable across years. The percentage of unadjusted counts that were below the lower 95% confidence interval from our adjusted length-frequency estimates were 95, 89, 84, 78, 81, and 92% from 2005 to 2010, respectively. Length-frequency distributions are widely used in fisheries science and management. Our simple method for correcting length-frequency estimates for imperfect detection could be widely applied when mark–recapture data

Modified forest rotation lengths: Long-term effects on landscape-scale habitat availability for specialized species.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberge, Jean-Michel; Öhman, Karin; Lämås, Tomas; Felton, Adam; Ranius, Thomas; Lundmark, Tomas; Nordin, Annika

2018-03-15

We evaluated the long-term implications from modifying rotation lengths in production forests for four forest-reliant species with different habitat requirements. By combining simulations of forest development with habitat models, and accounting both for stand and landscape scale influences, we projected habitat availability over 150 years in a large Swedish landscape, using rotation lengths which are longer (+22% and +50%) and shorter (-22%) compared to current practices. In terms of mean habitat availability through time, species requiring older forest were affected positively by extended rotations, and negatively by shortened rotations. For example, the mean habitat area for the treecreeper Certhia familiaris (a bird preferring forest with larger trees) increased by 31% when rotations were increased by 22%, at a 5% cost to net present value (NPV) and a 7% decrease in harvested volume. Extending rotation lengths by 50% provided more habitat for this species compared to a 22% extension, but at a much higher marginal cost. In contrast, the beetle Hadreule elongatula, which is dependent on sun-exposed dead wood, benefited from shortened rather than prolonged rotations. Due to an uneven distribution of stand-ages within the landscape, the relative amounts of habitat provided by different rotation length scenarios for a given species were not always consistent through time during the simulation period. If implemented as a conservation measure, prolonging rotations will require long-term strategic planning to avoid future bottlenecks in habitat availability, and will need to be accompanied by complementary measures accounting for the diversity of habitats necessary for the conservation of forest biodiversity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Implementation of a mechanical CPR device in a physician staffed HEMS - a prospective observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rauch, Simon; Strapazzon, Giacomo; Brodmann, Monika; Fop, Ernst; Masoner, Christian; Rauch, Lydia; Forti, Alessandro; Pietsch, Urs; Mair, Peter; Brugger, Hermann

2018-04-28

In this prospective, observational study we describe the incidence and characteristics of out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) cases who received mechanical CPR, after the implementation of a mechanical CPR device (LUCAS 2; Physio Control, Redmond, WA, USA) in a physician staffed helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) in South Tyrol, Italy. During the study period (06/2013-04/2016), 525 OHCA cases were registered by the dispatch centre, 271 (51.6%) were assisted by HEMS. LUCAS 2 was applied in 18 (6.6%) of all HEMS-assisted OHCA patients; ten were treated with LUCAS 2 at the scene only, and eight were transported to hospital with ongoing CPR. Two (11.1%) of the 18 patients survived long term with full neurologic recovery. In seven of eight patients transferred to hospital with ongoing CPR, CPR was ceased in the emergency room without further intervention. Retrospectively, all HEMS-assisted OHCA cases were screened for proposed indication criteria for prolonged CPR. Thirteen patients fulfilled these criteria, but only two of them were transported to hospital. Based on these results, we propose a standard operating procedure for HEMS-assisted patients with refractory OHCA in a region without hospitals with ECLS capacity.

Research On Variable-Length Transfer Delay and Delayed Signal Cancellation Based PLLs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Golestan, Saeed; Guerrero, Josep M.; Quintero, Juan Carlos Vasquez

2018-01-01

large frequency drifts are anticipated and a high accuracy is required. To the best of authors' knowledge, the small-signal modeling of a variable-length delay-based PLL has not yet been conducted. The main aim of this paper is to cover this gap. The tuning procedure and analysis of these PLLs...

Use of computed tomography assessed kidney length to predict split renal GFR in living kidney donors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaillard, Francois; Fournier, Catherine; Leon, Carine; Legendre, Christophe [Paris Descartes University, AP-HP, Hopital Necker-Enfants Malades, Renal Transplantation Department, Paris (France); Pavlov, Patrik [Linkoeping University, Linkoeping (Sweden); Tissier, Anne-Marie; Correas, Jean-Michel [Paris Descartes University, AP-HP, Hopital Necker-Enfants Malades, Radiology Department, Paris (France); Harache, Benoit; Hignette, Chantal; Weinmann, Pierre [Paris Descartes University, AP-HP, Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou, Nuclear Medicine Department, Paris (France); Eladari, Dominique [Paris Descartes University, and INSERM, Unit 970, AP-HP, Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou, Physiology Department, Paris (France); Timsit, Marc-Olivier; Mejean, Arnaud [Paris Descartes University, AP-HP, Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou, Urology Department, Paris (France); Friedlander, Gerard; Courbebaisse, Marie [Paris Descartes University, and INSERM, Unit 1151, AP-HP, Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou, Physiology Department, Paris (France); Houillier, Pascal [Paris Descartes University, INSERM, Unit umrs1138, and CNRS Unit erl8228, AP-HP, Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou, Physiology Department, Paris (France)

2017-02-15

Screening of living kidney donors may require scintigraphy to split glomerular filtration rate (GFR). To determine the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) to split GFR, we compared scintigraphy-split GFR to CT-split GFR. We evaluated CT-split GFR as a screening test to detect scintigraphy-split GFR lower than 40 mL/min/1.73 m{sup 2}/kidney. This was a monocentric retrospective study on 346 potential living donors who had GFR measurement, renal scintigraphy, and CT. We predicted GFR for each kidney by splitting GFR using the following formula: Volume-split GFR for a given kidney = measured GFR*[volume of this kidney/(volume of this kidney + volume of the opposite kidney)]. The same formula was used for length-split GFR. We compared length- and volume-split GFR to scintigraphy-split GFR at donation and with a 4-year follow-up. A better correlation was observed between length-split GFR and scintigraphy-split GFR (r = 0.92) than between volume-split GFR and scintigraphy-split GFR (r = 0.89). A length-split GFR threshold of 45 mL/min/1.73 m{sup 2}/kidney had a sensitivity of 100 % and a specificity of 75 % to detect scintigraphy-split GFR less than 40 mL/min/1.73 m{sup 2}/kidney. Both techniques with their respective thresholds detected living donors with similar eGFR evolution during follow-up. Length-split GFR can be used to detect patients requiring scintigraphy. (orig.)

Use of computed tomography assessed kidney length to predict split renal GFR in living kidney donors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaillard, Francois; Fournier, Catherine; Leon, Carine; Legendre, Christophe; Pavlov, Patrik; Tissier, Anne-Marie; Correas, Jean-Michel; Harache, Benoit; Hignette, Chantal; Weinmann, Pierre; Eladari, Dominique; Timsit, Marc-Olivier; Mejean, Arnaud; Friedlander, Gerard; Courbebaisse, Marie; Houillier, Pascal

2017-01-01

Screening of living kidney donors may require scintigraphy to split glomerular filtration rate (GFR). To determine the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) to split GFR, we compared scintigraphy-split GFR to CT-split GFR. We evaluated CT-split GFR as a screening test to detect scintigraphy-split GFR lower than 40 mL/min/1.73 m"2/kidney. This was a monocentric retrospective study on 346 potential living donors who had GFR measurement, renal scintigraphy, and CT. We predicted GFR for each kidney by splitting GFR using the following formula: Volume-split GFR for a given kidney = measured GFR*[volume of this kidney/(volume of this kidney + volume of the opposite kidney)]. The same formula was used for length-split GFR. We compared length- and volume-split GFR to scintigraphy-split GFR at donation and with a 4-year follow-up. A better correlation was observed between length-split GFR and scintigraphy-split GFR (r = 0.92) than between volume-split GFR and scintigraphy-split GFR (r = 0.89). A length-split GFR threshold of 45 mL/min/1.73 m"2/kidney had a sensitivity of 100 % and a specificity of 75 % to detect scintigraphy-split GFR less than 40 mL/min/1.73 m"2/kidney. Both techniques with their respective thresholds detected living donors with similar eGFR evolution during follow-up. Length-split GFR can be used to detect patients requiring scintigraphy. (orig.)

Atom-dimer scattering in a heteronuclear mixture with a finite intraspecies scattering length

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Chao; Zhang, Peng

2018-04-01

We study the three-body problem of two ultracold identical bosonic atoms (denoted by B ) and one extra atom (denoted by X ), where the scattering length aB X between each bosonic atom and atom X is resonantly large and positive. We calculate the scattering length aad between one bosonic atom and the shallow dimer formed by the other bosonic atom and atom X , and investigate the effect induced by the interaction between the two bosonic atoms. We find that even if this interaction is weak (i.e., the corresponding scattering length aB B is of the same order of the van der Waals length rvdW or even smaller), it can still induce a significant effect for the atom-dimer scattering length aad. Explicitly, an atom-dimer scattering resonance can always occur when the value of aB B varies in the region with | aB B|≲ rvdW . As a result, both the sign and the absolute value of aad, as well as the behavior of the aad-aB X function, depends sensitively on the exact value of aB B. Our results show that, for a good quantitative theory, the intraspecies interaction is required to be taken into account for this heteronuclear system, even if this interaction is weak.

Out-of-office hours' elective surgical intensive care admissions and their associated complications.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, David J R; Ho, Kwok Ming; Ong, Yang Jian; Kolybaba, Marlene L

2017-11-01

The 'weekend' effect is a controversial theory that links reduced staffing levels, staffing seniority and supportive services at hospitals during 'out-of-office hours' time periods with worsening patient outcomes. It is uncertain whether admitting elective surgery patients to intensive care units (ICU) during 'out-of-office hours' time periods mitigates this affect through higher staffing ratios and seniority. Over a 3-year period in Western Australia's largest private hospital, this retrospective nested-cohort study compared all elective surgical patients admitted to the ICU based on whether their admission occurred 'in-office hours' (Monday-Friday 08.00-18.00 hours) or 'out-of-office hours' (all other times). The main outcomes were surgical complications using the Dindo-Clavien classification and length-of-stay data. Of the total 4363 ICU admissions, 3584 ICU admissions were planned following elective surgery resulting in 2515 (70.2%) in-office hours and 1069 (29.8%) out-of-office hours elective ICU surgical admissions. Out-of-office hours ICU admissions following elective surgery were associated with an increased risk of infection (P = 0.029), blood transfusion (P = 0.020), total parental nutrition (P office hours ICU admissions were also associated with an increased hospital length-of-stay, with (1.74 days longer, P office hours ICU admissions following elective surgery is common and associated with serious post-operative complications culminating in significantly longer hospital length-of-stays and greater transfers with important patient and health economic implications. © 2017 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Assessment of activities performed by clinical nurse practitioners and implications for staffing and patient care at primary health care level in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jude Igumbor

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background: The shortage of nurses in public healthcare facilities in South Africa is well documented; finding creative solutions to this problem remains a priority. Objective: This study sought to establish the amount of time that clinical nurse practitioners (CNPs in one district of the Western Cape spend on clinical services and the implications for staffing and skills mix in order to deliver quality patient care. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted across 15 purposively selected clinics providing primary health services in 5 sub-districts. The frequency of activities and time CNPs spent on each activity in fixed and mobile clinics were recorded. Time spent on activities and health facility staff profiles were correlated and predictors of the total time spent by CNPs with patients were identified. Results: The time spent on clinical activities was associated with the number of CNPs in the facilities. CNPs in fixed clinics spent a median time of about 13 minutes with each patient whereas CNPs in mobile clinics spent 3 minutes. Fixed-clinic CNPs also spent more time on their non-core functions than their core functions, more time with patients, and saw fewer patients compared to mobile-clinic CNPs. Conclusions: The findings give insight into the time CNPs in rural fixed and mobile clinics spend with their patients, and how patient caseload may affect consultation times. Two promising strategies were identified – task shifting and adjustments in health workerd eployment – as ways to address staffing and skills mix, which skills mix creates the potential for using healthcare workers fully whilst enhancing the long-term health of these rural communities.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education resident duty hour new standards: history, changes, and impact on staffing of intensive care units.

