Design and validation of a standards-based science teacher efficacy instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Kerr, Patricia Reda

National standards for K--12 science education address all aspects of science education, with their main emphasis on curriculum---both science subject matter and the process involved in doing science. Standards for science teacher education programs have been developing along a parallel plane, as is self-efficacy research involving classroom teachers. Generally, studies about efficacy have been dichotomous---basing the theoretical underpinnings on the work of either Rotter's Locus of Control theory or on Bandura's explanations of efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancy. This study brings all three threads together---K--12 science standards, teacher education standards, and efficacy beliefs---in an instrument designed to measure science teacher efficacy with items based on identified critical attributes of standards-based science teaching and learning. Based on Bandura's explanation of efficacy being task-specific and having outcome expectancy, a developmental, systematic progression from standards-based strategies and activities to tasks to critical attributes was used to craft items for a standards-based science teacher efficacy instrument. Demographic questions related to school characteristics, teacher characteristics, preservice background, science teaching experience, and post-certification professional development were included in the instrument. The instrument was completed by 102 middle level science teachers, with complete data for 87 teachers. A principal components analysis of the science teachers' responses to the instrument resulted in two components: Standards-Based Science Teacher Efficacy: Beliefs About Teaching (BAT, reliability = .92) and Standards-Based Science Teacher Efficacy: Beliefs About Student Achievement (BASA, reliability = .82). Variables that were characteristic of professional development activities, science content preparation, and school environment were identified as members of the sets of variables predicting the BAT and BASA

Biological bases of the maximum permissible exposure levels of the UK laser standard BS 4803: 1983

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKinlay, A.F.; Harlen, F.

1983-10-01

The use of lasers has increased greatly over the past 15 years or so, to the extent that they are now used routinely in many occupational and public situations. There has been an increasing awareness of the potential hazards presented by lasers and substantial efforts have been made to formulate safety standards. In the UK the relevant Safety Standard is the British Standards Institution Standard BS 4803. This Standard was originally published in 1972 and a revision has recently been published (BS 4803: 1983). The revised standard has been developed using the American National Standards Institute Standard, ANSI Z136.1 (1973 onwards), as a model. In other countries, national standards have been similarly formulated, resulting in a large measure of international agreement through participation in the work of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The bases of laser safety standards are biophysical data on threshold injury effects, particularly on the retina, and the development of theoretical models of damage mechanisms. This report deals in some detail with the mechanisms of injury from over exposure to optical radiations, in particular with the dependency of the type and degree of damage on wavelength, image size and pulse duration. The maximum permissible exposure levels recommended in BS 4803: 1983 are compared with published data for damage thresholds and the adequacy of the standard is discussed. (author)

Optometry Australia Entry-level Competency Standards for Optometry 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiely, Patricia M; Slater, Jared

2015-01-01

Competency standards for entry-level to the profession of optometry in Australia were first developed in 1993, revised in 1997 and 2000, and again in 2008, when therapeutic competency standards were introduced but differentiated from the entry-level competencies. Therapeutic competencies were an additional requirement for the purpose of endorsing optometric registration to allow prescription of medicines for conditions of the eye. Recent changes to educational and registration requirements mean that therapeutic competencies are now required at entry-level. To address this and to ensure the standards reflect current best practice, a full revision of the standards was undertaken. A steering committee oversaw the review of the standards, which involved a literature review, workshops with optometrists and broad consultation with stakeholders, including the Optometry Board of Australia, individual optometrists and employers of optometrists, to identify changes needed. Representatives of the profession from Australia and New Zealand and from academia in Australia were involved. A modified document based on the feedback received was circulated to the State Divisions and the National Board of the then Optometrists Association Australia. The updated standards reflect the state of entry to the optometric profession in 2014; competencies for prescribing of scheduled medicines are included, new material has been added, other areas have been modified. The updated entry-level competency standards were adopted on behalf of the profession by the National Board of the then Optometrists Association Australia in March 2014. Competency standards have been updated so that they continue to be current and useful for the profession, individual optometrists and Australian and New Zealand registration authorities for the purposes of accreditation of optometric programs and assessment of overseas-trained optometrists. This paper details the revision process and presents the 2014 version of

A trial fabrication of activity standard surface sources and positional standard surface sources for an imaging plate system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yasushi; Hino, Yoshio; Yamada, Takahiro; Matsumoto, Mikio

2003-01-01

An imaging plate system can detect low level activity, but quantitative analysis is difficult because there are no adequate standard surface sources. A new fabrication method was developed for standard surface sources by printing on a sheet of paper using an ink-jet printer with inks in which a radioactive material was mixed. The fabricated standard surface sources had high uniformity, high positional resolution arbitrary shapes and a broad intensity range. The standard sources were used for measurement of surface activity as an application. (H. Yokoo)

14 CFR 399.31 - Standard industry fare level.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Standard industry fare level. 399.31... Standard industry fare level. (a) Generally. Except as set forth in paragraph (d) of this section, the standard industry fare level (“SIFL”) for coach/standard service in a market is equal to the predominant...

Settings for Physical Activity – Developing a Site-specific Physical Activity Behavior Model based on Multi-level Intervention Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Troelsen, Jens; Klinker, Charlotte Demant; Breum, Lars

Settings for Physical Activity – Developing a Site-specific Physical Activity Behavior Model based on Multi-level Intervention Studies Introduction: Ecological models of health behavior have potential as theoretical framework to comprehend the multiple levels of factors influencing physical...... to be taken into consideration. A theoretical implication of this finding is to develop a site-specific physical activity behavior model adding a layered structure to the ecological model representing the determinants related to the specific site. Support: This study was supported by TrygFonden, Realdania...... activity (PA). The potential is shown by the fact that there has been a dramatic increase in application of ecological models in research and practice. One proposed core principle is that an ecological model is most powerful if the model is behavior-specific. However, based on multi-level interventions...

Standardizing Activation Analysis: New Software for Photon Activation Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Z. J.; Wells, D.; Segebade, C.; Green, J.

2011-06-01

Photon Activation Analysis (PAA) of environmental, archaeological and industrial samples requires extensive data analysis that is susceptible to error. For the purpose of saving time, manpower and minimizing error, a computer program was designed, built and implemented using SQL, Access 2007 and asp.net technology to automate this process. Based on the peak information of the spectrum and assisted by its PAA library, the program automatically identifies elements in the samples and calculates their concentrations and respective uncertainties. The software also could be operated in browser/server mode, which gives the possibility to use it anywhere the internet is accessible. By switching the nuclide library and the related formula behind, the new software can be easily expanded to neutron activation analysis (NAA), charged particle activation analysis (CPAA) or proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Implementation of this would standardize the analysis of nuclear activation data. Results from this software were compared to standard PAA analysis with excellent agreement. With minimum input from the user, the software has proven to be fast, user-friendly and reliable.

Standardizing Activation Analysis: New Software for Photon Activation Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Z. J.; Wells, D.; Green, J.; Segebade, C.

2011-01-01

Photon Activation Analysis (PAA) of environmental, archaeological and industrial samples requires extensive data analysis that is susceptible to error. For the purpose of saving time, manpower and minimizing error, a computer program was designed, built and implemented using SQL, Access 2007 and asp.net technology to automate this process. Based on the peak information of the spectrum and assisted by its PAA library, the program automatically identifies elements in the samples and calculates their concentrations and respective uncertainties. The software also could be operated in browser/server mode, which gives the possibility to use it anywhere the internet is accessible. By switching the nuclide library and the related formula behind, the new software can be easily expanded to neutron activation analysis (NAA), charged particle activation analysis (CPAA) or proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Implementation of this would standardize the analysis of nuclear activation data. Results from this software were compared to standard PAA analysis with excellent agreement. With minimum input from the user, the software has proven to be fast, user-friendly and reliable.

The k0-based neutron activation analysis: a mono standard to standardless approach of NAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acharya, R.; Nair, A.G.C.; Sudarshan, K.; Goswami, A.; Reddy, A.V.R.

2006-01-01

The k 0 -based neutron activation analysis (k 0 -NAA) uses neutron flux parameters, detection efficiency and nuclear constants namely k 0 and Q 0 for the determination of concentration of elements. Gold ( 197 Au) or any other element having suitable nuclear properties is used as external or internal single comparator. This article describes the principle of k 0 -NAA and standardization of method by characterization of reactor irradiation sites and calibration of efficiency of the detector and applications. The method was validated using CRMs obtained from USGS, IAEA and NIST. The applications of method includes samples like gemstones (ruby, beryl and emerald), sediments, manganese nodules and encrustations, cereals, and medicinal and edible leaves. Recently, a k-o-based internal mono standard INAA (IM-NAA) method using in-situ relative efficiency has been standardized by us for the analysis of small and large samples of different shapes and sizes. The method was applied to a new meteorite sample and large size wheat samples. Non-standard size and shape samples of nuclear cladding materials namely zircaloy 2 and 4, stainless steels (SS 316M and D9) and 1S aluminium were analysed. Standard-less analysis of these cladding materials was possible by mass balance approach since all the major and minor elements were amenable to NAA. (author)

Activity and gamma-ray emission standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Debertin, K.

1983-01-01

The standards made available by PTB are standards defined with regard to their activity A. If standard and measuring sample do not contain the same nuclide, the comparison with the standard is made via the emission rate R of the photons of a given energy. For this comparison, the value recommended by PTB for PTB standards should be used, as this value in many cases has been derived by emission rate measurements on specimens whose activity has been directly correlated with the activity of the standards released. (orig./DG) [de

Standardization of Tragopogon graminifolius DC. Extract Based on Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Hosein Farzaei

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Tragopogon graminifolius DC. (TG, Compositae family, is traditionally used for the treatment of various diseases like gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders. The aim of the present study is to standardize extracts from TG used for preparation of different dosage forms in traditional Iranian medicine (TIM based on phenolic compounds. For this purpose, total phenolic content and some phenolic compounds were determined in ethanolic extracts from aerial part and root of TG by HPLC method. Furthermore, antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH-HPLC methods. Caffeic acid, gallic acid, ρ-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and catechin were detected in root and aerial part of TG. ρ-Coumaric acid (6.357 ± 0.014 mg·g−1 was dominant phenolic compound in aerial part followed by ferulic acid (1.24 ± 0.018 mg·g−1. Also, ρ-coumaric acid (2.685 ± 0.031 mg·g−1 was highly abundant in root, followed by catechin (2.067 ± 0.021 mg·g−1. Antioxidant activity of root extract (460.45 ± 0.78 µg Vit.E.E·mL−1 was better than that of aerial part. Generally, phenolic compounds are one of the major constituents of TG and could be used as markers for standardization of dosage forms prepared from this plant. Also, TG demonstrated significant antioxidant activity using DPPH-HPLC method. Phenolic compounds of TG may be responsible for its marked antioxidant properties.

A generic standard for assessing and managing activities with significant risk to health and safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilde, T.S.; Sandquist, G.M.

2005-01-01

Some operations and activities in industry, business, and government can present an unacceptable risk to health and safety if not performed according to established safety practices and documented procedures. The nuclear industry has extensive experience and commitment to assessing and controlling such risks. This paper provides a generic standard based upon DOE Standard DOE-STD-3007- 93, Nov 1993, Change Notice No. 1, Sep 1998. This generic standard can be used to assess practices and procedures employed by any industrial and government entity to ensure that an acceptable level of safety and control prevail for such operations. When any activity and operation is determined to involve significant risk to health and safety to workers or the public, the organization should adopt and establish an appropriate standard and methodology to ensure that adequate health and safety prevail. This paper uses DOE experience and standards to address activities with recognized potential for impact upon health and safety. Existing and future assessments of health and safety issues can be compared and evaluated against this generic standard for insuring that proper planning, analysis, review, and approval have been made. (authors)

Embedded Real-Time Architecture for Level-Set-Based Active Contours

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dejnožková Eva

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Methods described by partial differential equations have gained a considerable interest because of undoubtful advantages such as an easy mathematical description of the underlying physics phenomena, subpixel precision, isotropy, or direct extension to higher dimensions. Though their implementation within the level set framework offers other interesting advantages, their vast industrial deployment on embedded systems is slowed down by their considerable computational effort. This paper exploits the high parallelization potential of the operators from the level set framework and proposes a scalable, asynchronous, multiprocessor platform suitable for system-on-chip solutions. We concentrate on obtaining real-time execution capabilities. The performance is evaluated on a continuous watershed and an object-tracking application based on a simple gradient-based attraction force driving the active countour. The proposed architecture can be realized on commercially available FPGAs. It is built around general-purpose processor cores, and can run code developed with usual tools.

Quantification of the level descriptors for the standard EQ-5D three-level system and a five-level version according to two methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.F. Janssen (Bas); E. Birnie (Erwin); G.J. Bonsel (Gouke)

2008-01-01

textabstractObjectives: Our aim was to compare the quantitative position of the level descriptors of the standard EQ-5D three-level system (3L) and a newly developed, experimental five-level version (5L) using a direct and a vignette-based indirect method. Methods: Eighty-two respondents took part

Quantification of the level descriptors for the standard EQ-5D three-level system and a five-level version according to two methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, M. F.; Birnie, E.; Bonsel, G. J.

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to compare the quantitative position of the level descriptors of the standard EQ-5D three-level system (3L) and a newly developed, experimental five-level version (5L) using a direct and a vignette-based indirect method. METHODS: Eighty-two respondents took part in the study.

Development of healthy eating and physical activity quality standards for out-of-school time programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiecha, Jean L; Hall, Georgia; Gannett, Ellen; Roth, Barbara

2012-12-01

Out-of-school time (OST) programs serve over 8 million children per year and have ample opportunity to promote health through menu and physical activity choices. Until recently, however, the field has lacked a comprehensive set of operationalizable standards for healthy eating and physical activity. The National AfterSchool Association adopted voluntary healthy eating and physical activity quality standards (HEPAQS) in April, 2011. We describe the development of HEPAQS. This work reflects a social ecological model for changing children's eating and activity behaviors through program-level interventions. The standards were developed using a national, mixed-methods needs assessment, review of existing standards and expert recommendations, and a participatory process of discussion, review, and consensus engaging 19 influential service and policy organizations and agencies in the Healthy Out-of-School Time (HOST) coalition, which we convened in 2009. The HOST coalition approved a final version of the HEPAQS in January, 2011. The 11 standards address content, curriculum selection, staff training, program support, and environmental support for healthy eating and physical activity. In April, 2011, the HEPAQS were adopted by the National AfterSchool Association, and have subsequently been widely disseminated. Extensive adoption and implementation efforts are underway. The availability of a comprehensive set of standards for healthy eating and physical activity in OST provides practical information to help community-based youth-serving organizations participate in obesity and chronic disease prevention. A working awareness of their content will be useful to scientists undertaking health promotion studies in the out-of-school time setting.

Low-level dosimetry based on activation analysis of badge film, 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morikawa, Kaoru; Yamashita, Kazuya; Inamoto, Kazuo; Maeda, Masayuki; Sato, Takashi; Ono, Koichi.

1988-01-01

Underexposed badge film contains a minor quantity of silver which corresponds to the low radiation dose even after completion of the photographic densitometry ; however, it cannot be detected with a photographic densitometer. We intended to clarify the minor silver content based on radioactivation analysis with thermal neutrons at KUR (Kyoto University Research Reactor). The natural silver consists of two stable nuclides, i.e., 107 Ag and 109 Ag. These can be activated with irradiation of thermal neutrons to two radionuclides, i.e., 108 Ag and 110 Ag. In this paper, through the activation analysis of an underexposed badge film, methods of measurements are shown regarding both 108 Ag produced by the 107 Ag (n, γ) reaction and 110 Ag by the 109 Ag (n, γ). After underexposed badge films were irradiated with thermal neutrons, some gamma-rays emitted from the radionuclides in the activated films were measured with a high pure Ge detector or a NaI (Tl) scintillation detector. The following results were obtained: (1) several elements such as silver, iodine, gold, antimony, manganese and copper were detected by activation analyses of films exposed to low level 60 Co gamma-rays, (2) the exposure vs 108 Ag or 110 Ag activity curve was linear in the lower dose range of 60 Co gamma-rays. These data indicate that low level radiation doses, which is indeterminable by ordinary photographic densitometry, can be estimated by activation analysis of silver atoms in badge films. (author)

Image standards in Tissue-Based Diagnosis (Diagnostic Surgical Pathology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vollmer Ekkehard

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Progress in automated image analysis, virtual microscopy, hospital information systems, and interdisciplinary data exchange require image standards to be applied in tissue-based diagnosis. Aims To describe the theoretical background, practical experiences and comparable solutions in other medical fields to promote image standards applicable for diagnostic pathology. Theory and experiences Images used in tissue-based diagnosis present with pathology – specific characteristics. It seems appropriate to discuss their characteristics and potential standardization in relation to the levels of hierarchy in which they appear. All levels can be divided into legal, medical, and technological properties. Standards applied to the first level include regulations or aims to be fulfilled. In legal properties, they have to regulate features of privacy, image documentation, transmission, and presentation; in medical properties, features of disease – image combination, human – diagnostics, automated information extraction, archive retrieval and access; and in technological properties features of image acquisition, display, formats, transfer speed, safety, and system dynamics. The next lower second level has to implement the prescriptions of the upper one, i.e. describe how they are implemented. Legal aspects should demand secure encryption for privacy of all patient related data, image archives that include all images used for diagnostics for a period of 10 years at minimum, accurate annotations of dates and viewing, and precise hardware and software information. Medical aspects should demand standardized patients' files such as DICOM 3 or HL 7 including history and previous examinations, information of image display hardware and software, of image resolution and fields of view, of relation between sizes of biological objects and image sizes, and of access to archives and retrieval. Technological aspects should deal with image

Recommending a minimum English proficiency standard for entry-level nursing.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Neill, Thomas R; Tannenbaum, Richard J; Tiffen, Jennifer

2005-01-01

When nurses who are educated internationally immigrate to the United States, they are expected to have English language proficiency in order to function as a competent nurse. The purpose of this research was to provide sufficient information to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) to make a defensible recommended passing standard for English proficiency. This standard was based upon the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A large panel of nurses and nurse regulators (N = 25) was convened to determine how much English proficiency is required to be minimally competent as an entry-level nurse. Two standard setting procedures, the Simulated Minimally Competent Candidate (SMCC) procedure and the Examinee Paper Selection Method, were combined to produce recommendations for each panelist. In conjunction with collateral information, these recommendations were reviewed by the NCSBN Examination Committee, which decided upon an NCSBN recommended standard, a TOEFL score of 220. Because the adoption of this standard rests entirely with the individual state, NCSBN has little more to do with implementing the standard, other than answering questions and providing documentation about the standard.

Veterinary antimicrobial-usage statistics based on standardized measures of dosage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Vibeke Frøkjær; Jacobsen, Erik; Bager, Flemming

2004-01-01

In human medicine, the defined daily dose is used as a technical measure of drug usage, which is independent of the variations in the potency of the active compound and the formulation of the pharmaceutical product-therefore providing a measure of the relative importance of different drugs....... A national system of animal defined daily doses (ADD) for each age-group and species has been defined in VetStat (the Danish national system monitoring veterinary therapeutic drug use). The usage is further standardized according to the number of animals in the target population, acquired from production...... data on the national level or on herd size by species and age in the Danish central husbandry register (CHR). Statistics based on standardized measures of VetStat data can be used for comparison of drug usage between different herds, veterinary practices, or geographic regions (allowing subdivision...

Maintenance Staffing Standards for Zero-Based Budgeting.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Matthew C.; And Others

1998-01-01

Discusses school preventive maintenance and the variables associated with maintenance staffing standards that address a zero-based budgeting environment. Explores preventive-maintenance measurement for staffing requirements, defines staffing levels and job descriptions, and outlines the factors to consider when creating a maintenance program and…

Optometrists Association Australia Universal (entry-level) and Therapeutic Competency Standards for Optometry 2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiely, Patricia M

2009-07-01

Competency standards for entry-level to the profession of optometry in Australia were first developed in 1993, revised in 1997 and expanded in 2000 to include therapeutic competency standards. The entry-level standards cover the competencies required by a person entering the profession without therapeutic endorsement of their registration. The therapeutic competency standards address the additional competencies required for therapeutic endorsement of registration. This paper presents a revised version of the universal (entry-level) and therapeutic competency standards for the profession of optometry in Australia in 2008. Expert members of the profession and representatives from schools of optometry, registration boards in Australia, state divisions of Optometrists Association Australia and the New Zealand Association of Optometrists were consulted in the process of updating the standards. Three new elements of competency have been added to the standards. Twenty-three new performance criteria with associated indicators have been added. Some performance criteria from the earlier document have been combined. Substantial alterations were made to the presentation of indicators throughout the document. The updated entry-level (universal) and therapeutic competency standards were adopted on behalf of the profession by the National Council of Optometrists Association Australia in November 2008. Competency standards are used by Australian and New Zealand registration authorities for the purposes of registration and therapeutic endorsement of registration via the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand accreditation and assessment processes. They have also been used as the basis of the World Council of Optometry Global Competency-Based Model.

Anti-inflammatory activity of standardized dichloromethane extract of Salvia connivens on macrophages stimulated by LPS.

Science.gov (United States)

González-Chávez, Marco Martín; Ramos-Velázquez, Cinthia Saraí; Serrano-Vega, Roberto; Pérez-González, Cuauhtemoc; Sánchez-Mendoza, Ernesto; Pérez-Gutiérrez, Salud

2017-12-01

A previous study demonstrated that the chloroform extract of Salvia connivens Epling (Lamiaceae) has anti-inflammatory activity. Identification of the active components in the dicholorometane extract (DESC), and, standardization of the extract based in ursolic acid. DESC was prepared by percolation with dichlromethane and after washed with hot hexane, its composition was determined by CG-MS and NMR, and standardized by HPLC. The anti-inflammatory activity was tested on acute TPA-induced mouse ear oedema at doses of 2.0 mg/ear. The cell viability of macrophages was evaluated by MTT method, and pro- and anti-inflammatory interleukin levels were measured using an ELISA kit. Ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, dihydroursolic acid and eupatorin were identified in DESC, which was standardized based on the ursolic acid concentration (126 mg/g). The anti-inflammatory activities of DESC, the acid mixture, and eupatorin (2 mg/ear) were 60.55, 57.20 and 56.40% inhibition, respectively, on TPA-induced ear oedema. The IC 50 of DESC on macrophages was 149.4 μg/mL. DESC (25 μg/mL) significantly reduced TNF-α (2.0-fold), IL-1β (2.2-fold) and IL-6 (2.0-fold) in macrophages stimulated with LPS and increased the production of IL-10 (1.9-fold). Inflammation is a basic response to injuries, and macrophages are involved in triggering inflammation. Macrophage cells exhibit a response to LPS, inducing inflammatory mediators, and DESC inhibits the biosynthesis of the pro-inflammatory and promote anti-inflammatory cytokines. DESC has an anti-inflammatory effect; reduced the levels of IL-1β, Il-6 and TNF-α; and increases IL-10 in macrophages stimulated with LPS. Ursolic acid is a good phytochemical marker.

Development of criteria and standards for management of low-level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grey, A.E.; Falconer, K.L.

1980-08-01

The basic need for criteria and standards for radioactive waste management is to ensure compliance with Federal and State regulations applicable to this activity. In addition, criteria and standards can establish the parameters by which a radioactive waste disposal site is selected, the form in which the waste is to be disposed, how a disposal site is to be operated, and how that site is to be closed when it reaches the end of its useful life. For developing criteria and standards, this report discusses the nature of low-level radioactive waste and the role government agencies play in regulating its management. It describes subject areas for which criteria and standards could be developed, current and evolving requirements, and future suggested analyses

Accounting standards and earnings management : The role of rules-based and principles-based accounting standards and incentives on accounting and transaction decisions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beest, van F.

2012-01-01

This book examines the effect that rules-based and principles-based accounting standards have on the level and nature of earnings management decisions. A cherry picking experiment is conducted to test the hypothesis that a substitution effect is expected from accounting decisions to transaction

Comparative study of the base activity levels of the Spanish continental nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregorides de los Santos y Perez-Minguez, A.M.

1980-01-01

In this work the pre-operational activity levels of the sites of some Spanish nuclear power stations are discussed. These power stations are located near the Tagus and Ebro river basins. A report of the communities investigated is made. The total alpha and beta activity as well as the long half life activity has been researched there. The importance of this question is obvious for it gives a regional average of the base activity in the basins of these two big Spanish rivers [fr

Applying Standard Industrial Components for Active Magnetic Bearings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bert-Uwe Koehler

2017-02-01

Full Text Available With the increasing number of active magnetic bearing applications, satisfying additional requirements is becoming increasingly more important. As for every technology, moving away from being a niche product and achieving a higher level of maturity, these requirements relate to robustness, reliability, availability, safety, security, traceability, certification, handling, flexibility, reporting, costs, and delivery times. Employing standard industrial components, such as those from flexible modular motion control drive systems, is an approach that allows these requirements to be satisfied while achieving rapid technological innovation. In this article, we discuss technical and non-technical aspects of using standard industrial components in magnetic bearing applications.

Accelerometer-determined physical activity level among government employees in Penang, Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazizi, A S; Aina, Mardiah B; Mohd, Nasir M T; Zaitun, Y; Hamid, Jan J M; Tabata, I

2012-04-01

A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate accelerometer-determined physical activity level of 233 Malay government employees (104 men, 129 women) working in the Federal Government Building Penang, Malaysia. Body weight, height, waist and hip circumference, body fat percentage and blood pressure were measured for each respondent. All the respondents were asked to wear an accelerometer for 3 days. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated using a standard formulas. Fasting blood sample was obtained to determine the lipid profile and glucose levels of the respondents. Based on the accelerometer-determined physical activity level, almost 65% of the respondents were categorised as sedentary. Approximately 50.2% of the respondents were overweight or obese. There were negative but significant relationships between body mass index (BMI) (r = -0.353, p obesity in this study. The high prevalence of physical inactivity and obesity found among respondents of this study indicate a need for implementing intervention programmes among this population.

Measuring the activity of BioBrick promoters using an in vivo reference standard

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelly Jason R

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The engineering of many-component, synthetic biological systems is being made easier by the development of collections of reusable, standard biological parts. However, the complexity of biology makes it difficult to predict the extent to which such efforts will succeed. As a first practical example, the Registry of Standard Biological Parts started at MIT now maintains and distributes thousands of BioBrick™ standard biological parts. However, BioBrick parts are only standardized in terms of how individual parts are physically assembled into multi-component systems, and most parts remain uncharacterized. Standardized tools, techniques, and units of measurement are needed to facilitate the characterization and reuse of parts by independent researchers across many laboratories. Results We found that the absolute activity of BioBrick promoters varies across experimental conditions and measurement instruments. We choose one promoter (BBa_J23101 to serve as an in vivo reference standard for promoter activity. We demonstrated that, by measuring the activity of promoters relative to BBa_J23101, we could reduce variation in reported promoter activity due to differences in test conditions and measurement instruments by ~50%. We defined a Relative Promoter Unit (RPU in order to report promoter characterization data in compatible units and developed a measurement kit so that researchers might more easily adopt RPU as a standard unit for reporting promoter activity. We distributed a set of test promoters to multiple labs and found good agreement in the reported relative activities of promoters so measured. We also characterized the relative activities of a reference collection of BioBrick promoters in order to further support adoption of RPU-based measurement standards. Conclusion Relative activity measurements based on an in vivoreference standard enables improved measurement of promoter activity given variation in measurement

Activities of Radiation Standard Section

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kannan, A.; Rao, P.S.; Sachadev, R.N.; Shaha, V.V.; Sharma, D.; Srivastava, P.K.

1992-01-01

A brief account of the various facilities and services provided by the Radiation Standards Section (RSS) of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay is given. RSS maintains the primary and secondary standards of various parameters of radiation measurements. It ensures accurate radiological measurements as per international requirements, through periodic international intercomparisons of national standards. It also provides calibration services to various users of radiation sources and instruments. The activities of RSS are described under the headings: (1) Radiological Metrology Standards, (2) Radionuclide Standards, Neutron Metrology, (4) Instruments Calibration, (5) Non-ionizing Radiations, and (6) Instrumentation. (author). figs., tabs

Activities identification for activity-based cost/management applications of the diagnostics outpatient procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Alrashdan, Abdalla; Momani, Amer; Ababneh, Tamador

2012-01-01

One of the most challenging problems facing healthcare providers is to determine the actual cost for their procedures, which is important for internal accounting and price justification to insurers. The objective of this paper is to find suitable categories to identify the diagnostic outpatient medical procedures and translate them from functional orientation to process orientation. A hierarchal task tree is developed based on a classification schema of procedural activities. Each procedure is seen as a process consisting of a number of activities. This makes a powerful foundation for activity-based cost/management implementation and provides enough information to discover the value-added and non-value-added activities that assist in process improvement and eventually may lead to cost reduction. Work measurement techniques are used to identify the standard time of each activity at the lowest level of the task tree. A real case study at a private hospital is presented to demonstrate the proposed methodology. © 2011 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

Biological bases of the maximum permissible exposure levels of the UK laser standard BS 4803 1983

CERN Document Server

MacKinlay, Alistair F

1983-01-01

The use of lasers has increased greatly over the past 15 years or so, to the extent that they are now used routinely in many occupational and public situations. There has been an increasing awareness of the potential hazards presented by lasers and substantial efforts have been made to formulate safety standards. In the UK the relevant Safety Standard is the British Standards Institution Standard BS 4803. This Standard was originally published in 1972 and a revision has recently been published (BS 4803: 1983). The revised standard has been developed using the American National Standards Institute Standard, ANSI Z136.1 (1973 onwards), as a model. In other countries, national standards have been similarly formulated, resulting in a large measure of international agreement through participation in the work of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The bases of laser safety standards are biophysical data on threshold injury effects, particularly on the retina, and the development of theoretical mode...

Leisure activity associated with cognitive ability level, but not cognitive change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gow, Alan John; Avlund, Kirsten; Mortensen, Erik L

2014-01-01

Although activity participation is promoted as cognitively protective, critical questions of causality remain. In a cohort followed every 5 years from age 75 to 85 years, potential reciprocal associations between level and change in leisure activity participation and level and change in cognitive...... abilities were examined. Participants in the Glostrup 1914 Cohort, a longitudinal study of aging, completed standardized cognitive ability tests and reported their leisure activity participation (11 activities defined a leisure activity score) at ages 75, 80, and 85. Higher leisure activity was associated...... with higher cognitive ability (significant correlations ranged from 0.15 to 0.31, p cognitive ability declined significantly. Growth curve models, which provided latent variables for level of and 10-year change in both leisure activity...

High level waste storage tank farms/242-A evaporator Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID), Volume 6

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-04-01

The High-Level Waste Storage Tank Farms/242-A Evaporator Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID) is contained in multiple volumes. This document (Volume 6) outlines the standards and requirements for the sections on: Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, Research and Development and Experimental Activities, and Nuclear Safety.

High level waste storage tank farms/242-A evaporator Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID), Volume 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-04-01

The High-Level Waste Storage Tank Farms/242-A Evaporator Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID) is contained in multiple volumes. This document (Volume 6) outlines the standards and requirements for the sections on: Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, Research and Development and Experimental Activities, and Nuclear Safety

Earth Science for Educators: Preparing 7-12 Teachers for Standards-based, Inquiry Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Sloan, H.

2002-05-01

"Earth Science for Educators" is an innovative, standards-based, graduate level teacher education curriculum that presents science content and pedagogic technique in parallel. The curriculum calls upon the resources and expertise of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to prepare novice New York City teachers for teaching Earth Science. One of the goals of teacher education is to assure and facilitate science education reform through preparation of K-12 teachers who understand and are able to implement standard-based instruction. Standards reflect not only the content knowledge students are expected to attain but also the science skills and dispositions towards science they are expected to develop. Melding a list of standards with a curriculum outline to create inquiry-based classroom instruction that reaches a very diverse population of learners is extremely challenging. "Earth Science for Educators" helps novice teachers make the link between standards and practice by constantly connecting standards with instruction they receive and activities they carry out. Development of critical thinking and enthusiasm for inquiry is encouraged through engaging experience and contact with scientists and their work. Teachers are taught Earth systems science content through modeling of a wide variety of instruction and assessment methods based upon authentic scientific inquiry and aimed at different learning styles. Use of fieldwork and informal settings, such as the Museum, familiarizes novice teachers with ways of drawing on community resources for content and instructional settings. Metacognitive reflection that articulates standards, practice, and the teachers' own learning experience help draw out teachers' insights into their students' learning. The innovation of bring science content together with teaching methods is key to preparing teachers for standards-based, inquiry instruction. This curriculum was successfully piloted with a group of 28 novice teachers as

Validity of consumer-grade activity monitor to identify manual wheelchair propulsion in standardized activities of daily living.

Science.gov (United States)

Leving, Marika T; Horemans, Henricus L D; Vegter, Riemer J K; de Groot, Sonja; Bussmann, Johannes B J; van der Woude, Lucas H V

2018-01-01

Hypoactive lifestyle contributes to the development of secondary complications and lower quality of life in wheelchair users. There is a need for objective and user-friendly physical activity monitors for wheelchair-dependent individuals in order to increase physical activity through self-monitoring, goal setting, and feedback provision. To determine the validity of Activ8 Activity Monitors to 1) distinguish two classes of activities: independent wheelchair propulsion from other non-propulsive wheelchair-related activities 2) distinguish five wheelchair-related classes of activities differing by the movement intensity level: sitting in a wheelchair (hands may be moving but wheelchair remains stationary), maneuvering, and normal, high speed or assisted wheelchair propulsion. Sixteen able-bodied individuals performed sixteen various standardized 60s-activities of daily living. Each participant was equipped with a set of two Activ8 Professional Activity Monitors, one at the right forearm and one at the right wheel. Task classification by the Active8 Monitors was validated using video recordings. For the overall agreement, sensitivity and positive predictive value, outcomes above 90% are considered excellent, between 70 and 90% good, and below 70% unsatisfactory. Division in two classes resulted in overall agreement of 82.1%, sensitivity of 77.7% and positive predictive value of 78.2%. 84.5% of total duration of all tasks was classified identically by Activ8 and based on the video material. Division in five classes resulted in overall agreement of 56.6%, sensitivity of 52.8% and positive predictive value of 51.9%. 59.8% of total duration of all tasks was classified identically by Activ8 and based on the video material. Activ8 system proved to be suitable for distinguishing between active wheelchair propulsion and other non-propulsive wheelchair-related activities. The ability of the current system and algorithms to distinguish five various wheelchair-related activities

Establishment of standard x-ray qualities to be used in diagnostic level at SSDLs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A-Aziz, R.O.

2007-08-01

The objective of the present work is to modify x-ray machine (used by the secondary standard dosimetry laboratory in Sudan) to produce x-ray qualities suitable for the calibration at diagnostic level. It based on experimental evaluations. The importance of this study appears in development of protocols to calibrate the instruments used in diagnostic radiology in by good response of the instruments and low cost. In particular, the half value layer (HVL) values for the following qualities 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 and 150 were determined using various attenuation layers. Ionization chamber was used to determine the free air kerma rate at a distance of 100 cm from the x-ray generator. The obtained HVL values were compared with standard values of diagnostic levels. It was observed that the HVL of the present x-ray machine in most qualities are smaller than the standard ones. An approved method (described in the standard IEC 61267) was applied to determine the amount of additional filtration required to meet the standard values. The results show that the available cupper layers were not suitable for this purpose as most of the x-ray was absorbed in the material. Aluminum layers, on the other hand , show good performances to reduce the beams to the desired levels. The amount of additional filtration (from aluminum layers) needed in order to establish standard x-ray qualities to be used in diagnostic level were determined.(Author)

A data base and a standard material for use in acceptance testing of low-activity waste products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolf, S.F.; Ebert, W.L.; Luo, J.S.; Strachan, D.M.

1998-04-01

The authors have conducted replicate dissolution tests following the product consistency test (PCT) procedure to measure the mean and standard deviation of the solution concentrations of B, Na, and Si at various combinations of temperature, duration, and glass/water mass ratio. Tests were conducted with a glass formulated to be compositionally similar to low-activity waste products anticipated for Hanford to evaluate the adequacy of test methods that have been designated in privatization contracts for use in product acceptance. An important finding from this set of tests is that the solution concentrations generated in tests at 20 C will likely be too low to measure the dissolution rates of waste products reliably. Based on these results, the authors recommend that the acceptance test be conducted at 40 C. Tests at 40 C generated higher solution concentrations, were more easily conducted, and the measured rates were easily related to those at 20 C. Replicate measurements of other glass properties were made to evaluate the possible use of LRM-1 as a standard material. These include its composition, homogeneity, density, compressive strength, the Na leachability index with the ANSI/ANS 16.1 leach test, and if the glass is characteristically hazardous with the toxicity characteristic leach procedure. The values of these properties were within the acceptable limits identified for Hanford low-activity waste products. The reproducibility of replicate tests and analyses indicates that the glass would be a suitable standard material

Photon and proton activation analysis of iron and steel standards using the internal standard method coupled with the standard addition method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masumoto, K.; Hara, M.; Hasegawa, D.; Iino, E.; Yagi, M.

1997-01-01

The internal standard method coupled with the standard addition method has been applied to photon activation analysis and proton activation analysis of minor elements and trace impurities in various types of iron and steel samples issued by the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan (ISIJ). Samples and standard addition samples were once dissolved to mix homogeneously, an internal standard and elements to be determined and solidified as a silica-gel to make a similar matrix composition and geometry. Cerium and yttrium were used as an internal standard in photon and proton activation, respectively. In photon activation, 20 MeV electron beam was used for bremsstrahlung irradiation to reduce matrix activity and nuclear interference reactions, and the results were compared with those of 30 MeV irradiation. In proton activation, iron was removed by the MIBK extraction method after dissolving samples to reduce the radioactivity of 56 Co from iron via 56 Fe(p, n) 56 Co reaction. The results of proton and photon activation analysis were in good agreement with the standard values of ISIJ. (author)

Radiation cancer, safety standards and current levels of exposure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mole, R.H.

1976-01-01

Cancer can be induced by radiation in any tissue where cancer occurs naturally. The observation that antenatal diagnostic radiography causes a small but definite increase in childhood cancer is as good evidence as could be expected in support of the scientific expectation that there would be no threshold of dose for carcinogenesis. A linear relation between radiation dose and frequency of induced cancer is a necessary assumption for a system of radiological protection but is not necessarily a reasonable basis for realistic assessments of cancer risk. Indeed there are radiobiological and epidemiological reasons to the contrary. If the linear hypothesis is accepted then at the present time in the UK the routine practice of medicine is of about 2 orders of magnitude more important in causing cancer than environmental pollution by discharge of radio-activity. The acceptability of radiation safety standards for occupational exposure may be justified by comparison of radiation cancer risks with risks from fatal accidents in the safer industries. The acceptability of the corresponding standards for members of the public seems to require more public discussion of the concept of negligible risk. Emotional reactions to uncontrolled releases of radio-activity are based at least in part on a failure to appreciate the hypothesis of linearity

Facilitating Stewardship of scientific data through standards based workflows

Science.gov (United States)

Bastrakova, I.; Kemp, C.; Potter, A. K.

2013-12-01

scientific data acquisition and analysis requirements and effective interoperable data management and delivery. This includes participating in national and international dialogue on development of standards, embedding data management activities in business processes, and developing scientific staff as effective data stewards. Similar approach is applied to the geophysical data. By ensuring the geophysical datasets at GA strictly follow metadata and industry standards we are able to implement a provenance based workflow where the data is easily discoverable, geophysical processing can be applied to it and results can be stored. The provenance based workflow enables metadata records for the results to be produced automatically from the input dataset metadata.

Training to Support Standardization and Improvement of Configuration Management Activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dauber, V.; Scheffer, N.; Schoenfelder, C.

2015-07-01

In recent years AREVA has conducted several measures to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of configuration management-related activities within a nuclear power plant (NPP) new build as well as modernization projects, thereby further strengthening its commitment to achieving the highest level of safety in nuclear facilities. This paper describes a new training course that shall support the standardization and improvement of configuration management activities. Recommendations will be given that should be considered when designing and developing comparable training programs to support change processes within engineering units. (Author)

Intelligence Level Performance Standards Research for Autonomous Vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Bostelman, Roger B; Hong, Tsai H; Messina, Elena

2015-01-01

United States and European safety standards have evolved to protect workers near Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGV's). However, performance standards for AGV's and mobile robots have only recently begun development. Lessons can be learned from research and standards efforts for mobile robots applied to emergency response and military applications. Research challenges, tests and evaluations, and programs to develop higher intelligence levels for vehicles can also used to guide industrial AGV developments towards more adaptable and intelligent systems. These other efforts also provide useful standards development criteria for AGV performance test methods. Current standards areas being considered for AGVs are for docking, navigation, obstacle avoidance, and the ground truth systems that measure performance. This paper provides a look to the future with standards developments in both the performance of vehicles and the dynamic perception systems that measure intelligent vehicle performance.

CHAOS-BASED ADVANCED ENCRYPTION STANDARD

KAUST Repository

Abdulwahed, Naif B.

2013-01-01

This thesis introduces a new chaos-based Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The AES is a well-known encryption algorithm that was standardized by U.S National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) in 2001. The thesis investigates and explores

Ferromagnetic interaction model of activity level in workplace communication

Science.gov (United States)

Akitomi, Tomoaki; Ara, Koji; Watanabe, Jun-ichiro; Yano, Kazuo

2013-03-01

The nature of human-human interaction, specifically, how people synchronize with each other in multiple-participant conversations, is described by a ferromagnetic interaction model of people’s activity levels. We found two microscopic human interaction characteristics from a real-environment face-to-face conversation. The first characteristic is that people quite regularly synchronize their activity level with that of the other participants in a conversation. The second characteristic is that the degree of synchronization increases as the number of participants increases. Based on these microscopic ferromagnetic characteristics, a “conversation activity level” was modeled according to the Ising model. The results of a simulation of activity level based on this model well reproduce macroscopic experimental measurements of activity level. This model will give a new insight into how people interact with each other in a conversation.

76 FR 15342 - Workforce Investment Act; Lower Living Standard Income Level

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-21

... Standard Income Level AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor. ACTION: Notice of determination of Lower Living Standard Income Level. SUMMARY: Under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA... Income level (LLSIL) for uses described in the law. WIA defines the term ``Low Income Individual'' as one...

75 FR 25296 - Workforce Investment Act; Lower Living Standard Income Level

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-07

... Standard Income Level AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor. ACTION: Notice of Determination of Lower Living Standard Income Level. SUMMARY: Under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA... Income Level (LLSIL) for uses described in the law. WIA defines the term ``Low Income Individual'' as one...

Serum Renalase Levels Correlate with Disease Activity in Lupus Nephritis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chaojun Qi

Full Text Available Lupus nephritis (LN is among the most serious complications of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, which causes significant morbidity and mortality. Renalase is a novel, kidney-secreted cytokine-like protein that promotes cell survival. Here, we aimed to investigate the relationship of serum renalase levels with LN and its role in the disease progression of LN.For this cross-sectional study, 67 LN patients and 35 healthy controls were enrolled. Seventeen active LN patients who received standard therapies were followed up for six months. Disease activity was determined by the SLE Disease Activity-2000 (SLEDAI-2K scoring system and serum renalase amounts were determined by ELISA. Predictive value of renalase for disease activity was assessed. Furthermore, the expression of renalase in the kidneys of patients and macrophage infiltration was assessed by immunohistochemistry.Serum renalase amounts were significantly higher in LN patients than in healthy controls. Moreover, patients with proliferative LN had more elevated serum renalase levels than Class V LN patients. In proliferative LN patients, serum renalase levels were significantly higher in patients with active LN than those with inactive LN. Serum renalase levels were positively correlated with SLEDAI-2K, 24-h urine protein excretion, ds-DNA and ESR but inversely correlated with serum albumin and C3. Renalase amounts decreased significantly after six-months of standard therapy. The performance of renalase as a marker for diagnosis of active LN was 0.906 with a cutoff value of 66.67 μg/ml. We also observed that the amount of renalase was significantly higher in glomerular of proliferative LN along with the co-expression of macrophages.Serum renalase levels were correlated with disease activity in LN. Serum renalase might serve as a potential indicator for disease activity in LN. The marked increase of glomerular renalase and its association with macrophages suggest that it might play an

Towards discrete wavelet transform-based human activity recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Khare, Manish; Jeon, Moongu

2017-06-01

Providing accurate recognition of human activities is a challenging problem for visual surveillance applications. In this paper, we present a simple and efficient algorithm for human activity recognition based on a wavelet transform. We adopt discrete wavelet transform (DWT) coefficients as a feature of human objects to obtain advantages of its multiresolution approach. The proposed method is tested on multiple levels of DWT. Experiments are carried out on different standard action datasets including KTH and i3D Post. The proposed method is compared with other state-of-the-art methods in terms of different quantitative performance measures. The proposed method is found to have better recognition accuracy in comparison to the state-of-the-art methods.

Status of standardization efforts for packaging and transportation of spent fuel and high-level waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eggers, P.E.; Dawson, D.M.

1986-01-01

This paper provides a current review of the status of efforts to develop standards and guidelines related to the packaging and transportation of spent fuel and high-level waste. An overview of each of the organizations and agencies developing standards and guidelines is discussed and includes the efforts of the N14 Division of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), NUPACK Committee of Section III of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy. This comparative overview identifies the scope and areas of application of each standard and guideline. In addition, the current or proposed standards and guidelines are considered collectively with commentary on areas of apparent or potential complimentary fit, overlap and incompatability. Finally, the paper reviews initiatives now being taken within the N14 division of ANSI to identify where new standards development activities are required

Reassessing the standard chest radiograph for intraparenchymal activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Putman, C.E.; Hoeck, B.

1986-01-01

Despite the recent enthusiasm for better means of determining the extent of the active inflammatory response in the lung parenchyma of sarcoidosis patients, standard chest radiography remains a reliable method of determining staging, and parenchymal activity as well. The chest radiograph is characteristically used to determine the severity and course of sarcoidosis, but most studies imply there are poor correlations between the radiographic opacities and other indicators such as physiological parameters, gallium scans, and computed tomography and bronchoalveolar lavage results. In this preliminary communication, the authors report a new method of determining sarcoidosis activity, as compared to gallium scan, based solely on the standard chest radiograph. This method is based on the presence or absence of air bronchogram abnormalities, peribronchial cuffing, and subpleural thickening. Adenopathy and linear, reticulonodular, and nodular opacities are not included in this system. In 85 recent studies, which were performed in 51 patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis, this staging method agreed with gallium scanning in 68.2% of the patients. This system failed in specific and identifiable subgroups of patients that we will delineate. The authors will not report the comparative indices with a pulmonary function analysis or bronchoalveolar lavage results. Their database has not been tabulated to conclusively present these results, but it is their belief that this methodology will probably have a better correlation with lavage results and small airway function than would results of gallium scans. Of singular importance is the fact that this method can, with a more than acceptable degree of accuracy, distinguish between ''low-intensity'' alveolitis and ''high-intensity'' alveolitis

A Critical Examination of IT-21: Thinking Beyond Vendor-Based Standards

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Trupp, Travis

1999-01-01

.... This thesis takes a critical look at the IT-21 policy from an economic, security, availability, procurement, and practical level, and explores the role of vendor-based standards in the Navy computing architecture...

From 'Compliance-based' to 'Performance-based' Quality - A trend in and evolution of U. S. quality standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Douglas A.; Taylor, H. Stephen; Johnson, Robert B.; Erler, Bryan A.; Daley, Thomas J.

1995-01-01

efficient utilization of nuclear energy are outlined. These controls are reflected in a draft addenda to NQA-1. While recognizing that there are specific regulatory requirements that NQA-1 must continue to reflect, the draft addenda shifts its focus to the achievement of results, i. e., 'performance-based' quality. It emphasizes the roles of the individual worker and line management in the achievement of quality. The draft addenda to NQA-1 also encourages the application of requirements in a manner relative to the importance of the item or activity. This is consistent with a trend in the industry to go to a 'graded' approach to quality based on the safety significance of structures, systems, and components. At present, equal priority and levels of requirements are often applied to items, activities, and issues irrespective of their safety significance. A 'graded' approach to quality, with multiple levels of breadth and/or depth of requirements, provides potential material cost and labor savings. It also allows for categorization of issues so that they can be resolved in a time-frame commensurate with their safety significance

Are Preschool Children Active Enough? Objectively Measured Physical Activity Levels

Science.gov (United States)

Cardon, Greet M.; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse M. M.

2008-01-01

The present study aimed to describe accelerometer-based physical activity levels in 4- and 5-year-old children (N = 76) on 2 weekdays and 2 weekend days. The children were sedentary for 9.6 hr (85%) daily, while they engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 34 min (5%). Only 7% of the children engaged in MVPA for 60 min per…

Risk assessment of manual material handling activities (case study: PT BRS Standard Industry)

Science.gov (United States)

Deviani; Triyanti, V.

2017-12-01

The process of moving material manually has the potential for injury to workers. The risk of injury will increase if we do not pay attention to the working conditions. The purpose of this study is to assess and analyze the injury risk level in manual handling material activity, as well as to improve the condition. The observed manual material handling activities is pole lifting and goods loading. These activities were analyzed using Job Strain Index method, Rapid Entire Body Assessment, and Chaffin’s 2D Planar Static Model. The results show that most workers who perform almost all activities have a high level of risk level with the score of JSI and REBA exceeds 9 points. For some activities, the estimated compression forces in the lumbar area also exceed the standard limits of 3400 N. Concerning this condition, several suggestions for improvement were made, improving the composition of packing, improving body posture, and making guideline posters.

Extracting business vocabularies from business process models: SBVR and BPMN standards-based approach

Science.gov (United States)

Skersys, Tomas; Butleris, Rimantas; Kapocius, Kestutis

2013-10-01

Approaches for the analysis and specification of business vocabularies and rules are very relevant topics in both Business Process Management and Information Systems Development disciplines. However, in common practice of Information Systems Development, the Business modeling activities still are of mostly empiric nature. In this paper, basic aspects of the approach for business vocabularies' semi-automated extraction from business process models are presented. The approach is based on novel business modeling-level OMG standards "Business Process Model and Notation" (BPMN) and "Semantics for Business Vocabularies and Business Rules" (SBVR), thus contributing to OMG's vision about Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) and to model-driven development in general.

Fifty Years of A-Level Mathematics: Have Standards Changed?

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Ian; Wheadon, Chris; Humphries, Sara; Inglis, Matthew

2016-01-01

Advanced-level (A-level) mathematics is a high-profile qualification taken by many school leavers in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and around the world as preparation for university study. Concern has been expressed in these countries that standards in A-level mathematics have declined over time, and that school leavers enter university or the…

FDG-PET imaging of lower extremity muscular activity during level walking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oi, Naoyuki; Iwaya, Tsutomu; Tobimatsu, Yoshiko; Fujimoto, Toshihiko; Itoh, Masatoshi; Yamaguchi, Keiichiro

2003-01-01

We analyzed muscular activity of the lower extremities during level walking using positron emission tomography (PET) with 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18 F-FDG). We examined 17 healthy male subjects; 11 were assigned to a walking group and 6 to a resting group. After 18 F-FDG injection, the walking group subjects walked at a free speed for 15 min. A whole-body image was then obtained by a PET camera, and the standardized uptake ratio (SUR) was computed for each muscle. The SUR for each muscle of the walking group was compared with that for the corresponding muscles in the resting group. The level of muscular activity of all the muscles we examined were higher during level walking than when resting. The activity of the lower leg muscles was higher than that of the thigh muscles during level walking. The muscular activity of the soleus was highest among all the muscles examined. Among the gluteal muscles, the muscular activity of the gluteus minimus was higher than that of the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius. The concurrent validity of measuring muscular activity of the lower extremity during level walking by the PET method using 18 F-FDG was demonstrated. (author)

Smoking, activity level and exercise test outcomes in a young population sample without cardiopulmonary disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Vozoris, N T; O'donnell, D E

2015-01-01

Whether reduced activity level and exercise intolerance precede the clinical diagnosis of cardiopulmonary disorders in smokers is not known. We examined activity level and exercise test outcomes in a young population-based sample without overt cardiopulmonary disease, differentiating by smoking history. This was a multiyear cross-sectional study using United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1999-2004. Self-reported activity level and incremental exercise treadmill testing were obtained on survey participants ages 20-49 years, excluding individuals with cardio-pulmonary disease. Three thousand seven hundred and one individuals completed exercise testing. Compared to never smokers, current smokers with >10 pack years reported significantly higher odds of little or no recreation, sport, or physical activity (adjusted OR 1.62; 95% CI 1.12-2.35). Mean perceived exertion ratings (Borg 6-20) at an estimated standardized workload were significantly greater among current smokers (18.3-18.6) compared to never (17.3) and former smokers (17.9) (psmoking abstinence was associated with significantly lower likelihood of low estimated peak oxygen uptake categorization (psmoking cessation, these results set the stage for future studies that examine mechanisms of activity restriction in young smokers and the utility of measures of activity restriction in the earlier diagnosis of smoking-related diseases.

Development of Data Base on Radioactive Discharges and Environmental Activity Levels in Slovenia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vokal, B.; Krizman, M.

2003-01-01

Radioactivity monitoring in the environment in Slovenia has been currently performed on a regular basis as a monitoring of global radioactive contamination and as operational monitoring in the surroundings of facilities with radioactive discharges. Environmental radioactivity monitoring due to atmospheric nuclear bomb tests in Slovenia started in 1961, while monitoring of radioactive discharges from nuclear facilities in Slovenia started in early 1980s with the extent programmes: in the Krsko nuclear power plant in 1981, in the uranium mining and milling facility at Zirovski vrh (1985) and in the research reactor at Brinje near Ljubljana (1986). Both categories of the results are documented in written reports and sent to the competent authorities, mostly on annual basis. According to the requirements of the European Commission (Commission Recommendation of 8. June 2000 on the application of Article 36 of the Euratom Treaty concerning the monitoring of the levels of the radioactivity in the environment for the purpose of assessing the exposure of the population as a whole (2000/473/Euratom) and Commission Recommendation of 6. December 1999 on the application of Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty (1999/829/Euratom)) and on initiative of the IAEA (IAEA Document International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Project International Data base on Discharges of Radioactive Material to the Environment, 2000) the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) started in 2002 with development of the computerised data base on environmental data and radioactive discharges data for the most facilities, specially for the nuclear fuel cycle. At present the environmental database contains the data on global contamination of air, surface waters, tap water sources and food chain (1 37C s, 9 0S r) and also on levels of major natural radionuclides (7 B e, 2 10P b, 2 26R a, 4 0K ). Data base on radioactive discharges for the recent years comprises the activities of fission and activation

Reactive Programming in Standard ML

OpenAIRE

Pucella, Riccardo

2004-01-01

Reactive systems are systems that maintain an ongoing interaction with their environment, activated by receiving input events from the environment and producing output events in response. Modern programming languages designed to program such systems use a paradigm based on the notions of instants and activations. We describe a library for Standard ML that provides basic primitives for programming reactive systems. The library is a low-level system upon which more sophisticated reactive behavi...

Standardized accounting ashore for afloat activities

OpenAIRE

Burr, Michael J.

1996-01-01

With limited resources and reduced funding for Naval forces, there is a need to standardize accounting ashore for all afloat activities. The purpose of this thesis was to review the framework for standardization of inventory reporting afloat under one stores (inventory) accounting system, referred to as the Material Financial Control System-Retail (MFCS-Retail). Additional analysis was conducted on general funds obligational reporting for afloat Operating Targets (OPTARS) and the conversion t...

Control of Brain Activity in hMT+/V5 at Three Response Levels Using fMRI-Based Neurofeedback/BCI.

Science.gov (United States)

Sousa, Teresa; Direito, Bruno; Lima, João; Ferreira, Carlos; Nunes, Urbano; Castelo-Branco, Miguel

2016-01-01

A major challenge in brain-computer interface (BCI) research is to increase the number of command classes and levels of control. BCI studies often use binary control level approaches (level 0 and 1 of brain activation for each class of control). Different classes may often be achieved but not different levels of activation for the same class. The increase in the number of levels of control in BCI applications may allow for larger efficiency in neurofeedback applications. In this work we test the hypothesis whether more than two modulation levels can be achieved in a single brain region, the hMT+/V5 complex. Participants performed three distinct imagery tasks during neurofeedback training: imagery of a stationary dot, imagery of a dot with two opposing motions in the vertical axis and imagery of a dot with four opposing motions in vertical or horizontal axes (imagery of 2 or 4 motion directions). The larger the number of motion alternations, the higher the expected hMT+/V5 response. A substantial number (17 of 20) of participants achieved successful binary level of control and 12 were able to reach even 3 significant levels of control within the same session, confirming the whole group effects at the individual level. With this simple approach we suggest that it is possible to design a parametric system of control based on activity modulation of a specific brain region with at least 3 different levels. Furthermore, we show that particular imagery task instructions, based on different number of motion alternations, provide feasible achievement of different control levels in BCI and/or neurofeedback applications.

Methodology of synchronization among strategy and operation. A standards-based modeling approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

VICTOR EDWIN COLLAZOS

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Enterprise Architecture (EA has gained importance in recent years, mainly for its concept of “alignment” between the strategic and operational levels of organizations. Such alignment occurs when Information Technology (IT is applied correctly and timely, working in synergy and harmony with strategy and the operation to achieve mutually their own goals and satisfy the organizational needs.Both the strategic and operational levels have standards that help model elements necessary to obtain desired results. In this sense, BMM and BPMN were selected because both have the support of OMG and they are fairly well known for modelling the strategic level and operational level, respectively. In addition, i* modeling goal can be used for reducing the gap between these two standards. This proposal may help both the high-level design of the information system and to the appropriate identification of the business processes that will support it.This paper presents a methodology for aligning strategy and the operation based on standards and heuristics. We have made a classification for elements of the models and, for some specific cases, an extension of the heuristics associated between them. This allows us to propose methodology, which uses above-mentioned standards and combines mappings, transformations and actions to be considered in the alignment process.

Guidelines on Active Content and Mobile Code: Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Jansen, Wayne

2001-01-01

.... One such category of technologies is active content. Broadly speaking, active content refers to electronic documents that, unlike past character documents based on the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII...

Click-Evoked Auditory Efferent Activity: Rate and Level Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Boothalingam, Sriram; Kurke, Julianne; Dhar, Sumitrajit

2018-05-07

There currently are no standardized protocols to evaluate auditory efferent function in humans. Typical tests use broadband noise to activate the efferents, but only test the contralateral efferent pathway, risk activating the middle ear muscle reflex (MEMR), and are laborious for clinical use. In an attempt to develop a clinical test of bilateral auditory efferent function, we have designed a method that uses clicks to evoke efferent activity, obtain click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs), and monitor MEMR. This allows for near-simultaneous estimation of cochlear and efferent function. In the present study, we manipulated click level (60, 70, and 80 dB peak-equivalent sound pressure level [peSPL]) and rate (40, 50, and 62.5 Hz) to identify an optimal rate-level combination that evokes measurable efferent modulation of CEOAEs. Our findings (n = 58) demonstrate that almost all click levels and rates used caused significant inhibition of CEOAEs, with a significant interaction between level and rate effects. Predictably, bilateral activation produced greater inhibition compared to stimulating the efferents only in the ipsilateral or contralateral ear. In examining the click rate-level effects during bilateral activation in greater detail, we observed a 1-dB inhibition of CEOAE level for each 10-dB increase in click level, with rate held constant at 62.5 Hz. Similarly, a 10-Hz increase in rate produced a 0.74-dB reduction in CEOAE level, with click level held constant at 80 dB peSPL. The effect size (Cohen's d) was small for either monaural condition and medium for bilateral, faster-rate, and higher-level conditions. We were also able to reliably extract CEOAEs from efferent eliciting clicks. We conclude that clicks can indeed be profitably employed to simultaneously evaluate cochlear health using CEOAEs as well as their efferent modulation. Furthermore, using bilateral clicks allows the evaluation of both the crossed and uncrossed elements of the auditory

Comparing the standard EQ-5D three-level system with a five-level version

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, Mathieu F.; Birnie, Erwin; Haagsma, Juanita A.; Bonsel, Gouke J.

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is a head-to-head comparison of the performance of the three-level EQ-5D (3L) and a newly developed five-level version (5L). METHODS: Eighty-two respondents valued 15 standardized disease descriptions and their own health on three response scales (3L, 5L, and visual

Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission Level 4 Carbon (L4_C) Product Specification Document

Science.gov (United States)

Glassy, Joe; Kimball, John S.; Jones, Lucas; Reichle, Rolf H.; Ardizzone, Joseph V.; Kim, Gi-Kong; Lucchesi, Robert A.; Smith, Edmond B.; Weiss, Barry H.

2015-01-01

This is the Product Specification Document (PSD) for Level 4 Surface and Root Zone Soil Moisture (L4_SM) data for the Science Data System (SDS) of the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) project. The L4_SM data product provides estimates of land surface conditions based on the assimilation of SMAP observations into a customized version of the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System, Version 5 (GEOS-5) land data assimilation system (LDAS). This document applies to any standard L4_SM data product generated by the SMAP Project.

High-level waste storage tank farms/242-A evaporator standards/requirements identification document (S/RID), Vol. 7

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-04-01

This Requirements Identification Document (RID) describes an Occupational Health and Safety Program as defined through the Relevant DOE Orders, regulations, industry codes/standards, industry guidance documents and, as appropriate, good industry practice. The definition of an Occupational Health and Safety Program as specified by this document is intended to address Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Recommendations 90-2 and 91-1, which call for the strengthening of DOE complex activities through the identification and application of relevant standards which supplement or exceed requirements mandated by DOE Orders. This RID applies to the activities, personnel, structures, systems, components, and programs involved in maintaining the facility and executing the mission of the High-Level Waste Storage Tank Farms.

High-level waste storage tank farms/242-A evaporator standards/requirements identification document (S/RID), Vol. 7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-04-01

This Requirements Identification Document (RID) describes an Occupational Health and Safety Program as defined through the Relevant DOE Orders, regulations, industry codes/standards, industry guidance documents and, as appropriate, good industry practice. The definition of an Occupational Health and Safety Program as specified by this document is intended to address Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Recommendations 90-2 and 91-1, which call for the strengthening of DOE complex activities through the identification and application of relevant standards which supplement or exceed requirements mandated by DOE Orders. This RID applies to the activities, personnel, structures, systems, components, and programs involved in maintaining the facility and executing the mission of the High-Level Waste Storage Tank Farms

Effects of intergenerational Montessori-based activities programming on engagement of nursing home residents with dementia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle M Lee

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Michelle M Lee1, Cameron J Camp2, Megan L Malone21Midwestern University, Department of Behavioral Medicine, Downers Grove, IL , USA; 2Myers Research Institute of Menorah Park Center for Senior Living, Beachwood, OH, USA Abstract: Fourteen nursing home residents on a dementia special care unit at a skilled nursing facility took part in one-to-one intergenerational programming (IGP with 15 preschool children from the facility’s on-site child care center. Montessori-based activities served as the interface for interactions between dyads. The amount of time residents demonstrated positive and negative forms of engagement during IGP and standard activities programming was assessed through direct observation using a tool developed for this purpose – the Myers Research Institute Engagement Scale (MRI-ES. These residents with dementia displayed the ability to successfully take part in IGP. Most successfully presented “lessons” to the children in their dyads, similar to the way that Montessori teachers present lessons to children, while persons with more severe cognitive impairment took part in IGP through other methods such as parallel play. Taking part in IGP was consistently related with higher levels of positive engagement and lower levels of negative forms of engagement in these residents with dementia than levels seen in standard activities programming on the unit. Implications of using this form of IGP, and directions for future research, are discussed.Keywords: Montessori-based activities, intergenerational programming, engagement, dementia

Activities of HPS standards committee in environmental remediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stencel, J.R.

1994-01-01

The Health Physics Society (HPS) develops American National Standards in the area of radiation protection using methods approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Two of its sections, Environmental Health Physics and Contamination Limits, have ongoing standards development which are important to some environmental remediation efforts. This paper describes the role of the HPS standards process and indicates particular standards under development which will be of interest to the reader. In addition, the authors solicit readers to participate in the voluntary standards process by either joining active working groups (WG) or suggesting appropriate and relevant topics which should be placed into the standards process

Improving hospital cost accounting with activity-based costing.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Y C

1993-01-01

In this article, activity-based costing, an approach that has proved to be an improvement over the conventional costing system in product costing, is introduced. By combining activity-based costing with standard costing, health care administrators can better plan and control the costs of health services provided while ensuring that the organization's bottom line is healthy.

Control Systems Cyber Security Standards Support Activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert Evans

2009-01-01

The Department of Homeland Security’s Control Systems Security Program (CSSP) is working with industry to secure critical infrastructure sectors from cyber intrusions that could compromise control systems. This document describes CSSP’s current activities with industry organizations in developing cyber security standards for control systems. In addition, it summarizes the standards work being conducted by organizations within the sector and provides a brief listing of sector meetings and conferences that might be of interest for each sector. Control systems cyber security standards are part of a rapidly changing environment. The participation of CSSP in the development effort for these standards has provided consistency in the technical content of the standards while ensuring that information developed by CSSP is included.

Telemetry Standards, IRIG Standard 106-17, Chapter 22, Network Based Protocol Suite

Science.gov (United States)

2017-07-01

requirements. 22.2 Network Access Layer 22.2.1 Physical Layer Connectors and cable media should meet the electrical or optical properties required by the...Telemetry Standards, IRIG Standard 106-17 Chapter 22, July 2017 i CHAPTER 22 Network -Based Protocol Suite Acronyms...iii Chapter 22. Network -Based Protocol Suite

Top-level regulatory criteria for the standard MHTGR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1986-10-15

The Licensing Plan for the Standard MHTGR (Ref. 1) describes a program to support a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) design review and approval. The Plan calls for the submittal of Top-Level Regulatory Criteria to the NRC for concurrence with their completeness and acceptability for the MHTGR program. The Top-Level Regulatory Criteria are defined as the standards for judging licensability that directly specify acceptable limits for protection of the public health and safety and the environment. The criteria proposed herein are for normal plant operation and a broad spectrum of anticipated events, including accidents. The approach taken is to define a set of criteria which are general as opposed to being design specific. Specifically, it is recommended that criteria be met which: 1. Are less prescriptive than current regulation, thereby encouraging maximum flexibility in design approaches. 2. Are measurable. 3. Are not more strict than the criteria for current power plants.

The relation between bone demineralization, physical activity and anthropometric standards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milena Barbosa Camara

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This paper aimed to verify the correlation between bone mineral density and the level of physical activity, as well as the food intake and the anthropometric parameters. It intended to analyse the bone mineral density (BMD of menopausal women through the bone densitometry test (DO in the lumbar region (L1 to L4, femoral neck and total femur, and also use Bouchard’s self-recall of daily activities; employing the food record from Buker and Stuart to dose and quantify the daily intake of calcium and vitamin D. The data were analysed via Kolmogorov-Smirnov’s test, and default value of α = 0.05 was set to compare the BMD averages. It was observed that one hundred percent of the assessed individuals had a BMD level below the average fixed by WHO: 14.4% with osteopenia and 85.6% with osteoporosis; a lower BMD in the femoral area (0.721g and the biggest loss among the sedentary ones (0.698g. It was noticed that there was a correlation between the physical activities and the BMD only when associated with anthropometric standards and the daily ingestion of vitamin D.

Neutron activation analysis of reference materials by the k sub 0 standardization and relative methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freitas, M C; Martinho, E [LNETI/ICEN, Sacavem (Portugal)

1989-04-15

Instrumental neutron activation analysis with the k{sub o}-standardization method was applied to eight geological, environmental and biological reference materials, including leaves, blood, fish, sediments, soils and limestone. To a first approximation, the results were normally distributed around the certified values with a standard deviation of 10%. Results obtained by using the relative method based on well characterized multi-element standards for IAEA CRM Soil-7 are reported.

The Effect of Teaching Activities Done by Using Activity Based Posters on the Students' Academic Achievements, Retention Levels in Their Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Coskun, Ismail; Eker, Cevat

2018-01-01

The aim of the study is to investigate whether the activity based posters have an effect of on the ninth class students' academic achievements and the retention levels in their learning. The research was carried out with 60 students at one of the state schools in The Central Anatolia Region of Turkey in 2015-2016 academic year.…

California teachers' perceptions of standards-based reform in middle school science: A mixed-methods study

Science.gov (United States)

Leggett, Allison Gail Wilson

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 presented one of the most significant and comprehensive literacy reforms in many years (McDonnell, 2005; U.S. Department of Education, 2006). The era of school accountability and standards based reform has brought many challenges and changes to public schools. Increasingly, public officials and educational administrators are asked to use standards based assessments to make high-stakes decisions, such as whether a student will move on to the next grade level or receive a diploma (American Psychological Association, 2005). It is important to understand any shifts in teachers' perceptions and to identify the changes teachers are making as they implement standards-based reform. This mixed-methods study was designed to assess teachers' perceptions of changes related to standards-based reform as supported by Fullan's (2001) change theory and transformational leadership theory. Survey questions sought to identify teacher perceptions of changes in curriculum, instruction and daily practice as schools documented and incorporated standards-based reform and began focusing on preparing students for the California Standards Test in Science (CSTS). Using descriptive statistical analysis and in-depth interviews, results show favorable insight towards standards-based reform. The survey was distributed to 30 middle school science teachers from 10 low-performing schools in Los Angeles, California. Results were analyzed using Spearman rank-ordered correlations. Interviews were conducted on middle school teachers represented by each grade level. Teachers who receive more support from administrators have more positive attitudes toward all aspects of SBR and the CSTS as measured in this study. No school should overlook the potential of a supportive administration in its effort to improve school programs.

Workshop : ACPSEM/ARPS competency based standards project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collins, L.

1996-01-01

The ACPSEM together with the Australian Radiation Protection Society has been working for nearly two years now on a competency based standards project for the professions of medical and health physicists. Competencies are being used increasingly in industry and the professions as a means of determining skill levels. For example, all the medical radiation technology streams have a CBS system in the final stages of development, and our engineering colleagues have completed theirs. Last year there was a draft document sent to all members asking for feedback. Following a vote of funding by both bodies, a project offect (Dr David Waggett) has been appointed, and has produced a very much improved set of competency standards covering all significant subspecialties in our profession. This workshop will detail the work done so far, and preview the draft document. A healthy discussion will be encouraged, as the project steering group will shortly be arranging the next steps in process. (author)

Physical Activity Levels in Chinese One-Year-Old Children and Their Parents, an Early STOPP China Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, Hong; Johansson, Elin; Hagströmer, Maria; Xiong, Yuelin; Zhang, Lanlan; Zhang, Jianduan; Marcus, Claude

2016-01-01

Physical activity (PA) is associated with health benefits, already in childhood. However, little is known about actual levels, patterns and gender differences in PA level in very young children. This study examines Chinese one-year-old children and their parents' PA levels and patterns, and assesses the correlations between children's PA level and gender, body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS), parental BMI and parental PA level. Data from 123 families participating in the Early STOPP China study were used. Families were recruited based on parental BMI and were classified as either high-risk or low-risk of obesity. Parents and children wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ to assess the average PA levels. PA levels and hourly patterns during weekdays and weekends were examined as were correlations with gender, BMI SDS, parental BMI and parental PA levels. There were no significant differences in children's averaged PA between risk groups, genders, or between weekdays and weekends. Children's peak average activity level was at 7 pm and they were least active at 3 pm (pgender, BMI SDS, parental BMI or paternal PA levels. Maternal PA was found positively associated with child PA (pgender, BMI SDS, parental BMI or paternal PA. Larger scale studies with more contextual information are needed to improve the understanding of our findings.