Science.gov (United States)

Pastores, Stephen M; O'Connor, Michael F; Kleinpell, Ruth M; Napolitano, Lena; Ward, Nicholas; Bailey, Heatherlee; Mollenkopf, Fred P; Coopersmith, Craig M

2011-11-01

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recently released new standards for supervision and duty hours for residency programs. These new standards, which will affect over 100,000 residents, take effect in July 2011. In response to these new guidelines, the Society of Critical Care Medicine convened a task force to develop a white paper on the impact of changes in resident duty hours on the critical care workforce and staffing of intensive care units. A multidisciplinary group of professionals with expertise in critical care education and clinical practice. Relevant medical literature was accessed through a systematic MEDLINE search and by requesting references from all task force members. Material published by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and other specialty organizations was also reviewed. Collaboratively and iteratively, the task force corresponded by electronic mail and held several conference calls to finalize this report. The new rules mandate that all first-year residents work no more than 16 hrs continuously, preserving the 80-hr limit on the resident workweek and 10-hr period between duty periods. More senior trainees may work a maximum of 24 hrs continuously, with an additional 4 hrs permitted for handoffs. Strategic napping is strongly suggested for trainees working longer shifts. Compliance with the new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education duty-hour standards will compel workflow restructuring in intensive care units, which depend on residents to provide a substantial portion of care. Potential solutions include expanded utilization of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, telemedicine, offering critical care training positions to emergency medicine residents, and partnerships with hospitalists. Additional research will be necessary to evaluate the impact of the new standards on patient safety, continuity of care, resident learning, and staffing in the intensive care unit.

Fragment Length of Circulating Tumor DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Underhill, Hunter R; Kitzman, Jacob O; Hellwig, Sabine; Welker, Noah C; Daza, Riza; Baker, Daniel N; Gligorich, Keith M; Rostomily, Robert C; Bronner, Mary P; Shendure, Jay

2016-07-01

Malignant tumors shed DNA into the circulation. The transient half-life of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may afford the opportunity to diagnose, monitor recurrence, and evaluate response to therapy solely through a non-invasive blood draw. However, detecting ctDNA against the normally occurring background of cell-free DNA derived from healthy cells has proven challenging, particularly in non-metastatic solid tumors. In this study, distinct differences in fragment length size between ctDNAs and normal cell-free DNA are defined. Human ctDNA in rat plasma derived from human glioblastoma multiforme stem-like cells in the rat brain and human hepatocellular carcinoma in the rat flank were found to have a shorter principal fragment length than the background rat cell-free DNA (134-144 bp vs. 167 bp, respectively). Subsequently, a similar shift in the fragment length of ctDNA in humans with melanoma and lung cancer was identified compared to healthy controls. Comparison of fragment lengths from cell-free DNA between a melanoma patient and healthy controls found that the BRAF V600E mutant allele occurred more commonly at a shorter fragment length than the fragment length of the wild-type allele (132-145 bp vs. 165 bp, respectively). Moreover, size-selecting for shorter cell-free DNA fragment lengths substantially increased the EGFR T790M mutant allele frequency in human lung cancer. These findings provide compelling evidence that experimental or bioinformatic isolation of a specific subset of fragment lengths from cell-free DNA may improve detection of ctDNA.

Thermal significance of fission-track length distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowley, K.D.

1985-01-01

The semi-analytical solution of an equation describing the production and shortening of fission tracks in apatite suggests that certain thermal histories have unique length-distribution 'signatures'. Isothermal-heating histories should be characterized by flattened, length-shortened distributions; step-heating histories should be characterized by bimodal track length distributions; and linear-cooling histories should be characterized by negatively skewed, length-shortened distributions. The model formulated here to investigate track length distributions can be used to constrain the thermal histories of natural samples for which unbiased track length data are available - provided that the geologic history of the system of interest can be used to partially constrain one of the unknowns in the model equations, time or temperature. (author)

Screening length in dusty plasma crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikolaev, V S; Timofeev, A V

2016-01-01

Particles interaction and value of the screening length in dusty plasma systems are of great interest in dusty plasma area. Three inter-particle potentials (Debye potential, Gurevich potential and interaction potential in the weakly collisional regime) are used to solve equilibrium equations for two dusty particles suspended in a parabolic trap. The inter-particle distance dependence on screening length, trap parameter and particle charge is obtained. The functional form of inter-particle distance dependence on ion temperature is investigated and compared with experimental data at 200-300 K in order to test used potentials applicability to dusty plasma systems at room temperatures. The preference is given to the Yukawa-type potential including effective values of particle charge and screening length. The estimated effective value of the screening length is 5-15 times larger than the Debye length. (paper)

Correlates of state enactment of elementary school physical education laws.

Science.gov (United States)

Monnat, Shannon M; Lounsbery, Monica A F; Smith, Nicole J

2014-12-01

To describe variation in U.S. state elementary school physical education (PE) policies and to assess associations between state PE policy enactment and education funding, academic achievement, sociodemographic disadvantage, and political characteristics. U.S. state laws regarding school PE time, staffing, curriculum, fitness assessment, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in 2012 were classified as strong/specific, weak/nonspecific, or none based on codified law ratings within the Classification of Laws Associated with School Students (C.L.A.S.S.). Laws were merged with state-level data from multiple sources. Logistic regression was used to determine associations between state characteristics and PE laws (N=51). Laws with specific PE and MVPA time requirements and evidence-based curriculum standards were more likely in states with low academic performance and in states with sociodemographically disadvantaged populations. School day length was positively associated with enacting a PE curriculum that referenced evidence-based standards. School funding and political characteristics were not associated with PE laws. Limited time and high-stake testing requirements force schools to prioritize academic programs, posing barriers to state passage of specific PE laws. To facilitate PE policy enactment, it may be necessary to provide evidence on how PE policies can be implemented within existing time and staffing structures. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Zero-point length from string fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fontanini, Michele; Spallucci, Euro; Padmanabhan, T.

2006-01-01

One of the leading candidates for quantum gravity, viz. string theory, has the following features incorporated in it. (i) The full spacetime is higher-dimensional, with (possibly) compact extra-dimensions; (ii) there is a natural minimal length below which the concept of continuum spacetime needs to be modified by some deeper concept. On the other hand, the existence of a minimal length (zero-point length) in four-dimensional spacetime, with obvious implications as UV regulator, has been often conjectured as a natural aftermath of any correct quantum theory of gravity. We show that one can incorporate the apparently unrelated pieces of information-zero-point length, extra-dimensions, string T-duality-in a consistent framework. This is done in terms of a modified Kaluza-Klein theory that interpolates between (high-energy) string theory and (low-energy) quantum field theory. In this model, the zero-point length in four dimensions is a 'virtual memory' of the length scale of compact extra-dimensions. Such a scale turns out to be determined by T-duality inherited from the underlying fundamental string theory. From a low energy perspective short distance infinities are cutoff by a minimal length which is proportional to the square root of the string slope, i.e., α ' . Thus, we bridge the gap between the string theory domain and the low energy arena of point-particle quantum field theory

Career in the bank for collection in times of financial crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioana Florentina BUDU

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Staffing a collection call centre, in a period of crisis, requires more than hiring the most qualified applicants. Collection managers must define a recruiting, hiring and staffing plan to meet inbound call service levels and maximize outbound calling during optimal customer contact times, usually on nights and weekends. Job candidates who have prior telephone job experience, especially in telemarketing or customer service, have proven to be successful collectors because of their skill sets and experience. Screening collectors through testing has proven to be a reliable tool to assist managers in the selection process. Staffing the call centre operation with the right balance between full time and part time collectors will assist in meeting department targets. There are many creative ways to schedule collectors to cover all the required hours. Management must be prepared to offset ‘irregular’ staffing hours, especially on nights and weekends, with incentive, perks and benefits so they can recruit and retain a reliable staff to place outbound calls during the best times to reach the customer. A consistent hiring policy that is constantly evaluated and improved will help reduce turnover by recruiting and staffing the most qualified collectors for the job

Decline in Reference Transactions with Few Questions Referred to Librarian when the Reference Desk is Staffed by a Paraprofessional. A Review of: Dinkins, D., & Ryan, S. M. (2010. Measuring referrals: The use of paraprofessionals at the reference desk. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(4, 279-286.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana K. Wakimoto

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Objective — To determine the type and percentage of questions referred to a librarian by a paraprofessional (i.e., an individual without an MLIS staffing the reference desk, whether the percentage of referrals would decrease over time, and any consequences from having a paraprofessional rather than a librarian staffing the desk.Design — Quantitative analysis of reference desk transaction statistics.Setting — Reference desk at the main library of Stetson University, a private university in the United States of America with approximately 2,500 FTE (full-time equivalent students.Subjects — A total of 486 reference desk transactions recorded by a paraprofessional staffing the reference desk during the Fall and Spring semesters of the 2008-2009 academic year.Methods — The first year that he worked in the Library at Stetson University, a paraprofessional recorded all reference desk transactions during his shift from 10:00am to 12:00pm, four days a week, for the Fall and Spring semesters of the 2008-2009 academic year. This paraprofessional, with computer expertise, received "relatively minimal" (p. 281 training on "reference desk policies and procedures… the use of the catalogue and the subscription databases" (p. 281. For each transaction, the paraprofessional categorized the question as "direction, " "reference, " or "machine. " He was instructed to contact a librarian if he could not answer a reference question. The paraprofessional also completed a questionnaire regarding his level of comfort answering questions and his thoughts on the training at the end of his first year of staffing the reference desk.Main Results — In the Fall semester, 9.5% of all reference desk transactions were referred to a librarian. This decreased to 4.2% of the total transactions during the Spring semester. The percentage of reference questions referred to a librarian in the Fall semester was 21.9% and only 5.0% in the Spring semester. There was a 49

Energy Monitoring and Control Systems Operator Training - Recommended Qualifications, Staffing, Job Description, and Training Requirements for EMCS Operators.

Science.gov (United States)

1982-06-01

start/stop chiller optimization , and demand limiting were added. The system monitors a 7,000 ton chiller plant and controls 74 air handlers. The EMCS does...Modify analog limits. g. Adjust setpoints of selected controllers. h. Select manual or automatic control modes. i. Enable and disable individual points...or event schedules and controller setpoints ; make nonscheduled starts and stops of equipment or disable field panels when required for routine

Validation of Navigation Ultrasound for Clavicular Length Measurement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høj, Anders Thorsmark; Villa, Chiara; Christensen, Ole M.

2017-01-01

interval): approximately ± 7.5 mm, Pearson's correlation R: 0.948-0.974). Navigation ultrasound can measure clavicular length with an intra-rater reliability matching that of 3-D rendered computed tomography scans and with high validity. Its use could spread to other fields requiring accurate...... of 52.5 (range: 21-78 y) were included. Navigation ultrasound exhibited high reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.942-0.997, standard error of the mean: 0.7-2.9 mm, minimal detectable change: 2.3-8.1 mm) and validity (measurement error: 1.3%-1.8%, limits of agreement (95% confidence...

Summary of Research 1998, Department of Operations Research

Science.gov (United States)

1999-08-01

tasks and a north-up map orientation is preferable to a forward-up map orientation for geocentric tasks. Under almost every possible condition...assignments of the "Right Marine, to the right place with the right skills and quality of life." USMC manpower planning uses staffing goals (billet...requirements) to capture the Commandant’s requirements, but, surprisingly, does not monitor how many Marines fill appropriate staffing goal billets. This

Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Generated Forces and Behavioral Representation (6th), Held in Orlando, Florida, on 23-25 July 1996

Science.gov (United States)

1996-07-01

minimizing the staffing requirements of such exercises by replac- ing as many, purely ancillary, staff by computer- generated forces (CGFs) is...autonomously, if they are to be of any real value in reducing staffing requirements in synthetic en- vironments. Yet in order to adapt reliably to vari...used which is offset and rotated from GCC, Geocentric Cartesian Coordinates. The resulting frame of reference has its origin at the center of the

Structure-guided investigation of lipopolysaccharide O-antigen chain length regulators reveals regions critical for modal length control.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalynych, Sergei; Ruan, Xiang; Valvano, Miguel A; Cygler, Miroslaw

2011-08-01

The O-antigen component of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) represents a population of polysaccharide molecules with nonrandom (modal) chain length distribution. The number of the repeat O units in each individual O-antigen polymer depends on the Wzz chain length regulator, an inner membrane protein belonging to the polysaccharide copolymerase (PCP) family. Different Wzz proteins confer vastly different ranges of modal lengths (4 to >100 repeat units), despite having remarkably conserved structural folds. The molecular mechanism responsible for the selective preference for a certain number of O units is unknown. Guided by the three-dimensional structures of PCPs, we constructed a panel of chimeric molecules containing parts of two closely related Wzz proteins from Salmonella enterica and Shigella flexneri which confer different O-antigen chain length distributions. Analysis of the O-antigen length distribution imparted by each chimera revealed the region spanning amino acids 67 to 95 (region 67 to 95), region 200 to 255, and region 269 to 274 as primarily affecting the length distribution. We also showed that there is no synergy between these regions. In particular, region 269 to 274 also influenced chain length distribution mediated by two distantly related PCPs, WzzB and FepE. Furthermore, from the 3 regions uncovered in this study, region 269 to 274 appeared to be critical for the stability of the oligomeric form of Wzz, as determined by cross-linking experiments. Together, our data suggest that chain length determination depends on regions that likely contribute to stabilize a supramolecular complex.

The Development of a Human Systems Simulation Laboratory at Idaho National Laoboratory: Progress, Requirements and Lessons Learned

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David I Gertman; Katya L. LeBlanc; William phoenix; Alan R Mecham

2010-11-01

Next generation nuclear power plants and digital upgrades to the existing nuclear fleet introduce potential human performance issues in the control room. Safe application of new technologies calls for a thorough understanding of how those technologies affect human performance and in turn, plant safety. In support of advancing human factors for small modular reactors and light water reactor sustainability, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has developed a reconfigurable simulation laboratory capable of testing human performance in multiple nuclear power plant (NPP) control room simulations. This paper discusses the laboratory infrastructure and capabilities, the laboratory’ s staffing requirements, lessons learned, and the researcher’s approach to measuring human performance in the simulation lab.

77 FR 75448 - Notice of Determinations Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-20

... production or sales of the workers' firm; or (B) A loss of business by the workers' firm with the firm..., Remedy Intelligent Staffing. The following certifications have been issued. The requirements of Section...,085 Randstad US, LP, FKA Fort Collins, CO Spherion Staffing, Hewlett- Packard, Business Critical...

Diet, nutrition and telomere length.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Ligi

2011-10-01

The ends of human chromosomes are protected by DNA-protein complexes termed telomeres, which prevent the chromosomes from fusing with each other and from being recognized as a double-strand break by DNA repair proteins. Due to the incomplete replication of linear chromosomes by DNA polymerase, telomeric DNA shortens with repeated cell divisions until the telomeres reach a critical length, at which point the cells enter senescence. Telomere length is an indicator of biological aging, and dysfunction of telomeres is linked to age-related pathologies like cardiovascular disease, Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease and cancer. Telomere length has been shown to be positively associated with nutritional status in human and animal studies. Various nutrients influence telomere length potentially through mechanisms that reflect their role in cellular functions including inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA integrity, DNA methylation and activity of telomerase, the enzyme that adds the telomeric repeats to the ends of the newly synthesized DNA. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Walking on inclines: how do desert ants monitor slope and step length

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seidl Tobias

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background During long-distance foraging in almost featureless habitats desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis employ path-integrating mechanisms (vector navigation. This navigational strategy requires an egocentric monitoring of the foraging path by incrementally integrating direction, distance, and inclination of the path. Monitoring the latter two parameters involves idiothetic cues and hence is tightly coupled to the ant's locomotor behavior. Results In a kinematic study of desert ant locomotion performed on differently inclined surfaces we aimed at pinpointing the relevant mechanisms of estimating step length and inclination. In a behavioral experiment with ants foraging on slippery surfaces we broke the otherwise tightly coupled relationship between stepping frequency and step length and examined the animals' ability to monitor distances covered even under those adverse conditions. We show that the ants' locomotor system is not influenced by inclined paths. After removing the effect of speed, slope had only marginal influence on kinematic parameters. Conclusion From the obtained data we infer that the previously proposed monitoring of angles of the thorax-coxa joint is not involved in inclinometry. Due to the tiny variations in cycle period, we also argue that an efference copy of the central pattern generator coding the step length in its output frequency will most likely not suffice for estimating step length and complementing the pedometer. Finally we propose that sensing forces acting on the ant's legs could provide the desired neuronal correlate employed in monitoring inclination and step length.

Half-length model of a Siberian Snake magnet for RHIC

CERN Document Server

Okamura, M; Kawaguchi, T; Katayama, T; Jain, A; Muratore, J; Morgan, G; Willen, E

2000-01-01

For the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) Spin Project, super-conducting helical dipole magnets are being constructed. These magnets will be used in 'Siberian Snakes' and 'Spin Rotators', which manipulate spin direction of proton beams in RHIC. The dipole field in these magnets rotates 360 deg. and is required to reach a magnetic field strength of more than 4.0 T. The bore radius of the coils and the magnetic length of the magnets are 50 and 2400 mm, respectively. To ascertain the performance of these magnets, which are built using a new 'coil in a slot' technique, a half-length model has been fabricated and tested. The quench performance, field uniformity and rotation angle have been investigated. The measured values in the model magnet agreed well with field calculations. These results demonstrate the adequacy of the fabrication method adopted in the model magnet. (authors)

Fatigue Crack Length Sizing Using a Novel Flexible Eddy Current Sensor Array

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruifang Xie

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The eddy current probe, which is flexible, array typed, highly sensitive and capable of quantitative inspection is one practical requirement in nondestructive testing and also a research hotspot. A novel flexible planar eddy current sensor array for the inspection of microcrack presentation in critical parts of airplanes is developed in this paper. Both exciting and sensing coils are etched on polyimide films using a flexible printed circuit board technique, thus conforming the sensor to complex geometric structures. In order to serve the needs of condition-based maintenance (CBM, the proposed sensor array is comprised of 64 elements. Its spatial resolution is only 0.8 mm, and it is not only sensitive to shallow microcracks, but also capable of sizing the length of fatigue cracks. The details and advantages of our sensor design are introduced. The working principal and the crack responses are analyzed by finite element simulation, with which a crack length sizing algorithm is proposed. Experiments based on standard specimens are implemented to verify the validity of our simulation and the efficiency of the crack length sizing algorithm. Experimental results show that the sensor array is sensitive to microcracks, and is capable of crack length sizing with an accuracy within ±0.2 mm.

Bond-Length Distortions in Strained Semiconductor Alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woicik, J.C.; Pellegrino, J.G.; Steiner, B.; Miyano, K.E.; Bompadre, S.G.; Sorensen, L.B.; Lee, T.; Khalid, S.

1997-01-01

Extended x-ray absorption fine structure measurements performed at In-K edge have resolved the outstanding issue of bond-length strain in semiconductor-alloy heterostructures. We determine the In-As bond length to be 2.581±0.004 Angstrom in a buried, 213 Angstrom thick Ga 0.78 In 0.22 As layer grown coherently on GaAs(001). This bond length corresponds to a strain-induced contraction of 0.015±0.004 Angstrom relative to the In-As bond length in bulk Ga 1-x In x As of the same composition; it is consistent with a simple model which assumes a uniform bond-length distortion in the epilayer despite the inequivalent In-As and Ga-As bond lengths. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

Topological analysis of polymeric melts: chain-length effects and fast-converging estimators for entanglement length.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoy, Robert S; Foteinopoulou, Katerina; Kröger, Martin

2009-09-01

Primitive path analyses of entanglements are performed over a wide range of chain lengths for both bead spring and atomistic polyethylene polymer melts. Estimators for the entanglement length N_{e} which operate on results for a single chain length N are shown to produce systematic O(1/N) errors. The mathematical roots of these errors are identified as (a) treating chain ends as entanglements and (b) neglecting non-Gaussian corrections to chain and primitive path dimensions. The prefactors for the O(1/N) errors may be large; in general their magnitude depends both on the polymer model and the method used to obtain primitive paths. We propose, derive, and test new estimators which eliminate these systematic errors using information obtainable from the variation in entanglement characteristics with chain length. The new estimators produce accurate results for N_{e} from marginally entangled systems. Formulas based on direct enumeration of entanglements appear to converge faster and are simpler to apply.

Economic issues of broiler production length

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szőllősi László

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The length of broiler production cycle is also an important factor when profitability is measured. This paper is to determine the effects of different market ages and down-time period, overall broiler production cycle length on performance and economic parameters based on Hungarian production and financial circumstances. A deterministic model was constructed to manage the function-like correlations of age-related daily weight gain, daily feed intake and daily mortality data. The results show that broiler production cycle length has a significant effect on production and economic performance. Cycle length is determined by the length of down-time and grow-out periods. If down-time period is reduced by one day, an average net income of EUR 0.55 per m2 is realizable. However, the production period is not directly proportional either with emerging costs or obtainable revenues. Profit maximization is attainable if the production period is 41-42 days.

A gap between need and reality: neonatal nursing staff requirements on a German intensive care unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Patry

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Recently, new staffing rules for neonatal nurses in intensive care units (ICU were issued in Germany, using categories of care of the British Association of Perinatal Medicine as blueprint. Neonates on intensive care require a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:1, on intensive surveillance (high dependency care of 1:2. No requirements exist for special care, transitional care, and pediatric ICU patients. Using these rules, nursing staff requirement was calculated over a period of 31 consecutive days once a day in a combined pediatric and neonatal ICU of a metropolitan academic medical center in south-west Germany. Each day, 18.9±0.98 patients (mean±standard deviation were assessed (14.26±1.21 neonatal, 4.65±0.98 pediatric. Among neonates, 9.94±2.56 received intensive therapy, 3.77±1.85 intensive surveillance, and 0.65±0.71 special care. Average nursing staff requirement was 12.10±1.81 full time equivalents (FTE per shift. Considering additional pediatric patients in the ICU and actual nursing staff availability (8.97±0.87 FTE per shift, this ICU seems understaffed.

Stress Mapping in Glass-to-Metal Seals using Indentation Crack Lengths.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strong, Kevin [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Buchheit, Thomas E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Diebold, Thomas Wayne [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Newton, Clay S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bencoe, Denise N. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Stavig, Mark E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Jamison, Ryan Dale [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-08-01

Predicting the residual stress which develops during fabrication of a glass-to-metal compression seal requires material models that can accurately predict the effects of processing on the sealing glass. Validation of the predictions requires measurements on representative test geometries to accurately capture the interaction between the seal materials during a processing cycle required to form the seal, which consists of a temperature excursion through the glass transition temperature of the sealing glass. To this end, a concentric seal test geometry, referred to as a short cylinder seal, consisting of a stainless steel shell enveloping a commercial sealing glass disk has been designed, fabricated, and characterized as a model validation test geometry. To obtain data to test/validate finite element (FE) stress model predictions of this geometry, spatially-resolved residual stress was calculated from the measured lengths of the cracks emanating from radially positioned Vickers indents in the glass disk portion of the seal. The indentation crack length method is described, and the spatially-resolved residual stress determined experimentally are compared to FE stress predictions made using a nonlinear viscoelastic material model adapted to inorganic sealing glasses and an updated rate dependent material model for 304L stainless steel. The measurement method is a first to achieve a degree of success for measuring spatially resolved residual stress in a glass-bearing geometry and a favorable comparison between measurements and simulation was observed.

Stress Mapping in Glass-to-Metal Seals using Indentation Crack Lengths

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buchheit, Thomas E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Component & Systems Analysis; Strong, Kevin [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Material Mechanics and Tribology; Newton, Clay S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Material Mechanics and Tribology; Diebold, Thomas Wayne [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Material Mechanics and Tribology; Bencoe, Denise N. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Electronic, Optical and Nano; Stavig, Mark E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Organic Materials Science; Jamison, Ryan Dale [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Transportation System Analysis

2017-08-01

Predicting the residual stress which develops during fabrication of a glass-to-metal compression seal requires material models that can accurately predict the effects of processing on the sealing glass. Validation of the predictions requires measurements on representative test geometries to accurately capture the interaction between the seal materials during a processing cycle required to form the seal, which consists of a temperature excursion through the glass transition temperature of the sealing glass. To this end, a concentric seal test geometry, referred to as a short cylinder seal, consisting of a stainless steel shell enveloping a commercial sealing glass disk has been designed, fabricated, and characterized as a model validation test geometry. To obtain data to test/validate finite element (FE) stress model predictions of this geometry, spatially-resolved residual stress was calculated from the measured lengths of the cracks emanating from radially positioned Vickers indents in the glass disk portion of the seal. The indentation crack length method is described, and the spatially-resolved residual stress determined experimentally are compared to FE stress predictions made using a nonlinear viscoelastic material model adapted to inorganic sealing glasses and an updated rate dependent material model for 304L stainless steel. The measurement method is a first to achieve a degree of success for measuring spatially resolved residual stress in a glass-bearing geometry and a favorable comparison between measurements and simulation was observed.