Web-based versus face-to-face interprofessional team encounters with standardized patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Lempicki, Kelly A; Holland, Christine S

2018-03-01

Challenges exist in developing interprofessional education (IPE) activities including coordinating schedules and obtaining appropriate space for teams to work. Virtual worlds have been explored as a means to overcome some of these challenges. We sought to develop a web-based interprofessional team interaction with a standardized patient (SP), as compared to a face-to-face SP interaction, focusing on the competency area of interprofessional communication. Interprofessional teams of students were randomized to complete a web-based or face-to-face SP encounter. The web-based encounter was conducted via video conference that students accessed using their own electronic device. Interprofessional communication was evaluated by faculty observers and the SPs. Participants of the web-based encounter also completed a perceptions questionnaire. Interprofessional communication was rated as average/above average by the authors and SPs. Perceptions of the web-based encounter were mixed with not all students willing to complete such an encounter again despite finding it enjoyable and a positive learning experience. The need for adequate preparation was identified, including the opportunity to review the patient case before the encounter. The web-based SP encounter afforded students the opportunity to utilize communication technology to provide patient-centered care while collaborating as an interprofessional team. Video conferencing presents an opportunity to bypass some logistical challenges in scheduling IPE experiences and can be implemented as a co-curricular activity, avoiding course revisions. Additional studies are needed to further explore student and patient perspectives and clarify when, and with what level of trainees, the experiences are most valuable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of intergenerational Montessori-based activities programming on engagement of nursing home residents with dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Michelle M; Camp, Cameron J; Malone, Megan L

2007-01-01

Fourteen nursing home residents on a dementia special care unit at a skilled nursing facility took part in one-to-one intergenerational programming (IGP) with 15 preschool children from the facility's on-site child care center. Montessori-based activities served as the interface for interactions between dyads. The amount of time residents demonstrated positive and negative forms of engagement during IGP and standard activities programming was assessed through direct observation using a tool developed for this purpose--the Myers Research Institute Engagement Scale (MRI-ES). These residents with dementia displayed the ability to successfully take part in IGP. Most successfully presented "lessons" to the children in their dyads, similar to the way that Montessori teachers present lessons to children, while persons with more severe cognitive impairment took part in IGP through other methods such as parallel play. Taking part in IGP was consistently related with higher levels of positive engagement and lower levels of negative forms of engagement in these residents with dementia than levels seen in standard activities programming on the unit. Implications of using this form of IGP, and directions for future research, are discussed.

China and IEC international standardization activities

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Su Zhongmin; Guo Chenguang

2006-01-01

@@ International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), one of the currently worlswide largest and most authoritative international standardization organizations,is specialized in developing and promulgating international standards for the electric and electronic fields, which are widespread adopted through out the world and play an important role in the international trade of electric and electronic products. Moreover, according to the 2005 statistics by the World Bank, the population of countries participating in the IEC activities accounts for 92% of the world total and their trade volume accounts for 95% of the global total.

Towards a new paradigm: Activity level balanced sustainability reporting.

Science.gov (United States)

Samudhram, Ananda; Siew, Eu-Gene; Sinnakkannu, Jothee; Yeow, Paul H P

2016-11-01

Technoeconomic paradigms based economic growth theories suggest that waves of technological innovations drove the economic growth of advanced economies. Widespread economic degradation and pollution is an unintended consequence of such growth. Tackling environmental and social issues at firm levels would help us to overcome such issues at macro-levels. Consequently, the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) reporting approach promotes firm level economic, environmental and social performances. Incorporating Zink's (2014) 3-pillar presentation model, this paper indicates that economic, social and environmental performances tend to be reported at firm level. All three pillars are not covered evenly at the activity levels. Thus, a loophole is identified whereby excellent environmental performance at activity levels could potentially leave poor social performance undisclosed. A refinement of the TBL paradigm, whereby all three pillars are covered at the activity level, is suggested, to enhance sustainability reporting. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-Voltage-Input Level Translator Using Standard CMOS

Science.gov (United States)

Yager, Jeremy A.; Mojarradi, Mohammad M.; Vo, Tuan A.; Blalock, Benjamin J.

2011-01-01

proposed integrated circuit would translate (1) a pair of input signals having a low differential potential and a possibly high common-mode potential into (2) a pair of output signals having the same low differential potential and a low common-mode potential. As used here, "low" and "high" refer to potentials that are, respectively, below or above the nominal supply potential (3.3 V) at which standard complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits are designed to operate. The input common-mode potential could lie between 0 and 10 V; the output common-mode potential would be 2 V. This translation would make it possible to process the pair of signals by use of standard 3.3-V CMOS analog and/or mixed-signal (analog and digital) circuitry on the same integrated-circuit chip. A schematic of the circuit is shown in the figure. Standard 3.3-V CMOS circuitry cannot withstand input potentials greater than about 4 V. However, there are many applications that involve low-differential-potential, high-common-mode-potential input signal pairs and in which standard 3.3-V CMOS circuitry, which is relatively inexpensive, would be the most appropriate circuitry for performing other functions on the integrated-circuit chip that handles the high-potential input signals. Thus, there is a need to combine high-voltage input circuitry with standard low-voltage CMOS circuitry on the same integrated-circuit chip. The proposed circuit would satisfy this need. In the proposed circuit, the input signals would be coupled into both a level-shifting pair and a common-mode-sensing pair of CMOS transistors. The output of the level-shifting pair would be fed as input to a differential pair of transistors. The resulting differential current output would pass through six standoff transistors to be mirrored into an output branch by four heterojunction bipolar transistors. The mirrored differential current would be converted back to potential by a pair of diode-connected transistors

Survey of standards for electronic image displays

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, William A.

1996-02-01

Electronic visual displays have been evolving from the 1960's basis of cathode ray tube (CRT) technology. Now, many other technologies are also available, including both flat panels and projection displays. Standards for these displays are being developed at both the national level and the international levels. Standards activity within the United States is in its infancy and is fragmented according to the inclination of each of the standards developing organizations. The latest round of flat panel display technology was primarily developed in Japan. Initially standards arose from component vendor-to-OEM customer relationships. As a result, Japanese standards for components are the best developed. The Electronics Industries Association of Japan (EIAJ) is providing their standards to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for adoption. On the international level, professional societies such as the human factors society (hfs) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have completed major standards, hfs developed the first ergonomic standard hfs-100 and the ISO has developed some sections of a broader ergonomic standard ISO 9241. This paper addresses the organization of standards activity. Active organizations and their areas of focus are identified. The major standards that have been completed or are in development are described. Finally, suggestions for improving the this standards activity are proposed.

Financing the New Adequacy: Towards New Models of State Education Finance Systems That Support Standards Based Reform.

Science.gov (United States)

Verstegen, Deborah A.

2002-01-01

Discusses need for reinventing state education finance systems to provide adequacy and equity aligned to standards-based reform. Provides initial specifications for "The New Finance." Examines in depth approaches for determining a base spending level considered adequate for the average child to reach high educational standards. (Contains…

Activities of the data centers on atomic spectroscopy at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiese, W.L.

1990-01-01

The activities concerning Atomic Energy Levels and Wavelengths, Atomic Transition Probabilities and Spectral Line Shapes and Shifts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, USA) are listed together with the corresponding lists of publications

Towards product design automation based on parameterized standard model with diversiform knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wei; Zhang, Xiaobing

2017-04-01

Product standardization based on CAD software is an effective way to improve design efficiency. In the past, research and development on standardization mainly focused on the level of component, and the standardization of the entire product as a whole is rarely taken into consideration. In this paper, the size and structure of 3D product models are both driven by the Excel datasheets, based on which a parameterized model library is therefore established. Diversiform knowledge including associated parameters and default properties are embedded into the templates in advance to simplify their reuse. Through the simple operation, we can obtain the correct product with the finished 3D models including single parts or complex assemblies. Two examples are illustrated later to invalid the idea, which will greatly improve the design efficiency.

Fast automatic 3D liver segmentation based on a three-level AdaBoost-guided active shape model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Baochun; Huang, Cheng; Zhou, Shoujun; Hu, Qingmao; Jia, Fucang, E-mail: fc.jia@siat.ac.cn [Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055 (China); Sharp, Gregory [Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 (United States); Fang, Chihua; Fan, Yingfang [Department of Hepatology (I), Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510280 (China)

2016-05-15

Purpose: A robust, automatic, and rapid method for liver delineation is urgently needed for the diagnosis and treatment of liver disorders. Until now, the high variability in liver shape, local image artifacts, and the presence of tumors have complicated the development of automatic 3D liver segmentation. In this study, an automatic three-level AdaBoost-guided active shape model (ASM) is proposed for the segmentation of the liver based on enhanced computed tomography images in a robust and fast manner, with an emphasis on the detection of tumors. Methods: The AdaBoost voxel classifier and AdaBoost profile classifier were used to automatically guide three-level active shape modeling. In the first level of model initialization, fast automatic liver segmentation by an AdaBoost voxel classifier method is proposed. A shape model is then initialized by registration with the resulting rough segmentation. In the second level of active shape model fitting, a prior model based on the two-class AdaBoost profile classifier is proposed to identify the optimal surface. In the third level, a deformable simplex mesh with profile probability and curvature constraint as the external force is used to refine the shape fitting result. In total, three registration methods—3D similarity registration, probability atlas B-spline, and their proposed deformable closest point registration—are used to establish shape correspondence. Results: The proposed method was evaluated using three public challenge datasets: 3Dircadb1, SLIVER07, and Visceral Anatomy3. The results showed that our approach performs with promising efficiency, with an average of 35 s, and accuracy, with an average Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.94 ± 0.02, 0.96 ± 0.01, and 0.94 ± 0.02 for the 3Dircadb1, SLIVER07, and Anatomy3 training datasets, respectively. The DSC of the SLIVER07 testing and Anatomy3 unseen testing datasets were 0.964 and 0.933, respectively. Conclusions: The proposed automatic approach

Fast automatic 3D liver segmentation based on a three-level AdaBoost-guided active shape model.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Baochun; Huang, Cheng; Sharp, Gregory; Zhou, Shoujun; Hu, Qingmao; Fang, Chihua; Fan, Yingfang; Jia, Fucang

2016-05-01

A robust, automatic, and rapid method for liver delineation is urgently needed for the diagnosis and treatment of liver disorders. Until now, the high variability in liver shape, local image artifacts, and the presence of tumors have complicated the development of automatic 3D liver segmentation. In this study, an automatic three-level AdaBoost-guided active shape model (ASM) is proposed for the segmentation of the liver based on enhanced computed tomography images in a robust and fast manner, with an emphasis on the detection of tumors. The AdaBoost voxel classifier and AdaBoost profile classifier were used to automatically guide three-level active shape modeling. In the first level of model initialization, fast automatic liver segmentation by an AdaBoost voxel classifier method is proposed. A shape model is then initialized by registration with the resulting rough segmentation. In the second level of active shape model fitting, a prior model based on the two-class AdaBoost profile classifier is proposed to identify the optimal surface. In the third level, a deformable simplex mesh with profile probability and curvature constraint as the external force is used to refine the shape fitting result. In total, three registration methods-3D similarity registration, probability atlas B-spline, and their proposed deformable closest point registration-are used to establish shape correspondence. The proposed method was evaluated using three public challenge datasets: 3Dircadb1, SLIVER07, and Visceral Anatomy3. The results showed that our approach performs with promising efficiency, with an average of 35 s, and accuracy, with an average Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.94 ± 0.02, 0.96 ± 0.01, and 0.94 ± 0.02 for the 3Dircadb1, SLIVER07, and Anatomy3 training datasets, respectively. The DSC of the SLIVER07 testing and Anatomy3 unseen testing datasets were 0.964 and 0.933, respectively. The proposed automatic approach achieves robust, accurate, and fast liver

Standardization of quantum technologies and QKD activities within ETSI (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Lenhart, Gaby

2016-04-01

In order to establish new ICT technologies successfully on the market it is essential to build trust within any potential users. This is especially true for technologies which are based upon paradigms that are not yet familiar to these users, such as quantum technologies. Technical standards are an excellent means to offer a certain degree of legal reliability and technical interoperability that is required by industry for commercial take up. While such standards on the one hand must be clear enough to provide strict rules for implementers, on the other hand they also must remain flexible enough to not restrict progress in further research and development on the standardized technology. Hence such standards have to be produced by a wide variety of stakeholders taking into account all their different needs. The paper will provide some insight into the general mechanisms of standardization and their relation to quantum technologies. Alongside with the relevance of standardization as an enabler for certification of quantum based technologies it will explain its potential for securing intellectual property. In its first part paper will concentrate on the advantages of standardization and discuss fears some of the stakeholders share, in detail. The second part will focus on the technical work going on in ETSI in relation to quantum technologies. In 2008 ETSI created a standards work group on Quantum Key Distribution, the ETSI ISG QKD and more recently a group on Quantum-Safe Cryptography, the ETSI ISG QSC. A significant part of the technical work of these groups has already been published and will be introduced in the following. However a big share of work is still ongoing and lot more is planned for the future, as are continuous revisions and updates of the published specifications. This standardization work covers several levels: It starts of by problem statements in the form of use cases, from which technical requirements can be derived. These requirements then form

Physical activity level of school children of age 10-13 years

OpenAIRE

Ronghe, Dr. Rashmi N; Gotmare, Dr. Neha A; Kawishwar, Dr. Shraddha

2016-01-01

Aim: To assess physical activity level of school children of age 10-13 years.Objectives: To assess and grade physical activity level in children of age 10-13 years using Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) classified into: Light Physical activity; Moderate Physical activity; Moderate to vigorous Physical activity and High Physical activity.Methodology: This is Questionnaire based survey study which was conducted on 100 school going children of 10-13 years who were present on ...

25 CFR 36.43 - Standard XVI-Student activities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... § 36.43 Standard XVI—Student activities. All schools shall provide and maintain a well-balanced student..., and planned types of fund-raising activities. (c) School may participate in interscholastic sports and... sanctioned by the school. (g) All student activities involved only in fund raising are required to establish...

Use of focused ultrasonication in activity-based profiling of deubiquitinating enzymes in tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanduri, Bindu; Shack, Leslie A; Rai, Aswathy N; Epperson, William B; Baumgartner, Wes; Schmidt, Ty B; Edelmann, Mariola J

2016-12-15

To develop a reproducible tissue lysis method that retains enzyme function for activity-based protein profiling, we compared four different methods to obtain protein extracts from bovine lung tissue: focused ultrasonication, standard sonication, mortar & pestle method, and homogenization combined with standard sonication. Focused ultrasonication and mortar & pestle methods were sufficiently effective for activity-based profiling of deubiquitinases in tissue, and focused ultrasonication also had the fastest processing time. We used focused-ultrasonicator for subsequent activity-based proteomic analysis of deubiquitinases to test the compatibility of this method in sample preparation for activity-based chemical proteomics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOE technical standards list: Directory of DOE and contractor personnel involved in non-government standards activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-05-01

The body of this document contains a listing of DOE employees and DOE contractors who have submitted form DOE F 1300.2, Record of Non-Government Standards Activity, which is attached to the end of this document. Additional names were added from rosters supplied by non-Government standards bodies. The committees or governing bodies in which the person participates is listed after each name. An asterisk preceding the committee notation indicates that the person has identified himself or herself as the DOE representative on that committee. Appendices to this document are also provided to sort the information by the parent employment organization, by non-Government standards activity, and by the proper names of the non-Government standards organizations and committees. DOE employees and contractors listed in this technical standards list are those recorded as of May 1, 1999.

MRI/TRUS fusion software-based targeted biopsy: the new standard of care?

Science.gov (United States)

Manfredi, M; Costa Moretti, T B; Emberton, M; Villers, A; Valerio, M

2015-09-01

The advent of multiparametric MRI has made it possible to change the way in which prostate biopsy is done, allowing to direct biopsies to suspicious lesions rather than randomly. The subject of this review relates to a computer-assisted strategy, the MRI/US fusion software-based targeted biopsy, and to its performance compared to the other sampling methods. Different devices with different methods to register MR images to live TRUS are currently in use to allow software-based targeted biopsy. Main clinical indications of MRI/US fusion software-based targeted biopsy are re-biopsy in men with persistent suspicious of prostate cancer after first negative standard biopsy and the follow-up of patients under active surveillance. Some studies have compared MRI/US fusion software-based targeted versus standard biopsy. In men at risk with MRI-suspicious lesion, targeted biopsy consistently detects more men with clinically significant disease as compared to standard biopsy; some studies have also shown decreased detection of insignificant disease. Only two studies directly compared MRI/US fusion software-based targeted biopsy with MRI/US fusion visual targeted biopsy, and the diagnostic ability seems to be in favor of the software approach. To date, no study comparing software-based targeted biopsy against in-bore MRI biopsy is available. The new software-based targeted approach seems to have the characteristics to be added in the standard pathway for achieving accurate risk stratification. Once reproducibility and cost-effectiveness will be verified, the actual issue will be to determine whether MRI/TRUS fusion software-based targeted biopsy represents anadd-on test or a replacement to standard TRUS biopsy.

Level and intensity of objectively assessed physical activity among pregnant women from urban Ethiopia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hjorth Mads F

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Women in low-income countries are generally considered to have a high physical workload which is sustained during pregnancy. Although most previous studies have been based on questionnaires a recent meta-analysis of doubly labeled water data has raised questions about the actual amount of physical activity performed. In this study we report objectively assessed levels of physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular fitness among pregnant urban Ethiopian women, and their association with demographic characteristics and anthropometric measures. Methods Physical activity was measured for seven consecutive days in 304 women using a combined uniaxial accelerometer and heart rate sensor. Activity energy expenditure was determined using a group calibration in a branched equation model framework. Type and duration of activities were reported using a 24-hour physical activity recall and grip strength was assessed using a dynamometer. Results Median (interquartile-range, IQR activity energy expenditure was 31.1 (23.7-42.0 kJ/kg/day corresponding to a median (IQR physical activity level of 1.46 (1.39-1.58. Median (IQR time in sedentary, light, and moderate-to-vigorous intensity was 1100 (999–1175, 303 (223–374 and 40 (22–69 min/day, respectively. Mean (standard deviation sleeping heart rate was 73.6 (8.0 beats/min and grip strength was 21.6 (4.5 kg. Activity energy expenditure was 14% higher for every 10 cm2 difference in arm muscle area and 10% lower for every 10 cm2 difference in arm fat area and 10-week difference in gestational age. Conclusion The level and intensity of physical activity among pregnant women from urban Ethiopia is low compared to non-pregnant women from other low income countries as well as pregnant European women from high-income countries.

AN EVALUATION OF SELECTED MOROCCAN ELT TEXTBOOKS: A STANDARDS-BASED APPROACH PERSPECTIVE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hassan Ait Bouzid

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Standards-Based Approach to textbook evaluation has been blooming in recent decades. Nevertheless, this practice has received very little attention in Morocco.  The present study aims to bridge a gap in the literature of the Moroccan context by investigating the extent to which three locally designed ELT textbooks conform to the theoretical principles of the Standards-Based Approach which defines the teaching of English as a foreign language in the country (Ministry of National Education, 2007. Its objective is to examine whether and how these textbooks present contents that enable learners to meet the content standards included in the goal areas of Communications, Cultures, Connections and Comparisons. The study is informed by the theoretical framework of the Standards-Based Approach. It adopts a mixed-methods design that uses content analysis as a mixed data analysis method combining both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The findings reveal a number of shortcomings relevant to the representation of the content standards as several standards are not sufficiently addressed in the activities included in these textbooks. Eventually, some suggestions are addressed to policy makers, textbook designers and teachers to overcome the identified problems in current and future textbooks. The study is expected to sensitize ELT practitioners about the viability of using textbook evaluation in boosting both the quality of ELT textbooks and the quality of the teaching learning outcomes.

A study of science leadership and science standards in exemplary standards-based science programs

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Wendy Renae

The purpose for conducting this qualitative study was to explore best practices of exemplary standards-based science programs and instructional leadership practices in a charter high school and in a traditional high school. The focus of this study included how twelve participants aligned practices to National Science Education Standards to describe their science programs and science instructional practices. This study used a multi-site case study qualitative design. Data were obtained through a review of literature, interviews, observations, review of educational documents, and researcher's notes collected in a field log. The methodology used was a multi-site case study because of the potential, through cross analysis, for providing greater explanation of the findings in the study (Merriam, 1988). This study discovered six characteristics about the two high school's science programs that enhance the literature found in the National Science Education Standards; (a) Culture of expectations for learning-In exemplary science programs teachers are familiar with a wide range of curricula. They have the ability to examine critically and select activities to use with their students to promote the understanding of science; (b) Culture of varied experiences-In exemplary science programs students are provided different paths to learning, which help students, take in information and make sense of concepts and skills that are set forth by the standards; (c) Culture of continuous feedback-In exemplary science programs teachers and students work together to engage students in ongoing assessments of their work and that of others as prescribed in the standards; (d) Culture of Observations-In exemplary science programs students, teachers, and principals reflect on classroom instructional practices; teachers receive ongoing evaluations about their teaching and apply feedback towards improving practices as outlined in the standards; (e) Culture of continuous learning-In exemplary

Extraction of Children's Friendship Relation from Activity Level

Science.gov (United States)

Kono, Aki; Shintani, Kimio; Katsuki, Takuya; Kihara, Shin'ya; Ueda, Mari; Kaneda, Shigeo; Haga, Hirohide

Children learn to fit into society through living in a group, and it's greatly influenced by their friend relations. Although preschool teachers need to observe them to assist in the growth of children's social progress and support the development each child's personality, only experienced teachers can watch over children while providing high-quality guidance. To resolve the problem, this paper proposes a mathematical and objective method that assists teachers with observation. It uses numerical data of activity level recorded by pedometers, and we make tree diagram called dendrogram based on hierarchical clustering with recorded activity level. Also, we calculate children's ``breadth'' and ``depth'' of friend relations by using more than one dendrogram. When we record children's activity level in a certain kindergarten for two months and evaluated the proposed method, the results usually coincide with remarks of teachers about the children.

Aqua AIRS Level 3 Monthly Standard Physical Retrieval (AIRS-only) V006

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Only Level 3 Monthly Gridded Retrieval Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers a calendar month....

AIRS/Aqua Level 3 Monthly standard physical retrieval (AIRS-only) V005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Only Level 3 Monthly Gridded Retrieval Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers a calendar month....

AIRS/Aqua Level 3 Monthly standard physical retrieval (AIRS+AMSU) V005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Level 3 Monthly Gridded Retrieval Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers a calendar month. The...

Aqua AIRS Level 3 Monthly Standard Physical Retrieval (AIRS+AMSU) V006

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Level 3 Monthly Gridded Retrieval Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers a calendar month. The...

Resource Discovery in Activity-Based Sensor Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bucur, Doina; Bardram, Jakob

This paper proposes a service discovery protocol for sensor networks that is specifically tailored for use in humancentered pervasive environments. It uses the high-level concept of computational activities (as logical bundles of data and resources) to give sensors in Activity-Based Sensor Networ....... ABSN enhances the generic Extended Zone Routing Protocol with logical sensor grouping and greatly lowers network overhead during the process of discovery, while keeping discovery latency close to optimal.......This paper proposes a service discovery protocol for sensor networks that is specifically tailored for use in humancentered pervasive environments. It uses the high-level concept of computational activities (as logical bundles of data and resources) to give sensors in Activity-Based Sensor Networks...... (ABSNs) knowledge about their usage even at the network layer. ABSN redesigns classical network-level service discovery protocols to include and use this logical structuring of the network for a more practically applicable service discovery scheme. Noting that in practical settings activity-based sensor...

[Validity of a standard questionnaire to assess physical activity for specific medical checkups and health guidance].

Science.gov (United States)

Kawakami, Ryoko; Miyachi, Motohiko

2010-10-01

This study aimed to determine the validity of a standard questionnaire to assess amount of physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak). A total of 483 men and women, aged 20 to 69 years, participated. The standard questionnaire included 3 items about exercise, PA, and walking speed. All questions were designed to require an answer of Yes or No. Subjects were classified into one of four groups regarding the number of Yes answers to the three questions, giving activity levels of 0 to 3. The amount of PA was measured objectively with a tn-axial accelerometer which could also calculate daily step counts, and the amounts of PA under 3 metabolic equivalents (METs) and at 3 METs or more. VO2peak. was measured by incremental cycle exercise tests with indirect calorimetry. The daily step counts, the amount of PA at 3 METs or more, and the VO2peak. were significantly higher in subjects who answered Yes to each question than in those who answered No. Sensitivity and specificity of each question were 62-73% and 45-71% for the amount of PA established with the "Exercise and Physical Activity Reference for Health Promotion 2006 (EPAR2006)". The sum of sensitivity and specificity was the highest when the cutoff value was activity level 2 (sensitivity 73%, specificity 68%). Sensitivity and specificity for VO2max established by EPAR2006 were lower than those for the amount of PA. These results suggest that only answering simple questions with a standard questionnaire is sufficient for estimation of PA levels for specific medical checkups and health guidance, even though the accuracy is somewhat limited.

Standardized computer-based organized reporting of EEG

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beniczky, Sándor; Aurlien, Harald; Brøgger, Jan C.

2017-01-01

Standardized terminology for computer-based assessment and reporting of EEG has been previously developed in Europe. The International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology established a taskforce in 2013 to develop this further, and to reach international consensus. This work resulted in the se......Standardized terminology for computer-based assessment and reporting of EEG has been previously developed in Europe. The International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology established a taskforce in 2013 to develop this further, and to reach international consensus. This work resulted...... in the second, revised version of SCORE (Standardized Computer-based Organized Reporting of EEG), which is presented in this paper. The revised terminology was implemented in a software package (SCORE EEG), which was tested in clinical practice on 12,160 EEG recordings. Standardized terms implemented in SCORE....... In the end, the diagnostic significance is scored, using a standardized list of terms. SCORE has specific modules for scoring seizures (including seizure semiology and ictal EEG patterns), neonatal recordings (including features specific for this age group), and for Critical Care EEG Terminology. SCORE...

AIRS/Aqua Level 3 Daily standard physical retrieval (AIRS-only) V005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Only Level 3 Daily Gridded Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers a temporal period of 24 hours...

AIRS/Aqua Level 3 Daily standard physical retrieval (AIRS+AMSU) V005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Level 3 Daily Gridded Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers a temporal period of 24 hours for...

Aqua AIRS Level 3 Daily Standard Physical Retrieval (AIRS+AMSU) V006

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Level 3 Daily Gridded Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers a temporal period of 24 hours for...

Aqua AIRS Level 3 Daily Standard Physical Retrieval (AIRS-only) V006

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Only Level 3 Daily Gridded Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers a temporal period of 24 hours...

NSCT BASED LOCAL ENHANCEMENT FOR ACTIVE CONTOUR BASED IMAGE SEGMENTATION APPLICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiren Mewada

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Because of cross-disciplinary nature, Active Contour modeling techniques have been utilized extensively for the image segmentation. In traditional active contour based segmentation techniques based on level set methods, the energy functions are defined based on the intensity gradient. This makes them highly sensitive to the situation where the underlying image content is characterized by image nonhomogeneities due to illumination and contrast condition. This is the most difficult problem to make them as fully automatic image segmentation techniques. This paper introduces one of the approaches based on image enhancement to this problem. The enhanced image is obtained using NonSubsampled Contourlet Transform, which improves the edges strengths in the direction where the illumination is not proper and then active contour model based on level set technique is utilized to segment the object. Experiment results demonstrate that proposed method can be utilized along with existing active contour model based segmentation method under situation characterized by intensity non-homogeneity to make them fully automatic.

45 CFR 305.33 - Determination of applicable percentages based on performance levels.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM PERFORMANCE MEASURES, STANDARDS, FINANCIAL INCENTIVES, AND PENALTIES § 305.33 Determination of applicable percentages based on performance levels. (a) A State's... performance levels. 305.33 Section 305.33 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare OFFICE OF...

Bi-Level Decentralized Active Power Control for Large-Scale Wind Farm Cluster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, Shengli; Wu, Qiuwei; Guo, Yifei

2018-01-01

This paper presents a bi-level decentralized active power control (DAPC) for a large-scale wind farm cluster, consisting of several wind farms for better active power dispatch. In the upper level, a distributed active power control scheme based on the distributed consensus is designed to achieve...... fair active power sharing among multiple wind farms, which generates the power reference for each wind farm. A distributed estimator is used to estimate the total available power of all wind farms. In the lower level, a centralized control scheme based on the Model Predictive Control (MPC) is proposed...... to regulate active power outputs of all wind turbines (WTs) within a wind farm, which reduces the fatigue loads of WTs while tracking the power reference obtained from the upper level control. A wind farm cluster with 8 wind farms and totally 160 WTs, was used to test the control performance of the proposed...

Brain-Based Learning and Standards-Based Elementary Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Konecki, Loretta R.; Schiller, Ellen

This paper explains how brain-based learning has become an area of interest to elementary school science teachers, focusing on the possible relationships between, and implications of, research on brain-based learning to the teaching of science education standards. After describing research on the brain, the paper looks at three implications from…

77 FR 39385 - Receipts-Based, Small Business Size Standard

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-03

.... The NRC is increasing its receipts-based, small business size standard from $6.5 million to $7 million...-based, small business size standard increasing from $6.5 million to $7.0 million. This adjustment is to... regulatory programs. The NRC is increasing its receipts-based, small business size standard from $6.5 million...

A Randomized-Controlled Trial of School-Based Active Videogame Intervention on Chinese Children's Aerobic Fitness, Physical Activity Level, and Psychological Correlates.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Patrick Wing Chung; Wang, Jing Jing; Maddison, Ralph

2016-12-01

Active videogames (AVGs) that require body movements to play offer a novel opportunity to turn a traditionally sedentary behavior into a physically active one. We sought to determine the effect of a school-based AVG intervention on Chinese children's aerobic fitness, physical activity (PA) level, and PA-related psychological correlates. Eighty 8-11-year-old Chinese children (55 males) were recruited from one Hong Kong primary school and were allocated at random to either an AVG intervention or control group. Children in the intervention group played an AVG, Xbox 360, twice per week during after-school hours, each for 60 minutes over 12 weeks in duration. The control group received no intervention. Children's body-mass index (BMI), objective PA, aerobic fitness (maximum oxygen consumption [VO 2max ]), PA task efficacy, barrier efficacy, and enjoyment were assessed. Compared with the control group, significant increases were found in the intervention group in VO 2max [mean and 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.58 (0.74, 2.42) mL/(kg·min)], objective moderate-to-vigorous PA [6.73 (1.70, 11.76) min/day], and total PA [27.19 (9.33, 45.04) min/day], but not for BMI. No significant differences in PA task efficacy, barrier efficacy, and enjoyment were observed. A 12-week (60 minutes × twice per week) school-based AVG intervention can improve Chinese children's aerobic fitness and PA level. These findings indicated that AVGs could be used as an alternative means to engage Chinese children in PA in school setting. However, the treatment effects of AVGs on PA-related psychological correlates and body composition need more investigation.

DOE technical standards list: Directory of DOE and contractor personnel involved in non-government standards activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-08-01

The body of this document contains a listing of DOE employees and DOE contractors who have submitted form DOE F 1300.2, Record of Non-Government Standards Activity, which is attached to the end of this document and to DOE Order 1300.2A. Additional names were added from rosters supplied by non-Government standards bodies. The committees or governing bodies in which the person participates is listed after each name. An asterisk preceding the committee notation indicates that the person has identified himself or herself as the DOE representative on that committee. Appendices to this document are also provided to sort the information by the parent employment organization, by non-Government standards activity, and by the proper names of the non-Government standards organizations and committees. DOE employees and contractors listed in this TSL are those recorded as of July 1, 1996.

Status of existing federal environmental risk-based standards applicable to Department of Energy operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilyard, G.R.

1991-09-01

When conducting its environmental restoration, waste management, and decontamination and decommissioning activities, the US Department of Energy (DOE) must comply with a myriad of regulatory procedures and environmental standards. This paper assesses the status of existing federal risk-based standards that may be applied to chemical and radioactive substances on DOE sites. Gaps and inconsistencies among the existing standards and the technical issues associated with the application of those standards are identified. Finally, the implications of the gaps, inconsistencies, and technical issues on DOE operations are discussed, and approaches to resolving the gaps, inconsistencies, and technical issues are identified. 6 refs

Resource Discovery in Activity-Based Sensor Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bucur, Doina; Bardram, Jakob

This paper proposes a service discovery protocol for sensor networks that is specifically tailored for use in humancentered pervasive environments. It uses the high-level concept of computational activities (as logical bundles of data and resources) to give sensors in Activity-Based Sensor Networks...... (ABSNs) knowledge about their usage even at the network layer. ABSN redesigns classical network-level service discovery protocols to include and use this logical structuring of the network for a more practically applicable service discovery scheme. Noting that in practical settings activity-based sensor...

A Test of the Active-Day Fraction Method of Sunspot Group Number Calibration: Dependence on the Level of Solar Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Willamo, T.; Usoskin, I. G.; Kovaltsov, G. A.

2018-04-01

The method of active-day fraction (ADF) was proposed recently to calibrate different solar observers to standard observational conditions. The result of the calibration may depend on the overall level of solar activity during the observational period. This dependency is studied quantitatively using data of the Royal Greenwich Observatory by formally calibrating synthetic pseudo-observers to the full reference dataset. It is shown that the sunspot group number is precisely estimated by the ADF method for periods of moderate activity, may be slightly underestimated by 0.5 - 1.5 groups ({≤} 10%) for strong and very strong activity, and is strongly overestimated by up to 2.5 groups ({≤} 30%) for weak-to-moderate activity. The ADF method becomes inapplicable for the periods of grand minima of activity. In general, the ADF method tends to overestimate the overall level of activity and to reduce the long-term trends.

The need for a common standard for voltage levels of HVDC VSC technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Müller, H.K.; Torbaghan, S. Shariat; Gibescu, M.; Roggenkamp, M.M.; Meijden, M.A.M.M. van der

2013-01-01

The expansion of offshore wind energy as well as the increase in electricity trade between the North Sea countries leads to a growing need for additional transmission capacity. Due to the predominantly remote locations of offshore wind farms, the majority of future connections will be high-voltage direct current (HVDC) connections. In order to make the construction of offshore infrastructure more efficient, the North Sea states are currently discussing the development of a common offshore grid. Although this development still stands at the very beginning, we argue in this paper that some crucial elements should be standardized from the outset; the most important one being a common voltage level. Without such standardization, the development of a European offshore grid may be suboptimal, not cost-efficient and might even be prevented from coming into existence. We examine the technical and legal issues associated with introducing a common voltage level for the use of HVDC VSC technology, and discuss the optimal standard as well as the way in which this common standard can best be achieved. - Highlights: • We highlight the need for a common standard for HVDC VSC technology. • We outline that a standardized voltage level at ± 500 kV should be the initial focus. • We discuss the developments regarding standardization of HVDC VSC technology. • We conclude that current developments are not sufficient

Fibrinolysis standards: a review of the current status.