Importance of epoch length and registration time on accelerometer measurements in younger children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dencker, M; Svensson, J; El-Naaman, B

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of epoch length on accumulation of minutes of physical activity per day over a spectrum of intensities, and the effect that selection of number of hours of acceptable registration required per day had on number of days that were considered accep...

Relativistic length agony continued

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Redžić D.V.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We made an attempt to remedy recent confusing treatments of some basic relativistic concepts and results. Following the argument presented in an earlier paper (Redžić 2008b, we discussed the misconceptions that are recurrent points in the literature devoted to teaching relativity such as: there is no change in the object in Special Relativity, illusory character of relativistic length contraction, stresses and strains induced by Lorentz contraction, and related issues. We gave several examples of the traps of everyday language that lurk in Special Relativity. To remove a possible conceptual and terminological muddle, we made a distinction between the relativistic length reduction and relativistic FitzGerald-Lorentz contraction, corresponding to a passive and an active aspect of length contraction, respectively; we pointed out that both aspects have fundamental dynamical contents. As an illustration of our considerations, we discussed briefly the Dewan-Beran-Bell spaceship paradox and the ‘pole in a barn’ paradox. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 171028

Length-free near infrared measurement of newborn malnutrition

Science.gov (United States)

Mustafa, Fatin Hamimi; Bek, Emily J.; Huvanandana, Jacqueline; Jones, Peter W.; Carberry, Angela E.; Jeffery, Heather E.; Jin, Craig T.; McEwan, Alistair L.

2016-11-01

Under-nutrition in neonates can cause immediate mortality, impaired cognitive development and early onset adult disease. Body fat percentage measured using air-displacement-plethysmography has been found to better indicate under-nutrition than conventional birth weight percentiles. However, air-displacement-plethysmography equipment is expensive and non-portable, so is not suited for use in developing communities where the burden is often the greatest. We proposed a new body fat measurement technique using a length-free model with near-infrared spectroscopy measurements on a single site of the body - the thigh. To remove the need for length measurement, we developed a model with five discrete wavelengths and a sex parameter. The model was developed using air-displacement-plethysmography measurements in 52 neonates within 48 hours of birth. We identified instrumentation required in a low-cost LED-based screening device and incorporated a receptor device that can increase the amount of light collected. This near-infrared method may be suitable as a low cost screening tool for detecting body fat levels and monitoring nutritional interventions for malnutrition in neonates and young children in resource-constrained communities.

Slack length of gastrocnemius medialis and Achilles tendon occurs at different ankle angles.

Science.gov (United States)

Hug, François; Lacourpaille, Lilian; Maïsetti, Olivier; Nordez, Antoine

2013-09-27

Although muscle-tendon slack length is a crucial parameter used in muscle models, this is one of the most difficult measures to estimate in vivo. The aim of this study was to determine the onset of the rise in tension (i.e., slack length) during passive stretching in both Achilles tendon and gastrocnemius medialis. Muscle and tendon shear elastic modulus was measured by elastography (supersonic shear imaging) during passive plantarflexion (0° and 90° of knee angle, 0° representing knee fully extended, in a random order) in 9 participants. The within-session repeatability of the determined slack length was good at 90° of knee flexion (SEM=3.3° and 2.2° for Achilles tendon and gastrocnemius medialis, respectively) and very good at 0° of knee flexion (SEM=1.9° and 1.9° for Achilles tendon and gastrocnemius medialis, respectively). The slack length of gastrocnemius medialis was obtained at a significantly lower plantarflexed angle than for Achilles tendon at both 0° (Pslack can be experimentally determined using supersonic shear imaging. The slack length of gastrocnemius medialis and Achilles tendon occurred at different joint angles. Although reporting this result is crucial to a better understanding of muscle-tendon interactions, further experimental investigations are required to explain this result. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of ureteral length in adult cadavers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hugo F. F. Novaes

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction In some occasions, correlations between human structures can help planning surgical intra-abdominal interventions. The previous determination of ureteral length helps pre-operatory planning of surgeries, reduces costs of auxiliary exams, the correct choice of double-J catheter with low morbidity and fewer symptoms, and an adequate adhesion to treatment. Objective To evaluate ureteral length in adult cadavers and to analyze its correlation with anthropometric measures. Materials and Methods: From April 2009 to January 2012 we determined ureteral length of adult cadavers submitted to necropsy and obtained the following measures: height, distance from shoulder to wrist, elbow-wrist, xiphoid appendix-umbilicus, umbilicus-pubis, xiphoid appendix-pubis and between iliac spines. We analyzed the correlations between ureteral length and those anthropometric measures. Results We dissected 115 ureters from 115 adult corpses from April 2009 to January 2012. Median ureteral length didn't vary between sexes or according to height. It was observed no correlation among ureteral length and all considered anthropometric measures in all analyzed subgroups and in general population. There were no significant differences between right and left ureteral measures. Conclusions There is no difference of ureteral length in relation to height or gender (male or female. There is no significant correlation among ureteral length and the considered anthropometric measures.

Relativistic distances, sizes, lengths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strel'tsov, V.N.

1992-01-01

Such notion as light or retarded distance, field size, formation way, visible size of a body, relativistic or radar length and wave length of light from a moving atom are considered. The relation between these notions is cleared up, their classification is given. It is stressed that the formation way is defined by the field size of a moving particle. In the case of the electromagnetic field, longitudinal sizes increase proportionally γ 2 with growing charge velocity (γ is the Lorentz-factor). 18 refs

Air Force Global Weather Central System Architecture Study. Final System/Subsystem Summary Report. Volume 2. Requirements Compilation and Analysis. Part 1. User and Model Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

1976-03-01

Milestones will be established after staffing at 6WW. Long-Term Procedures: A capability will be acquired in automated support to Command and Control under... geocentric latitude f = ZttsinQ g = geopotential a = mean radius of earth Ü = angular rotation of the earth 7.29 x 10" rad/sec u,v

Automation of Hubble Space Telescope Mission Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Burley, Richard; Goulet, Gregory; Slater, Mark; Huey, William; Bassford, Lynn; Dunham, Larry

2012-01-01

On June 13, 2011, after more than 21 years, 115 thousand orbits, and nearly 1 million exposures taken, the operation of the Hubble Space Telescope successfully transitioned from 24x7x365 staffing to 815 staffing. This required the automation of routine mission operations including telemetry and forward link acquisition, data dumping and solid-state recorder management, stored command loading, and health and safety monitoring of both the observatory and the HST Ground System. These changes were driven by budget reductions, and required ground system and onboard spacecraft enhancements across the entire operations spectrum, from planning and scheduling systems to payload flight software. Changes in personnel and staffing were required in order to adapt to the new roles and responsibilities required in the new automated operations era. This paper will provide a high level overview of the obstacles to automating nominal HST mission operations, both technical and cultural, and how those obstacles were overcome.

Observers' measurements in premetric electrodynamics: Time and radar length

Science.gov (United States)

Gürlebeck, Norman; Pfeifer, Christian

2018-04-01

The description of an observer's measurement in general relativity and the standard model of particle physics is closely related to the spacetime metric. In order to understand and interpret measurements, which test the metric structure of the spacetime, like the classical Michelson-Morley, Ives-Stilwell, Kennedy-Thorndike experiments or frequency comparison experiments in general, it is necessary to describe them in theories, which go beyond the Lorentzian metric structure. However, this requires a description of an observer's measurement without relying on a metric. We provide such a description of an observer's measurement of the fundamental quantities time and length derived from a premetric perturbation of Maxwell's electrodynamics and a discussion on how these measurements influence classical relativistic observables like time dilation and length contraction. Most importantly, we find that the modification of electrodynamics influences the measurements at two instances: the propagation of light is altered as well as the observer's proper time normalization. When interpreting the results of a specific experiment, both effects cannot be disentangled, in general, and have to be taken into account.

Extreme telomere length dimorphism in the Tasmanian devil and related marsupials suggests parental control of telomere length.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannah S Bender

Full Text Available Telomeres, specialised structures that protect chromosome ends, play a critical role in preserving chromosome integrity. Telomere dynamics in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii are of particular interest in light of the emergence of devil facial tumour disease (DFTD, a transmissible malignancy that causes rapid mortality and threatens the species with extinction. We used fluorescent in situ hybridisation to investigate telomere length in DFTD cells, in healthy Tasmanian devils and in four closely related marsupial species. Here we report that animals in the Order Dasyuromorphia have chromosomes characterised by striking telomere length dimorphism between homologues. Findings in sex chromosomes suggest that telomere length dimorphism may be regulated by events in the parental germlines. Long telomeres on the Y chromosome imply that telomere lengthening occurs during spermatogenesis, whereas telomere diminution occurs during oogenesis. Although found in several somatic cell tissue types, telomere length dimorphism was not found in DFTD cancer cells, which are characterised by uniformly short telomeres. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of naturally occurring telomere length dimorphism in any species and suggests a novel strategy of telomere length control. Comparative studies in five distantly related marsupials and a monotreme indicate that telomere dimorphism evolved at least 50 million years ago.

Impedance of finite length resistive cylinder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Krinsky

2004-11-01

Full Text Available We determine the impedance of a cylindrical metal tube (resistor of radius a, length g, and conductivity σ attached at each end to perfect conductors of semi-infinite length. Our main interest is in the asymptotic behavior of the impedance at high frequency (k≫1/a. In the equilibrium regime, ka^{2}≪g, the impedance per unit length is accurately described by the well-known result for an infinite length tube with conductivity σ. In the transient regime, ka^{2}≫g, where the contribution of transition radiation arising from the discontinuity in conductivity is important, we derive an analytic expression for the impedance and compute the short-range wakefield. The analytic results are shown to agree with numerical evaluation of the impedance.

Microcomputer system for controlling fuel rod length

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, E.R.; Bouldin, D.W.; Bolfing, B.J.

1979-01-01

A system is being developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to automatically measure and control the length of fuel rods for use in a high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). The system utilizes an LSI-11 microcomputer for monitoring fuel rod length and for adjusting the primary factor affecting length. Preliminary results indicate that the automated system can maintain fuel rod length within the specified limits of 1.940 +- 0.040 in. This system provides quality control documentation and eliminates the dependence of the current fuel rod molding process on manual length control. In addition, the microcomputer system is compatible with planned efforts to extend control to fuel rod fissile and fertile material contents

Correlation length estimation in a polycrystalline material model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simonovski, I.; Cizelj, L.

2005-01-01

This paper deals with the correlation length estimated from a mesoscopic model of a polycrystalline material. The correlation length can be used in some macroscopic material models as a material parameter that describes the internal length. It can be estimated directly from the strain and stress fields calculated from a finite-element model, which explicitly accounts for the selected mesoscopic features such as the random orientation, shape and size of the grains. A crystal plasticity material model was applied in the finite-element analysis. Different correlation lengths were obtained depending on the used set of crystallographic orientations. We determined that the different sets of crystallographic orientations affect the general level of the correlation length, however, as the external load is increased the behaviour of correlation length is similar in all the analyzed cases. The correlation lengths also changed with the macroscopic load. If the load is below the yield strength the correlation lengths are constant, and are slightly higher than the average grain size. The correlation length can therefore be considered as an indicator of first plastic deformations in the material. Increasing the load above the yield strength creates shear bands that temporarily increase the values of the correlation lengths calculated from the strain fields. With a further load increase the correlation lengths decrease slightly but stay above the average grain size. (author)

Percentiles of the run-length distribution of the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) median chart

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, K. L.; Chong, Z. L.; Khoo, M. B. C.; Teoh, W. L.; Teh, S. Y.