Science.gov (United States)

Thelwell, C

2010-07-01

Biological standards are used to calibrate measurements of components of the fibrinolytic system, either for assigning potency values to therapeutic products, or to determine levels in human plasma as an indicator of thrombotic risk. Traditionally WHO International Standards are calibrated in International Units based on consensus values from collaborative studies. The International Unit is defined by the response activity of a given amount of the standard in a bioassay, independent of the method used. Assay validity is based on the assumption that both standard and test preparation contain the same analyte, and the response in an assay is a true function of this analyte. This principle is reflected in the diversity of source materials used to prepare fibrinolysis standards, which has depended on the contemporary preparations they were employed to measure. With advancing recombinant technology, and improved analytical techniques, a reference system based on reference materials and associated reference methods has been recommended for future fibrinolysis standards. Careful consideration and scientific judgement must however be applied when deciding on an approach to develop a new standard, with decisions based on the suitability of a standard to serve its purpose, and not just to satisfy a metrological ideal. 2010 The International Association for Biologicals. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Establishment of standard low energy x-ray, radioprotection levels, for calibration of instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Eliane Carmo

1995-01-01

Seven standard low energy X-rays fields were established, radioprotection level, at the Calibration Laboratory of IPEN. Five of the standard calibration qualities used at the National Physical Laboratory, England, with energies between 16 and 38 keV, and two recommended by the International Standard Organization, with energies of 33 and 48 keV, were reproduced. The calibration conditions, radiotherapy level, from 14 to 21 keV, were also verified. Different portable radiation monitors as ionization chambers and Geiger-Mueller detectors were studied in relation to their energy dependence. (author)

Design and implementation of the standards-based personal intelligent self-management system (PICS).

Science.gov (United States)

von Bargen, Tobias; Gietzelt, Matthias; Britten, Matthias; Song, Bianying; Wolf, Klaus-Hendrik; Kohlmann, Martin; Marschollek, Michael; Haux, Reinhold

2013-01-01

Against the background of demographic change and a diminishing care workforce there is a growing need for personalized decision support. The aim of this paper is to describe the design and implementation of the standards-based personal intelligent care systems (PICS). PICS makes consistent use of internationally accepted standards such as the Health Level 7 (HL7) Arden syntax for the representation of the decision logic, HL7 Clinical Document Architecture for information representation and is based on a open-source service-oriented architecture framework and a business process management system. Its functionality is exemplified for the application scenario of a patient suffering from congestive heart failure. Several vital signs sensors provide data for the decision support system, and a number of flexible communication channels are available for interaction with patient or caregiver. PICS is a standards-based, open and flexible system enabling personalized decision support. Further development will include the implementation of components on small computers and sensor nodes.

Code, standard and specifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdul Nassir Ibrahim; Azali Muhammad; Ab. Razak Hamzah; Abd. Aziz Mohamed; Mohamad Pauzi Ismail

2008-01-01

Radiography also same as the other technique, it need standard. This standard was used widely and method of used it also regular. With that, radiography testing only practical based on regulations as mentioned and documented. These regulation or guideline documented in code, standard and specifications. In Malaysia, level one and basic radiographer can do radiography work based on instruction give by level two or three radiographer. This instruction was produced based on guideline that mention in document. Level two must follow the specifications mentioned in standard when write the instruction. From this scenario, it makes clearly that this radiography work is a type of work that everything must follow the rule. For the code, the radiography follow the code of American Society for Mechanical Engineer (ASME) and the only code that have in Malaysia for this time is rule that published by Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) known as Practical code for radiation Protection in Industrial radiography. With the existence of this code, all the radiography must follow the rule or standard regulated automatically.

Standardized computer-based organized reporting of EEG

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beniczky, Sándor; Aurlien, Harald; Brøgger, Jan C.

2017-01-01

Standardized terminology for computer-based assessment and reporting of EEG has been previously developed in Europe. The International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology established a taskforce in 2013 to develop this further, and to reach international consensus. This work resulted in the se......Standardized terminology for computer-based assessment and reporting of EEG has been previously developed in Europe. The International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology established a taskforce in 2013 to develop this further, and to reach international consensus. This work resulted...... in the second, revised version of SCORE (Standardized Computer-based Organized Reporting of EEG), which is presented in this paper. The revised terminology was implemented in a software package (SCORE EEG), which was tested in clinical practice on 12,160 EEG recordings. Standardized terms implemented in SCORE...... are used to report the features of clinical relevance, extracted while assessing the EEGs. Selection of the terms is context sensitive: initial choices determine the subsequently presented sets of additional choices. This process automatically generates a report and feeds these features into a database...

Use of focused ultrasonication in activity-based profiling of deubiquitinating enzymes in tissue

OpenAIRE

Nanduri, Bindu; Shack, Leslie A.; Rai, Aswathy N.; Epperson, William B.; Baumgartner, Wes; Schmidt, Ty B.; Edelmann, Mariola J.

2016-01-01

To develop a reproducible tissue-lysis method that retains enzyme function for activity-based protein profiling, we compared four different tissue lysis methods of bovine lung tissue: focused ultrasonication, standard sonication, mortar & pestle method, and homogenization combined with standard sonication. Focused ultrasonication and mortar & pestle methods were sufficiently effective for activity-based profiling of deubiquitinases in tissue and focused ultrasonication had also the fastest pr...

Applicability of ISO 9001: 2000 standard to design and research activities in nuclear objectives and installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stamatopol, M.; Patticu, C.

2001-01-01

The ISO 9001: 2000 standard contains the results of the latest studies concerning the design and implementation of quality management systems. The continuous improvement of these systems required a new approach, namely, the process-based approach. A process-based model of quality management is presented in terms of client request, input data, management responsibility, resource management, product realisation, measurement / analysis and optimization, product, output data and client request fulfilment. Thus, the quality management system becomes an ensemble of interconnected or interacting processes. Consequently, to implement such a system the necessary processes have to be identified and their ISO 9001: 2000 standard based management ensured. Process based approach also allows better evidencing the input and output data specific to each process. Such an approach grants a wider applicability to the design and research activities in nuclear objectives and installations. This work aims at identifying additional requirements implied in design and research activities in nuclear field, as stipulated in the following standards / documents: - IAEA SG Q8 'Quality assurance in research and development'; - IAEA SG Q10 'Quality assurance in design'; - CAN / CSA N 286.2 - 00 'Design Quality Assurance for Nuclear Power Plants'; CAN 3 - CSA Z 299.1 'Quality Assurance Program - Category 1'; - NQA - 1, SUPPLEMENT 3S-1 'Supplementary requirements for design control'

Survey of RF exposure levels from mobile telephone base stations in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, S I; Bangay, M J

2006-01-01

This paper reports the results of an exposure level survey of radiofrequency electromagnetic energy originating from mobile telephone base station antennas. Measurements of CDMA800, GSM900, GSM1800, and 3G(UMTS) signals were performed at distances ranging over 50 to 500 m from 60 base stations in five Australian cities. The exposure levels from these mobile telecommunications base stations were found to be well below the general public exposure limits of the ICNIRP guidelines and the Australian radiofrequency standard (ARPANSA RPS3). The highest recorded level from a single base station was 7.8 x 10(-3) W/m(2), which translates to 0.2% of the general public exposure limit.

Implementation of school based physical activity interventions: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Naylor, Patti-Jean; Nettlefold, Lindsay; Race, Douglas; Hoy, Christa; Ashe, Maureen C; Wharf Higgins, Joan; McKay, Heather A

2015-03-01

Implementation science is an emerging area in physical activity (PA) research. We sought to establish the current state of the evidence related to implementation of school-based PA models to explore 1) the relationship between implementation and health outcomes, and 2) factors that influence implementation. We searched 7 electronic databases (1995-2014) and included controlled studies of school-based PA programmes for healthy youth (6-18 y) measuring at least one physical health-related outcome. For objective 1, studies linked implementation level to student-level health outcome(s). For objective 2, studies reported factors associated with implementation. There was substantial variability in how health outcomes and implementation were assessed. Few studies linked implementation and health outcomes (n=15 interventions). Most (11/15) reported a positive relationship between implementation and at least one health outcome. Implementation factors were reported in 29 interventions. Of 22 unique categories, time was the most prevalent influencing factor followed by resource availability/quality and supportive school climate. Implementation evaluation supports scale-up of effective school-based PA interventions and thus population-level change. Our review serves as a call to action to 1) address the link between implementation and outcome within the school-based PA literature and 2) improve and standardize definitions and measurement of implementation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality control methodology and implementation of X-radiation standards beams, mammography level, following the standard IEC 61267

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Correa, Eduardo de Lima

2010-01-01

In this work it was developed and applied a quality control program of the X radiation system (160 kV, constant potential, target of tungsten) of the Calibration Laboratory of IPEN(LCI) in the energy range relative to mammography beams (from 25 kV to 35 kV). The X radiation standards beams, level mammography, using molybdenum and aluminum as additional filtration, were established after the application of this quality control program following national and international recommendations. The reference ionization chamber has traceability to PTB and was regularly submitted to quality control tests for evaluation and analysis of its performance. The radiation qualities emerging from the X-radiation assembly (RQR-M), based on a phantom made up of an aluminum added filter (RQA-M), narrow beam condition (RQN-M) and broad beam condition (RQB-M), following the recommendations of the international standard IEC 61267 (2005) and the IAEA code of practice, TRS 457 (2007) were established. For the implantation of RQN-M and RQB-M radiation qualities, two mammography phantoms were developed. The half-value layers found are those presented by the German primary laboratory PTB, and varied from 0.35 to 1.21 mm Al. The air kerma rates were obtained for all the 15 implanted qualities. (author)

A Systematic Review of Montessori-Based Activities for Persons With Dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheppard, Christine L; McArthur, Caitlin; Hitzig, Sander L

2016-02-01

Montessori-based activities are becoming a popular approach for the care of older adults living with dementia. The aim of this study was to systematically assess the quality of the research examining the benefits of Montessori-based activities for persons with dementia. Six peer-reviewed databases were systematically searched for all relevant articles published until April 2015. Included articles were peer-reviewed studies published in English that employed Montessori-based activities with persons with dementia. Methodological quality was assessed by 2 independent raters using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database Scale or the Downs and Black evaluation tool. Levels of evidence were assigned to the study design using a modified Sackett scale. One hundred fifty articles were identified, and 14 were selected for inclusion. Level-2 evidence examining the impact of Montessori-based activities on eating behaviors suggested that difficulties with eating could be reduced with Montessori training. There was limited level-4 evidence for the benefits of Montessori-based activities on cognition, wherein benefits appeared to be specific to lower-level cognitive abilities including memory and attention. Finally, there is level-1 (n = 1), level-2 (n = 3), and level-4 (n = 6) evidence for the benefits of Montessori-based activities on engagement and affect, whereby constructive engagement and positive affect were heightened. Overall, there is a strong level of evidence for the benefits of Montessori-based activities on eating behaviors and weak evidence for the benefits on cognition. Evidence for the benefits of Montessori-based activities on engagement and affect are mixed. Future research is needed to examine the long-term benefits of Montessori-based activities. Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computer-based control of nuclear power information systems at international level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boniface, Ekechukwu; Okonkwo, Obi

2011-01-01

In most highly industrialized countries of the world information plays major role in anti-nuclear campaign. Information and discussions on nuclear power need critical and objective analysis before the structured information presentation to the public to avoid bias anti-nuclear information on one side and neglect of great risk in nuclear power. This research is developing a computer-based information system for the control of nuclear power at international level. The system is to provide easy and fast information highways for the followings: (1) Low Regulatory dose and activity limit as level of high danger for individuals and public. (2) Provision of relevant technical or scientific education among the information carriers in the nuclear power countries. The research is on fact oriented investigation about radioactivity. It also deals with fact oriented education about nuclear accidents and safety. A standard procedure for dissemination of latest findings using technical and scientific experts in nuclear technology is developed. The information highway clearly analyzes the factual information about radiation risk and nuclear energy. Radiation cannot be removed from our environment. The necessity of radiation utilizations defines nuclear energy as two-edge sword. It is therefore, possible to use computer-based information system in projecting and dissemination of expert knowledge about nuclear technology positively and also to use it in directing the public on the safety and control of the nuclear energy. The computer-based information highway for nuclear energy technology is to assist in scientific research and technological development at international level. (author)

77 FR 25721 - Small Entity Compliance Guide: Bottled Water: Quality Standard: Establishing an Allowable Level...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-01

...] Small Entity Compliance Guide: Bottled Water: Quality Standard: Establishing an Allowable Level for di(2... ``Bottled Water: Quality Standard: Establishing an Allowable Level for di(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate--Small... an allowable level for di(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). This final rule is effective April 16, 2012...

Biological standards for the Knowledge-Based BioEconomy: What is at stake.

Science.gov (United States)

de Lorenzo, Víctor; Schmidt, Markus

2018-01-25

The contribution of life sciences to the Knowledge-Based Bioeconomy (KBBE) asks for the transition of contemporary, gene-based biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to becoming an authentic branch of engineering. One requisite to this end is the need for standards to measure and represent accurately biological functions, along with languages for data description and exchange. However, the inherent complexity of biological systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this enterprise. Fortunately, the onset of systems and synthetic biology has emphasized the need for standards not only to manage omics data, but also to increase reproducibility and provide the means of engineering living systems in earnest. Some domains of biotechnology can be easily standardized (e.g. physical composition of DNA sequences, tools for genome editing, languages to encode workflows), while others might be standardized with some dedicated research (e.g. biological metrology, operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a considerable effort, e.g. defining the rules that allow functional composition of biological activities. Despite difficulties, these are worthy attempts, as the history of technology shows that those who set/adopt standards gain a competitive advantage over those who do not. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Genomic Standards Consortium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Field, Dawn; Amaral-Zettler, Linda; Cochrane, Guy

2011-01-01

Standards Consortium (GSC), an open-membership organization that drives community-based standardization activities, Here we provide a short history of the GSC, provide an overview of its range of current activities, and make a call for the scientific community to join forces to improve the quality...

Work related perceived stress and muscle activity during standardized computer work among female computer users

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsman, P; Thorn, S; Søgaard, K

2009-01-01

The current study investigated the associations between work-related perceived stress and surface electromyographic (sEMG) parameters (muscle activity and muscle rest) during standardized simulated computer work (typing, editing, precision, and Stroop tasks). It was part of the European case......-control study, NEW (Neuromuscular assessment in the Elderly Worker). The present cross-sectional study was based on a questionnaire survey and sEMG measurements among Danish and Swedish female computer users aged 45 or older (n=49). The results show associations between work-related perceived stress...... and trapezius muscle activity and rest during standardized simulated computer work, and provide partial empirical support for the hypothesized pathway of stress induced muscle activity in the association between an adverse psychosocial work environment and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and shoulder....

Aqua AIRS Level 3 8-day Standard Physical Retrieval (AIRS+AMSU) V006

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Level 3 8-Day Gridded Retrieval Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers an 8-day period, or...

AIRS/Aqua Level 3 8-day standard physical retrieval (AIRS+AMSU) V005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Level 3 8-Day Gridded Retrieval Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers an 8-day period, or...

Global physical activity levels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hallal, Pedro C; Andersen, Lars Bo; Bull, Fiona C

2012-01-01

To implement effective non-communicable disease prevention programmes, policy makers need data for physical activity levels and trends. In this report, we describe physical activity levels worldwide with data for adults (15 years or older) from 122 countries and for adolescents (13-15-years......-income countries. The proportion of 13-15-year-olds doing fewer than 60 min of physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity per day is 80·3% (80·1-80·5); boys are more active than are girls. Continued improvement in monitoring of physical activity would help to guide development of policies and programmes......-old) from 105 countries. Worldwide, 31·1% (95% CI 30·9-31·2) of adults are physically inactive, with proportions ranging from 17·0% (16·8-17·2) in southeast Asia to about 43% in the Americas and the eastern Mediterranean. Inactivity rises with age, is higher in women than in men, and is increased in high...

77 FR 39442 - Receipts-Based, Small Business Size Standard

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-03

... RIN 3150-AJ14 [NRC-2012-0062] Receipts-Based, Small Business Size Standard AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory... Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended. The NRC is proposing to increase its receipts-based, small business size standard from $6.5 million to $7 million to conform to the standard set by the Small Business...

Aqua AIRS Level 3 8-day Standard Physical Retrieval (AIRS-only) V006

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Only Level 3 8-Day Gridded Retrieval Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers an 8-day period, or...

AIRS/Aqua Level 3 8-day standard physical retrieval (AIRS-only) V005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The AIRS Only Level 3 8-Day Gridded Retrieval Product contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations and input counts. Each file covers an 8-day period, or...

77 FR 68717 - Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-16

..., 1918, and 1926 [Docket No. OSH-2011-0184] RIN 1218-AC65 Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor. ACTION: Proposed rule; withdrawal. SUMMARY: With this notice, OSHA is withdrawing the proposed rule that...

Estimation of low level gross alpha activities in the radioactive effluent using liquid scintillation counting technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhade, Sonali P.D.; Johnson, Bella E.; Singh, Sanjay; Babu, D.A.R.

2012-01-01

A technique has been developed for simultaneous measurement of gross alpha and gross beta activity concentration in low level liquid effluent samples in presence of higher activity concentrations of tritium. For this purpose, alpha beta discriminating Pulse Shape Analysis Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) technique was used. Main advantages of this technique are easy sample preparation, rapid measurement and higher sensitivity. The calibration methodology for Quantulus1220 LSC based on PSA technique using 241 Am and 90 Sr/ 90 Y as alpha and beta standards respectively was described in detail. LSC technique was validated by measuring alpha and beta activity concentrations in test samples with known amount of 241 Am and 90 Sr/ 90 Y activities spiked in distilled water. The results obtained by LSC technique were compared with conventional planchet counting methods such as ZnS(Ag) and end window GM detectors. The gross alpha and gross beta activity concentrations in spiked samples, obtained by LSC technique were found to be within ±5% of the reference values. (author)

Physical activity levels and preferences of ethnically diverse visitors to Georgia State Parks

Science.gov (United States)

Lincoln Larson; Jason W. Whiting; Gary T. Green; Michael Bowker

2014-01-01

Parks provide many outdoor recreation opportunities that encourage physical activity and healthy lifestyles, and research has recently begun to explore the demographic, social, and environmental factors associated with park-based activity levels, particularly outside of urban areas. This study used a mixed methods approach to investigate physical activity levels and...

Development of an international standard on instruments setpoints based on ISA S67.04 - 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quinn, E.L.

1996-01-01

This is a summary of the application for and development of an international standard on instrument setpoints, based on the Instrument Society of America (ISA) Standard S67.04 - 1994. The forum this new standard was proposed in is the International Electrotechnique Commission (IEC), based in Geneva, Switzerland, which is the international commission which oversees electrical and instrumentation standards for all applications around the world. The Instrument Society of America (ISA) is a United States based Society for the advancement of instrumentation and controls related science and technology and has 30,000 members. A division within the ISA is the Standard and Practices board which has over 5000 members actively involved in standards development and approval. In 1994, the ISA SP67, Nuclear Power Plant Standards Committee authorized that the IEC be approached to develop and issue an IEC standard on Instrument Setpoints. This application was formally submitted in January, 1995 to the IEC and approved for ballot to member countries in June, 1995. Approval for standard development by IEC was received in October, 1995 and the first draft vas issued in February, 1996, and is currently under review by the IEC working group. It is very important to focus on the approach that the U.S. and other countries are taking toward development of IEC standards that can apply to all nuclear instrumentation applications around the world. By referencing IEC standards in design specification, vendors can be solicited from many different countries, thereby ensuring that the highest quality products can be used. This also offsets the need to specify individual standards in the specification, based on the country that each vendor solicited, represents. In summary, this standard development process, with support from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will assist U.S. suppliers in competing in the global market for products and services into the next century. (author)

Dose evaluation and establishment of reference levels in activity for nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribeiro, Julio Cesar de Souza

2017-01-01

The International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) has emphasized the importance of accurately determining the mean dose levels, or administered activity, received by the patients for each medical procedure that uses ionizing radiation. However, the number of bibliographic references addressing the need to know and optimize these levels is insufficient, or rather limited, which may lead to non-standardizes techniques, a lack of exposures control, and also the increase of associated radiological risks of these procedures. In this context, a software in Visual Basic® of Microsoft© language was developed whose function is to elaborate a method of obtaining the Reference Levels in Activity (RLA) for nuclear medicine patients by determining the third quartile of the examinations carried out. The program also allows obtaining absorbed dose values in critical organs based on patient specificities as age, sex and Body Mass Index (BMI) in order to evaluate the risk involved in each procedure. The main nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures were evaluated through the database of two public hospitals and a private clinic, obtaining the NRAs of each facility, where the software was validated by comparison with the traditionally accepted calculation methods. Due to the results obtained in each installation, in addition to NRA determination, gaps in treatment capacities and unjustified dose variations for the same procedure were identified, indicating the need for optimization. Thus, the developed program is able to provide the estimated values of effective and absorbed doses involved in each procedure, for each patient, providing reference values for nuclear medicine field, not available in the national scenario so far. (author)

77 FR 68684 - Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-16

..., 1918, and 1926 [Docket No. OSHA-2011-0184] RIN 1218-AC65 Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor. ACTION: Final rule; confirmation of effective date. SUMMARY: OSHA is confirming the effective date of its...

Play Equipment, Physical Activity Opportunities, and Children's Activity Levels at Childcare

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica S. Gubbels

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the association between physical activity facilities at childcare (e.g., play equipment and physical activity of 2- and 3-year olds. Observations of physical activity intensity were performed among 175 children at 9 childcare centers in The Netherlands, using the OSRAC-P. The physical activity facilities were assessed for indoors and outdoors separately, using the EPAO instrument. Regular (single-level multivariate and multilevel linear regression analyses examined the association of the facilities and child characteristics (age and sex with children's activity levels. Various physical activity facilities were available in all childcare centers (e.g., balls. Riding toys and a small playing area were associated with lower indoor physical activity levels. Outdoor physical activity levels were positively associated with the availability of portable jumping equipment and the presence of a structured track on the playground. Portable slides, fixed swinging equipment, and sandboxes were negatively associated with outdoor activity levels. In addition, the 3-year old children were more active outdoors than the 2-year olds. In conclusion, not all physical activity facilities at childcare were indeed positively associated with children's activity levels. The current findings provide concrete leads for childcare providers regarding which factors they can improve in the physical environment to facilitate children's physical activity.

Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of Phyllanthus niruri spray-dried standardized extract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cínthia R. C. Porto

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Phyllanthus niruri L., Euphorbiaceae, spray-dried standardized extract was studied for its anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities in adult albino rats and mice. The anti-inflammatory effect of spray-dried standardized extract was observed in carrageenan-induced paw edema and thioglycolate-induced leukocyte migration, while antinociceptive effects were observed using Randall & Selitto, tail flick, and hot plate tests. This study showed that intraperitoneal spray-dried standardized extract at 100, 200, 800, or 1600 mg/kg reduced the vascular response in the inflammatory process of paw edema induced by 1% carrageenan. Oral spray-dried standardized extract at 100 or 200 mg/kg inhibited leukocyte migration to the site of inflammation induced by 3% thioglycolate. In rats, at 100 and 200 mg/kg intraperitoneally, the extract exhibited a marked peripheral analgesic effect in a Randall & Selitto assay and showed significant central analgesic activity in a hot plate and tail flick assay. In conclusion, this study suggested that Phyllanthus niruri spray-dried standardized extract has potent inflammatory and antinociceptive activities and that these activities are not modified by standard drying process, making it feasible to use the dry extract standardized to obtain a phytotherapic preparation and thus validating its use for the treatment of pain and inflammation disorders.

The Assessment Of The Level Of Management Control Standards Completion In Treasury Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kulińska Ewa

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper concerns the rules of the functioning of management control standards used in the Treasury Control Office. Its purpose is to present research results conducted in the years 2013–2014 in Polish Treasury Control Offices. Obtained results are the effect of applying author’s model of the assessment of management control implementation. The research was conducted for management personnel and the rest of offices employees separately. Significant discrepancies between these two groups of respondents were indicated. Based on the results, the areas of deviation from expected level of management control standards were established and the areas where implementation of control mechanisms relying on increasing the supervision of board of directors over managers were indicated, providing permanent and efficient elements of managers supervision over subordinate employees and making purposes and tasks put on the Treasury Control Office for given year more precise and familiarization of employees and carrying out trainings and series of other corrective measures.

Radiological Evaluation Standards in the Radiology Department of Shahid Beheshti Hospital (RAH YASUJ Based on Radiology standards in 92

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A َKalantari

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Background & aim: Radiology personnel’s working in terms of performance and safety is one of the most important functions in order to increase the quality and quantity. This study aimed to evaluate the radiological standards in Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Yasuj, Iran, in 2013. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was based on a 118 randomly selected graphs and the ranking list, with full knowledge of the standards in radiology was performed two times. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: 87.3% of the students chose the cassette, 76.3%, patients chose the position, 87.3%, member state, the central ray 83.9%, and the distance between the tube and the patient 68.6% had been operated in accordance with the standards practice. Among all the factors and variables, between view with cassette, view with SID, sex with position patients, grid with central ray, grid with SID, Request with positioning the patient and between density with patient position and member position significant relationship were observed p<0.05 . Conclusions: Staff and students in terms of performance were at high levels, but in the levels of protection were in poor condition. Therefore, in order to promote their conservation, education and periodical monitoring should be carried out continuously.

Multielement analysis of biological standards by neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nadkarni, R.A.

1977-01-01

Up to 28 elements were determined in two IAEA standards: Animal Muscle H4 and Fish Soluble A 6/74, and three NBS standards: Spinach: SRM-1570, Tomato Leaves: SRM-1573 and Pine Needles: SRM-1575 by instrumental neutron-activation analysis. Seven noble metals were determined in two NBS standards: Coal: SRM-1632 and Coal Fly Ash: SRM-1633 by radiochemical procedure while 11 rare earth elements were determined in NBS standard Orchard Leaves: SRM-1571 by instrumental neutron-activation analysis. The results are in good agreement with the certified and/or literature data where available. The irradiations were performed at the Cornell TRIGA Mark II nuclear reactor at a thermal neutron flux of 1-3x10 12 ncm -2 sec -1 . The short-lived species were determined after a 2-minute irradiation in the pneumatic rabbit tube, and the longer-lived species after an 8-hour irradiation in the central thimble facility. The standards and samples were counted on coaxial 56-cm 3 Ge(Li) detector. The system resolution was 1.96 keV (FWHM) with a peak to Compton ratio of 37:1 and counting efficiency of 13%, all compared to the 1.332 MeV photopeak of Co-60. (T.I.)

Challenges in standardization of blood pressure measurement at the population level.

Science.gov (United States)

Tolonen, Hanna; Koponen, Päivikki; Naska, Androniki; Männistö, Satu; Broda, Grazyna; Palosaari, Tarja; Kuulasmaa, Kari

2015-04-10

Accurate blood pressure measurements are needed in clinical practice, intervention studies and health examination surveys. Blood pressure measurements are sensitive: their accuracy can be affected by measurement environment, behaviour of the subject, measurement procedures, devices used for the measurement and the observer. To minimize errors in blood pressure measurement, a standardized measurement protocol is needed. The European Health Examination Survey (EHES) Pilot project was conducted in 2009-2012. A pilot health examination survey was conducted in 12 countries using a standardized protocol. The measurement protocols used in each survey, training provided for the measurers, measurement data, and observations during site visits were collected and evaluated to assess the level of standardization. The EHES measurement protocol for blood pressure was followed accurately in all 12 pilot surveys. Most of the surveys succeeded in organizing a quiet and comfortable measurement environment, and staff instructed survey participants appropriately before examination visits. In all surveys, blood pressure was measured three times, from the right arm in a sitting posture. The biggest variation was in the device used for the blood pressure measurement. It is possible to reach a high level of standardization for blood pressure measurements across countries and over time. A detailed, standardized measurement protocol, and adequate training and monitoring during the fieldwork and centrally organized quality assessment of the data are needed. The recent EU regulation banning the sale of mercury sphygmomanometer in European Union Member States has set new challenges for the standardization of measurement devices since the validity of oscillometric measurements is device-specific and performance of aneroid devices depends very much on calibration.

Effects of electromyographic and mechanomyographic biofeedback on upper trapezius muscle activity during standardized computer work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madeleine, Pascal; Vedsted, Pernille; Blangsted, Anne Katrine

2006-01-01

The purpose of this laboratory study was to investigate the effects of surface electromyography (EMG)- and mechanomyography (MMG)-based audio and visual biofeedback during computer work. Standardized computer work was performed for 3 min with/without time constraint and biofeedback in a randomize...... alternative to EMG in ergonomics. A lowering of the trapezius muscle activity may contribute to diminish the risk of work related musculoskeletal disorders development.......The purpose of this laboratory study was to investigate the effects of surface electromyography (EMG)- and mechanomyography (MMG)-based audio and visual biofeedback during computer work. Standardized computer work was performed for 3 min with/without time constraint and biofeedback in a randomized......) values as well as the work performance in terms of number of completed graph/mouse clicks/errors, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and the usefulness of the biofeedback were assessed. The duration of muscle activity above the threshold was significantly lower with MMG compared with EMG as source...

Correlation of Level of Trauma Activation With Emergency Department Intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Michael C; Srivastava, Geetanjali

2018-06-01

In-hospital trauma team activation criteria are formulated to identify severely injured patients requiring specialized multidisciplinary care. Efficacy of trauma activation (TA) criteria is commonly measured by emergency department (ED) disposition, injury severity score, and mortality. Necessity of critical ED interventions is another measure that has been proposed to evaluate the appropriateness of TA criteria. Two-year retrospective cohort study of 1715 patients from our trauma registry at a Level 1 pediatric trauma center. We abstracted data on acute interventions, level and criterion of TA, ED disposition, and mortality. We report odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), positive predictive value, and frequency of acute interventions. Trauma activation was initiated for 947 (55%) of the 1715 patients. There were 426 ED interventions performed on 235 patients (14%); 67.8% were in level 1 activations; 17.6% in level 2, and 14.6% in level 3. Highest-level activations were highly associated with need for ED interventions (OR, 16.1; 95% CI, 11.5-22.4). The ORs for requiring an ED intervention were low for lower level activations (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.3-0.5), trauma service consults (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.2-0.4), and certain mechanism-based criteria. The ORs for ED intervention for isolated motor vehicle collision (0.2; 95% CI, 0.1-0.7), isolated all-terrain vehicle rollover (0.4; 95% CI, 0.1-1.7), and suspected spinal cord injury (0.5; 95% CI, 0.1-3.7) were significantly lower than 1. Highest-level activation criteria correlate with high utilization of ED resources and interventions. Lower level activation criteria and trauma service consult criteria are not highly correlated with need for ED interventions. Downgrading isolated motor vehicle collision and all-terrain vehicle rollovers and suspected spinal cord injury to lower level activations could decrease the overtriage rate, and adding age-specific bradycardia as a physiologic criterion could improve our

Unobtrusive measurement of indoor energy expenditure using an infrared sensor-based activity monitoring system.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Bosun; Han, Jonghee; Choi, Jong Min; Park, Kwang Suk

2008-11-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an unobtrusive energy expenditure (EE) measurement system using an infrared (IR) sensor-based activity monitoring system to measure indoor activities and to estimate individual quantitative EE. IR-sensor activation counts were measured with a Bluetooth-based monitoring system and the standard EE was calculated using an established regression equation. Ten male subjects participated in the experiment and three different EE measurement systems (gas analyzer, accelerometer, IR sensor) were used simultaneously in order to determine the regression equation and evaluate the performance. As a standard measurement, oxygen consumption was simultaneously measured by a portable metabolic system (Metamax 3X, Cortex, Germany). A single room experiment was performed to develop a regression model of the standard EE measurement from the proposed IR sensor-based measurement system. In addition, correlation and regression analyses were done to compare the performance of the IR system with that of the Actigraph system. We determined that our proposed IR-based EE measurement system shows a similar correlation to the Actigraph system with the standard measurement system.

Private standards and labour productivity in the food sector in Viet Nam

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trifkovic, Neda

standards affect labour productivity of small and medium firms from the food sector in Viet Nam. The results based on a 3-year panel show that the application of private standards improves labour productivity. These gains primarily occur to firms operating above a threshold labour-intensity level. Firms......A rising number of firms from developing countries have adopted voluntary private standards in the last decade. This has become an area of active research, especially in terms of the impact of private standards on trade, organizational performance, and employee outcomes. This paper analyses how...

76 FR 42395 - Business Conduct Standards for Security-Based Swap Dealers and Major Security-Based Swap...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-18

... Business Conduct Standards for Security-Based Swap Dealers and Major Security-Based Swap Participants...-11] RIN 3235-AL10 Business Conduct Standards for Security-Based Swap Dealers and Major Security-Based...'') relating to external business conduct standards for security-based swap dealers (``SBS Dealers'') and major...

Development of multicomponent parts-per-billion-level gas standards of volatile toxic organic compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhoderick, G.C.; Zielinski, W.L. Jr.

1990-01-01

This paper reports that the demand for stable, low-concentration multicomponent standards of volatile toxic organic compounds for quantifying national and state measurement of ambient air quality and hazardous waste incineration emissions has markedly increased in recent years. In response to this demand, a microgravimetric technique was developed and validated for preparing such standards; these standards ranged in concentration from several parts per million (ppm) down to one part per billion (ppb) and in complexity from one organic up to 17. Studies using the gravimetric procedure to prepare mixtures of different groups of organics. including multi-components mixtures in the 5 to 20 ppb range, revealed a very low imprecision. This procedure is based on the separate gravimetric introduction of individual organics into an evacuated gas cylinder, followed by the pressurized addition of a precalculated amount of pure nitrogen. Additional studies confirmed the long-term stability of these mixtures. The uncertainty of the concentrations of the individual organics at the 95% confidence level ranged from less than 1% relative at 1 ppm to less than 10% relative at 1 ppb. Over 100 primary gravimetric standards have been developed, validated, and used for certifying the concentrations of a variety of mixtures for monitoring studies

Levels of Participation of the School Stakeholders to the Different School-Initiated Activities and the Implementation of School-Based Management

Science.gov (United States)

Cabardo, Jimmy Rey Opong

2016-01-01

This study aimed to evaluate the levels of participation of the school stakeholders to the different school-initiated activities and the implementation of school-based management (SBM) in selected schools in the Division of Davao del Sur for the school year 2014-2015 using a descriptive-correlational survey research design. A…

From policy to practice: strategies to meet physical activity standards in YMCA afterschool programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Beets, Michael W; Weaver, Robert G; Moore, Justin B; Turner-McGrievy, Gabriel; Pate, Russell R; Webster, Collin; Beighle, Aaron

2014-03-01

In 2011, the U.S. Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) adopted activity standards recommending that afterschool programs (ASPs) ensure all children engage in a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily during the ASP. ASPs decide how to accomplish this standard, for which few effective strategies exist. To evaluate strategies designed to help ASPs meet the MVPA standard. Single group intervention with pretest and three follow-up measures repeated-cross-sectional design with a subsample cohort. Four large-scale YMCA ASPs, serving approximately 500 children each day. Community-based participatory development of strategies focused on modification of program schedules, professional development training, and weekly checklists to evaluate activity opportunities. Accelerometry-derived MVPA classified as meet or fail-to-meet the 30 minutes' MVPA/day standard collected over a minimum of 4 nonconsecutive days at baseline (fall 2011) and three follow-up assessments (spring 2012, fall 2012, spring 2013). Random intercept logistic regression models evaluated the probability of meeting the standard for boys and girls, separately (analyzed summer 2013). A total of 895 children (aged 5-12 years, 48.4% girls) representing 3654 daily measures were collected across the four assessments. The percentage of girls and boys meeting the MVPA standard at baseline was 13.3% and 28.0%, respectively. By spring 2013, this increased to 29.3% and 49.6%. These changes represented an increase in the odds of meeting the 30 minutes' MVPA/day standard by 1.5 (95% CI=1.1, 2.0) and 2.4 (95% CI=1.2, 4.8) for girls and boys, respectively. The strategies developed herein represent an effective approach to enhancing current practice within YMCA ASPs to achieve existing MVPA standards. Additional work is necessary to evaluate the scalability of the strategies in a larger sample of ASPs. © 2014 American Journal of Preventive Medicine Published by American Journal of

Flowsheet development studies for the decontamination of high-activity-level water at Three Mile Island Unit 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collins, E.D.; Bigelow, J.E.; Campbell, D.O.; King, L.J.; Knauer, J.B.

1980-01-01

Several chemical processing flowsheets were considered for the decontamination of high-activity-level water at the Three Mile Island (TMI) Unit 2. A zeolite ion exchange process was evaluated and recommended for absorption of the bulk of the highly radioactive cesium and strontium. Standard organic ion-exchange resins were selected to remove the remaining traces of radioactive nuclides (except tritium which cannot be removed by any practical process). Process conditions were evaluated using both synthetic, tracer-level solutions and samples of actual, high-activity level water from TMI Unit 2

[Discussion on research thinking of traditional Chinese medicine standardization system based on whole process quality control].

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Ling; Sun, Yu; Pei, Wen-Xuan; Dai, Jun-Dong; Wang, Zi-Yu; Pan, Meng; Chen, Jiang-Peng; Wang, Yun

2017-12-01

The concept of "Quality by design" indicates that good design for the whole life cycle of pharmaceutical production enables the drug to meet the expected quality requirements. Aiming at the existing problems of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) industry, the TCM standardization system was put forward in this paper from the national strategic level, under the guidance by the idea of quality control in international manufacturing industry and with considerations of TCM industry's own characteristics and development status. The connotation of this strategy was to establish five interrelated systems: multi-indicators system based on tri-indicators system, quality standard and specification system of TCM herbal materials and decoction pieces, quality traceability system, data monitoring system based on whole-process quality control, and whole-process quality management system of TCM, and achieve the whole process systematic and scientific study in TCM industry through "top-level design-implement in steps-system integration" workflow. This article analyzed the correlation between the quality standards of all links, established standard operating procedures of each link and whole process, and constructed a high standard overall quality management system for TCM industry chains, in order to provide a demonstration for the establishment of TCM whole-process quality control system and provide systematic reference and basis for standardization strategy in TCM industry. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Issues related to the USEPA probabilistic standard for geologic disposal of high-level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okrent, D.

1993-01-01

This paper asks whether some of the fundamental bases for the 1985 USEPA standard on disposal of high level radioactive wastes (40 CFR Part 191) warrant re-examination. Similar questions also apply to the bases for the radioactive waste disposal requirements proposed by most other countries. It is suggested that the issue of intergenerational equity has been dealt with from too narrow a perspective. Not only should radioactive and nonradioactive hazardous waste disposal be regulated from a consistent philosophic basis, but the regulation of waste disposal itself should be embedded in the broader issues of intergenerational conservation of options, conservation of quality, and conservation of access. (author). 25 refs

Physical Activity Levels in Chinese One-Year-Old Children and Their Parents, an Early STOPP China Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong Mei

Full Text Available Physical activity (PA is associated with health benefits, already in childhood. However, little is known about actual levels, patterns and gender differences in PA level in very young children. This study examines Chinese one-year-old children and their parents' PA levels and patterns, and assesses the correlations between children's PA level and gender, body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS, parental BMI and parental PA level.Data from 123 families participating in the Early STOPP China study were used. Families were recruited based on parental BMI and were classified as either high-risk or low-risk of obesity. Parents and children wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ to assess the average PA levels. PA levels and hourly patterns during weekdays and weekends were examined as were correlations with gender, BMI SDS, parental BMI and parental PA levels.There were no significant differences in children's averaged PA between risk groups, genders, or between weekdays and weekends. Children's peak average activity level was at 7 pm and they were least active at 3 pm (p<0.001. Both mothers and fathers demonstrated a similar PA pattern as their children, although paternal PA level was consistently lower than that of mothers and children. No significant association was found between children's PA and their gender, BMI SDS, parental BMI or paternal PA levels. Maternal PA was found positively associated with child PA (p<0.05.PA in one-year-old Chinese children vary over the day but weekdays and weekends are similar. At this age, children's PA is not related to gender, BMI SDS, parental BMI or paternal PA. Larger scale studies with more contextual information are needed to improve the understanding of our findings.

Collection-Level Surveys for Special Collections: Coalescing Descriptors across Standards

Science.gov (United States)

Ascher, James P.; Ferris, Anna M.

2012-01-01

Developing collection-level surveys to expose hidden collections in special collections and archives departments within ARL libraries has received a great deal of scholarly attention in the recent years. Numerous standards have been explored, and each has its strengths and weaknesses. This paper summarizes some of the major initiatives in…

CHAOS-BASED ADVANCED ENCRYPTION STANDARD

KAUST Repository

Abdulwahed, Naif B.

2013-05-01

This thesis introduces a new chaos-based Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The AES is a well-known encryption algorithm that was standardized by U.S National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) in 2001. The thesis investigates and explores the behavior of the AES algorithm by replacing two of its original modules, namely the S-Box and the Key Schedule, with two other chaos- based modules. Three chaos systems are considered in designing the new modules which are Lorenz system with multiplication nonlinearity, Chen system with sign modules nonlinearity, and 1D multiscroll system with stair case nonlinearity. The three systems are evaluated on their sensitivity to initial conditions and as Pseudo Random Number Generators (PRNG) after applying a post-processing technique to their output then performing NIST SP. 800-22 statistical tests. The thesis presents a hardware implementation of dynamic S-Boxes for AES that are populated using the three chaos systems. Moreover, a full MATLAB package to analyze the chaos generated S-Boxes based on graphical analysis, Walsh-Hadamard spectrum analysis, and image encryption analysis is developed. Although these S-Boxes are dynamic, meaning they are regenerated whenever the encryption key is changed, the analysis results show that such S-Boxes exhibit good properties like the Strict Avalanche Criterion (SAC) and the nonlinearity and in the application of image encryption. Furthermore, the thesis presents a new Lorenz-chaos-based key expansion for the AES. Many researchers have pointed out that there are some defects in the original key expansion of AES and thus have motivated such chaos-based key expansion proposal. The new proposed key schedule is analyzed and assessed in terms of confusion and diffusion by performing the frequency and SAC test respectively. The obtained results show that the new proposed design is more secure than the original AES key schedule and other proposed designs in the literature. The proposed

Photospheric activity of the Sun with VIRGO and GOLF. Comparison with standard activity proxies

Science.gov (United States)

Salabert, D.; García, R. A.; Jiménez, A.; Bertello, L.; Corsaro, E.; Pallé, P. L.

2017-12-01

We study the variability of solar activity using new photospheric proxies originally developed for the analysis of stellar magnetism with the CoRoT and Kepler photometric observations. These proxies were obtained by tracking the temporal modulations in the observations associated with the spots and magnetic features as the Sun rotates. We analyzed 21 yr of observations, spanning solar cycles 23 and 24, collected by the space-based photometric VIRGO and radial velocity GOLF instruments on board the SoHO satellite. We then calculated the photospheric activity proxy Sph is for each of the three VIRGO photometers and the associated Svel proxy from the radial velocity GOLF observations. Comparisons with several standard solar activity proxies sensitive to different layers of the Sun demonstrate that these new activity proxies, Sph and Svel, provide a new manner to monitor solar activity. We show that both the long- and short-term magnetic variabilities respectively associated with the 11-yr cycle and the quasi-biennial oscillation are well monitored, and that the magnetic field interaction between the subsurface, photosphere, and chromosphere of the Sun was modified between Cycle 24 and Cycle 23. Furthermore, the photometric proxies show a wavelength dependence of the response function of the solar photosphere among the three channels of the VIRGO photometers, providing inputs for the study of the stellar magnetism of Sun-like stars.

Studies on the Needs of Seismic Base Isolation Concept and its Standardization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Min-Seok; Kim, Jong-Hae

2015-01-01

In the late 1970s, seismic resistance design was introduced as a new design concept through the construction of nuclear power plants. Before this, lateral forces other than wind loads, such as seismic forces, were not taken into consideration in the structural design process. However, in response to the building of increasingly large and heavy structures such as nuclear power plants, a consensus began to form in society regarding the importance of seismic resistance design to avoid a largescale calamity. Since then, Korea has reinforced the relevant regulations, and there has been some progress. At the same time, the seismic base isolation concept was introduced to encourage active research activities related to building safety issues. It has lately been applied for the purpose of reducing construction costs. In 1980s, seismic base isolation design was applied for 'Cruas' plant in France and 'Koeberg' plant in South Africa. Those two are the few cases in which the seismic base isolation design was applied; for the rest, seismic resistance design was applied in most nuclear power plants that are in operation and in construction in the world. Rather than welcoming innovative technology on a trial basis, nuclear power plant design makes use only of proven technologies, which explains the application of seismic resistance design. As seismic base isolation design has become more accepted for use in the building of domestic general bridges, which has, thereby, confirmed its safety, it has been accepted for nuclear power plant design and has even been actively applied. So far, most structures of nuclear facility have been constructed with seismic resistance design and engineering methods. However, seismic force prediction is not perfect in reality; nor is it financially beneficial to apply the system for gradually increasing seismic resistance design loads. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a seismic base isolation system as a way to help secure the

Studies on the Needs of Seismic Base Isolation Concept and its Standardization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Min-Seok; Kim, Jong-Hae [Korea Electric Association, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

In the late 1970s, seismic resistance design was introduced as a new design concept through the construction of nuclear power plants. Before this, lateral forces other than wind loads, such as seismic forces, were not taken into consideration in the structural design process. However, in response to the building of increasingly large and heavy structures such as nuclear power plants, a consensus began to form in society regarding the importance of seismic resistance design to avoid a largescale calamity. Since then, Korea has reinforced the relevant regulations, and there has been some progress. At the same time, the seismic base isolation concept was introduced to encourage active research activities related to building safety issues. It has lately been applied for the purpose of reducing construction costs. In 1980s, seismic base isolation design was applied for 'Cruas' plant in France and 'Koeberg' plant in South Africa. Those two are the few cases in which the seismic base isolation design was applied; for the rest, seismic resistance design was applied in most nuclear power plants that are in operation and in construction in the world. Rather than welcoming innovative technology on a trial basis, nuclear power plant design makes use only of proven technologies, which explains the application of seismic resistance design. As seismic base isolation design has become more accepted for use in the building of domestic general bridges, which has, thereby, confirmed its safety, it has been accepted for nuclear power plant design and has even been actively applied. So far, most structures of nuclear facility have been constructed with seismic resistance design and engineering methods. However, seismic force prediction is not perfect in reality; nor is it financially beneficial to apply the system for gradually increasing seismic resistance design loads. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a seismic base isolation system as a way to help secure the

Determinants of anti-corruption activities at the regional level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. I. Ovchinnikova

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The article explores the concept of corruption, defined as an obstacle to economic and social development, created by representatives of the power structures of the country, region, enterprise, weakening the efficiency of management and the institutional foundation of society. Anticorruption activity is presented in the article as conditions created by the state and ensuring that the country's economy is not irreparably damaged by internal and external economic threats. The estimated characteristics of the anti-corruption activities of the regions and the country as a whole, as a rule, are studied in the domestic sources and among foreign authors. Statistical evaluation of the relationship between the level of corruption and indicators: the dynamics of GRP growth, the index of real incomes of the population, the costs of training, health care is made on the basis of the coefficient Pearson correlation. Based on the correlation analysis, stable links were established between the level of corruption and the socio-economic indicators of the region's development: an increase in the level of corruption associated with an increase in the population's spending on education and medicine; a reduction in the level of corruption, as a result of increased incomes of the population and higher wages. The consequences of corruption are presented: legal (the undeveloped legislative base, which involves bribery of powerful people, the growth of corruption in the society, the increase in corruption crimes, the inefficiency of the regulatory framework, social (moral violation, low public evaluation of the activities of power structures, low level of culture and upbringing , economic (bias financial, investment decisions, illegal distribution of property and non-property benefits, the impossibility of competitors Vat with developed countries and others.

Transmission control unit drive based on the AUTOSAR standard

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Xiucai; Qin, Zhen

2018-03-01

It is a trend of automotive electronics industry in the future that automotive electronics embedded system development based on the AUTOSAR standard. AUTOSAR automotive architecture standard has proposed the transmission control unit (TCU) development architecture and designed its interfaces and configurations in detail. This essay has discussed that how to drive the TCU based on AUTOSAR standard architecture. The results show that driving the TCU with the AUTOSAR system improves reliability and shortens development cycles.

Standardized quality in MOOC based learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maiorescu Irina

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Quality in the field of e-learning and, particularly, in the field of MOOC( Massive Open Online Courses, is a topic of growing importance in both academic institutions and in the private sector as it has generally been proved that quality management can contribute to improving the performance of organizations, regardless of their object of activity. Despite the fact that there are standards relating to quality management in a general manner, professionals, academic staff, specialists and bodies felt the need for having a standardized approach of the quality in the sector of e-learning. Therefore, in the last years, in different countries quality guidelines have been developed and used for e-Learning or distance education (for example the ASTD criteria for e- Learning, the BLA Quality Mark, Quality Platform Learning by D-ELAN etc.. The current paper aims to give insights to this new form of online education provided by MOOC platforms using the specific quality standard approach.

Portable atomic frequency standard based on coherent population trapping

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Fan; Yang, Renfu; Nian, Feng; Zhang, Zhenwei; Cui, Yongshun; Zhao, Huan; Wang, Nuanrang; Feng, Keming

2015-05-01

In this work, a portable atomic frequency standard based on coherent population trapping is designed and demonstrated. To achieve a portable prototype, in the system, a single transverse mode 795nm VCSEL modulated by a 3.4GHz RF source is used as a pump laser which generates coherent light fields. The pump beams pass through a vapor cell containing atom gas and buffer gas. This vapor cell is surrounded by a magnetic shield and placed inside a solenoid which applies a longitudinal magnetic field to lift the Zeeman energy levels' degeneracy and to separate the resonance signal, which has no first-order magnetic field dependence, from the field-dependent resonances. The electrical control system comprises two control loops. The first one locks the laser wavelength to the minimum of the absorption spectrum; the second one locks the modulation frequency and output standard frequency. Furthermore, we designed the micro physical package and realized the locking of a coherent population trapping atomic frequency standard portable prototype successfully. The short-term frequency stability of the whole system is measured to be 6×10-11 for averaging times of 1s, and reaches 5×10-12 at an averaging time of 1000s.

Is a Perceived Activity-Friendly Environment Associated with More Physical Activity and Fewer Screen-Based Activities in Adolescents?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaroslava Kopcakova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The aim of this study is to explore if perception of an activity-friendly environment is associated with more physical activity and fewer screen-based activities among adolescents. Methods: We collected self-reported data in 2014 via the Health Behavior in School-aged Children cross-sectional study from four European countries (n = 13,800, mean age = 14.4, 49.4% boys. We explored the association of perceived environment (e.g., “There are other children nearby home to go out and play with” with physical activity and screen-based activities using a binary logistic regression model adjusted for age, gender, family affluence and country. Results: An environment perceived as activity-friendly was associated with higher odds that adolescents meet recommendations for physical activity (odds ratio (OR for one standard deviation (SD change = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI 1.05–1.18 and lower odds for excessive screen-based activities (OR for 1 SD better = 0.93, 95% CI 0.88–0.98. Conclusions: Investment into an activity-friendly environment may support the promotion of active life styles in adolescence.

Progress in France of the standardization of multi-level quality assurance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Debout, E.

1982-01-01

Quality assurance has evolved in a steady but somewhat haphazard manner in various industries, each of which has drawn up its own standards. Examples of this are the armaments industry under the auspices of NATO, nuclear energy (IAEA guides), the French aerospace industries and the Industrial Monitoring Service for Armaments in France. For the sake of both the supplier companies and the customers, these differing and sometimes incompatible requirements should be brought into line. At the instigation of the French Association for Industrial Quality Control (AFCIQ), the French Association for Standardization (AFNOR) is therefore in the process of publishing a series of documents on quality management and assurance. For its part, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has set up a committee (TC 176) to standardize quality assurance. The different documents provide for various levels of quality assurance, the compatibility of which will have to be closely monitored. (author)

Physical Activity Levels During Acute Inpatient Admission After Hip Fracture are Very Low.

Science.gov (United States)

Davenport, Sarah J; Arnold, Meaghan; Hua, Carol; Schenck, Amie; Batten, Sarah; Taylor, Nicholas F

2015-09-01

Hip fractures are very common in older adults and result in serious health consequences. Early mobilization post-surgical intervention for hip fractures is very important. The purpose of this study was to determine physical activity levels during an acute inpatient admission of patients after surgery for hip fracture. The observational study was completed on an orthopaedic ward in an acute general hospital. Twenty patients (18 women, mean age ± standard deviation, 79.1 ± 9.3 years) post-surgical intervention for a hip fracture were included. Physical activity levels were measured using an accelerometer to record the percentage of time spent in lying/sitting, standing and walking, number of steps taken and average energy expenditure. Physical activity levels were extremely low, with participants spending an average of 99% of the day either lying or sitting and a little more than 1% of the day either standing or walking (16 min). Participants took an average of 35.7 ± 80.4 steps per day. Patients received more physiotherapy intervention on weekdays compared with weekends. There was no significant difference in activity levels between weekdays to weekends. No measures of physical activity were associated with length of stay. A mild to moderate association (r = 0.26-0.41) was observed between the measures of physical activity and the amount of physiotherapy received during the weekdays. Physical activity levels during an acute inpatient admission surgery for hip fracture are very low. Patients may have difficulty completing basic activities of daily living post-discharge into the community. Physical activity should be optimized as early in the rehabilitation process as able. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Interim radiological safety standards and evaluation procedures for subseabed high-level waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klett, R.D.

1997-06-01

The Seabed Disposal Project (SDP) was evaluating the technical feasibility of high-level nuclear waste disposal in deep ocean sediments. Working standards were needed for risk assessments, evaluation of alternative designs, sensitivity studies, and conceptual design guidelines. This report completes a three part program to develop radiological standards for the feasibility phase of the SDP. The characteristics of subseabed disposal and how they affect the selection of standards are discussed. General radiological protection standards are reviewed, along with some new methods, and a systematic approach to developing standards is presented. The selected interim radiological standards for the SDP and the reasons for their selection are given. These standards have no legal or regulatory status and will be replaced or modified by regulatory agencies if subseabed disposal is implemented. 56 refs., 29 figs., 15 tabs

Ecobat: An online resource to facilitate transparent, evidence-based interpretation of bat activity data.

Science.gov (United States)

Lintott, Paul R; Davison, Sophie; van Breda, John; Kubasiewicz, Laura; Dowse, David; Daisley, Jonathan; Haddy, Emily; Mathews, Fiona

2018-01-01

Acoustic surveys of bats are one of the techniques most commonly used by ecological practitioners. The results are used in Ecological Impact Assessments to assess the likely impacts of future developments on species that are widely protected in law, and to monitor developments' postconstruction. However, there is no standardized methodology for analyzing or interpreting these data, which can make the assessment of the ecological value of a site very subjective. Comparisons of sites and projects are therefore difficult for ecologists and decision-makers, for example, when trying to identify the best location for a new road based on relative bat activity levels along alternative routes. Here, we present a new web-based, data-driven tool, Ecobat, which addresses the need for a more robust way of interpreting ecological data. Ecobat offers users an easy, standardized, and objective method for analyzing bat activity data. It allows ecological practitioners to compare bat activity data at regional and national scales and to generate a numerical indicator of the relative importance of a night's worth of bat activity. The tool is free and open-source; because the underlying algorithms are already developed, it could easily be expanded to new geographical regions and species. Data donation is required to ensure the robustness of the analyses; we use a positive feedback mechanism to encourage ecological practitioners to share data by providing in return high quality, contextualized data analysis, and graphical visualizations for direct use in ecological reports.

FAKIR: a user-friendly standard for decay heat and activity calculation of LWR fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pretesacque, P.; Nimal, J.C.; Huynh, T.D.; Zachar, M.

1993-01-01

The shipping casks owned by the transporters and the unloading and storage facilities are subjected by their design safety report to decay heat and activity limits. It is the responsibility of the consignor or the consignee to check the compliance of the fuel assemblies to the shipped or stored with regard to these limiting safety parameters. Considering the diversity of the parties involved in the transport and storage cycle, a standardization has become necessary. This has been achieved by the FAKIR code. The FAKIR development started in 1984 in collaboration between COGEMA, CEA-SERMA and NTL. Its main specifications were to be a user-friendly code, to use the contractual data given in the COGEMA transport and reprocessing sheet 1 as input, and to over-estimate decay heat and activity. Originally based on computerizable standards such as ANSI or USNRC, the FAKIR equations and data libraries are now based on the fully qualified PEPIN/APOLLO calculation codes. FAKIR is applicable to all patterns of irradiation histories, with burn up from 1000 MWd/TeU to 70.000 MWd/TeU and cooling times from 1 second to 100 years. (J.P.N.)

Developing an integrated electronic nursing record based on standards.

Science.gov (United States)

van Grunsven, Arno; Bindels, Rianne; Coenen, Chel; de Bel, Ernst

2006-01-01

The Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands develops a multidisciplinar (Electronic Health Record) based on the latest HL7 v3 (Health Level 7 version 3) D-MIM : Care provision. As part of this process we are trying to establish which nursing diagnoses and activities are minimally required. These NMDS (Nursing Minimal Data Set) are mapped or translated to ICF (for diagnoses) and CEN1828 Structures for (for activities). The mappings will be the foundation for the development of user interfaces for the registration of nursing activities. A homegrown custom-made web based configuration tool is used to exploit the possibilities of HL7 v3. This enables a sparkling launch of user interfaces that can contain the diversity of health care work processes. The first screens will be developed to support history taking for the nursing chart of the Neurology ward. The screens will contain both Dutch NMDS items and ward specific information. This will be configured dynamically per (group of) ward(s).

Section for Standard and Patents - Standardization and Patents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wojtowicz, S.; Trechcinski, R.; Rybka, M.; Ryszkowska, A.; Wardaszko, J.

1997-01-01

Full text: The most important tasks of the Section in 1996 were: preparation of national standards and program of future work on standards for nuclear instrumentation and electronic equipment in nuclear engineering; organization of activities and participation in the meetings of the Commissions for Standardization No 173 Microprocessor Systems, No 266 Nuclear Instrumentation; giving opinions and expertises on national and international standards for equipment in nuclear engineering; cooperation with the Commission for Standardization No 246 Radiological Protection; control of inventiveness activity; The quality of the technical products is being improved by: a) selection of the proper types of interface systems, technical coordination and quality control; b) creation of standards at a high technical level; The Section works mainly for the Polish Committee for Standardization, the National Atomic Energy Agency, Association of Polish Electrical Engineers and Research Institutes in Poland. The activity of the Section is useful for all national institutions where backplane busses and nuclear electronic equipment is produced or used. The Section participates in the following international organizations: IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) TC 45 (Nuclear Instrumentation); ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTCl SC26 (Microprocessor systems); ESONE (European Studies on Norms for Electronics); The section takes part in popularization of nuclear technology and instrumentation in the following ways: distribution of standards and technical documentation to national institutions dealing with nuclear apparatus; collecting and distributing technical information from international organizations (e.g. ESONE); organization of technical and scientific, national and international conferences (New Generation Nuclear Power Plants - September 96, QNX in Real World - January 96); participation in the technical conference organized by the Polish Committee for

Compliance with the annual NO 2 air quality standard in Athens. Required NO x levels and expected health implications

Science.gov (United States)

Chaloulakou, A.; Mavroidis, I.; Gavriil, I.

Recent risk assessment studies have shown that high outdoor NO 2 levels observed in residential areas contribute to increased respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and mortality. Detailed information on present NO 2 levels as well as predictions of NO 2 concentrations corresponding to reduced NO x levels in urban areas are very useful to decision and policy makers in order to protect the public health. In the present paper, monitoring stations of the Athens network are initially classified into two main groups, traffic affected and urban background, using effectively a criterion based on the ratio of annual mean NO:NO 2 concentrations. Two empirical methodologies are then considered and compared for assessing the effect of different NO x levels on the attainment of the annual NO 2 air quality standard at urban-background locations in the Athens area. An interesting finding is that these two methodologies, one more general and one both year and site dependent, give similar results for the specific study area and can be applied alternatively based on the length of available concentration time series. The results show that in order to meet the EU annual mean NO 2 objective at all the urban-background locations of the Athens area, annual NO x concentrations should be reduced to approximately 60 μg m -3, requiring NO x emission reductions of up to 30%. An analysis of the health implications of the currently observed NO 2 levels is conducted, based on a dose-response relationship, and is coupled with available health-related data for the Athens area. This analysis suggests that if NO 2 concentrations were reduced to the levels of the annual EU air quality standard, then a decrease of hospital admissions of up to 2.6% would be observed, depending on the levels of NO 2 measured at different monitoring sites of the Athens conurbation.

Modeling of storage tank settlement based on the United States standards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gruchenkova Alesya

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Up to 60% of storage tanks in operation have uneven settlement of the outer bottom contour, which often leads to accidents. Russian and foreign regulatory documents have different requirements for strain limits of metal structures. There is an increasing need for harmonizing regulatory documents. The aim of this study is to theoretically justify and to assess the possibility of applying the U.S. standards for specifying the allowable settlement of storage tanks used in Russia. The allowable uneven settlement was calculated for a vertical steel tank (VST-20000 according to API-653, a standard of the American Petroleum Institute. The calculated allowable settlement levels were compared with those established by Russian standards. Based on the finite element method, the uneven settlement development process of a storage tank was modeled. Stress-strain state parameters of tank structures were obtained at the critical levels established in API-653. Relationships of maximum equivalent stresses in VST metal structures to the vertical settlement component for settlement zones of 6 to 72 m in length were determined. When the uneven settlement zone is 6 m in length, the limit state is found to be caused by 30-mm vertical settlement, while stresses in the wall exceed 330 MPa. When the uneven settlement zone is 36 m in length, stresses reach the yield point only at 100-mm vertical settlement.

An objective assessment of toddlers' physical activity and sedentary levels: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderloo, Leigh M; Tucker, Patricia

2015-09-26

Little evidence exists on the physical activity and sedentary time of Canadian toddlers; this study objectively measured such behaviors and compared participants' activity levels to national guidelines. Levels of screen-viewing among toddlers were also explored. Forty toddlers (mean age = 25.7 months) wore Actical accelerometers for seven consecutive days (15 s epoch). Parents/guardians completed a wear-time log and a demographic and screen-viewing questionnaire. Descriptive analyses were used to determine participants' levels of physical activity and sedentary time, to identify whether toddlers were meeting physical activity/sedentary guidelines, and to explore demographic variables. T-tests were used to assess whether toddlers' activity levels differed based on cut-points applied and various demographic and screen-related variables. Regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between toddlers' sedentary time and screen-viewing levels. Toddlers engaged in 37.27 (SD = 3.79) to 49.40 (SD = 3.29) mins/hr of sedentary time, 9.79 (SD = 2.90) to 18.78 (SD = 3.22) mins/hr of light-intensity physical activity (LPA), 0.82 (SD = 0.72) to 3.95 (SD = 1.93) mins/hr of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), and 10.60 (SD =3.29) to 22.73 (SD = 3.97) mins/hr of total physical activity (TPA), based on the Trost et al. and the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) cut-points respectively; these rates were significantly different (p physical activity guidelines. No statistically significant differences in sedentary time or physical activity (all intensities) based on sex were reported (p sedentary behavior guidelines on weekdays and weekend days, respectively. The implications of this work suggest that a greater understanding of toddlers' activity patterns is needed; additional mechanisms of promoting active behaviors among this group should be explored.

The Emerging JBIG2 Standard

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Howard, P.; Kossentini, F.; Martins, Bo

1998-01-01

The Joint Bi-level Image Experts Group (JBIG), an international study group affiliated with ISO/IEC and ITU-T, is in the process of drafting a new standard for lossy and lossless compression of bi-level images. The new standard, informally referred to as JBIG2, will support model-based coding...... with imperceptible loss of quality. It is expected that JBIG2 will become an International Standard by 2000....

Research-based standards for accessible housing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helle, Tina; Iwarsson, Susanne; Brandt, Åse

Since standards for accessible housing seldom are manifestly based on research and vary cross nationally, it is important to examine if there exists any scientific evidence, supporting these standards. Thus, one aim of this study was to review the literature in search of such scientific evidence...... data on older citizens and their housing environment in Sweden, Germany and Latvia (n=1150), collected with the Housing Enabler instrument. Applying statistical simulation we explored how different national standards for housing design influenced the prevalence of common environmental barriers. Kaplan...... by the database search (n= 2,577), resulting in the inclusion of one publication. Contacts to leading researchers in the field identified five publications. The hand search of 22 journals led to one publication. We have exemplified how the prevalence of common environmental problems in housing environments...

Study on a Threat-Countermeasure Model Based on International Standard Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guillermo Horacio Ramirez Caceres

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Many international standards exist in the field of IT security. This research is based on the ISO/IEC 15408, 15446, 19791, 13335 and 17799 standards. In this paper, we propose a knowledge base comprising a threat countermeasure model based on international standards for identifying and specifying threats which affect IT environments. In addition, the proposed knowledge base system aims at fusing similar security control policies and objectives in order to create effective security guidelines for specific IT environments. As a result, a knowledge base of security objectives was developed on the basis of the relationships inside the standards as well as the relationships between different standards. In addition, a web application was developed which displays details about the most common threats to information systems, and for each threat presents a set of related security control policies from different international standards, including ISO/IEC 27002.

Low-level waste research and development activities of the Department of Energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barainca, M.J.

1986-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the technical activities of the Department of Energy's Defense and Nuclear Energy Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Programs (LLWPs). Although each Program was established with a different purpose, the technologies developed and demonstrated by each are transferable for use in both the commercial and DOE sectors. This paper presents an overview of the technical activities being pursued through both the Defense and Nuclear Energy LLWP's. These technologies have been placed in the following categories; Criteria and Standards, Systems Analysis, Information and Technology Transfer, Waste Treatment and Wast Form, Improved Near Surface Disposal, Greater Confinement Disposal, Corrective Measures, and Monitoring

Provenience studies using neutron activation analysis: the role of standardization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harbottle, G.

1980-01-01

This paper covers the historical background of chemical analysis of archaeological artifacts which dates back to 1790 to the first application of neutron activation analysis to archaeological ceramics and goes on to elaborate on the present day status of neutron activation analysis in provenience studies, and the role of standardization. In principle, the concentrations of elements in a neutron-activated specimen can be calculated from an exact knowledge of neutron flux, its intensity, duration and spectral (energy) distribution, plus an exact gamma ray count calibrated for efficiency, corrected for branching rates, etc. However, in practice it is far easier to compare one's unknown to a standard of known or assumed composition. The practice has been for different laboratories to use different standards. With analyses being run in the thousands throughout the world, a great benefit would be derived if analyses could be exchanged among all users and/or generators of data. The emphasis of this paper is on interlaboratory comparability of ceramic data; how far are we from it, what has been proposed in the past to achieve this goal, and what is being proposed. All of this may be summarized under the general heading of Analytical Quality Control - i.e., how to achieve precise and accurate analysis. The author proposes that anyone wishing to analyze archaeological ceramics should simply use his own standard, but attempt to calibrate that standard as nearly as possible to absolute (i.e., accurate) concentration values. The relationship of Analytical Quality Control to provenience location is also examined

Quality assurance activities and proposals at the international level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davison, M.

1985-01-01

A number of international bodies have attempted to stimulate wider interest in Quality Assurance in X-ray departments. A major initiative has been taken by WHO with the publication of its recommendations in 1982 under the title Quality Assurance in Diagnostic Radiology, in which they indicated the action that should be taken at various national, professional and local levels. The recommendations of ICRP in Publication 26 point to the need for quality assurance programmes that will obtain optimum diagnostic information at minimum cost and minimum patient dose. ICRU have been considering the need for cost-effective quality assurance programmes and the specification of standards for image quality. The IEC and various manufacturers' organisations have begun to consider the part they can play in setting up quality control procedures. The most active group has been the ISRRT, which has arranged a series of seminars and workshops for radiographers in various parts of the world. Future needs for international support lie in the provision of training programmes, the publication of comparative statistical data and the development of image quality standards. (author)

Status of existing federal environmental risk-based standards applicable to Department of Energy operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilyard, G.R.; Jonas, R.J.; Wallo, A. III

1991-01-01

When conducting its environmental restoration, waste management, and decontamination and decommissioning activities, the US Department of Energy (DOE) must comply with a myriad of regulatory procedures and environmental standards. An assessment of the status of existing federal standards that may be applied to chemical and radioactive substances on DOE sites found substantial gaps and inconsistencies among the existing standards, and technical issues associated with the application of those standards. Of 271 chemical and radioactive substances found to be important across environmental media at the Hanford, Savannah River, and Oak Ridge Sites, 96 (35%) are unregulated by federal regulations and are not covered by DOE guidelines, 48 (18%) are covered by single federal standards or DOE guidelines, and 127 (47%) are covered by multiple regulations or DOE guidelines. Inconsistencies and technical issues among standards include the promulgation of different standards under different regulations for a given substance in an environmental medium, the application of standards for purposes other than originally intended, and the inability to meet standards because of technical limitations. Given the lack of a complete, consistent set of standards or generic procedures for determining applicable standards, and given the existence of inconsistencies and technical issues among the existing set of standards, DOE may be faced with lengthy negotiations of standards on a case-by-case basis. Such negotiations could result in inconsistent cleanup levels, high costs, potential delays, and missed regulatory milestones

Primary activity standardization of {sup 57}Co by sum-peak method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iwahara, A. [Laboratorio Nacional de Metrologia das Radiacoes Ionizantes (LNMRI)/Instituto de Radioprotecao e Dosimetria (IRD)/Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear - CNEN, Av. Salvador Allende, s/no. Recreio dos Bandeirantes - CEP 22780-160 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)], E-mail: iwahara@ird.gov.br; Poledna, R.; Silva, C.J. da; Tauhata, L. [Laboratorio Nacional de Metrologia das Radiacoes Ionizantes (LNMRI)/Instituto de Radioprotecao e Dosimetria (IRD)/Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear - CNEN, Av. Salvador Allende, s/no. Recreio dos Bandeirantes - CEP 22780-160 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

2009-10-15

The sum-peak method was applied to standardize a {sup 57}Co solution within the framework of an international comparison organized by International Atomic Energy Agency, in 2008, aimed toward international traceability of activity measurements. A planar germanium detector was used with the sources placed on top of the detector for activity determination measurements. An analytical expression for accidental summing correction was derived and the effect of the germanium characteristic KX-ray escape peak of 112 keV was taken into account. The standard uncertainty associated to the activity concentration value was 0.37% and the result was compared with other measurement methods.