2017-09-01

Quality control is crucial in a wide variety of fields, as it can help to satisfy customers’ needs and requirements by enhancing and improving the products and services to a superior quality level. The EWMA median chart was proposed as a useful alternative to the EWMA \\bar{X} chart because the median-type chart is robust against contamination, outliers or small deviation from the normality assumption compared to the traditional \\bar{X}-type chart. To provide a complete understanding of the run-length distribution, the percentiles of the run-length distribution should be investigated rather than depending solely on the average run length (ARL) performance measure. This is because interpretation depending on the ARL alone can be misleading, as the process mean shifts change according to the skewness and shape of the run-length distribution, varying from almost symmetric when the magnitude of the mean shift is large, to highly right-skewed when the process is in-control (IC) or slightly out-of-control (OOC). Before computing the percentiles of the run-length distribution, optimal parameters of the EWMA median chart will be obtained by minimizing the OOC ARL, while retaining the IC ARL at a desired value.

Performance of RC columns with partial length corrosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiaohui; Liang Fayun

2008-01-01

Experimental and analytical studies on the load capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) columns with partial length corrosion are presented, where only a fraction of the column length was corroded. Twelve simply supported columns were eccentrically loaded. The primary variables were partial length corrosion in tensile or compressive zone and the corrosion level within this length. The failure of the corroded column occurs in the partial length, mainly developed from or located nearby or merged with the longitudinal corrosion cracks. For RC column with large eccentricity, load capacity of the column is mainly influenced by the partial length corrosion in tensile zone; while for RC column with small eccentricity, load capacity of the column greatly decreases due to the partial length corrosion in compressive zone. The destruction of the longitudinally mechanical integrality of the column in the partial length leads to this great reduction of the load capacity of the RC column

Penile length and circumference: an Indian study.

Science.gov (United States)

Promodu, K; Shanmughadas, K V; Bhat, S; Nair, K R

2007-01-01

Apprehension about the normal size of penis is a major concern for men. Aim of the present investigation is to estimate the penile length and circumference of Indian males and to compare the results with the data from other countries. Results will help in counseling the patients worried about the penile size and seeking penis enlargement surgery. Penile length in flaccid and stretched conditions and circumference were measured in a group of 301 physically normal men. Erected length and circumference were measured for 93 subjects. Mean flaccid length was found to be 8.21 cm, mean stretched length 10.88 cm and circumference 9.14 cm. Mean erected length was found to be 13.01 cm and erected circumference was 11.46 cm. Penile dimensions are found to be correlated with anthropometric parameters. Insight into the normative data of penile size of Indian males obtained. There are significant differences in the mean penile length and circumference of Indian sample compared to the data reported from other countries. Study need to be continued with a large sample to establish a normative data applicable to the general population.

Bunch Length Measurements in SPEAR3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corbett, W.J.; Fisher, A.; Huang, X.; Safranek, J.; Sebek, J.; /SLAC; Lumpkin, A.; /Argonne; Sannibale, F.; /LBL, Berkeley; Mok, W.; /Unlisted

2007-11-28

A series of bunch length measurements were made in SPEAR3 for two different machine optics. In the achromatic optics the bunch length increases from the low-current value of 16.6ps rms to about 30ps at 25ma/bunch yielding an inductive impedance of -0.17{Omega}. Reducing the momentum compaction factor by a factor of {approx}60 [1] yields a low-current bunch length of {approx}4ps rms. In this paper we review the experimental setup and results.

Length of stay after vaginal birth: sociodemographic and readiness-for-discharge factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, Marianne; Ryan, Polly; Lokken, Lisa; Nelson, Magdalen

2004-06-01

The impact of reductions in postpartum length of stay have been widely reported, but factors influencing length of hospital stay after vaginal birth have received less attention. The study purpose was to compare the sociodemographic characteristics and readiness for discharge of new mothers and their newborns at 3 discharge time intervals, and to determine which variables were associated with postpartum length of stay. The study sample comprised 1,192 mothers who were discharged within 2 postpartum days after uncomplicated vaginal birth at a tertiary perinatal center in the midwestern United States. The sample was divided into 3 postpartum length-of-stay groups: group 1 (18-30 hr), group 2 (31-42 hr), and group 3 (43-54 hr). Sociodemographic and readiness-for-discharge data were collected by self-report and from a computerized hospital information system. Measures of readiness for discharge included perceived readiness (single item and Readiness for Discharge After Birth Scale), documented maternal and neonatal clinical problems, and feeding method. Compared with other groups, the longest length-of-stay group was older; of higher socioeconomic status and education; and with more primiparous, breastfeeding, white, married mothers who were living with the baby's father, had adequate home help, and had a private payor source. This group also reported greater readiness for discharge, but their newborns had more documented clinical problems during the postbirth hospitalization. In logistic regression modeling, earlier discharge was associated with young age, multiparity, public payor source, low socioeconomic status, lack of readiness for discharge, bottle-feeding, and absence of a neonatal clinical problem. Sociodemographic characteristics and readiness for discharge (clinical and perceived) were associated with length of postpartum hospital stay. Length of stay is an outcome of a complex interface between patient, provider, and payor influences on discharge timing

LENGTH-WEIGHT RELATIONSHIP AND CONDITION FACTOR OF ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Data Collection and Analysis. The measurements of length (cm), weight (g) and the condition factor of individual fish sampled were recorded. The relationship between length and weight of the fish was examined by simple linear regression using WINKS software. The variations in the length-weight represented by 'b' were.

πK-scattering lengths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkov, M.K.; Osipov, A.A.

1983-01-01

The msub(π)asub(0)sup(1/2)=0.1, msub(π)asub(0)sup(3/2)=-0.1, msub(π)asub(0)sup((-))=0.07, msub(π)sup(3)asub(1)sup(1/2)=0.018, msub(π)sup(3)asub(1)aup(3/2)=0.002, msub(π)sup(3)asub(1)sup((-))=0.0044, msub(π)sup(5)asub(2)sup(1/2)=2.4x10sup(-4) and msub(π)sup(5)asub(2)sup(3/2)=-1.2x10sup(-4) scattering lengths are calculated in the framework of the composite meson model which is based on four-quark interaction. The decay form factors of (rho, epsilon, S*) → 2π, (K tilde, K*) → Kπ are used. The q 2 -terms of the quark box diagrams are taken into account. It is shown that the q 2 -terms of the box diagrams give the main contribution to the s-wave scattering lengths. The diagrams with the intermediate vector mesons begin to play the essential role at calculation of the p- and d-wave scattering lengths

Neutral Beam Injection Requirements and Design Issues for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kugel, H.W.; Neilson, H.; Reiersen, W.; Zarnstorff, M.

2002-01-01

The National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) will require 6 MW of 50 keV neutral beam injection (NBI) with initial pulse lengths of 500 msec and upgradeable to pulse lengths of 1.5 sec. This paper discusses the NCSX NBI requirements and design issues, and shows how these are provided by the candidate PBX-M [Princeton Beta Experiment-Modification] NBI system

Lifetime and Path Length of the Virtual Particle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyuboshitz, V.L.; Lyuboshitz, V.V.

2005-01-01

The concepts of the lifetime and path length of a virtual particle are introduced. It is shown that, near the mass surface of the real particle, these quantities constitute a 4-vector. At very high energies, the virtual particle can propagate over considerable (even macroscopic) distances. The formulas for the lifetime and path length of an ultrarelativistic virtual electron in the process of bremsstrahlung in the Coulomb field of a nucleus are obtained. The lifetime and path length of the virtual photon at its conversion into an electron-positron pair are discussed. The connection between the path length of the virtual particle and the coherence length (formation length) is analyzed

Information, polarization and term length in democracy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schultz, Christian

2008-01-01

This paper considers term lengths in a representative democracy where the political issue divides the population on the left-right scale. Parties are ideologically different and better informed about the consequences of policies than voters are. A short term length makes the government more...... accountable, but the re-election incentive leads to policy-distortion as the government seeks to manipulate swing voters' beliefs to make its ideology more popular. This creates a trade-off: A short term length improves accountability but gives distortions. A short term length is best for swing voters when...

Decomposing the queue length distribution of processor-sharing models into queue lengths of permanent customer queues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cheung, S.K.; van den Berg, Hans Leo; Boucherie, Richardus J.

2005-01-01

We obtain a decomposition result for the steady state queue length distribution in egalitarian processor-sharing (PS) models. In particular, for an egalitarian PS queue with $K$ customer classes, we show that the marginal queue length distribution for class $k$ factorizes over the number of other

Advanced LIGO: length sensing and control in a dual recycled interferometric gravitational wave antenna

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izumi, Kiwamu; Sigg, Daniel

2017-01-01

Length sensing and control is vital for Advanced LIGO and its goal of performing astrophysical searches. The current kilometer scale gravitational wave antennae are dual recycled Michelson interferometers enhanced with Fabry–Perot resonators in the arms. Observation requires the lengths of all optical cavities to be precisely servoed in the vicinity of a resonance using feedback controls. Simultaneously achieving robustness and low-noise is challenging due to cross-couplings between the multiple coupled optical resonators. We analytically derive the Advanced LIGO sensing and control scheme, calculate the effects of radiation pressure forces and review the current strategies of minimizing the coupling of noise into the gravitational wave readout. (paper)

Frequency dependence of localization length of an electromagnetic wave in a one-dimensional system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinogradov, A.P.; Merzlikin, A.M.

2003-01-01

It is shown that the existence in the high-frequency limit of the localization length of an electromagnetic wave in a randomly layered system requires the presence of an infinitely large number of layers with different incommensurable optical paths. Moreover, the measure of the layers with optical paths that are multiples of any real number should equal zero. The localization length in the high-frequency limit is determined by the mean value of the layer thickness and impedance distribution only. The scaling behavior L loc (k 0 )∼k 0 -2 is observed only if the mean value tends to zero (corresponding to a delta-correlated process)

CEBAF Upgrade Bunch Length Measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahmad, Mahmoud [Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA (United States)

2016-05-01

Many accelerators use short electron bunches and measuring the bunch length is important for efficient operations. CEBAF needs a suitable bunch length because bunches that are too long will result in beam interruption to the halls due to excessive energy spread and beam loss. In this work, bunch length is measured by invasive and non-invasive techniques at different beam energies. Two new measurement techniques have been commissioned; a harmonic cavity showed good results compared to expectations from simulation, and a real time interferometer is commissioned and first checkouts were performed. Three other techniques were used for measurements and comparison purposes without modifying the old procedures. Two of them can be used when the beam is not compressed longitudinally while the other one, the synchrotron light monitor, can be used with compressed or uncompressed beam.

Keeping disease at arm's length

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, Aske Juul

2015-01-01

active ageing change everyday life with chronic disease, and how do older people combine an active life with a range of chronic diseases? The participants in the study use activities to keep their diseases at arm’s length, and this distancing of disease at the same time enables them to engage in social...... and physical activities at the activity centre. In this way, keeping disease at arm’s length is analysed as an ambiguous health strategy. The article shows the importance of looking into how active ageing is practised, as active ageing seems to work well in the everyday life of the older people by not giving...... emphasis to disease. The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork and uses vignettes of four participants to show how they each keep diseases at arm’s length....

Effect of heated length on the Critical Heat Flux of subcooled flow boiling. 2. Effective heated length under axially nonuniform heating condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinoshita, Hidetaka; Yoshida, Takuya; Nariai, Hideki; Inasaka, Fujio

1998-01-01

Effect of heated length on the Critical Heat Flux (CHF) of subcooled flow boiling with water was experimentally investigated by using direct current heated tube made of stainless steel a part of whose wall thickness was axially cut for realizing nonuniform heat flux condition. The higher enhancement of the CHF was derived for shorter tube length. The effective heated length was determined for the tube under axially nonuniform heat flux condition. When the lower heat flux part below the Net Vapor Generation (NVG) heat flux exists at the middle of tube length, then the effective heated length becomes the tube length downstream the lower heat flux parts. However, when the lower heat flux part is above the NVG, then the effective heated length is full tube length. (author)

The relationship of protein conservation and sequence length

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panchenko Anna R

2002-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In general, the length of a protein sequence is determined by its function and the wide variance in the lengths of an organism's proteins reflects the diversity of specific functional roles for these proteins. However, additional evolutionary forces that affect the length of a protein may be revealed by studying the length distributions of proteins evolving under weaker functional constraints. Results We performed sequence comparisons to distinguish highly conserved and poorly conserved proteins from the bacterium Escherichia coli, the archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus, and the eukaryotes Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Drosophila melanogaster, and Homo sapiens. For all organisms studied, the conserved and nonconserved proteins have strikingly different length distributions. The conserved proteins are, on average, longer than the poorly conserved ones, and the length distributions for the poorly conserved proteins have a relatively narrow peak, in contrast to the conserved proteins whose lengths spread over a wider range of values. For the two prokaryotes studied, the poorly conserved proteins approximate the minimal length distribution expected for a diverse range of structural folds. Conclusions There is a relationship between protein conservation and sequence length. For all the organisms studied, there seems to be a significant evolutionary trend favoring shorter proteins in the absence of other, more specific functional constraints.