Is the Oxidative DNA Damage Level of Human Lymphocyte Correlated with the Antioxidant Capacity of Serum or the Base Excision Repair Activity of Lymphocyte?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-Chih Tsai

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A random screening of human blood samples from 24 individuals of nonsmoker was conducted to examine the correlation between the oxidative DNA damage level of lymphocytes and the antioxidant capacity of serum or the base excision repair (BER activity of lymphocytes. The oxidative DNA damage level was measured with comet assay containing Fpg/Endo III cleavage, and the BER activity was estimated with a modified comet assay including nuclear extract of lymphocytes for enzymatic cleavage. Antioxidant capacity was determined with trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay. We found that though the endogenous DNA oxidation levels varied among the individuals, each individual level appeared to be steady for at least 1 month. Our results indicate that the oxidative DNA damage level is insignificantly or weakly correlated with antioxidant capacity or BER activity, respectively. However, lymphocytes from carriers of Helicobacter pylori (HP or Hepatitis B virus (HBV tend to give higher levels of oxidative DNA damage (P<0.05. Though sera of this group of individuals show no particular tendency with reduced antioxidant capacity, the respective BER activities of lymphocytes are lower in average (P<0.05. Thus, reduction of repair activity may be associated with the genotoxic effect of HP or HBV infection.

78 FR 38739 - Standard Format and Content for Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-27

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0299] Standard Format and Content for Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance..., ``Standard Format and Content for Post-shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report.'' This guide describes a...

Proprietary, standard, and government-supported nuclear data bases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poncelet, C.G.; Ozer, O.; Harris, D.R.

1975-07-01

This study presents an assessment of the complex situation surrounding nuclear data bases for nuclear power technology. Requirements for nuclear data bases are identified as regards engineering functions and system applications for the many and various user groups that rely on nuclear data bases. Current practices in the development and generation of nuclear data sets are described, and the competitive aspect of design nuclear data set development is noted. The past and current role of the federal government in nuclear data base development is reviewed, and the relative merits of continued government involvement are explored. National policies of the United States and other industrial countries regarding the availability of nationally supported nuclear data information are reviewed. Current proprietary policies of reactor vendors regarding design library data sets are discussed along with the basis for such proprietary policies. The legal aspects of protective policies are explored as are their impacts on the nuclear power industry as a whole. The effect of the regulatory process on the availability and documentation of nuclear data bases is examined. Current nuclear data standard developments are reviewed, including a discussion of the standard preparation process. Standards currently proposed or in preparation that directly relate to nuclear data bases are discussed in some detail. (auth)

Construction and equipment requirements for installations and laboratories handling unsealed radioactive materials in low and medium activity - Proposal of an Israeli standard

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ben-Shlomo, A; Schlesinger, T; Barshad, M [Soreq Nuclear Research Center, Yavne (Israel)

1993-10-01

Working with unsealed radioactive materials involves risks of internal or external exposure to ionizing radiation. Exposure of human beings to ionizing radiation involves adverse health effects and must be prevented or at least reduced to reasonable levels. Radiation sources in this work are unsealed radioactive materials, that may be solids, liquid or in gaseous states, and in varying toxic levels. Various works and actions that are performed on the unsealed radioactive materials have varying potentials of dispersion, contamination and exposure, so that the combination of the type of work activity, isotope characteristics and physical state dictate the internal and external exposure risks. In order to limit the exposure of the personnel of installations and laboratories which deals with unsealed radioactive materials, national and international authorities and organizations standards and procedures for the requirements of construction and equipment of such installations and laboratories. This document means to be a proposal for an Israeli standard requirements for equipment and construction of installations working with low and medium activity unsealed radioactive materials. The targets for defining the, construction and equipment, requirements are: a. Safety and proper protection of personnel and public from external and internal exposure while the work is done properly. Proper protection against the risk of contaminating the environment. c. Standardization of requirements. d. Proper design of installations and laboratories. e. Supply means for evaluation and reduction of construction costs.The equipment detailed here refers to fixed (none movable) equipment which is a part of the construction of the laboratory or installation, unless specified otherwise. The document starts with a review of the recommendations of some international organizations (WHO, IAEA, NRPB) for construction and equipment requirements for these laboratories and installations. Then the

Synthesis and anticonvulsant activity of certain chalcone based pyrazoline compounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudhakara Rao Gerapati

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Convulsions are involuntary, violent, spasmodic and prolonged contractions of skeletal muscles. That means a patient may have epilepsy without convulsions and vice versa. Epilepsy is a common neurological abnormality affecting about 1% of the world population. The primary objectives of these synthesized compounds are to suppress seizures and provide neuroprotection by minimizing the effects from seizure attacks. Here some of the chalcones and chalcone based various pyrazolines were evaluated for anticonvulsant activity. Their structures have been elucidated on the basis of elemental analyses and spectroscopic studies (IR, 1H-NMR & Mass spectroscopy. A preliminary evaluation of the prepared compounds has indicated that some of them exhibit moderate to significant anticonvulsant activity compared to a diazepam standard1-3.  All compounds were tested for their anticonvulsant activity using maximal electroshock induced convulsions (MES in mice at a dose level of 4 mg/kg.b.w. The compounds  Ph1, Ph2 , Py2 ,Py3 and Py4 have shown  to  good anticonvulsant activity when doses are administered as 25mg/ kg.b.w  , reduced the phases of seizures severity and  found to be active and also  increased survival rate. Remaining compounds are less efficacious.

Responses to Human Bioeffluents at Levels Recommended by Ventilation Standards

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Xiaojing; Wargocki, Pawel; Lian, Zhiwei

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether exposure to human bioeffluents, at the levels recommended by the current ventilation standards, would cause any effects on humans. Ten subjects were exposed in a low-emission stainless-steel climate chamber for 4.25 hours. The outdoor air supply rate...... was set to 33 or 4 l/s per person, creating two levels of bioeffluents with carbon dioxide (CO2) at 500 or 1600 ppm. Subjective ratings were collected, cognitive performance was examined and physiological responses were monitored. The results show that exposures to human bioeffluents at ventilation rate...

High level waste storage tanks 242-A evaporator standards/requirement identification document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biebesheimer, E.

1996-01-01

This document, the Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RIDS) for the subject facility, represents the necessary and sufficient requirements to provide an adequate level of protection of the worker, public health and safety, and the environment. It lists those source documents from which requirements were extracted, and those requirements documents considered, but from which no requirements where taken. Documents considered as source documents included State and Federal Regulations, DOE Orders, and DOE Standards

DOE standard: Integration of environment, safety, and health into facility disposition activities. Volume 1 of 2: Technical standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-05-01

This Department of Energy (DOE) technical standard (referred to as the Standard) provides guidance for integrating and enhancing worker, public, and environmental protection during facility disposition activities. It provides environment, safety, and health (ES and H) guidance to supplement the project management requirements and associated guidelines contained within DOE O 430.1A, Life-Cycle Asset Management (LCAM), and amplified within the corresponding implementation guides. In addition, the Standard is designed to support an Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS), consistent with the guiding principles and core functions contained in DOE P 450.4, Safety Management System Policy, and discussed in DOE G 450.4-1, Integrated Safety Management System Guide. The ISMS guiding principles represent the fundamental policies that guide the safe accomplishment of work and include: (1) line management responsibility for safety; (2) clear roles and responsibilities; (3) competence commensurate with responsibilities; (4) balanced priorities; (5) identification of safety standards and requirements; (6) hazard controls tailored to work being performed; and (7) operations authorization. This Standard specifically addresses the implementation of the above ISMS principles four through seven, as applied to facility disposition activities

77 FR 75198 - Standard Format and Content for Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-19

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0299] Standard Format and Content for Post-Shutdown... regulatory guide (DG), DG-1272, ``Standard Format and Content for Post-shutdown Decommissioning Activities... Content for Post-shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report,'' which was issued in July 2000. DG-1271...

Effectiveness of the GAEC standard of cross compliance Prohibition of performing unauthorized land levelling on soil erosion control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo Bazzoffi

2011-08-01

Full Text Available The GAEC standard land levelling under authorization of cross compliance prohibits farmers from levelling land through bulldozing without a specific permission issued by the proper territorial authority. The aim of the standard is to ensure the protection of soil from accelerated erosion that almost always occurs when land is levelled without conservative criteria. Land levelling prior to planting or replanting specialized crops, especially orchards, is indicated by agronomists as essential to the full mechanization of cultivation and harvesting operations and the success of economic investment. Land levelling leads to a deep modification of the hill slopes, so it may produce serious damage to the environment if carried out in the absence of a carefully planned design. In other words, a design that takes the aspects of soil conservation into account, especially for steep hill slopes where the insite and offsite environmental impacts of soil erosion may be more pronounced. With regard to the areas involved, land levelling plays a key role on a national scale, one only needs to think of the vineyards planted on the country’s hill slopes, which in 1970 covered an area of 793,000 hectares. Moreover, despite the continued reduction in areas planted with vines, from 1990 to 2002 the area devoted to DOC and DOCG wines increased by about 29% and the average size of vineyards has also increased. This is a clear sign of the current trend, with the transition from the family model to the industrial model of orchard management, with extensive use of machinery and thus the use of bulldozers for levelling. The authorization topic, on which the standard of compliance is based, is analysed in detail. In summary we can say that, according to law, the permit required by the GAEC standard is currently mandatory only for those areas subject to the Hydrogeological constraint (Royal decree 30 December 1923 No. 3267 and for parks or other areas for which the

GPS-Based Exposure to Greenness and Walkability and Accelerometry-Based Physical Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

James, Peter; Hart, Jaime E; Hipp, J Aaron; Mitchell, Jonathan A; Kerr, Jacqueline; Hurvitz, Philip M; Glanz, Karen; Laden, Francine

2017-04-01

Background: Physical inactivity is a risk factor for cancer that may be influenced by environmental factors. Indeed, dense and well-connected built environments and environments with natural vegetation may create opportunities for higher routine physical activity. However, studies have focused primarily on residential environments to define exposure and self-reported methods to estimate physical activity. This study explores the momentary association between minute-level global positioning systems (GPS)-based greenness exposure and time-matched objectively measured physical activity. Methods: Adult women were recruited from sites across the United States. Participants wore a GPS device and accelerometer on the hip for 7 days to assess location and physical activity at minute-level epochs. GPS records were linked to 250 m resolution satellite-based vegetation data and Census Block Group-level U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Smart Location Database walkability data. Minute-level generalized additive mixed models were conducted to test for associations between GPS measures and accelerometer count data, accounting for repeated measures within participant and allowing for deviations from linearity using splines. Results: Among 360 adult women (mean age of 55.3 ± 10.2 years), we observed positive nonlinear relationships between physical activity and both greenness and walkability. In exploratory analyses, the relationships between environmental factors and physical activity were strongest among those who were white, had higher incomes, and who were middle-aged. Conclusions: Our results indicate that higher levels of physical activity occurred in areas with higher greenness and higher walkability. Impact: Findings suggest that planning and design policies should focus on these environments to optimize opportunities for physical activity. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(4); 525-32. ©2017 AACR See all the articles in this CEBP Focus section, "Geospatial

Analysis of 14C level around Qinshan NPP base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Renjie; Liang Haiyan; Chen Qianyuan; Ni Shiying; He Jun; Zeng Guangjian; Ma Yongfu

2012-01-01

By using the method of alkaline solution absorption, the activity concentrations of Carbon-14 as well as its variation tendency in air and biological samples were analyzed. The air samples and biological samples were collected around the Qinshan nuclear power plant base (Qinshan NPP Base) in 2002 to 2009 and 2007 to 2009 respectively. The results showed that, since 2002, the annual average activity concentrations of Carbon-14 in air samples were in the range of 38.3 mBq/m 3 to 55.4 mBq/m 3 . Although the monitoring results of Xiajiawan village and Yanliucun village were comparatively higher than the reference site in Hangzhou City, the results were still at the same level. Meanwhile, monitoring results of Xiajiawan village and Yangliucun village in the summer of 2004 and 2005 are relatively high, with the peak value of 55.4 mBq/m 3 appeared in Xiajiawan village during the summer of 2005. Correspondingly the annual airborne Carbon-14 of 2004 and 2005 discharged from the Qinshan NPP 3 rd Phase were higher than normal as well, it can therefore be concluded that the activity concentration of Carbon-14 around the Qinshan NPP Base are related to the discharged source term. The activity concentration of Carbon-14 in rice and leaf vegetable samples from Xiajiawan village and Yangliucun village were slightly higher, but within the same level, than that of Hangzhou. The activity concentration of Carbon-14 in the mullet samples collected from the sea area around Qinshan NPP Base are approximately the same with the sea area of Zhoushan. (authors)

AUDIT OF FINANCIAL REPORTS, BASED ON INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

OpenAIRE

Islom Kuziev

2011-01-01

In this article are given main notion about international standard of financial reporting, order of the auditing on the base of IFRS, scheduling the report of the auditor, auditor conclusions and are given analysis of reporting based on the auditor procedures. At the audit of financial reporting are taken into account international standard to financial reporting 29 "Financial reporting in hyperinflationary economies".

[Level of microwave radiation from mobile phone base stations built in residential districts].

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Ji; Lu, Yiyang; Zhang, Huacheng; Xie, Hebing; Yang, Xinwen

2009-11-01

To investigate the condition of microwave radiation pollution from mobile phone base station built in populated area. Random selected 18 residential districts where had base station and 10 residential districts where had no base stations. A TES-92 electromagnetic radiation monitor were used to measure the intensity of microwave radiation in external and internal living environment. The intensities of microwave radiation in the exposure residential districts were more higher than those of the control residential districts (p station, it would gradually weaken with the increase of the distance. The level of microwave radiation in antenna main lobe region is not certainly more higher than the side lobe direction, and the side lobe direction also is not more lower. At the same district, where there were two base stations, the electromagnetic field nestification would take place in someplace. The intensities of microwave radiation outside the exposure windows in the resident room not only changed with distance but also with the height of the floor. The intensities of microwave radiation inside the aluminum alloys security net were more lower than those of outside the aluminum alloys security net (p 0.05). Although all the measure dates on the ground around the base station could be below the primary standard in "environment electromagnetic wave hygienic standard" (GB9175-88), there were still a minorities of windows which exposed to the base station were higher, and the outside or inside of a few window was even higher beyond the primary safe level defined standard. The aluminum alloys security net can partly shield the microwave radiation from the mobile phone base station.

Activity Performance Management Framework Based on Outcome Based Budgeting Malaysian Nuclear Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aisya Raihan Abdul Kadir; Mohd Azmi Sidid Omar; Noriah Jamal

2015-01-01

The implementation of the Outcome Based Budgeting (OBB) in the planning and implementation of national development and public spending will emphasize the impact and effectiveness of programs and activities in line with the policies and objectives of the four pillars in the National Transformation programme, which is 1 Malaysia: People First, Performance Now, Government Transformation Programme (GTP), Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and Malaysia Five Year Development Plan. OBB effective implementation at the ministry level was implemented by the Ministry OBB Implementation Committee (OIC) and Program Performance Management Committee (PPMC). At the agency it will be implemented by the Performance Management Committee Activities (APMC). OBB involve strategic implementation cycle consisting of four main processes, namely, outcome-based planning, budgeting, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting performance. OBB will be fully implemented in 2016 to replace the Modified Budgeting System (MBS). Performance Management Framework Activity (APMF) is based on outcome-based planning has been developed using methodologies such as ProLL Model (Logic and Linkages Programme), Problem Tree Analysis (PTA), Top-down approach, SMART principle, Framework Approach and rigour test. By applying this methodology several Activity Performance Management Framework (APMF) has been produced which consists of 3 output, 6 KPI output, 3 outcome and 8 KPI outcome in line with the direction and outcome of programme level and ministries level. APMF was planned at the beginning of each year and reporting of the performance on a quarterly basis through My Results application. (author)

Using Biomimicry to Engage Students in a Design-Based Learning Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Grant E.

2012-01-01

I describe a design-based learning activity that utilizes the interdisciplinary content domain of biomimicry. Design-based learning requires student creativity and technological innovation to address novel science problems, characteristics of the nature of science not often addressed in schools. Alignment with national standards documents,…

The case for regime-based water quality standards

Science.gov (United States)

G.C. Poole; J.B. Dunham; D.M. Keenan; S.T. Sauter; D.A. McCullough; C. Mebane; J.C. Lockwood; D.A. Essig; M.P. Hicks; D.J. Sturdevant; E.J. Materna; S.A. Spalding; J. Risley; M. Deppman

2004-01-01

Conventional water quality standards have been successful in reducing the concentration of toxic substances in US waters. However, conventional standards are based on simple thresholds and are therefore poorly structured to address human-caused imbalances in dynamic, natural water quality parameters, such as nutrients, sediment, and temperature. A more applicable type...

Promoting Culturally Responsive Standards-Based Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Saifer, Steffen; Barton, Rhonda

2007-01-01

Culturally responsive standards-based (CRSB) teaching can help bring diverse school communities together and make learning meaningful. Unlike multicultural education--which is an important way to incorporate the world's cultural and ethnic diversity into lessons--CRSB teaching draws on the experiences, understanding, views, concepts, and ways of…

Accessing the Common Core Standards for Students with Learning Disabilities: Strategies for Writing Standards-Based IEP Goals

Science.gov (United States)

Caruana, Vicki

2015-01-01

Since the reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004, standards-based individualized education plans (IEPs) have been an expectation for serving students with disabilities in the K-12 public school setting. Nearly a decade after the mandates calling for standards-based IEPs, special educators still struggle…

herd levels and standard lactation curves for south african jersey

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Protein. 34.2. 370.7. 148.1. 37.6. 31.3. 482.8. 191.1. 53.8. According to the standard deviations in Table 1, much more variation exists for 305-day yields of. Holstein cows in comparison with Jersey cows, resulting in upper limits of herd levels ranging from 3487.7 kg to more than 11 219.2 kg for adjusted 305-day milk yield, ...

Wound Healing Activity and Chemical Standardization of Eugenia pruniformis Cambess

Science.gov (United States)

de Albuquerque, Ricardo Diego Duarte Galhardo; Perini, Jamila Alessandra; Machado, Daniel Escorsim; Angeli-Gamba, Thaís; Esteves, Ricardo dos Santos; Santos, Marcelo Guerra; Oliveira, Adriana Passos; Rocha, Leandro

2016-01-01

. Chemical standardization of the active wound healing extract was done. The total flavonoid content was 43% (w/w) and quercetin, kaempferol and hyperoside were identified as main compounds. SUMMARY Wound excision model in rats showed the potential wound healing activity of E. pruniformis by collagen deposition increase, higher levels of hidroxyproline, better tissue reorganization and complete remodeling of epidermis.Flavonoids are the main compounds of the endemic E. pruniformis and quercetin, kaempferol and hyperoside were identified in ethyl acetate extract by TLC, HPLC-PDA and HRESI-MS analysis.The ethyl acetate extract of E. pruniformis showed a potent antioxidant activity by ORAC and DPPH assays Abbreviation used: NC: Negative control, PC: Positive control, CH: Crude hydroethanolic extract, EA: Ethyl acetate extract, TE: Trolox equivalent, mg: Milligram, mM: Millimolar, mL: Milliliter, HPLC-PDA: High performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector, HRESI-MS: High-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis, TLC: Thin layer chromatography, ORAC: Oxygen radical absorbance capacity, w/v: Weight per volume PMID:27867271

Examining differences in physical activity levels by employment status and/or job activity level: Gender-specific comparisons between the United States and Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Lydia; Berrigan, David; Van Domelen, Dane; Sjöström, Michael; Hagströmer, Maria

2016-06-01

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between employment status and job activity level with physical activity (PA) and sedentary time, stratified by gender and country. Cross-sectional study design. Data from working age adults (18-65 years) from two cross-sectional studies, the Swedish 2001-2002 and 2007-2008 Attitude Behavior and Change Study (ABC; n=1165) and the 2003-2006 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; n=4201), were stratified by employment status (employed and not employed) and job activity level (active, sedentary and mixed). PA in counts×min(-1) and time spent in sedentary, low and moderate or higher intensity were measured with accelerometers. Analyses were conducted in 2012-2013. In NHANES, the employed had significantly higher counts×min(-1) and spent more time in moderate or higher intensity PA than those not employed. In ABC, no significant differences were observed between employed and unemployed. Adults with active versus sedentary occupations had higher counts×min(-1) and less sedentary time in both the USA and Sweden and in both men and women. For example, counts×min(-1) were 20-40% greater in active versus sedentary jobs. Employment status is related to PA and sedentary time among men and women in the USA but not in Sweden. Among the employed, occupational PA is associated with total PA and sedentary time for both genders and in both countries. Comparisons of PA levels based on objective measurements can refine understanding of country differences in activity. Copyright © 2015 Sports Medicine Australia. All rights reserved.

A mixed-method study of the efficacy of physical activity consultation as an adjunct to standard smoking cessation treatment among male smokers in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yuin Yi; Khoo, Selina; Morris, Tony; Hanlon, Clare; Wee, Lei-Hum; Teo, Eng Wah; Adnan, Yuhanis

2016-01-01

This study examined the effectiveness of using Physical Activity Consultation (PAC) as an addition to the standard smoking cessation treatment in Malaysia. We explored participants' experiences in terms of physical activity and smoking abstinence with the combined PAC and smoking cessation intervention. Walk-in smokers from a local smoking cessation clinic volunteered for the 8-week intervention program, while undergoing standard smoking cessation treatment. In Week 1, a facilitator conducted a face-to-face intervention to explore participants' involvement in physical activity and helped to set physical activity strategies and goals for participants to increase physical activity levels. Participants were provided with follow-up phone calls at Weeks 3 and 6. Participants answered questionnaires that measured smoking withdrawal (Shiffman-Jarvik Withdrawal Scale), cessation self-efficacy (Cessation Self-efficacy Questionnaire), physical activity involvement (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), and mood (Brunel Mood Scale) upon recruitment, at post-intervention and at follow-up 3 months after the intervention ended. Participants also responded to interviews about their experiences with the PAC and smoking cessation treatment at post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up. Seven participants completed the program until follow-up. All were successfully abstinent. Only two participants increased physical activity levels, whereas others maintained their physical activity levels or showed slight decreases. Several themes were identified in this study, including participants' experiences with withdrawal symptoms, smoking cessation self-efficacy, triggers to smoking cessation, thoughts on standard smoking cessation treatment in Malaysia, physical activity involvement, mood, and thoughts and beliefs on combining smoking cessation and physical activity. This study suggests PAC was helpful in maintaining or increasing the overall physical activity levels of

Administered activity of Tc-99m MDP for bone scintigraphy, standard or individual dosage?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vestergren, E.; Gretarsdottir, J.; Jacobsson, L.

2002-01-01

Background and Aim: Adult patients are generally, irrespective of size, given the same amount of activity for a certain type of nuclear medicine examination, a standard dosage. Identical image quality is essential when comparing different patient studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate different dosage methods for Tc-99m-MDP bone scintigraphy and to investigate whether individual dosage will decrease the variations in image quality between different patients. Material and Methods: 100 consecutive adult patients (aged between 40 and 89 years) undergoing whole body bone scintigraphy were studied. Eight patients were excluded from the study because of abnormal high uptake in the areas of interest. The patient weight and height were registered. The activity in the syringes was measured before and after the injection of about 600 MBq Tc-99m MDP. Scanning was performed, with a dual head gamma camera (Maxxus or Millennium VG, General Electric) equipped with a high-resolution collimator, at approximately 4 hours (mean 3.8 h) post-injection. Regions of interest (ROI) were drawn over the lumbar spine (posterior view), the right femur (anterior view) and also soft tissue background regions for each area. The total counts, maximum counts/pixel and number of pixels in the ROIs were registered. The maximum number of counts/pixel (background-subtracted), SPINEmax and FEMURmax were chosen as the image quality parameters. For each patient, SPINEmax and FEMURmax where recalculated to the number that would have been obtained with standard dosage (exactly 600 MBq), and dosage proportional to body weight, body surface area and body height. All values were corrected to a scanning time 3.8 h after injection. Results: Both with a standard activity dosage and a dosage proportional to body height, SPINEmax decreases with increasing body weight. Dosage proportional to body weight gives increasing values of SPINEmax with increasing body weight. Dosage proportional to body surface area

3G Standards

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saugstrup, Dan; Henten, Anders

2006-01-01

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to analyze which standard/technology will win the 3G mobile markets. In addition, two sub topics are examined. First, which kind of victory will it be – will one technological solution be all-dominating or is co-existence more likely? Second, which....... Originality/value – The paper is based on the understanding that a vast array of different factors in a complex dynamic environment goes into the determination of the outcome of such standardization games. However, the battle between 3G standards has already reached a level, where relatively certain...... predictions can be made. And, the paper contributes with a methodologically based discussion concerning the outcome of the battle between 3G standards....

Influence determination of social responsibility to the productivity enterprise activity level

OpenAIRE

Kavun, Sergii; Zhosan, Ganna

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to develop a scientific and methodical approach for determination of the comprehensive social responsibility indicator in this paper based on estimation of influence degree for the economical, ecological, social and labour, standard and legal components. There is allowance for determining of some level of enterprise social responsibility. In addition, there is a basis for development some ways of their increasing. The essence of the used approach is clotting of th...

Standardization by ISO to Ensure the Sustainability of Space Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, A.; Lazare, B.; Oltrogge, D.; Stokes, H.

2013-08-01

The ISO / Technical Committee 20 / Sub-committee 14 develops debris-related standards and technical reports to mitigate debris and help ensure mission and space sustainability. While UN Guidelines and the IADC Guidelines encourage national governments and agencies to promote debris mitigation design and operation, the ISO standards will help the global space industry promote and sustain its space-related business. In this paper the scope and status of each ISO standard is discussed within an overall framework. A comparison with international guidelines is also provided to demonstrate the level of consistency. Finally, as a case study, the ISO standards are applied to a CubeSat mission, thus demonstrating their usability on a relatively recent and popular class of satellite.

The ASEAN community-based tourism standards: looking beyond certification

OpenAIRE

Novelli, M.; Klatte, N.; Dolezal, C.

2017-01-01

This paper reports findings from an opportunity study on the appropriateness of implementing community-based tourism standards (CBTS) certification through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) criteria, as a way to improve sustainable tourism provision in the region. Framed by critical reflections on community-based tourism (CBT) literature and existing sustainable tourism standards (STS) practices, qualitative research consisting of interviews with six key industry experts prov...

Prototype of a Standards-Based EHR and Genetic Test Reporting Tool Coupled with HL7-Compliant Infobuttons

Science.gov (United States)

Crump, Jacob K.; Del Fiol, Guilherme; Williams, Marc S.; Freimuth, Robert R.

2018-01-01

Integration of genetic information is becoming increasingly important in clinical practice. However, genetic information is often ambiguous and difficult to understand, and clinicians have reported low-self-efficacy in integrating genetics into their care routine. The Health Level Seven (HL7) Infobutton standard helps to integrate online knowledge resources within Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and is required for EHR certification in the US. We implemented a prototype of a standards-based genetic reporting application coupled with infobuttons leveraging the Infobutton and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) Standards. Infobutton capabilities were provided by Open Infobutton, an open source package compliant with the HL7 Infobutton Standard. The resulting prototype demonstrates how standards-based reporting of genetic results, coupled with curated knowledge resources, can provide dynamic access to clinical knowledge on demand at the point of care. The proposed functionality can be enabled within any EHR system that has been certified through the US Meaningful Use program.

Birth Order and Activity Level in Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Eaton, Warren O.; And Others

1989-01-01

Studied 7,018 children between birth and 7 years and 81 children of 5-8 years to test the hypothesis that birth order is negatively related to motor activity level. Activity level declined linearly across birth position, so that early-borns were rated as more active than later-borns. (RJC)

Recommended level of physical activity and health-related quality of life among Japanese adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nakamura Yoshio

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The benefits of a recommended level of physical activity on physiological health indicators such as morbidity and mortality are well-accepted, but less research has addressed whether or not the association between the recommended level of physical activity and a health-related quality of life (HRQOL exists in the Japanese population. Thus, the present study examined whether the recommended physical activity would be associated with HRQOL in the general Japanese middle-aged population. Methods Data were obtained from 1211 male and female respondents (39.4 ± 10.9 year, mean ± SD from an Internet-based survey of registrants of an Internet research service. Physical activity level was estimated from the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. HRQOL was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form-8 questionnaire (SF-8. Based on the current national guidelines for exercise in Japan, respondents were divided into a recommended group, an insufficient group, and an inactive group according to their estimated weekly physical activity level. Multivariate analyses of covariance were utilized. Results Across both genders, the recommended group had significantly higher physical functioning (PF scores than the inactive group (p Conclusion Individuals who attained the recommended level of physical activity had better scores on some dimensions of HRQOL than those who did not, suggesting that the recommended level of physical activity may be applicable not only to the physiological objective outcomes but also to some dimensions in both the physical and mental aspects of HRQOL.

Measuring the global information society - explaining digital inequality by economic level and education standard

Science.gov (United States)

Ünver, H.

2017-02-01

A main focus of this research paper is to investigate on the explanation of the ‘digital inequality’ or ‘digital divide’ by economic level and education standard of about 150 countries worldwide. Inequality regarding GDP per capita, literacy and the so-called UN Education Index seem to be important factors affecting ICT usage, in particular Internet penetration, mobile phone usage and also mobile Internet services. Empirical methods and (multivariate) regression analysis with linear and non-linear functions are useful methods to measure some crucial factors of a country or culture towards becoming information and knowledge based society. Overall, the study concludes that the convergence regarding ICT usage proceeds worldwide faster than the convergence in terms of economic wealth and education in general. The results based on a large data analysis show that the digital divide is declining over more than a decade between 2000 and 2013, since more people worldwide use mobile phones and the Internet. But a high digital inequality explained to a significant extent by the functional relation between technology penetration rates, education level and average income still exists. Furthermore it supports the actions of countries at UN/G20/OECD level for providing ICT access to all people for a more balanced world in context of sustainable development by postulating that policymakers need to promote comprehensive education worldwide by means of using ICT.

Use of sum-peak and coincidence counting methods for activity standardization of {sup 22}Na

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliveira, E.M. de, E-mail: estela@ird.gov.br [Laboratorio Nacional de Metrologia das Radiacoes Ionizantes (LNMRI/IRD/CNEN), Av. Salvador Allende, s/n, Recreio, CEP 22780-160 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Iwahara, A.; Poledna, R. [Laboratorio Nacional de Metrologia das Radiacoes Ionizantes (LNMRI/IRD/CNEN), Av. Salvador Allende, s/n, Recreio, CEP 22780-160 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Silva, M.A.L. da [Coordenacao Geral de Instalacoes Nucleares/Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear, R. Gal. Severiano, 90 - Botafogo, CEP 22290-901 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Tauhata, L. [Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Av. Erasmo Braga, 118-6 Degree-Sign andar, CEP 20020-000 Centro, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Delgado, J.U. [Laboratorio Nacional de Metrologia das Radiacoes Ionizantes (LNMRI/IRD/CNEN), Av. Salvador Allende, s/n, Recreio, CEP 22780-160 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Lopes, R.T. [Laboratorio de Instrumentacao Nuclear (LIN/PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), Caixa Postal 68509, CEP 21945-970 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

2012-09-21

A solution containing the positron emitter {sup 22}Na has been absolutely standardized using the 4{pi}{beta}-{gamma} coincidence counting method and the sum-peak spectrometry counting method. In the 4{pi}{beta}-{gamma} coincidence method two ways for the activity concentration measurements were used: gating on the 1275 keV photopeak and on the 1786 keV sum-peak where the knowledge of the {beta}{sup +}-branching ratio is required. In the sum-peak method the measurements were carried out using three experimental arrangements: the first composed by a well type 5 in. Multiplication-Sign 5 in. NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal, the second by a 3 in. Multiplication-Sign 3 in. NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal placed on the top of the first, resulting in a 4{pi} counting geometry and the third arrangement is a high purity coaxial germanium detector. The results that are obtained by these two methods are compatible within the standard uncertainty values with a coverage factor of k=2 ({approx}95% of the confidence level). This means that the sum-peak counting with its more simple experimental setup than the complex coincidence 4{pi}{beta}-{gamma} counting system gives consistent results for the activity standardization of {sup 22}Na with smaller uncertainties. Besides, the time period involved to attain the result of the standardization was quite shorter than the coincidence measurements used in this work.

Application of diagnostic reference levels in medical practice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bourguignon, Michel [Faculty of Medicine of Paris, Deputy Director General, Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), Paris (France)

2006-07-01

Diagnosis reference levels (D.R.L.) are defined in the Council Directive 97/43 EURATOM as 'Dose levels in medical radio diagnosis practices or in the case of radiopharmaceuticals, levels of activity, for typical examinations for groups of standards-sized patients or standards phantoms for broadly defined types of equipment. These levels are expected not to be exceeded for standard procedures when good and normal practice regarding diagnostic and technical performance is applied'. Thus D.R.L. apply only to diagnostic procedures and does not apply to radiotherapy. Radiation protection of patients is based on the application of 2 major radiation protection principles, justification and optimization. The justification principle must be respected first because the best way to protect the patient is not to carry a useless test. Radiation protection of the patient is a continuous process and local dose indicator values in the good range should not prevent the radiologist or nuclear medicine physician to continue to optimize their practice. (N.C.)

Application of diagnostic reference levels in medical practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourguignon, Michel

2006-01-01

Diagnosis reference levels (D.R.L.) are defined in the Council Directive 97/43 EURATOM as 'Dose levels in medical radio diagnosis practices or in the case of radiopharmaceuticals, levels of activity, for typical examinations for groups of standards-sized patients or standards phantoms for broadly defined types of equipment. These levels are expected not to be exceeded for standard procedures when good and normal practice regarding diagnostic and technical performance is applied'. Thus D.R.L. apply only to diagnostic procedures and does not apply to radiotherapy. Radiation protection of patients is based on the application of 2 major radiation protection principles, justification and optimization. The justification principle must be respected first because the best way to protect the patient is not to carry a useless test. Radiation protection of the patient is a continuous process and local dose indicator values in the good range should not prevent the radiologist or nuclear medicine physician to continue to optimize their practice. (N.C.)

Instrumental charged-particle activation analysis of several selected elements in biological materials using the internal standard method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yagi, M.; Masumoto, K.

1987-01-01

In order to study instrumental charged-particle activation analysis using the internal standard method, simultaneous determinations of several selected elements such as Ca, Ti, V, Fe, Zn, As, Sr, Zr and Mo, in oyster tissue, brewer's yeast and mussel were carried out by using the respective (p, n) reactions and a personal computer-based gamma-ray spectrometer equipped with a micro-robot for sample changing. In the determination constant amounts of Y and La were added to the sample and comparative standard as exotic internal standards. As a result, it was demonstrated that concentrations of the above elements could be determined accurately and precisely. (author)

Information technology-based standardized patient education in psychiatric inpatient care.

Science.gov (United States)

Anttila, Minna; Koivunen, Marita; Välimäki, Maritta

2008-10-01

This paper is a report of a study to describe nurses' experiences of information technology-based standardized patient education in inpatient psychiatric care. Serious mental health problems are an increasing global concern. Emerging evidence supports the implementation of practices that are conducive to patient self-management and improved patient outcomes among chronically ill patients with mental health problems. In contrast, the attitude of staff towards information technology has been reported to be contradictory in mental health care. After 1 year of using an Internet-based portal (Mieli.Net) developed for patients with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis, all 89 participating nurses were asked to complete questionnaires about their experiences. The data were collected in 2006. Fifty-six participants (63%) returned completed questionnaires and the data were analysed using content analysis. Nurses' experiences of the information technology-based standardized patient education were categorized into two major categories describing the advantages and obstacles in using information technology. Nurses thought that it brought the patients and nurses closer to each other and helped nurses to provide individual support for their patients. However, the education was time-consuming. Systematic patient education using information technology is a promising method of patient-centred care which supports nurses in their daily work. However, it must fit in with clinical activities, and nurses need some guidance in understanding its benefits. The study data can be used in policy-making when developing methods to improve the transparency of information provision in psychiatric nursing.