The importance of chain length for the polyphosphate enhancement of acidic potassium permanganate chemiluminescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Holland, Brendan J; Adcock, Jacqui L; Nesterenko, Pavel N; Peristyy, Anton; Stevenson, Paul G; Barnett, Neil W; Conlan, Xavier A; Francis, Paul S

2014-09-09

Sodium polyphosphate is commonly used to enhance chemiluminescence reactions with acidic potassium permanganate through a dual enhancement mechanism, but commercially available polyphosphates vary greatly in composition. We have examined the influence of polyphosphate composition and concentration on both the dual enhancement mechanism of chemiluminescence intensity and the stability of the reagent under analytically useful conditions. The average chain length (n) provides a convenient characterisation, but materials with similar values can exhibit markedly different distributions of phosphate oligomers. There is a minimum polyphosphate chain length (∼6) required for a large enhancement of the emission intensity, but no further advantage was obtained using polyphosphate materials with much longer average chain lengths. Providing there is a sufficient average chain length, the optimum concentration of polyphosphate is dependent on the analyte and in some cases, may be lower than the quantities previously used in routine detection. However, the concentration of polyphosphate should not be lowered in permanganate reagents that have been partially reduced to form high concentrations of the key manganese(III) co-reactant, as this intermediate needs to be stabilised to prevent formation of insoluble manganese(IV). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of canal length and curvature on working length alteration with WaveOne reciprocating files.

Science.gov (United States)

Berutti, Elio; Chiandussi, Giorgio; Paolino, Davide Salvatore; Scotti, Nicola; Cantatore, Giuseppe; Castellucci, Arnaldo; Pasqualini, Damiano

2011-12-01

This study evaluated the working length (WL) modification after instrumentation with WaveOne Primary (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) reciprocating files and the incidence of overinstrumentation in relation to the initial WL. Thirty-two root canals of permanent teeth were used. The angles of curvature of the canals were calculated on digital radiographs. The initial WL with K-files was transferred to the matched WaveOne Primary reciprocating files. After glide paths were established with PathFile (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland), canals were shaped with WaveOne Primary referring to the initial WL. The difference between the postinstrumentation canal length and the initial canal length was analyzed by using a fiberoptic inspection microscope. Data were analyzed with a balanced 2-way factorial analysis of variance (P < .05). Referring to the initial WL, 24 of 32 WaveOne Primary files projected beyond the experimental apical foramen (minimum-maximum, 0.14-0.76 mm). A significant decrease in the canal length after instrumentation (95% confidence interval ranging from -0.34 mm to -0.26 mm) was detected. The canal curvature significantly influenced the WL variation (F(1) = 30.65, P < .001). The interaction between the initial canal length and the canal curvature was statistically significant (F(2) = 4.38, P = .014). Checking the WL before preparation of the apical third of the root canal is recommended when using the new WaveOne NiTi single-file system. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Maternal telomere length inheritance in the king penguin.

Science.gov (United States)

Reichert, S; Rojas, E R; Zahn, S; Robin, J-P; Criscuolo, F; Massemin, S

2015-01-01

Telomeres are emerging as a biomarker for ageing and survival, and are likely important in shaping life-history trade-offs. In particular, telomere length with which one starts in life has been linked to lifelong survival, suggesting that early telomere dynamics are somehow related to life-history trajectories. This result highlights the importance of determining the extent to which telomere length is inherited, as a crucial factor determining early life telomere length. Given the scarcity of species for which telomere length inheritance has been studied, it is pressing to assess the generality of telomere length inheritance patterns. Further, information on how this pattern changes over the course of growth in individuals living under natural conditions should provide some insight on the extent to which environmental constraints also shape telomere dynamics. To fill this gap partly, we followed telomere inheritance in a population of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus). We tested for paternal and maternal influence on chick initial telomere length (10 days old after hatching), and how these relationships changed with chick age (at 70, 200 and 300 days old). Based on a correlative approach, offspring telomere length was positively associated with maternal telomere length early in life (at 10 days old). However, this relationship was not significant at older ages. These data suggest that telomere length in birds is maternally inherited. Nonetheless, the influence of environmental conditions during growth remained an important factor shaping telomere length, as the maternal link disappeared with chicks' age.

Allometric relationships among body mass, MUZZLE-tail length, and tibia length during the growth of Wistar rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Santiago, Hildemberg Agostinho Rocha de; De Pierro, Lucas Rodolfo; Reis, Rafael Menezes; Caluz, Antônio Gabriel Ricardo Engracia; Ribeiro, Victor Barbosa; Volpon, José Batista

2015-11-01

To investigate allometric relationships among body mass (BM), muzzle-tail length (MTL), and tibia length (TL) in Wistar rats and establish their growth rate change parameters. Eighteen male and 18 female Wistar rats were studied from the 3rd to the 21st week of age. BM, MTL, and TL were measured daily, and relative growth was compared using allometry. A positive correlation between BM and MTL (p<0.05) and BM and TL (p<0.05) was observed. Males and females showed comparable curves; however, females had turning points at a younger age. The allometric relationship between BM and MTL presented a regular increase until reaching a mass of 351 g (males) and 405 g (females). BM and TL showed an initial increase until 185 g (males) and 182 g (females), and then reached a plateau that finished at 412 g (males) and 334 g (females), to display another increase. The allometric relationship of body mass with animal length and tibia length was comparable for male and female rats, with female rats maturing earlier. Animal longitudinal growth occurred in a single stage. In contrast, tibia length depicted two stages of accelerated growth with an intermediate period of deceleration.

45 CFR 1306.32 - Center-based program option.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Center-based program option. 1306.32 Section 1306... START PROGRAM HEAD START STAFFING REQUIREMENTS AND PROGRAM OPTIONS Head Start Program Options § 1306.32 Center-based program option. (a) Class size. (1) Head Start classes must be staffed by a teacher and an...

Can hip arthroscopy be performed with conventional knee-length instrumentation?

Science.gov (United States)

Pascual-Garrido, Cecilia; McConkey, Mark O; Young, David A; Bravman, Jonathan T; Mei-Dan, Omer

2014-12-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether hip arthroscopy can be performed using conventional knee-length arthroscopy instrumentation. We included 116 consecutive hip arthroscopies (104 patients) in this study. Age, side of surgery, height (in inches), weight (in pounds), body mass index (BMI), and a subjective assessment of body type (1, muscular; 2, somewhat overweight; 3, overweight; 4, thin; and 5, normal weight) were recorded. The depth from the skin at 2 portal sites to 3 commonly accessed positions (12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, and acetabular fossa) was assessed using a guide with marked notches (in millimeters). Subgroup analysis was performed according to BMI and subjective biotype for each patient. We included 104 patients with a mean age of 35 years (range, 14 to 55 years). As categorized by BMI, 60% of patients were normal weight, 22% were overweight, 16% were obese, and 2% were underweight. All but 8 procedures were performed with conventional knee-length arthroscopic shavers and burrs. The 8 procedures that needed additional hip instrumentation were performed in patients who required ligamentum teres debridement or those with iliopsoas tenotomy. Overall, the distance from skin to socket was less than 11 cm at the 12-o'clock and 3-o'clock positions from both the anterolateral and anterior portals. Obese and overweight patients had statistically longer distances from skin to socket at all 3 measurement points compared with underweight and normal-weight patients. Considering biotype, the distances from skin to socket in underweight, normal-weight, and muscular patients were all equal to or less than 10 cm. The distance from skin to socket at the 12- and 3-o'clock positions is less than 11 cm, suggesting that hip arthroscopy can be performed with conventional knee-length instrumentation devices. In obese and overweight patients and patients requiring ligamentum teres debridement or iliopsoas tendon release, specific hip arthroscopic tools should

An Imaging System for Automated Characteristic Length Measurement of Debrisat Fragments

Science.gov (United States)

Moraguez, Mathew; Patankar, Kunal; Fitz-Coy, Norman; Liou, J.-C.; Sorge, Marlon; Cowardin, Heather; Opiela, John; Krisko, Paula H.

2015-01-01

The debris fragments generated by DebriSat's hypervelocity impact test are currently being processed and characterized through an effort of NASA and USAF. The debris characteristics will be used to update satellite breakup models. In particular, the physical dimensions of the debris fragments must be measured to provide characteristic lengths for use in these models. Calipers and commercial 3D scanners were considered as measurement options, but an automated imaging system was ultimately developed to measure debris fragments. By automating the entire process, the measurement results are made repeatable and the human factor associated with calipers and 3D scanning is eliminated. Unlike using calipers to measure, the imaging system obtains non-contact measurements to avoid damaging delicate fragments. Furthermore, this fully automated measurement system minimizes fragment handling, which reduces the potential for fragment damage during the characterization process. In addition, the imaging system reduces the time required to determine the characteristic length of the debris fragment. In this way, the imaging system can measure the tens of thousands of DebriSat fragments at a rate of about six minutes per fragment, compared to hours per fragment in NASA's current 3D scanning measurement approach. The imaging system utilizes a space carving algorithm to generate a 3D point cloud of the article being measured and a custom developed algorithm then extracts the characteristic length from the point cloud. This paper describes the measurement process, results, challenges, and future work of the imaging system used for automated characteristic length measurement of DebriSat fragments.

Oxygen requirement of germinating flax seeds

Science.gov (United States)

Kuznetsov, Oleg A.; Hasenstein, K. H.

2003-05-01

Plant experiments in earth orbit are typically prepared on the ground and germinated in orbit to study gravity effects on the developing seedlings. Germination requires the breakdown of storage compounds, and this metabolism depends upon respiration, making oxygen one of the limiting factors in seed germination. In microgravity lack of run-off of excess water requires careful testing of water dispensation and oxygen availability. In preparation for a shuttle experiment (MICRO on STS-107) we studied germination and growth of flax ( Linum usitatissimum L.) seedlings in the developed hardware (Magnetic Field Chamber, MFC). We tested between four to 32 seeds per chamber (air volume = 14 mL) and after 36 h measured the root length. At 90 μl O 2 per seed (32 seeds/chamber), the germination decreased from 94 to 69%, and the root length was reduced by 20%, compared to 8 seeds per chamber. Based on the percent germination and root length obtained in controlled gas mixtures between 3.6 and 21.6% O 2 we determined the lower limit of reliable germination to be 10 vol. % O 2 at atmospheric pressure. Although the oxygen available in the MFC's can support the intended number of seeds, the data show that seed storage and microgravity-related limitations may reduce germination.

Integration of length and curvature in haptic perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Panday, Virjanand; Tiest, Wouter M Bergmann; Kappers, Astrid M L

2014-01-24

We investigated if and how length and curvature information are integrated when an object is explored in one hand. Subjects were asked to explore four types of objects between thumb and index finger. Objects differed in either length, curvature, both length and curvature correlated as in a circle, or anti-correlated. We found that when both length and curvature are present, performance is significantly better than when only one of the two cues is available. Therefore, we conclude that there is integration of length and curvature. Moreover, if the two cues are correlated in a circular cross-section instead of in an anti-correlated way, performance is better than predicted by a combination of two independent cues. We conclude that integration of curvature and length is highly efficient when the cues in the object are combined as in a circle, which is the most common combination of curvature and length in daily life.