Standards for high level waste disposal: A sustainability perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dougherty, W.W.; Powers, V.; Johnson, F.X.; Cornland, D.

1999-01-01

Spent reactor fuel from commercial power stations contains high levels of plutonium, other fissionable actinides, and fission products, all of which pose serious challenges for permanent disposal because of the very long half-lives of some isotopes. The 'nuclear nations' have agreed on the use of permanent geologic repositories for the ultimate disposal of high-level nuclear waste. However, it is premature to claim that a geologic repository offers permanent isolation from the biosphere, given high levels of uncertainty, nascent risk assessment frameworks for the time periods considered, and serious intergenerational equity issues. Many have argued for a broader consideration of disposal options that include extended monitored retrievable storage and accelerator-driven transmutation of wastes. In this paper we discuss and compare these three options relative to standards that emerge from the application of sustainable development principles, namely long-lasting technical viability, intergenerational equity, rational resource allocation, and rights of future intervention. We conclude that in order to maximise the autonomy of future generations, it is imperative to leave future options more open than does permanent disposal

Physical activity levels and determinants of change in young adults: a longitudinal panel study

OpenAIRE

Zimmermann Erwin; Wanner Miriam; Zimmermann-Sloutskis Dorith; Martin Brian W

2010-01-01

Abstract Background There is growing concern about physical inactivity in adolescents and young adults. Identifying determinants that are associated with low levels of physical activity and with changes in physical activity levels will help to develop specific prevention strategies. The present study describes the prevalence and potential determinants of physical activity behavior and behavior changes of young adults. The study is based on the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), a longitudinal study...

Synthesis, characterization and antioxidant activities of Schiff bases are of cholesterol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madasamy Kumar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A series of new cholesterol based Schiff base derivatives, namely cholesteryl-n-(4-((E-(4′-cyanobiphenyl-4-yliminomethylphenoxyalkanoate (3a–j have been synthesized and characterized by IR, NMR and mass spectral studies. In vitro antioxidant activities of these compounds were evaluated against super oxide anion radical, nitric oxide radical, DPPH radical and hydrogen peroxide and were compared with standard natural antioxidant, ascorbic acid. Our results reveal that these compounds exhibit excellent radical scavenging activities.

Preparation of high purity plutonium oxide for radiochemistry instrument calibration standards and working standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, A.S.; Stalnaker, N.D.

1997-04-01

Due to the lack of suitable high level National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable plutonium solution standards from the NIST or commercial vendors, the CST-8 Radiochemistry team at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has prepared instrument calibration standards and working standards from a well-characterized plutonium oxide. All the aliquoting steps were performed gravimetrically. When a 241 Am standardized solution obtained from a commercial vendor was compared to these calibration solutions, the results agreed to within 0.04% for the total alpha activity. The aliquots of the plutonium standard solutions and dilutions were sealed in glass ampules for long term storage

Identifying Strategies Programs Adopt to Meet Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards in Afterschool Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Weaver, Robert G; Moore, Justin B; Turner-McGrievy, Brie; Saunders, Ruth; Beighle, Aaron; Khan, M Mahmud; Chandler, Jessica; Brazendale, Keith; Randell, Allison; Webster, Collin; Beets, Michael W

2017-08-01

The YMCA of USA has adopted Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) Standards for its afterschool programs (ASPs). Little is known about strategies YMCA ASPs are implementing to achieve Standards and these strategies' effectiveness. (1) Identify strategies implemented in YMCA ASPs and (2) evaluate the relationship between strategy implementation and meeting Standards. HEPA was measured via accelerometer (moderate-to-vigorous-physical-activity [MVPA]) and direct observation (snacks served) in 20 ASPs. Strategies were identified and mapped onto a capacity building framework ( Strategies To Enhance Practice [STEPs]). Mixed-effects regression estimated increases in HEPA outcomes as implementation increased. Model-implied estimates were calculated for high (i.e., highest implementation score achieved), moderate (median implementation score across programs), and low (lowest implementation score achieved) implementation for both HEPA separately. Programs implemented a variety of strategies identified in STEPs. For every 1-point increase in implementation score 1.45% (95% confidence interval = 0.33% to 2.55%, p ≤ .001) more girls accumulated 30 min/day of MVPA and fruits and/or vegetables were served on 0.11 more days (95% confidence interval = 0.11-0.45, p ≤ .01). Relationships between implementation and other HEPA outcomes did not reach statistical significance. Still regression estimates indicated that desserts are served on 1.94 fewer days (i.e., 0.40 vs. 2.34) in the highest implementing program than the lowest implementing program and water is served 0.73 more days (i.e., 2.37 vs. 1.64). Adopting HEPA Standards at the national level does not lead to changes in routine practice in all programs. Practical strategies that programs could adopt to more fully comply with the HEPA Standards are identified.

Greater-than-Class-C Low-Level Waste Data Base user's manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-07-01

The Greater-than-Class-C Low-level Waste (GTCC LLW) Data Base characterizes GTCC LLW using low, base, and high cases for three different scenarios: unpackaged, packaged, and concentration averages. The GTCC LLW Data Base can be used to project future volumes and radionuclide activities. This manual provides instructions for users of the GTCC LLW Data Base

Directory of DOE and contractor personnel involved in non-government standards activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-08-01

This document contains a listing of DOE employees and DOE contractors who have submitted form DOE F 1300.2, Record of Non-Government Standards Activity. Additional names were added from rosters supplied by non-Government standards bodies.

Citizen Observatories: A Standards Based Architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Simonis, Ingo

2015-04-01

A number of large-scale research projects are currently under way exploring the various components of citizen observatories, e.g. CITI-SENSE (http://www.citi-sense.eu), Citclops (http://citclops.eu), COBWEB (http://cobwebproject.eu), OMNISCIENTIS (http://www.omniscientis.eu), and WeSenseIt (http://www.wesenseit.eu). Common to all projects is the motivation to develop a platform enabling effective participation by citizens in environmental projects, while considering important aspects such as security, privacy, long-term storage and availability, accessibility of raw and processed data and its proper integration into catalogues and international exchange and collaboration systems such as GEOSS or INSPIRE. This paper describes the software architecture implemented for setting up crowdsourcing campaigns using standardized components, interfaces, security features, and distribution capabilities. It illustrates the Citizen Observatory Toolkit, a software suite that allows defining crowdsourcing campaigns, to invite registered and unregistered participants to participate in crowdsourcing campaigns, and to analyze, process, and visualize raw and quality enhanced crowd sourcing data and derived products. The Citizen Observatory Toolkit is not a single software product. Instead, it is a framework of components that are built using internationally adopted standards wherever possible (e.g. OGC standards from Sensor Web Enablement, GeoPackage, and Web Mapping and Processing Services, as well as security and metadata/cataloguing standards), defines profiles of those standards where necessary (e.g. SWE O&M profile, SensorML profile), and implements design decisions based on the motivation to maximize interoperability and reusability of all components. The toolkit contains tools to set up, manage and maintain crowdsourcing campaigns, allows building on-demand apps optimized for the specific sampling focus, supports offline and online sampling modes using modern cell phones with

Physical Activity Level of Ambulatory Stroke Patients: Is it Related to Neuropsychological Factors?

Science.gov (United States)

Ersöz Hüseyinsinoğlu, Burcu; Kuran Aslan, Gökşen; Tarakci, Devrim; Razak Özdinçler, Arzu; Küçükoğlu, Hayriye; Baybaş, Sevim

2017-06-01

Physical inactivity is an important risk factor for stroke and stroke recurrence. There is insufficient knowledge about the physical activity (PA) level in stroke patients who are ambulatory in the subacute phase. Our aim was to compare the PA level between ambulatory stroke patients and a population of the same age and to investigate neuropsychological factors that could affect the PA level in the same stroke group. Eighty-five subacute stroke patients and 58 healthy subjects were included. Patients' demographic features, disease-related features, and comorbidities were recorded. The PA level was assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Version and a pedometer (OMRON Walking style II). The Apathy Rating Scale was applied to determine the apathy level. Depression level was investigated by the Geriatric Depression Scale. The standardized Mini-mental State Examination was performed to assess the cognitive status. The PA level was significantly higher in the healthy group than in the stroke group (plevel of men was significantly higher than that of women (p=0.03). Participants who were classified as level 4 had a lower PA level than those who were classified as level 5 according to the Functional Ambulation Category. There was no relationship between the PA level and the apathy, cognitive, and depression levels in the stroke patients (p>0.05). Subacute stroke patients have a lower PA level than healthy subjects. This is not related to neuropsychological factors. The reasons for minor deficits related to ambulation should be researched further while developing strategies for increasing the PA level of subacute stroke patients.

Systems Biology Graphical Notation: Activity Flow language Level 1 Version 1.2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mi Huaiyu

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The Systems Biological Graphical Notation (SBGN is an international community effort for standardized graphical representations of biological pathways and networks. The goal of SBGN is to provide unambiguous pathway and network maps for readers with different scientific backgrounds as well as to support efficient and accurate exchange of biological knowledge between different research communities, industry, and other players in systems biology. Three SBGN languages, Process Description (PD, Entity Relationship (ER and Activity Flow (AF, allow for the representation of different aspects of biological and biochemical systems at different levels of detail.

A rapid method of predicting radiocaesium concentrations in sheep from activity levels in faeces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGee, E.J.; Synnott, H.J.; Colgan, P.A.; Keatinge, M.J.

1994-01-01

The use of faecal samples taken from sheep flocks as a means of predicting radiocaesium concentrations in live animals was studied. Radiocaesium levels in 1726 sheep from 29 flocks were measured using in vivo techniques and a single faecal sample taken from each flock was also analysed. A highly significant relationship was found to exist between mean flock activity and activity in the corresponding faecal samples. Least-square regression yielded a simple model for predicting mean flock radiocaesium concentrations based on activity levels in faecal samples. A similar analysis of flock maxima and activity levels in faeces provides an alternative model for predicting the expected within-flock maximum radiocaesium concentration. (Author)

Teachers' Perceptions of the Efficacy of Standards-Based IEP Goals

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Traci Nicole

2013-01-01

Although standards-based IEP goals have been mandated in many states for almost a decade, their effectiveness is unknown. Standards-based IEP goals were first created to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind and Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, which increased accountability for all students as well as those with…

High-level waste storage tank farms/242-A evaporator Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-04-01

The High-Level Waste Storage Tank Farms/242-A Evaporator Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID) is contained in multiple volumes. This document (Volume 3) presents the standards and requirements for the following sections: Safeguards and Security, Engineering Design, and Maintenance.

High-level waste storage tank farms/242-A evaporator Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-04-01

The High-Level Waste Storage Tank Farms/242-A Evaporator Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID) is contained in multiple volumes. This document (Volume 3) presents the standards and requirements for the following sections: Safeguards and Security, Engineering Design, and Maintenance

Comparison of selected DOE and non-DOE requirements, standards, and practices for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cole, L.; Kudera, D.; Newberry, W.

1995-12-01

This document results from the Secretary of Energy's response to Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Recommendation 94--2. The Secretary stated that the US Department of Energy (DOE) would ''address such issues as...the need for additional requirements, standards, and guidance on low-level radioactive waste management. '' The authors gathered information and compared DOE requirements and standards for the safety aspects Of low-level disposal with similar requirements and standards of non-DOE entities

A multistate examination of partnership activity among local public health systems using the National Public Health Performance Standards.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, Priscilla A; Curtis, Amy B; Hall-Downey, Laura; Moonesinghe, Ramal

2012-01-01

This study examines whether partnership-related measures in the second version of the National Public Health Performance Standards (NPHPS) are useful in evaluating level of activity as well as identifying latent constructs that exist among local public health systems (LPHSs). In a sample of 110 LPHSs, descriptive analysis was conducted to determine frequency and percentage of 18 partnership-related NPHPS measures. Principal components factor analysis was conducted to identify unobserved characteristics that promote effective partnerships among LPHSs. Results revealed that 13 of the 18 measures were most frequently reported at the minimal-moderate level (conducted 1%-49% of the time). Coordination of personal health and social services to optimize access (74.6%) was the most frequently reported measure at minimal-moderate levels. Optimal levels (conducted >75% of the time) were reported most frequently in 2 activities: participation in emergency preparedness coalitions and local health departments ensuring service provision by working with state health departments (67% and 61% of respondents, respectively) and the least optimally reported activity was review partnership effectiveness (4% of respondents). Factor analysis revealed categories of partnership-related measures in 4 domains: resources and activities contributing to relationship building, evaluating community leadership activities, research, and state and local linkages to support public health activities. System-oriented public health assessments may have questions that serve as proxy measures to examine levels of interorganizational partnerships. Several measures from the NPHPS were useful in establishing a national baseline of minimal and optimal activity levels as well as identifying factors to enhance the delivery of the 10 essential public health services among organizations and individuals in public health systems.

Standardized computer-based organized reporting of EEG SCORE - Second version

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beniczky, Sándor; Aurlien, Harald; Brøgger, Jan C

2017-01-01

Standardized terminology for computer-based assessment and reporting of EEG has been previously developed in Europe. The International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology established a taskforce in 2013 to develop this further, and to reach international consensus. This work resulted in the se......Standardized terminology for computer-based assessment and reporting of EEG has been previously developed in Europe. The International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology established a taskforce in 2013 to develop this further, and to reach international consensus. This work resulted...... in the second, revised version of SCORE (Standardized Computer-based Organized Reporting of EEG), which is presented in this paper. The revised terminology was implemented in a software package (SCORE EEG), which was tested in clinical practice on 12,160 EEG recordings. Standardized terms implemented in SCORE....... In the end, the diagnostic significance is scored, using a standardized list of terms. SCORE has specific modules for scoring seizures (including seizure semiology and ictal EEG patterns), neonatal recordings (including features specific for this age group), and for Critical Care EEG Terminology. SCORE...

A Lyapunov Stability Theory-Based Control Strategy for Three-Level Shunt Active Power Filter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yijia Cao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The three-phase three-wire neutral-point-clamped shunt active power filter (NPC-SAPF, which most adopts classical closed-loop feedback control methods such as proportional-integral (PI, proportional-resonant (PR and repetitive control, can only output 1st–25th harmonic currents with 10–20 kHz switching frequency. The reason for this is that the controller design must make a compromise between system stability and harmonic current compensation ability under the condition of less than 20 kHz switching frequency. To broaden the bandwidth of the compensation current, a Lyapunov stability theory-based control strategy is presented in this paper for NPC-SAPF. The proposed control law is obtained by constructing the switching function on the basis of the mathematical model and the Lyapunov candidate function, which can avoid introducing closed-loop feedback control and keep the system globally asymptotically stable. By means of the proposed method, the NPC-SAPF has compensation ability for the 1st–50th harmonic currents, the total harmonic distortion (THD and each harmonic content of grid currents satisfy the requirements of IEEE Standard 519-2014. In order to verify the superiority of the proposed control strategy, stability conditions of the proposed strategy and the representative PR controllers are compared. The simulation results in MATLAB/Simulink (MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA and the experimental results obtained on a 6.6 kVA NPC-SAPF laboratory prototype validate the proposed control strategy.

Standardization process for pipeline right-of-way activities: the case of TRANSPETRO's Oil Pipeline and Terminals Business Unit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribeiro, Kassandra Senra de Morais M.; Goncalves, Bruno Martins [TRANSPETRO - PETROBRAS Transporte S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Diretoria de Terminais e Oleodutos; Almeida, Maria Fatima Ludovico de [Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio/ITUC), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Instituto Tecnologico

2009-07-01

This paper describes the experience of PETROBRAS Transporte S.A. concerning the standardization process for its pipeline right-of-way (ROW) activities. This standardization initiative has been carried out within the Oil Pipelines and Terminals Standardization Program (PRONOT), focusing on planning, standardization and implementation of all norms and corporate procedures referring to TRANSPETRO's right-of-way activities. The process promoted the integration of isolated regional initiatives, a sense of unity and the creation of a learning network consisting of 60 employees. This paper presents the last phase's results concerning implementation of corporate standards, based upon achievements of previous phases. It covers the following topics: a general view of the whole process by way of introduction; the potential of integration of recent standardization results with TRANSPETRO's corporate management tools and information systems; definition of four performance indicators and their metrics related to pipeline right-of-way management, as well as a corporate standard for the requirements for contracting services related to rights-of-way inspection, maintenance and communication; challenges, barriers and benefits perceived by the team responsible for formulating and implementing standards and procedures in TRANSPETRO's Oil Pipelines and Terminals Unit. (author)

The Effect of Different Levels of Cu, Zn and Mn Nanoparticles in Hen Turkey Diet on the Activity of Aminopeptidases.

Science.gov (United States)

Jóźwik, Artur; Marchewka, Joanna; Strzałkowska, Nina; Horbańczuk, Jarosław Olav; Szumacher-Strabel, Małgorzata; Cieślak, Adam; Lipińska-Palka, Paulina; Józefiak, Damian; Kamińska, Agnieszka; Atanasov, Atanas G

2018-05-11

The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of the different levels of Cu, Zn, and Mn nanoparticles on the activity of aminopeptidases in turkey. An experiment was carried out on 144 turkey hen Hybrid Converter. The birds were divided into groups given standard- and nanoparticle-supplementation of different level of copper (Cu 20, 10, 2 mg/kg), zinc (Zn 100, 50, 10 ppm), and manganese (Mn 100, 50, 10 ppm), covering respectively 100%, 50%, and 10% of the physiological demands for those minerals in the diet. The activity of aminopeptidases (alanyl: AlaAP, leucyl: LeuAP and arginyl: ArgAP) after supplementation of minerals was determined in the breast and thigh turkey muscle. The strongest effect of interaction among minerals supplementation form and dose on the activity levels of the aminopeptidases in thigh muscle was observed for nano-Cu already at the lowest dose of 2 mg/kg. In this dose (covering 10% of the birds’ demand) nano form of supplementation significantly increased the activity of Ala-, Leu-, and ArgAP (877, 201, and 719, respectively), compared to standard form of supplementation (461, 90.5, and 576, respectively). In turn, in breast muscle, after supplementation covering 10% of the demand with the nano-Cu, nano-Zn, and nano-Mn compared to the standard form, we did not observe any significant difference in the activity levels of any of the investigated aminopeptidases, except for AlaAP under Zn supplementation. Supplementation with the 20 mg/kg of Nano-Cu (100% of demand) and with 10 mg/kg of Nano-Cu (50% of demand) inhibited the activity of all of the three aminopeptidases in thigh muscle. Supplementation of the minerals in nano form into the diet, especially of Cu and Zn in the dose covering 10% of the demand is relevant to maintain homeostasis in turkey muscles, as indicated by the activity of the aminopeptidases.

Ontology-Based High-Level Context Inference for Human Behavior Identification

Science.gov (United States)

Villalonga, Claudia; Razzaq, Muhammad Asif; Khan, Wajahat Ali; Pomares, Hector; Rojas, Ignacio; Lee, Sungyoung; Banos, Oresti

2016-01-01

Recent years have witnessed a huge progress in the automatic identification of individual primitives of human behavior, such as activities or locations. However, the complex nature of human behavior demands more abstract contextual information for its analysis. This work presents an ontology-based method that combines low-level primitives of behavior, namely activity, locations and emotions, unprecedented to date, to intelligently derive more meaningful high-level context information. The paper contributes with a new open ontology describing both low-level and high-level context information, as well as their relationships. Furthermore, a framework building on the developed ontology and reasoning models is presented and evaluated. The proposed method proves to be robust while identifying high-level contexts even in the event of erroneously-detected low-level contexts. Despite reasonable inference times being obtained for a relevant set of users and instances, additional work is required to scale to long-term scenarios with a large number of users. PMID:27690050

Ontology-Based High-Level Context Inference for Human Behavior Identification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Villalonga

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Recent years have witnessed a huge progress in the automatic identification of individual primitives of human behavior, such as activities or locations. However, the complex nature of human behavior demands more abstract contextual information for its analysis. This work presents an ontology-based method that combines low-level primitives of behavior, namely activity, locations and emotions, unprecedented to date, to intelligently derive more meaningful high-level context information. The paper contributes with a new open ontology describing both low-level and high-level context information, as well as their relationships. Furthermore, a framework building on the developed ontology and reasoning models is presented and evaluated. The proposed method proves to be robust while identifying high-level contexts even in the event of erroneously-detected low-level contexts. Despite reasonable inference times being obtained for a relevant set of users and instances, additional work is required to scale to long-term scenarios with a large number of users.

Active Involvement of End Users When Developing Web-Based Mental Health Interventions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Derek de Beurs

2017-05-01

Full Text Available BackgroundAlthough many web-based mental health interventions are being released, the actual uptake by end users is limited. The marginal level of engagement of end users when developing these interventions is recognized as an important cause for uptake problems. In this paper, we offer our perceptive on how to improve user engagement. By doing so, we aim to stimulate a discourse on user involvement within the field of online mental health interventions.MethodsWe shortly describe three different methods (the expert-driven method, intervention mapping, and scrum that were currently used to develop web-based health interventions. We will focus to what extent the end user was involved in the developmental phase, and what the additional challenges were. In the final paragraph, lessons learned are summarized, and recommendations provided.ResultsEvery method seems to have its trade-off: if end users are highly involved, availability of end users and means become problematic. If end users are less actively involved, the product may be less appropriate for the end user. Other challenges to consider are the funding of the more active role of technological companies, and the time it takes to process the results of shorter development cycles.ConclusionThinking about user-centered design and carefully planning, the involvement of end users should become standard in the field of web-based (mental health. When deciding on the level of user involvement, one should balance the need for input from users with the availability of resources such as time and funding.

Component level study of an actively lubricated LEG Tilting Pad Bearing: Theory and experiment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cerda Varela, Alejandro Javier; Santos, Ilmar Ferreira

2018-01-01

portrays the first experimental study for the“proof of concept” of this configuration, as well as a comparison with theoretical results. A simplified setup, featuring a rigid rotor supported by a single pad arrangement is the subject of study. The obtained results prove the viability of the proposed active...... bearing design, validate the available simulation tool and exemplify on a conceptual level the operational benefits from introducing this technology into standard LEG Tilting Pad Bearings....

A perspective on demonstrating compliance with standards for disposal of high-level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocher, D.C.; Smith, E.D.; O'Kelley, G.D.; Sjoreen, A.L.

1985-01-01

A perspective which the authors have developed on the problem of demonstrating that geologic repositories for the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes will comply with system performance standards is discussed. Their viewpoint arises from a concern that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposed environmental standard for high-level waste disposal appears to require demonstrations of compliance which are incompatible with scientific knowledge; i.e., the standard does not take into account the likely importance of unquantifiable and unresolvable uncertainty in repository performance-assessment models. A general approach to demonstrations of compliance is proposed which is thought to be compatible with the kinds of technical information that will be available for judging long-term repository performance. The authors' approach emphasizes the importance of investigating alternative conceptual models and lines of reasoning in evaluating repository performance and the importance of subjective scientific judgment in the decision-making process. (Auth.)

Integration of organic based Schottly junctions into crossbar arrays by standard UV lithography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katsia, E.; Tallarida, G.; Kutrzeba-Kotowska, B.

2008-01-01

organic based Schottky diodes in a crossbar architecture, by standard UV lithography. The proposed integration route features a limited number of process steps and prevents the exposure of the active materials to UV. This approach was developed using poly(3-hexylthiophene) as a model compound...... and was successfully applied to different organic semiconductors. The electrical characteristics of the as prepared junctions reveal the successful patterning and demonstrate the compatibility of the process sequence steps with the organic materials....

European standardization activities on safety of liquid helium cryostats

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

This talk gives a general overview on the challenges of designing safety units for liquid helium cryostats with regard to existing industry standards. It reviews the work of a national working group that published the technical guideline DIN SPEC 4683 in April 2015, which is dedicated to the particular conditions in liquid helium cryostats. Based on both this guideline and equivalent documents from e.g. CEA, CERN, a working group is being formed at the European Committee for Standardization, associated to CEN/TC 268, which will work on a European standard on safety of liquid helium cryostats. The actual status and the schedule of this project are presented.

Diagnostics of the illuminance levels of building of EIE complying with the Standard INTECO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cubero Hernandez, Wargner

2013-01-01

An analysis detailed is performed in spaces comprising the Edificio de Ingenieria Electrica; the designs of lighting aforetime were made without use of standards or scientifically proven methods, could be that this building be the case. The Standard IESNA is considered both to perform the analysis, which has set the standard to perform the respective measurements of the areas indicated in the building. Also, the standard INTECO is used, this makes mention of the minimum values recommended that each space should have analyzed, and these values meet the visual needs that are necessary for visual comfort. The measurements are performed using the illuminance meter and where it was considered the proper distribution of luminaires; the simulation of the spaces without meet the minimum values established by the standard INTECO; tabulation and comparison between the values obtained; have been the three parts of the project. Not all areas could be measured. Deficiencies are found in most levels comprising the building; if there are spaces that have meet the values specified in the standard, with good maintenance of the lights and plan optimal replacement of damaged fittings, will do even more to improve lighting levels that present in the building. Technology installed at present has been not the best, from the point of view of efficiency, since a larger electric power flows without representing a better light intensity, otherwise the recommendation given to venture into the LED technology. (author) [es

Readability Levels of Health-Based Websites: From Content to Comprehension

Science.gov (United States)

Schutten, Mary; McFarland, Allison

2009-01-01

Three of the national health education standards include decision-making, accessing information and analyzing influences. WebQuests are a popular inquiry-oriented method used by secondary teachers to help students achieve these content standards. While WebQuests support higher level thinking skills, the readability level of the information on the…

Enriching step-based product information models to support product life-cycle activities

Science.gov (United States)

Sarigecili, Mehmet Ilteris

The representation and management of product information in its life-cycle requires standardized data exchange protocols. Standard for Exchange of Product Model Data (STEP) is such a standard that has been used widely by the industries. Even though STEP-based product models are well defined and syntactically correct, populating product data according to these models is not easy because they are too big and disorganized. Data exchange specifications (DEXs) and templates provide re-organized information models required in data exchange of specific activities for various businesses. DEXs show us it would be possible to organize STEP-based product models in order to support different engineering activities at various stages of product life-cycle. In this study, STEP-based models are enriched and organized to support two engineering activities: materials information declaration and tolerance analysis. Due to new environmental regulations, the substance and materials information in products have to be screened closely by manufacturing industries. This requires a fast, unambiguous and complete product information exchange between the members of a supply chain. Tolerance analysis activity, on the other hand, is used to verify the functional requirements of an assembly considering the worst case (i.e., maximum and minimum) conditions for the part/assembly dimensions. Another issue with STEP-based product models is that the semantics of product data are represented implicitly. Hence, it is difficult to interpret the semantics of data for different product life-cycle phases for various application domains. OntoSTEP, developed at NIST, provides semantically enriched product models in OWL. In this thesis, we would like to present how to interpret the GD & T specifications in STEP for tolerance analysis by utilizing OntoSTEP.

Application of Scharer's quantitative method for the determination of residual alkaline phosphatase activity in standard Minas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C.F. Soares

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Milk pasteurization is a critical issue in the dairy industry, and failures in this process can affect final product safety. Scharer's enzymatic method is still traditionally used to verify pasteurization efficiency compliance, and it is based on screening for residual alkaline phosphatase in milk. Although several methods are used to quantify enzymatic activity to assess milk pasteurization efficiency, there is a small amount of published data regarding the use of these methods to quantify alkaline phosphatase in cheese. In this study, the Scharer's modified method was used to determine the levels of residual alkaline phosphatase in standard minas cheese, before and after 20 days of ripening. The cheeses were made using raw or pasteurized milk with the addition of different concentrations of raw milk (0; 0.05%; 0.10%; 0.20%; and 0.50%. In the fresh cheese samples, the method showed a sensitivity of only 0.50% with the addition of raw milk to the pasteurized milk used to make cheese. In addition, levels of up 0.20% of raw milk in pasteurized milk, the concentrations of phenol was inferior to 1μg phenol/g of dairy product which is the preconized indicator value for adequate pasteurization.

Relationship between diet and physical activity level in adolescents from post-grammar schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Dmitruk, Agnieszka; Kunicka, Izabela; Popławska, Helena; Hołub, Wojciech

2016-01-01

Appropriate diet and physical activity are vital determinants of psychophysical development in children and adolescents. The aim of the study was to analyse an association between dietary habits and physical activity levels of adolescents from post-grammar schools. The study included 110 girls and 65 boys between 16 and 19 years of age from two post-grammar schools in Biała Podlaska in Poland. They were subjected to a diagnostic survey providing information on their diet (number of meals a day, their regularity, frequency of bread, dairy, meat, fish, sweet, fruit, vegetable and fast food consumption, preferred ways of food processing). Physical activity levels were determined with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire--Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Based on these data, the respondents were stratified to high, moderate and low physical activity groups. Due to small number of participants presenting with low physical activity levels, we did not include this group in further analyses. The significance of differences in the dietary habits of adolescents presenting with high and moderate physical activity levels was verified with the χ2 test. Most girls and boys presented with high levels of physical activity. However, we did not find an evident relationship between dietary habits and physical activity levels. Girls from high and moderate physical activity groups differed solely in terms of the number of daily meals, frequency of meat and sweet consumption, and significant intergroup differences observed among boys pertained to the frequencies of whole-wheat bread, meat and fast food consumption. The abovementioned food products were consumed more often by girls and boys presenting with high physical activity levels. The dietary mistakes observed in physically active adolescents from post-secondary schools justify intensification of their dietary education programs.

Price adjustment for traditional Chinese medicine procedures: Based on a standardized value parity model.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haiyin; Jin, Chunlin; Jiang, Qingwu

2017-11-20

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an important part of China's medical system. Due to the prolonged low price of TCM procedures and the lack of an effective mechanism for dynamic price adjustment, the development of TCM has markedly lagged behind Western medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the need to enhance the development of alternative and traditional medicine when creating national health care systems. The establishment of scientific and appropriate mechanisms to adjust the price of medical procedures in TCM is crucial to promoting the development of TCM. This study has examined incorporating value indicators and data on basic manpower expended, time spent, technical difficulty, and the degree of risk in the latest standards for the price of medical procedures in China, and this study also offers a price adjustment model with the relative price ratio as a key index. This study examined 144 TCM procedures and found that prices of TCM procedures were mainly based on the value of medical care provided; on average, medical care provided accounted for 89% of the price. Current price levels were generally low and the current price accounted for 56% of the standardized value of a procedure, on average. Current price levels accounted for a markedly lower standardized value of acupuncture, moxibustion, special treatment with TCM, and comprehensive TCM procedures. This study selected a total of 79 procedures and adjusted them by priority. The relationship between the price of TCM procedures and the suggested price was significantly optimized (p based on a standardized value parity model is a scientific and suitable method of price adjustment that can serve as a reference for other provinces and municipalities in China and other countries and regions that mainly have fee-for-service (FFS) medical care.

Development of a reliable simulation-based test for diagnostic abdominal ultrasound with a pass/fail standard usable for mastery learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Mia L; Nielsen, Kristina R; Albrecht-Beste, Elisabeth

2018-01-01

training can benefit from competency-based education based on reliable tests. • This simulation-based test can differentiate between competency levels of ultrasound examiners. • This test is suitable for competency-based education, e.g. mastery learning. • We provide a pass/fail standard without false...... from The European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. Four groups of experience levels were constructed: Novices (medical students), trainees (first-year radiology residents), intermediates (third- to fourth-year radiology residents) and advanced (physicians with ultrasound...

The preparation of synthetic standards for use in instrumental neutron-activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eddy, B.T.; Watterson, J.I.W.; Erasmus, C.S.

1979-01-01

An account is given of the formulation and preparation of synthetic standards suitable for the routine analysis of minerals, ores, and ore concentrates by instrumental neutron activation. Fifteen standards were prepared, each containing from one to seven elements. The standards contain forty-four elements that produce isotopes with half-lives longer than 12 hours. An evaluation of the accuracy and precision of the method of preparation is given

Department of Energy perspective on high-level waste standards for Yucca Mountain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brocoum, S.J.; Gil, A.V.; Van Luik, A.E.; Lugo, M.A.

1996-01-01

This paper provides a regulatory perspective from the viewpoint of the potential licensee, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), on the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on Yucca Mountain standards issued in August 1995, and on how the recommendations in that report should be considered in the development of high-level radioactive waste standards applicable to Yucca Mountain. The paper first provides an overview of the DOE perspective and then discusses several of the issues that are of most importance in the development of the regulatory framework for Yucca Mountain, including both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) implementing regulation. These issues include: the regulatory time frame, the risk/dose limit, the definition of the reference biosphere, human intrusion, and natural processes and events

The use of customised versus population-based birthweight standards in predicting perinatal mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, X; Platt, R W; Cnattingius, S; Joseph, K S; Kramer, M S

2007-04-01

The objective of this study was to critically examine potential artifacts and biases underlying the use of 'customised' standards of birthweight for gestational age (GA). Population-based cohort study. Sweden. A total of 782,303 singletons > or =28 weeks of gestation born in 1992-2001 to Nordic mothers with complete data on birthweight; GA; and maternal age, parity, height, and pre-pregnancy weight. We compared perinatal mortality in four groups of infants based on the following classification of small for gestational age (SGA): non-SGA based on either population-based or customised standards (the reference group), SGA based on the population-based standard only, SGA based on the customised standard only, and SGA according to both standards. We used graphical methods to compare GA-specific birthweight cutoffs for SGA using the two standards and also used logistic regression to control for differences in GA and maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) in the four groups. Perinatal mortality, including stillbirth and neonatal death. Customisation led to a large artifactual increase in the proportion of SGA infants born preterm. Adjustment for differences in GA and maternal BMI markedly reduced the excess risk among infants classified as SGA by customised standards only. The large increase in perinatal mortality risk among infants classified as SGA based on customised standards is largely an artifact due to inclusion of more preterm births.

78 FR 45051 - Small Business Size Standards; Support Activities for Mining; Correction

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-26

... Regulations by increasing small business size standards for three of the four industries in North American... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 13 CFR Part 121 RIN 3245-AG44 Small Business Size Standards; Support Activities for Mining; Correction AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Final rule; correction...

Effectiveness of Balancing Everyday Life (BEL) versus standard occupational therapy for activity engagement and functioning among people with mental illness - a cluster RCT study.

Science.gov (United States)

Eklund, Mona; Tjörnstrand, Carina; Sandlund, Mikael; Argentzell, Elisabeth

2017-11-09

Many with a mental illness have an impoverished everyday life with few meaningful activities and a sedentary lifestyle. The study aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the 16-week Balancing Everyday Life (BEL) program, compared to care as usual (CAU), for people with mental illness in specialized and community-based psychiatric services. The main outcomes concerned different aspects of subjectively evaluated everyday activities, in terms of the engagement and satisfaction they bring, balance among activities, and activity level. Secondary outcomes pertained to various facets of well-being and functioning. It was hypothesized that those who received the BEL intervention would improve more than the comparison group regarding activity, well-being and functioning outcomes. BEL is a group and activity-based lifestyle intervention. CAU entailed active support, mainly standard occupational therapy. The BEL group included 133 participants and the CAU group 93. They completed self-report questionnaires targeting activity and well-being on three occasions - at baseline, after completed intervention (at 16 weeks) and at a six-month follow-up. A research assistant rated the participants' level of functioning and symptom severity on the same occasions. Non-parametric statistics were used since these instruments produced ordinal data. The BEL group improved more than the CAU group from baseline to 16 weeks on primary outcomes in terms of activity engagement (p life) more than the CAU group from baseline to the follow-up (p = 0.049). No differences were found at that time for activity balance, level of functioning and symptom severity. The BEL program was effective compared to CAU in terms of activity engagement. Their improvements were not, however, greater concerning other subjective perceptions, such as satisfaction with daily activities and self-rated health, and clustering effects lowered the dependability regarding findings of improvements on symptoms and

Single-step reinitialization and extending algorithms for level-set based multi-phase flow simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Lin; Hu, Xiangyu Y.; Adams, Nikolaus A.