Is length an appropriate estimator to characterize pulmonary alveolar capillaries? A critical evaluation in the human lung

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mühlfeld, Christian; Weibel, Ewald R.; Hahn, Ute

2010-01-01

Stereological estimations of total capillary length have been used to characterize changes in the alveolar capillary network (ACN) during developmental processes or pathophysiological conditions. Here, we analyzed whether length estimations are appropriate to describe the 3D nature of the ACN. Semi...... resulted in a mean of 2,746 km (SD: 722 km). Because of the geometry of the ACN both approaches carry an unpredictable bias. The bias incurred by the design-based approach is proportional to the ratio between radius and length of the capillary segments in the ACN, the number of branching points...... and the winding of the capillaries. The model-based approach is biased because of the real noncylindrical shape of capillaries and the network structure. In conclusion, the estimation of the total length of capillaries in the ACN cannot be recommended as the geometry of the ACN does not fulfill the requirements...

Electron Effective-Attenuation-Length Database

Science.gov (United States)

SRD 82 NIST Electron Effective-Attenuation-Length Database (PC database, no charge)   This database provides values of electron effective attenuation lengths (EALs) in solid elements and compounds at selected electron energies between 50 eV and 2,000 eV. The database was designed mainly to provide EALs (to account for effects of elastic-eletron scattering) for applications in surface analysis by Auger-electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Inspection Report: FAA's Alleged Circumvention of National Performance Review Staffing Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

1996-12-09

This report responds to a complaint received by the Office of Inspector General : (OIG), Department of Transportation. The complainant alleges the Federal : Aviation Administration (FAA) planned to circumvent National Performance : Review (NPR) staff...

Determining Hospital Ship (T-AH) Staffing Requirements for Humanitarian Assistance Missions

Science.gov (United States)

2007-10-16

Lower Back Pain Muscle Pain Osteoporosis Sprain Strain Tendonitis Contracture Other (list): SKIN Abscess / Carbuncle...Vital Signs (if applicable) Assessment: Yes No Abscess ...Gingivitis/ Periodontal Oral Ulcers Pericoronitis Other

Roentgenologic investigations for the anterior tooth length

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Won Pyo; Ahn, Hyung Kyu [College of Dentistry, Seoul National University , Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1972-11-15

The author measured the length of crown, root and tooth on the films which was taken by intraoral bisecting technic with mesh plate on the films. The films were taken from the dry skulls, dentiform, same patients who had to be removed their upper incisors, and the other patients who admitted for dental care. From this serial experiment the results were made as follows: 1. By using the film and mesh plate in the oral cavity, the real tooth length can be measured easily on the film surfaces. 2. The film distortion in the oral cavity can be avoided when taking the film using the mesh plate and film together. 3. When measuring the film, length of crown was elongated and length of root was shortened. 4. When using the well-trained bisecting technic, the real tooth length can be measured directly on the intraoral film.

Upper bound for the length of commutative algebras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markova, Ol'ga V

2009-01-01

By the length of a finite system of generators for a finite-dimensional associative algebra over an arbitrary field one means the least positive integer k such that the words of length not exceeding k span this algebra (as a vector space). The maximum length for the systems of generators of an algebra is referred to as the length of the algebra. In the present paper, an upper bound for the length of a commutative algebra in terms of a function of two invariants of the algebra, the dimension and the maximal degree of the minimal polynomial for the elements of the algebra, is obtained. As a corollary, a formula for the length of the algebra of diagonal matrices over an arbitrary field is obtained. Bibliography: 8 titles.

Convergence of macroscopic tongue anatomy in ruminants and scaling relationships with body mass or tongue length.

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Andrea R; Schmuck, Ute; Meloro, Carlo; Clauss, Marcus; Hofmann, Reinhold R

2016-03-01

Various morphological measures demonstrate convergent evolution in ruminants with their natural diet, in particular with respect to the browser/grazer dichotomy. Here, we report quantitative macroanatomical measures of the tongue (length and width of specific parts) of 65 ruminant species and relate them to either body mass (BM) or total tongue length, and to the percentage of grass in the natural diet (%grass). Models without and with accounting for the phylogenetic structures of the dataset were used, and models were ranked using Akaike's Information Criterion. Scaling relationships followed geometric principles, that is, length measures scaled with BM to the power of 0.33. Models that used tongue length rather than BM as a body size proxy were consistently ranked better, indicating that using size proxies that are less susceptible to a wider variety of factors (such as BM that fluctuates with body condition) should be attempted whenever possible. The proportion of the freely mobile tongue tip of the total tongue (and hence also the corpus length) was negatively correlated to %grass, in accordance with concepts that the feeding mechanism of browsers requires more mobile tongues. It should be noted that some nonbrowsers, such as cattle, use a peculiar mechanism for grazing that also requires long, mobile tongues, but they appear to be exceptions. A larger corpus width with increasing %grass corresponds to differences in snout shape with broader snouts in grazers. The Torus linguae is longer with increasing %grass, a finding that still warrants functional interpretation. This study shows that tongue measures covary with diet in ruminants. In contrast, the shape of the tongue (straight or "hourglass-shaped" as measured by the ratio of the widest and smallest corpus width) is unrelated to diet and is influenced strongly by phylogeny. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Measuring Crack Length in Coarse Grain Ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Salem, Jonathan A.; Ghosn, Louis J.

2010-01-01

Due to a coarse grain structure, crack lengths in precracked spinel specimens could not be measured optically, so the crack lengths and fracture toughness were estimated by strain gage measurements. An expression was developed via finite element analysis to correlate the measured strain with crack length in four-point flexure. The fracture toughness estimated by the strain gaged samples and another standardized method were in agreement.

Dither Cavity Length Controller with Iodine Locking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lawson Marty

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A cavity length controller for a seeded Q-switched frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser is constructed. The cavity length controller uses a piezo-mirror dither voltage to find the optimum length for the seeded cavity. The piezo-mirror dither also dithers the optical frequency of the output pulse. [1]. This dither in optical frequency is then used to lock to an Iodine absorption line.

Neutral Beam Injection Requirements and Design Issues for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

H.W. Kugel; H. Neilson; W. Reiersen; M. Zarnstorff

2002-01-01

The National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) will require 6 MW of 50 keV neutral beam injection (NBI) with initial pulse lengths of 500 msec and upgradeable to pulse lengths of 1.5 sec. This paper discusses the NCSX NBI requirements and design issues, and shows how these are provided by the candidate PBX-M[Princeton Beta Experiment-Modification] NBI system

Information-theoretic lengths of Jacobi polynomials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guerrero, A; Dehesa, J S [Departamento de Fisica Atomica, Molecular y Nuclear, Universidad de Granada, Granada (Spain); Sanchez-Moreno, P, E-mail: agmartinez@ugr.e, E-mail: pablos@ugr.e, E-mail: dehesa@ugr.e [Instituto ' Carlos I' de Fisica Teorica y Computacional, Universidad de Granada, Granada (Spain)

2010-07-30

The information-theoretic lengths of the Jacobi polynomials P{sup ({alpha}, {beta})}{sub n}(x), which are information-theoretic measures (Renyi, Shannon and Fisher) of their associated Rakhmanov probability density, are investigated. They quantify the spreading of the polynomials along the orthogonality interval [- 1, 1] in a complementary but different way as the root-mean-square or standard deviation because, contrary to this measure, they do not refer to any specific point of the interval. The explicit expressions of the Fisher length are given. The Renyi lengths are found by the use of the combinatorial multivariable Bell polynomials in terms of the polynomial degree n and the parameters ({alpha}, {beta}). The Shannon length, which cannot be exactly calculated because of its logarithmic functional form, is bounded from below by using sharp upper bounds to general densities on [- 1, +1] given in terms of various expectation values; moreover, its asymptotics is also pointed out. Finally, several computational issues relative to these three quantities are carefully analyzed.

Quantum discord length is enhanced while entanglement length is not by introducing disorder in a spin chain.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadhukhan, Debasis; Roy, Sudipto Singha; Rakshit, Debraj; Prabhu, R; Sen De, Aditi; Sen, Ujjwal

2016-01-01

Classical correlation functions of ground states typically decay exponentially and polynomially, respectively, for gapped and gapless short-range quantum spin systems. In such systems, entanglement decays exponentially even at the quantum critical points. However, quantum discord, an information-theoretic quantum correlation measure, survives long lattice distances. We investigate the effects of quenched disorder on quantum correlation lengths of quenched averaged entanglement and quantum discord, in the anisotropic XY and XYZ spin glass and random field chains. We find that there is virtually neither reduction nor enhancement in entanglement length while quantum discord length increases significantly with the introduction of the quenched disorder.

On the use of the Prandtl mixing length model in the cutting torch modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mancinelli, B [Grupo de Descargas Electricas, Departamento Ing. Electromecanica, Universidad Tecnologica Nacional, Regional Venado Tuerto, Laprida 651, Venado Tuerto (2600), Santa Fe (Argentina); Minotti, F O; Kelly, H, E-mail: bmancinelli@arnet.com.ar [Instituto de Fisica del Plasma (CONICET), Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA) Ciudad Universitaria Pab. I, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2011-05-01

The Prandtl mixing length model has been used to take into account the turbulent effects in a 30 A high-energy density cutting torch model. In particular, the model requires the introduction of only one adjustable coefficient c corresponding to the length of action of the turbulence. It is shown that the c value has little effect on the plasma temperature profiles outside the nozzle (the differences being less than 10 %), but severely affects the plasma velocity distribution, with differences reaching about 100% at the middle of the nozzle-anode gap. Within the experimental uncertainties it was also found that the value c = 0.08 allows to reproduce both, the experimental data of velocity and temperature

On the use of the Prandtl mixing length model in the cutting torch modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mancinelli, B; Minotti, F O; Kelly, H

2011-01-01

The Prandtl mixing length model has been used to take into account the turbulent effects in a 30 A high-energy density cutting torch model. In particular, the model requires the introduction of only one adjustable coefficient c corresponding to the length of action of the turbulence. It is shown that the c value has little effect on the plasma temperature profiles outside the nozzle (the differences being less than 10 %), but severely affects the plasma velocity distribution, with differences reaching about 100% at the middle of the nozzle-anode gap. Within the experimental uncertainties it was also found that the value c = 0.08 allows to reproduce both, the experimental data of velocity and temperature

Sperm length evolution in the fungus-growing ants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baer, B.; Dijkstra, M. B.; Mueller, U. G.

2009-01-01

-growing ants, representing 9 of the 12 recognized genera, and mapped these onto the ant phylogeny. We show that average sperm length across species is highly variable and decreases with mature colony size in basal genera with singly mated queens, suggesting that sperm production or storage constraints affect...... the evolution of sperm length. Sperm length does not decrease further in multiply mating leaf-cutting ants, despite substantial further increases in colony size. In a combined analysis, sexual dimorphism explained 63.1% of the variance in sperm length between species. As colony size was not a significant...... predictor in this analysis, we conclude that sperm production trade-offs in males have been the major selective force affecting sperm length across the fungus-growing ants, rather than storage constraints in females. The relationship between sperm length and sexual dimorphism remained robust...

Single-cell telomere-length quantification couples telomere length to meristem activity and stem cell development in Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

González-García, Mary-Paz; Pavelescu, Irina; Canela, Andrés; Sevillano, Xavier; Leehy, Katherine A; Nelson, Andrew D L; Ibañes, Marta; Shippen, Dorothy E; Blasco, Maria A; Caño-Delgado, Ana I

2015-05-12

Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein caps that protect chromosome ends assuring cell division. Single-cell telomere quantification in animals established a critical role for telomerase in stem cells, yet, in plants, telomere-length quantification has been reported only at the organ level. Here, a quantitative analysis of telomere length of single cells in Arabidopsis root apex uncovered a heterogeneous telomere-length distribution of different cell lineages showing the longest telomeres at the stem cells. The defects in meristem and stem cell renewal observed in tert mutants demonstrate that telomere lengthening by TERT sets a replicative limit in the root meristem. Conversely, the long telomeres of the columella cells and the premature stem cell differentiation plt1,2 mutants suggest that differentiation can prevent telomere erosion. Overall, our results indicate that telomere dynamics are coupled to meristem activity and continuous growth, disclosing a critical association between telomere length, stem cell function, and the extended lifespan of plants. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance of initial full-length RHIC [Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider] dipoles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahl, P.; Cottingham, J.; Garber, M.

1987-01-01

The first four full-length (9.7 m) R and D dipoles for the proposed Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have been successfully tested. The magnets reached a quench plateau of approximately 4.5 T with very reasonable training - a field level comfortably above the design field of 3.45 T required for operation with beams of 100 GeV/amu gold nuclei. Measured field multipoles are considered to be quite acceptable for this series of R and D magnets

Influence of ultraviolet ray irradiation on length of egg hatchability and on length of incubation period

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dimitrov, S.

1977-01-01

The effect of irradiation of White Leghorn eggs with ultraviolet rays on their embryonal development, egg hatchability, viability of hatched chicks and their liveweight, is studied. Irradiation length was 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40 and 60 min in two experiments and 2, 4, 16 and 256 min in one trial. It was established that egg irradiation with ultraviolet rays affected positively egg hatchability and viability of the chicks, the irradiation effect being strongest in the range of 2 to 40 min. No significant difference was established between liveweight of chicks obtained from irradiated and nonirradiated eggs. It was further found that the length of incubation period was shortened by 2 to 5 hrs with increase in irradiation length over 5 min. (author)

Sighting optics including an optical element having a first focal length and a second focal length and methods for sighting

Science.gov (United States)

Crandall, David Lynn

2011-08-16

Sighting optics include a front sight and a rear sight positioned in a spaced-apart relation. The rear sight includes an optical element having a first focal length and a second focal length. The first focal length is selected so that it is about equal to a distance separating the optical element and the front sight and the second focal length is selected so that it is about equal to a target distance. The optical element thus brings into simultaneous focus for a user images of the front sight and the target.

Summary of neutron scattering lengths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koester, L.

1981-12-01

All available neutron-nuclei scattering lengths are collected together with their error bars in a uniform way. Bound scattering lengths are given for the elements, the isotopes, and the various spin-states. They are discussed in the sense of their use as basic parameters for many investigations in the field of nuclear and solid state physics. The data bank is available on magnetic tape, too. Recommended values and a map of these data serve for an uncomplicated use of these quantities. (orig.)

Otolith Length-Fish Length Relationships of Eleven US Arctic Fish Species and Their Application to Ice Seal Diet Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, K. L.; Norcross, B.

2016-02-01

The Arctic ecosystem has moved into the spotlight of scientific research in recent years due to increased climate change and oil and gas exploration. Arctic fishes and Arctic marine mammals represent key parts of this ecosystem, with fish being a common part of ice seal diets in the Arctic. Determining sizes of fish consumed by ice seals is difficult because otoliths are often the only part left of the fish after digestion. Otolith length is known to be positively related to fish length. By developing species-specific otolith-body morphometric relationships for Arctic marine fishes, fish length can be determined for fish prey found in seal stomachs. Fish were collected during ice free months in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas 2009 - 2014, and the most prevalent species captured were chosen for analysis. Otoliths from eleven fish species from seven families were measured. All species had strong linear relationships between otolith length and fish total length. Nine species had coefficient of determination values over 0.75, indicating that most of the variability in the otolith to fish length relationship was explained by the linear regression. These relationships will be applied to otoliths found in stomachs of three species of ice seals (spotted Phoca largha, ringed Pusa hispida, and bearded Erignathus barbatus) and used to estimate fish total length at time of consumption. Fish lengths can in turn be used to calculate fish weight, enabling further investigation into ice seal energetic demands. This application will aid in understanding how ice seals interact with fish communities in the US Arctic and directly contribute to diet comparisons among and within ice seal species. A better understanding of predator-prey interactions in the US Arctic will aid in predicting how ice seal and fish species will adapt to a changing Arctic.

Elasticity of short DNA molecules: theory and experiment for contour lengths of 0.6-7 microm.

Science.gov (United States)

Seol, Yeonee; Li, Jinyu; Nelson, Philip C; Perkins, Thomas T; Betterton, M D

2007-12-15

The wormlike chain (WLC) model currently provides the best description of double-stranded DNA elasticity for micron-sized molecules. This theory requires two intrinsic material parameters-the contour length L and the persistence length p. We measured and then analyzed the elasticity of double-stranded DNA as a function of L (632 nm-7.03 microm) using the classic solution to the WLC model. When the elasticity data were analyzed using this solution, the resulting fitted value for the persistence length p(wlc) depended on L; even for moderately long DNA molecules (L = 1300 nm), this apparent persistence length was 10% smaller than its limiting value for long DNA. Because p is a material parameter, and cannot depend on length, we sought a new solution to the WLC model, which we call the "finite wormlike chain (FWLC)," to account for effects not considered in the classic solution. Specifically we accounted for the finite chain length, the chain-end boundary conditions, and the bead rotational fluctuations inherent in optical trapping assays where beads are used to apply the force. After incorporating these corrections, we used our FWLC solution to generate force-extension curves, and then fit those curves with the classic WLC solution, as done in the standard experimental analysis. These results qualitatively reproduced the apparent dependence of p(wlc) on L seen in experimental data when analyzed with the classic WLC solution. Directly fitting experimental data to the FWLC solution reduces the apparent dependence of p(fwlc) on L by a factor of 3. Thus, the FWLC solution provides a significantly improved theoretical framework in which to analyze single-molecule experiments over a broad range of experimentally accessible DNA lengths, including both short (a few hundred nanometers in contour length) and very long (microns in contour length) molecules.

Choice of word length in the design of a specialized hardware for lossless wavelet compression of medical images

Science.gov (United States)

Urriza, Isidro; Barragan, Luis A.; Artigas, Jose I.; Garcia, Jose I.; Navarro, Denis

1997-11-01

Image compression plays an important role in the archiving and transmission of medical images. Discrete cosine transform (DCT)-based compression methods are not suitable for medical images because of block-like image artifacts that could mask or be mistaken for pathology. Wavelet transforms (WTs) are used to overcome this problem. When implementing WTs in hardware, finite precision arithmetic introduces quantization errors. However, lossless compression is usually required in the medical image field. Thus, the hardware designer must look for the optimum register length that, while ensuring the lossless accuracy criteria, will also lead to a high-speed implementation with small chip area. In addition, wavelet choice is a critical issue that affects image quality as well as system design. We analyze the filters best suited to image compression that appear in the literature. For them, we obtain the maximum quantization errors produced in the calculation of the WT components. Thus, we deduce the minimum word length required for the reconstructed image to be numerically identical to the original image. The theoretical results are compared with experimental results obtained from algorithm simulations on random test images. These results enable us to compare the hardware implementation cost of the different filter banks. Moreover, to reduce the word length, we have analyzed the case of increasing the integer part of the numbers while maintaining constant the word length when the scale increases.

A superlinear iteration method for calculation of finite length journal bearing's static equilibrium position

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Wenjie; Wei, Xuesong; Wang, Leqin; Wu, Guangkuan

2017-05-01

Solving the static equilibrium position is one of the most important parts of dynamic coefficients calculation and further coupled calculation of rotor system. The main contribution of this study is testing the superlinear iteration convergence method-twofold secant method, for the determination of the static equilibrium position of journal bearing with finite length. Essentially, the Reynolds equation for stable motion is solved by the finite difference method and the inner pressure is obtained by the successive over-relaxation iterative method reinforced by the compound Simpson quadrature formula. The accuracy and efficiency of the twofold secant method are higher in comparison with the secant method and dichotomy. The total number of iterative steps required for the twofold secant method are about one-third of the secant method and less than one-eighth of dichotomy for the same equilibrium position. The calculations for equilibrium position and pressure distribution for different bearing length, clearance and rotating speed were done. In the results, the eccentricity presents linear inverse proportional relationship to the attitude angle. The influence of the bearing length, clearance and bearing radius on the load-carrying capacity was also investigated. The results illustrate that larger bearing length, larger radius and smaller clearance are good for the load-carrying capacity of journal bearing. The application of the twofold secant method can greatly reduce the computational time for calculation of the dynamic coefficients and dynamic characteristics of rotor-bearing system with a journal bearing of finite length.

Phenotypic Plasticity in Gut Length in the Planktivorous Filter-Feeding Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhixin Ke

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Phenotypic plasticity widely exists in the external morphology of animals as well as the internal traits of organs. In the present study, we studied the gut length plasticity of planktivorous filter-feeding silver carp under different food resources in large-net cage experiments in Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu in 2004 and 2005. There was a significant difference in stocking density between these 2 years. Under a low stocking density and abundant food resources, silver carp increased their energy intake by feeding on more zooplankton. Meanwhile, silver carp adjusted their gut length to match the digestive requirements of food when exposed to different food resources. In the main growth seasons (from April to October, silver carp significantly increased their relative gut length when feeding on more phytoplankton in 2005 (p < 0.01, 9.23 ± 1.80 in 2004 and 10.77 ± 2.05 in 2005, respectively. There was a nearly significant negative correlation between zooplankton proportion in the diet and the relative gut length when silver carp were stocked in a high density (p = 0.112. It appears that silver carp might have evolved plasticity to change their gut length rapidly to facilitate efficient utilization of food resources. Such resource polymorphisms in the gut may be a good indication of temporal adaptation to resource conditions. Our work provided field evidence for understanding the functional basis of resource polymorphisms and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in planktivorous filter-feeding fish.

DRGs and Military Medicine: A Look at DRGs and Length of Stay.

Science.gov (United States)

1985-01-01

Medicine I Casemix 3 Diagnosis Related Groups 4 Utilization Review 7 Financial Analysis 7 Productivity 8 Sampling Frame for Quality Studies 9 AUTOGRP 9...posture is enhanced. CASEMIX Casemix is a term used to describe the degree of case complexity (level of care required) of specific diagnoses and the mix of...different diagnoses treated by an institution. The concept of casemix and its effect on resource consumption has been addressed at length

Variability in word reading performance of dyslexic readers: effects of letter length, phoneme length and digraph presence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marinus, E.; de Jong, P.F.

2010-01-01

The marked word-length effect in dyslexic children suggests the use of a letter-by-letter reading strategy. Such a strategy should make it more difficult to infer the sound of digraphs. Our main aim was to disentangle length and digraph-presence effects in word and pseudoword reading. In addition,

Continuously variable focal length lens

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Bernhard W; Chollet, Matthieu C

2013-12-17

A material preferably in crystal form having a low atomic number such as beryllium (Z=4) provides for the focusing of x-rays in a continuously variable manner. The material is provided with plural spaced curvilinear, optically matched slots and/or recesses through which an x-ray beam is directed. The focal length of the material may be decreased or increased by increasing or decreasing, respectively, the number of slots (or recesses) through which the x-ray beam is directed, while fine tuning of the focal length is accomplished by rotation of the material so as to change the path length of the x-ray beam through the aligned cylindrical slows. X-ray analysis of a fixed point in a solid material may be performed by scanning the energy of the x-ray beam while rotating the material to maintain the beam's focal point at a fixed point in the specimen undergoing analysis.

Biophysics of filament length regulation by molecular motors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuan, Hui-Shun; Betterton, M D

2013-01-01

Regulating physical size is an essential problem that biological organisms must solve from the subcellular to the organismal scales, but it is not well understood what physical principles and mechanisms organisms use to sense and regulate their size. Any biophysical size-regulation scheme operates in a noisy environment and must be robust to other cellular dynamics and fluctuations. This work develops theory of filament length regulation inspired by recent experiments on kinesin-8 motor proteins, which move with directional bias on microtubule filaments and alter microtubule dynamics. Purified kinesin-8 motors can depolymerize chemically-stabilized microtubules. In the length-dependent depolymerization model, the rate of depolymerization tends to increase with filament length, because long filaments accumulate more motors at their tips and therefore shorten more quickly. When balanced with a constant filament growth rate, this mechanism can lead to a fixed polymer length. However, the mechanism by which kinesin-8 motors affect the length of dynamic microtubules in cells is less clear. We study the more biologically realistic problem of microtubule dynamic instability modulated by a motor-dependent increase in the filament catastrophe frequency. This leads to a significant decrease in the mean filament length and a narrowing of the filament length distribution. The results improve our understanding of the biophysics of length regulation in cells. (paper)

Optimization of fracture length in gas/condensate reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohan, J.; Sharma, M.M.; Pope, G.A. [Society of Petroleum Engineers, Richardson, TX (United States)]|[Texas Univ., Austin, TX (United States)

2006-07-01