2017-12-01

We propose efficient single-step formulations for reinitialization and extending algorithms, which are critical components of level-set based interface-tracking methods. The level-set field is reinitialized with a single-step (non iterative) "forward tracing" algorithm. A minimum set of cells is defined that describes the interface, and reinitialization employs only data from these cells. Fluid states are extrapolated or extended across the interface by a single-step "backward tracing" algorithm. Both algorithms, which are motivated by analogy to ray-tracing, avoid multiple block-boundary data exchanges that are inevitable for iterative reinitialization and extending approaches within a parallel-computing environment. The single-step algorithms are combined with a multi-resolution conservative sharp-interface method and validated by a wide range of benchmark test cases. We demonstrate that the proposed reinitialization method achieves second-order accuracy in conserving the volume of each phase. The interface location is invariant to reapplication of the single-step reinitialization. Generally, we observe smaller absolute errors than for standard iterative reinitialization on the same grid. The computational efficiency is higher than for the standard and typical high-order iterative reinitialization methods. We observe a 2- to 6-times efficiency improvement over the standard method for serial execution. The proposed single-step extending algorithm, which is commonly employed for assigning data to ghost cells with ghost-fluid or conservative interface interaction methods, shows about 10-times efficiency improvement over the standard method while maintaining same accuracy. Despite their simplicity, the proposed algorithms offer an efficient and robust alternative to iterative reinitialization and extending methods for level-set based multi-phase simulations.

Halogens determination in vegetable NBS standard reference materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stella, R.; Genova, N.; Di Casa, M.

1977-01-01

Levels of all four halogens in Orchard Leaves, Pine Needles and Tomato Leaves NBS reference standards were determined. For fluorine a spiking isotope dilution method was used followed by HF absorption on glass beads. Instrumental nuclear activation analysis was adopted for chlorine and bromine determination. Radiochemical separation by a distillation procedure was necessary for iodine nuclear activation analysis after irradiation. Activation parameters of Cl, Br and I are reported. Results of five determinations for each halogen in Orchard Leaves, Pine Needles and Tomato Leaves NBS Standard Materials and Standard deviations of the mean are reported. (T.I.)

Comprehensive School-Based Physical Activity Promotion: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Erwin, Heather; Beighle, Aaron; Carson, Russell L.; Castelli, Darla M.

2013-01-01

Physical activity (PA) participation levels among youth remain well below national recommendations. Thus, a variety of strategies to promote youth PA have been advocated, including multifaceted, school-based approaches. One identified as having great potential is a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP). The goal of a CSPAP is to…

Defining nuclear medical file formal based on DICOM standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Bin; Jin Yongjie; Li Yulan

2001-01-01

With the wide application of computer technology in medical area, DICOM is becoming the standard of digital imaging and communication. The author discusses how to define medical imaging file formal based on DICOM standard. It also introduces the format of ANMIS system the authors defined the validity and integrality of this format

Whole-genome-based Mycobacterium tuberculosis surveillance: a standardized, portable, and expandable approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohl, Thomas A; Diel, Roland; Harmsen, Dag; Rothgänger, Jörg; Walter, Karen Meywald; Merker, Matthias; Weniger, Thomas; Niemann, Stefan

2014-07-01

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) allows for effective tracing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) (tuberculosis pathogens) transmission. However, it is difficult to standardize and, therefore, is not yet employed for interlaboratory prospective surveillance. To allow its widespread application, solutions for data standardization and storage in an easily expandable database are urgently needed. To address this question, we developed a core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) scheme for clinical MTBC isolates using the Ridom SeqSphere(+) software, which transfers the genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) diversity into an allele numbering system that is standardized, portable, and not computationally intensive. To test its performance, we performed WGS analysis of 26 isolates with identical IS6110 DNA fingerprints and spoligotyping patterns from a longitudinal outbreak in the federal state of Hamburg, Germany (notified between 2001 and 2010). The cgMLST approach (3,041 genes) discriminated the 26 strains with a resolution comparable to that of SNP-based WGS typing (one major cluster of 22 identical or closely related and four outlier isolates with at least 97 distinct SNPs or 63 allelic variants). Resulting tree topologies are highly congruent and grouped the isolates in both cases analogously. Our data show that SNP- and cgMLST-based WGS analyses facilitate high-resolution discrimination of longitudinal MTBC outbreaks. cgMLST allows for a meaningful epidemiological interpretation of the WGS genotyping data. It enables standardized WGS genotyping for epidemiological investigations, e.g., on the regional public health office level, and the creation of web-accessible databases for global TB surveillance with an integrated early warning system. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Risk Management Model from the Perspective of the Implementing ISO 9001:2015 Standard Within Financial Services Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cătălina Sitnikov

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In its new form, the ISO 9001:2015 standard activates and utilizes a thought pattern based on risk assessment functioning in parallel with the implementation of the system regarding quality management. Therefore, we strive to identify the risks and opportunities associated with the processes and products needed to create and implement a system of quality management based on the ISO 9001:2015 standard. This standard is defined by a strong client-based orientation, motivation and managerial involvement from the higher levels, as well as a process-based approach and a commitment towards constant improvement. By implementing the requirements of the new version of the ISO 9001:2015 standard, the organisation needs to determine all the processes necessary to the system of quality management, as well as to identify those which include activities dealing with risks and opportunities. Considering the importance and the impact of the requirements of the new version of the ISO 9001:2015 standard, starting from theoretical concepts and underscoring a set of research vectors, a model of financial risk assessment has been devised. The model is based on the correlation which can be established between the multiplicity of components relating to the components of the new standard structure, SL Annex, elements of an approach derived from risk patterns of processes and risk types which are assessed from the perspective of financial services companies.

General philosophy of safety standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunster, H.J.

1987-01-01

Safety standards should be related to the form and magnitude of the risk they aim to limit. Because of the lack of direct information at the exposure levels experienced, radiation protection standards have to be based on risk assumptions that, while plausible, are not proven. The pressure for standards has come as much from public perceptions and fears as from the reality of the risk. (author)

Parallelism measurement for base plate of standard artifact with multiple tactile approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Xiuling; Zhao, Yan; Wang, Yiwen; Wang, Zhong; Fu, Luhua; Liu, Changjie

2018-01-01

Nowadays, as workpieces become more precise and more specialized which results in more sophisticated structures and higher accuracy for the artifacts, higher requirements have been put forward for measuring accuracy and measuring methods. As an important method to obtain the size of workpieces, coordinate measuring machine (CMM) has been widely used in many industries. In order to achieve the calibration of a self-developed CMM, it is found that the parallelism of the base plate used for fixing the standard artifact is an important factor which affects the measurement accuracy in the process of studying self-made high-precision standard artifact. And aimed to measure the parallelism of the base plate, by using the existing high-precision CMM, gauge blocks, dial gauge and marble platform with the tactile approach, three methods for parallelism measurement of workpieces are employed, and comparisons are made within the measurement results. The results of experiments show that the final accuracy of all the three methods is able to reach micron level and meets the measurement requirements. Simultaneously, these three approaches are suitable for different measurement conditions which provide a basis for rapid and high-precision measurement under different equipment conditions.

14 CFR 91.861 - Base level.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Base level. 91.861 Section 91.861... level. (a) U.S. Operators. The base level of a U.S. operator is equal to the number of owned or leased... to paragraphs (a) (1) and (2). (1) The base level of a U.S. operator shall be increased by a number...

Accurate and Less-Disturbing Active Anti-Islanding Method based on PLL for Grid-Connected PV Inverters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ciobotaru, Mihai; Agelidis, Vassilios; Teodorescu, Remus

2008-01-01

Islanding prediction is a necessary feature of inverter-based photovoltaic (PV) system in order to meet stringent standard requirements for interconnection with the electrical grid. Both passive and active anti-islanding methods exist. Typically, active methods modify a given parameter, which also...... extracted from the voltage at PCC moves outside of a preset threshold value. This new active anti-islanding method meets both standard requirements IEEE 929-2000, IEEE 1547.1 and VDE 0126.1.1. The disturbance used by this method is small compared to other active anti-islanding methods, such as active...

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the association with socio-demographic characteristics and physical activity in urban population of Iranian adults: a population-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajian-Tilaki, K; Heidari, B; Firouzjahi, A; Bagherzadeh, M; Hajian-Tilaki, A; Halalkhor, S

2014-01-01

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is the main concern of health problem in transition population. The objective was to determine the prevalence of MetS and its association with socio-demographic and physical activity in Iranian adults. A population-based cross-sectional study of 1000 representative samples aged 20-70 years was conducted in urban area in northern Iran. The socio-demographic data were collected by interview and the physical activity was assessed by standard International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Weight, height, waist circumference and the systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured by standard methods. Fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol level and low density lipoprotein cholesterol level were measured using enzymatic method. The ATP III criteria were used for diagnosis of MetS. The prevalence rate of MetS was 42.3% (36.5% men and 47.1% women, p=0.001). The higher education at university level was appeared inversely associated with MetS (age adjusted OR=0.34, p=0.001) compared with illiterate. The prevalence rates of MetS were 49.0%, 42.5% and 22.6% in low, moderate and vigorous physical activity level respectively (p=0.001). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the vigorous physical activity was inversely associated with MetS compared with low level (adjusted OR=0.46, p=0.001). These results highlight an immediate action of preventive measures programs for modification of cardio metabolic risk factors. Copyright © 2014 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Segregation of low-level dry active waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kornblith, L. Jr.; Naughton, M.D.; Welsh, L.

1984-01-01

A program has been carried out to characterize the Dry Active Waste (DAW) stream from a typical PWR power plant in order to determine the usefulness of large-volume DAW monitors for segregating such waste in order to dispose of it in appropriate facilities. A waste monitor using plastic scintillation counters was used for measuring the waste. The monitor had a volume of about 300 liters and an overall efficiency of about 12% for a typical fission product mixture. It provides automatic compensation for background radioactivity and can measure a bag of waste in less than a minute, including background measurements. Six hundred consecutively generated bags of DAW were measured. These had a total activity of about one millicurie and an average specific activity of about 540 nanocuries per kilogram. About half of the bags contained less than 1000 nanocuries and had specific activities of less than 100 nanocuries per kilogram. Based on simplified preliminary calculations, it appears that an evaluation of the risks of disposal of bags such as these in a landfill other than a low-level waste disposal facility could be carried out that would demonstrate that such disposal of half or more of these bags would not result in any substantial hazard, either short or long term

Social reward improves the voluntary control over localized brain activity in fMRI-based neurofeedback training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krystyna Anna Mathiak

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Neurofeedback (NF based on real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI allows voluntary regulation of the activity in a selected brain region. For the training of this regulation, a well-designed feedback system is required. Social reward may serve as an effective incentive in NF paradigms, but its efficiency has not yet been tested. Therefore, we developed a social reward NF paradigm and assessed it in comparison with a typical visual NF paradigm (moving bar.We trained 24 healthy participants, on three consecutive days, to control activation in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC with fMRI-based NF. In the social feedback group, an avatar gradually smiled when ACC activity increased, whereas in the standard feedback group, a moving bar indicated the activation level. To assess a transfer of the NF training both groups were asked to up-regulate their brain activity without receiving feedback immediately before and after the NF training (pre- and post-test. Finally, the effect of the acquired NF training on ACC function was evaluated in a cognitive interference task (Simon task during the pre- and post-test.Social reward led to stronger activity in the ACC and reward-related areas during the NF training when compared to standard feedback. After the training, both groups were able to regulate ACC without receiving feedback, with a trend for stronger responses in the social feedback group. Moreover, despite a lack of behavioral differences, significant higher ACC activations emerged in the cognitive interference task, reflecting a stronger generalization of the NF training on cognitive interference processing after social feedback.Social reward can increase self-regulation in fMRI-based NF and strengthen its effects on neural processing in related tasks, such as cognitive interference. An advantage of social feedback is that a direct external reward is provided as in natural social interactions, opening perspectives for implicit

Development of a LED based standard for luminous flux

Science.gov (United States)

Sardinha, André; Ázara, Ivo; Torres, Miguel; Menegotto, Thiago; Grieneisen, Hans Peter; Borghi, Giovanna; Couceiro, Iakyra; Zim, Alexandre; Muller, Filipe

2018-03-01

Incandescent lamps, simple artifacts with radiation spectrum very similar to a black-body emitter, are traditional standards in photometry. Nowadays LEDs are broadly used in lighting, with great variety of spectra, and it is convenient to use standards for photometry with spectral distribution similar to that of the measured artifact. Research and development of such standards occur in several National Metrology Institutes. In Brazil, Inmetro is working on a practical solution for providing a LED based standard to be used for luminous flux measurements in the field of general lighting. This paper shows the measurements made for the developing of a prototype, that in sequence will be characterized in photometric quantities.

The impact of pregnancy on physical activity level.

Science.gov (United States)

Fell, Deshayne B; Joseph, K S; Armson, B Anthony; Dodds, Linda

2009-09-01

The purpose of this study was to compare women's levels of physical activity during early pregnancy and during the year before pregnancy, and to identify characteristics associated with discontinuing sports and exercise among women previously active during the year before pregnancy. Data collected from 1,737 women enrolled in a prospective cohort study and who had no contraindications for exercise were included in this analysis. Measures of physical activity (including household and care-giving activities, active living and sports and exercise activities) during early pregnancy were compared to the year before pregnancy. Log binomial regression was used to identify factors associated with discontinuing sports and exercise during pregnancy. There was a statistically significant decrease in all summary measures of physical activity during early pregnancy. The largest decreases were observed in sports and exercise activity. Among women active before pregnancy, age pregnancy body mass index (BMI) > or = 30 kg/m(2) and lower levels of pre-pregnancy exercise were associated with discontinuing sports and exercise activities during pregnancy. Most women reduced their physical activity level during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy compared with their level of activity during the year prior to pregnancy, particularly for sports and exercise, although a small proportion of women in this study actually increased their activity in this area during early pregnancy. Participation in sports and exercise activity during pregnancy is potentially modifiable and could favorably impact perinatal health and maternal post-partum weight. The results of this study suggests that pregnancy is an event that leads to a decrease in physical activity.

Developing evidence-based prescriptive ventilation rate standards for commercial buildings in California: a proposed framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mendell, Mark J.; Fisk, William J.

2014-02-01

Background - The goal of this project, with a focus on commercial buildings in California, was to develop a new framework for evidence-based minimum ventilation rate (MVR) standards that protect occupants in buildings while also considering energy use and cost. This was motivated by research findings suggesting that current prescriptive MVRs in commercial buildings do not provide occupants with fully safe and satisfactory indoor environments. Methods - The project began with a broad review in several areas ? the diverse strategies now used for standards or guidelines for MVRs or for environmental contaminant exposures, current knowledge about adverse human effects associated with VRs, and current knowledge about contaminants in commercial buildings, including their their presence, their adverse human effects, and their relationships with VRs. Based on a synthesis of the reviewed information, new principles and approaches are proposed for setting evidence-based VRs standards for commercial buildings, considering a range of human effects including health, performance, and acceptability of air. Results ? A review and evaluation is first presented of current approaches to setting prescriptive building ventilation standards and setting acceptable limits for human contaminant exposures in outdoor air and occupational settings. Recent research on approaches to setting acceptable levels of environmental exposures in evidence-based MVR standards is also described. From a synthesis and critique of these materials, a set of principles for setting MVRs is presented, along with an example approach based on these principles. The approach combines two sequential strategies. In a first step, an acceptable threshold is set for each adverse outcome that has a demonstrated relationship to VRs, as an increase from a (low) outcome level at a high reference ventilation rate (RVR, the VR needed to attain the best achievable levels of the adverse outcome); MVRs required to meet each

Development of standard ionization chamber counting system for activity measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pyun, Woong Beom; Lee, Hyun Koo; Lee, Hai Yong; Park, Tae Soon

1998-01-01

This study is to set up the activity measuring system using a 4π γ ionization chamber as used mainly in national standards laboratories that are responsible for radionuclide metrology. The software for automatic control between the electrometer and personal computer is developed using Microsoft visual basic 4.0 and IEEE488 Interface. The reproducibility of this 4π γ ionization chamber is about 0.02% and the background current is 0.054±0.024 pA. this 4π γ ionization chamber is calibrated by 6 standard gamma emitting radionuclides from KRISS. According to the result of this study, it is revealed that this 4π γ ionization chamber counting system can be used as a secondary standard instrument for radioactivity measurement

Development of standard ionization chamber counting system for activity measurements

CERN Document Server

Pyun, W B; Lee, H Y; Park, T S

1998-01-01

This study is to set up the activity measuring system using a 4 pi gamma ionization chamber as used mainly in national standards laboratories that are responsible for radionuclide metrology. The software for automatic control between the electrometer and personal computer is developed using Microsoft visual basic 4.0 and IEEE488 Interface. The reproducibility of this 4 pi gamma ionization chamber is about 0.02% and the background current is 0.054+-0.024 pA. this 4 pi gamma ionization chamber is calibrated by 6 standard gamma emitting radionuclides from KRISS. According to the result of this study, it is revealed that this 4 pi gamma ionization chamber counting system can be used as a secondary standard instrument for radioactivity measurement.

Computer-aided measurement of liver volumes in CT by means of geodesic active contour segmentation coupled with level-set algorithms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suzuki, Kenji; Kohlbrenner, Ryan; Epstein, Mark L.; Obajuluwa, Ademola M.; Xu Jianwu; Hori, Masatoshi [Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637 (United States)

2010-05-15

Purpose: Computerized liver extraction from hepatic CT images is challenging because the liver often abuts other organs of a similar density. The purpose of this study was to develop a computer-aided measurement of liver volumes in hepatic CT. Methods: The authors developed a computerized liver extraction scheme based on geodesic active contour segmentation coupled with level-set contour evolution. First, an anisotropic diffusion filter was applied to portal-venous-phase CT images for noise reduction while preserving the liver structure, followed by a scale-specific gradient magnitude filter to enhance the liver boundaries. Then, a nonlinear grayscale converter enhanced the contrast of the liver parenchyma. By using the liver-parenchyma-enhanced image as a speed function, a fast-marching level-set algorithm generated an initial contour that roughly estimated the liver shape. A geodesic active contour segmentation algorithm coupled with level-set contour evolution refined the initial contour to define the liver boundaries more precisely. The liver volume was then calculated using these refined boundaries. Hepatic CT scans of 15 prospective liver donors were obtained under a liver transplant protocol with a multidetector CT system. The liver volumes extracted by the computerized scheme were compared to those traced manually by a radiologist, used as ''gold standard.''Results: The mean liver volume obtained with our scheme was 1504 cc, whereas the mean gold standard manual volume was 1457 cc, resulting in a mean absolute difference of 105 cc (7.2%). The computer-estimated liver volumetrics agreed excellently with the gold-standard manual volumetrics (intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.95) with no statistically significant difference (F=0.77; p(F{<=}f)=0.32). The average accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and percent volume error were 98.4%, 91.1%, 99.1%, and 7.2%, respectively. Computerized CT liver volumetry would require substantially less

Computer-aided measurement of liver volumes in CT by means of geodesic active contour segmentation coupled with level-set algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Kenji; Kohlbrenner, Ryan; Epstein, Mark L.; Obajuluwa, Ademola M.; Xu Jianwu; Hori, Masatoshi

2010-01-01

Purpose: Computerized liver extraction from hepatic CT images is challenging because the liver often abuts other organs of a similar density. The purpose of this study was to develop a computer-aided measurement of liver volumes in hepatic CT. Methods: The authors developed a computerized liver extraction scheme based on geodesic active contour segmentation coupled with level-set contour evolution. First, an anisotropic diffusion filter was applied to portal-venous-phase CT images for noise reduction while preserving the liver structure, followed by a scale-specific gradient magnitude filter to enhance the liver boundaries. Then, a nonlinear grayscale converter enhanced the contrast of the liver parenchyma. By using the liver-parenchyma-enhanced image as a speed function, a fast-marching level-set algorithm generated an initial contour that roughly estimated the liver shape. A geodesic active contour segmentation algorithm coupled with level-set contour evolution refined the initial contour to define the liver boundaries more precisely. The liver volume was then calculated using these refined boundaries. Hepatic CT scans of 15 prospective liver donors were obtained under a liver transplant protocol with a multidetector CT system. The liver volumes extracted by the computerized scheme were compared to those traced manually by a radiologist, used as ''gold standard.''Results: The mean liver volume obtained with our scheme was 1504 cc, whereas the mean gold standard manual volume was 1457 cc, resulting in a mean absolute difference of 105 cc (7.2%). The computer-estimated liver volumetrics agreed excellently with the gold-standard manual volumetrics (intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.95) with no statistically significant difference (F=0.77; p(F≤f)=0.32). The average accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and percent volume error were 98.4%, 91.1%, 99.1%, and 7.2%, respectively. Computerized CT liver volumetry would require substantially less completion time

Multi-level Control Framework for Enhanced Flexibility of Active Distribution Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nainar, Karthikeyan; Pokhrel, Basanta Raj; Pillai, Jayakrishnan Radhakrishna

2017-01-01

In this paper, the control objectives of future active distribution networks with high penetration of renewables and flexible loads are analyzed and reviewed. From a state of the art review, the important control objectives seen from the perspective of a distribution system operator are identifie......-ordination and management of the network assets at different voltage levels and geographical locations. The paper finally shows the applicability of the multi-level control architecture to some of the key challenges in the distribution system operation by relevant scenarios....... to be hosting capacity improvement, high reliable operation and cost effective network management. Based on this review and a state of the art review concerning future distribution network control methods, a multi-level control architecture is constructed for an active distribution network, which satisfies...... the selected control objectives and provides enhanced flexibility. The control architecture is supported by generation/load forecasting and distribution state estimation techniques to improve the controllability of the network. The multi-level control architecture consists of three levels of hierarchical...

IAEA standard syllabus of a course to acquire competence on ionizing radiation sources activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonova, M.

2004-01-01

The specialized training for Ionizing Radiation Sources (IRS) activities is conducted according to educational syllabuses developed for every job position in compliance with art. 12, (3) of new Regulation of the conditions and procedure for acquiring professional qualification and for the procedure for issuing licenses for specialized training and certificates for qualification for use of nuclear energy. A brief review of the modular structure of the standard syllabus of the Postgraduate Educational Course in Radiation Protection and the Safe Use of Radiation Sources is presented in this paper. The content and level of training for categories of persons engaged in different practices are also listed

Endocannabinoid and Mood Responses to Exercise in Adults with Varying Activity Levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Brellenthin, Angelique G; Crombie, Kevin M; Hillard, Cecilia J; Koltyn, Kelli F

2017-08-01

Acute aerobic exercise improves mood and activates the endocannabinoid (eCB) system in physically active individuals; however, both mood and eCB responses to exercise may vary based on habitual levels of physical activity. This study aimed to examine eCB and mood responses to prescribed and preferred exercises among individuals with low, moderate, and high levels of physical activity. Thirty-six healthy adults (21 ± 4 yr) were recruited from low (≤60 min moderate-vigorous physical activity [MVPA] per week), moderate (150-299 min MVPA per week), and high (≥300 MVPA per week) physical activity groups. Participants performed both prescribed (approximately 70%-75% max) and preferred (i.e., self-selected) aerobic exercise on separate days. Mood states and eCB concentrations were assessed before and after exercise conditions. Both preferred and prescribed exercise resulted in significant increases (P exercise elicited positive mood improvements compared with preexercise values, but changes in state anxiety, total mood disturbance, and confusion were greater in the preferred condition (P mood disturbance in the preferred condition (P mood or eCB outcomes. These results indicate that eCB and mood responses to exercise do not differ significantly between samples with varying physical activity levels. This study also demonstrates that in addition to prescribed exercise, preferred exercise activates the eCB system, and this activation may contribute to positive mood outcomes with exercise.

Hydrogen Codes and Standards: An Overview of U.S. DOE Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James M Ohi

2006-01-01

The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies (HFCIT) Program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with the help of leading standards and model code development organizations, other national laboratories, and key stakeholders, are developing a coordinated and collaborative government-industry effort to prepare, review, and promulgate hydrogen codes and standards needed to expedite hydrogen infrastructure development. The focus of this effort is to put in place a coordinated and comprehensive hydrogen codes and standards program at the national and international levels. This paper updates an overview of the U.S. program to facilitate and coordinate the development of hydrogen codes and standards that was presented by the author at WHEC 15. (authors)

Comparing responses to horticultural-based and traditional activities in dementia care programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarrott, Shannon E; Gigliotti, Christina M

2010-12-01

Engaging persons with dementia in meaningful activities supports well-being; however, care staff are challenged to implement age- and ability-appropriate activities in a group setting. We compared a randomly assigned treatment group, who received horticultural therapy-based (HT-based) programming to a comparison group, who engaged in traditional activities (TA) programming, on engagement and affect. Horticultural therapy-based programming was implemented twice weekly at 4 treatment sites for 6 weeks, while regular TA were observed at comparison sites. Results revealed no differences between groups on affective domains. Levels of adaptive behavior differed between the groups, with the treatment group demonstrating higher levels of active, passive, and other engagement and the comparison group demonstrating higher levels of self-engagement. Our results highlight the value of HT-based programs and the importance of simultaneously capturing participants' affective and behavioral responses. Theoretical and practical considerations about the facilitation of and context in which the programming occurs are discussed.

A real-time standard parts inspection based on deep learning

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Kuan; Li, XuDong; Jiang, Hongzhi; Zhao, Huijie

2017-10-01

Since standard parts are necessary components in mechanical structure like bogie and connector. These mechanical structures will be shattered or loosen if standard parts are lost. So real-time standard parts inspection systems are essential to guarantee their safety. Researchers would like to take inspection systems based on deep learning because it works well in image with complex backgrounds which is common in standard parts inspection situation. A typical inspection detection system contains two basic components: feature extractors and object classifiers. For the object classifier, Region Proposal Network (RPN) is one of the most essential architectures in most state-of-art object detection systems. However, in the basic RPN architecture, the proposals of Region of Interest (ROI) have fixed sizes (9 anchors for each pixel), they are effective but they waste much computing resources and time. In standard parts detection situations, standard parts have given size, thus we can manually choose sizes of anchors based on the ground-truths through machine learning. The experiments prove that we could use 2 anchors to achieve almost the same accuracy and recall rate. Basically, our standard parts detection system could reach 15fps on NVIDIA GTX1080 (GPU), while achieving detection accuracy 90.01% mAP.

Risk Level Based Management System: a control banding model for occupational health and safety risk management in a highly regulated environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zalk, D; Kamerzell, R; Paik, S; Kapp, J; Harrington, D; Swuste, P

2009-05-27

The Risk Level Based Management System (RLBMS) is an occupational risk management (ORM) model that focuses occupational safety, hygeiene, and health (OSHH) resources on the highest risk procedures at work. This article demonstrates the model's simplicity through an implementation within a heavily regulated research institution. The model utilizes control banding strategies with a stratification of four risk levels (RLs) for many commonly performed maintenance and support activities, characterizing risk consistently for comparable tasks. RLBMS creates an auditable tracking of activities, maximizes OSHH professional field time, and standardizes documentation and control commensurate to a given task's RL. Validation of RLs and their exposure control effectiveness is collected in a traditional quantitative collection regime for regulatory auditing. However, qualitative risk assessment methods are also used within this validation process. Participatory approaches are used throughout the RLBMS process. Workers are involved in all phases of building, maintaining, and improving this model. This work participation also improves the implementation of established controls.

Antibacterial Efficiency of Benzalkonium Chloride Base Disinfectant According To European Standard 13727, Chemical Analysis and Validation Studies

OpenAIRE

Yıldırım, Çinel; Çelenk, Veysel

2018-01-01

Antibacterial Efficiency of Benzalkonium Chloride Base Disinfectant According To European Standard 13727, Chemical Analysis and Validation Studies This study was aimed to provide principle of the chemical analyses, antibacterial efficiency test and validation procedures of the most commonly used benzalkonium chloride (BAC) base disinfectant as a biocide. Disinfectant which comprised 20 % BAC concentration was used as a prototype product and active substance was verified with chemical analysis...

Influence of Different Genotypes on Trypsin Inhibitor Levels and Activity in Soybeans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viktor A. Nedovic

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This study describes the relationship between the two major trypsin inhibitors (TI in soybean, i.e., the Kunitz (KTI and Bowman-Birk (BBI trypsin inhibitors, as well as between them and the corresponding trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA. Twelve investigated soybean genotypes showed significant differences in TI levels and TIA. A very strong positive correlation was found between the levels of KTI and total BBI (r = 0.94, P < 0.05. No relationship was found between KTI, BBI or total TI and TIA. Based on this data, it appears that the levels of major TI in soybean are related. Understanding the relationship between trypsin inhibitors and their activities could be useful for further improvement of the health impacts of soy proteins.

Ketosteroid Standardized Cissus quadrangularis L. Extract and its Anabolic Activity: Time to Look Beyond Ketosteroid?

Science.gov (United States)

Jadhav, Atul N; Rafiq, Mohammed; Devanathan, Rajendran; Azeemuddin, Mohammed; Anturlikar, Suryakanth D; Ahmed, Akhil; Sundaram, Ramchandran; Babu, U V; Paramesh, Rangesh

2016-05-01

Cissus quadrangularis (CQ) L. reported to contain 3-ketosteroids and have bone health benefits. This study aimed at establishing the relationship between the ketosteroid content and anabolic as well as bone health-promoting activities of various Cissus extracts in well-established orchidectomized (ORX) rat model. Supercritical carbon dioxide, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extracts (AE) of CQ L. were prepared and standardized for ketosteroid content by two methods used in commerce. Moreover, ketosteroid standardized extracts of this plant were evaluated for anabolic activity in rats in well-established ORX rat model. The increase in the absolute weight was appreciable in the CQ-AE treated group. Similarly, with respect to bone parameters, a similar trend was seen. The mean bone density, strength, and calcium content were found to be highest in the group treated with CQ-AE compared to groups treated with other extracts. This study reveals for the first time that 3-ketosteroids are not linked to the beneficial activities on bone and highlights the need for extensive characterization of biological active principles from CQ L. In light of the above estimation studies, we believe that current standardization of Cissus extraction "3-ketosteroids" is incorrect. We also did not find any report suggesting the presence of androgenic steroids in this plant and hence the characterization based on "3-ketosteroids" is scientifically incorrect. This study highlights the insufficient understanding of biological active principles from CQ L. and underlines the need for extensive bioactivity guided studies. Cissus quadrangularis (CQ) L. reported to contain 3.ketosteroids and have bone health benefitsWe did not find correlation between ketosteroid content obtained by conventional methods and its biological effectStudies indicate that claims of ketosteroid content need not necessarily correlate to biological effects and hence warrants extensive phytochemical characterization of biological

41 CFR 102-85.175 - Are the standard level services for cleaning, mechanical operation, and maintenance identified in...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... services for cleaning, mechanical operation, and maintenance identified in an OA? 102-85.175 Section 102-85... of Service § 102-85.175 Are the standard level services for cleaning, mechanical operation, and maintenance identified in an OA? Unless specified otherwise in the OA, standard level services for cleaning...

An Investigation of the Engagement of Elementary Students in the NCTM Process Standards after One Year of Standards-Based Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Fillingim, Jennifer Gale

2010-01-01

Contemporary mathematics education reform has placed increased emphasis on K-12 mathematics curriculum. Reform-based curricula, often referred to as "Standards-based" due to philosophical alignment with the NCTM Process Standards, have generated controversy among families, educators, and researchers. The mathematics education research…

Perceived benefits of adopting Standard – Based pricing mechanism for mechanical and electrical services installations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ganiyu Amuda Yusuf

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Cost is an important measure of project success and clients will expect a reliable forecast at the early stage of construction projects to inform their business decision. This study was undertaken to investigate the current practices in managing cost of mechanical and electrical (M&E services in buildings. The perceptions of practitioners on the benefits of adopting Standard – Based Pricing Mechanism for M&E services as used for building fabrics and finishes was ascertained. The methodology adopted for the study was semi – structure interview and questionnaire survey.  Inferential statistics technique was used to analyse the data collected. The results revealed that, M&E services tender documents are often based on lump sum contract. Practitioners are of the opinion that the adoption of Standard – Based Pricing Mechanism (SBPM could enhance the quality of M&E services price forecast; ensure active post contract cost monitoring and control; encourage collaborative working relationship; enhance efficient whole life cycle cost management; improve risk management and facilitate efficient tendering process. The study suggested the development of local Standard Method of Measurement for M&E services and proposed strategies to facilitate the adoption of SBPM as basis for forecasting contract price of mechanical and electrical services in buildings.

ACTIVITY-BASED COSTING APLICATIONS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

OpenAIRE

Boris Popesko; Petr Novak

2008-01-01

The Article deals with the problem of Activity-Based Costing (ABC) utilization in conditions of the Czech Republic. Shortcoming of the traditional costing methods and advantages of Activity-Based Costing systems are explained in the opening part of this article. Major part of article is dedicated to presentation of advantages of utilization of ABC system in practice. Final part of article is focused on results of the authors’ research focused on the level of the cost management systems in the...

LEVEL OF HABITUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF WOMEN WITH FIBROMYALGIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manoela de Oliveira Nascimento Araújo

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The syndrome of fibromyalgia (FM is a condition of chronic pain, general, difficult to treat and contributes to the decline of cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life. This study aimed to analyze the association between physical activity and quality of life of women with FM. Was characterized as cross-sectional study and the population consisted 22 women with FM care in the city of Itabuna - BA. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia was according to criteria to American College of Rheumatology. The data collection instrument was established by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Atividade física e qualidade de vida For data analysis, we used the procedure descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage and inferential (Chi-square test and Fisher's test, significance level of p≤0.05. The average age of respondents was 41.05 (SD = 6.543 years, ranging between 27 and 56 years. In general physical activity, 45.5% were considered physically active. By analyzing the dimensions of physical activity as a means transportation, only 31.8% are active and in the dimension of leisure, only 27.3%. The assessment of the level of quality of life of the subjects revealed that 72.7% had negative quality of life, while only 27.3% reported having a positive quality of life. The present study showed that fibromyalgia affects mainly women and that this syndrome interfere with the patients' quality of life.

Do physical activity level and body mass index predict recovery from persistent neck pain in men and women of working age? A population-based cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen-Barr, E; Bohman, T; Hallqvist, J; Holm, L W; Skillgate, E

2013-09-01

The study sought to examine the gender-specific effects of physical activity level and body mass index on recovery from persistent neck pain (PNP) among citizens of working age in Stockholm, Sweden. A population-based cohort of 1,730 subjects (18-65) with PNP answered surveys in 2002 and 2007. Prognostic factors were self-reported body mass index (BMI) and physical activity level (PAL) at baseline. Analyses were performed with odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI). Women reporting higher physical activity level had higher odds of recovering from PNP than women with sedentary leisure time (OR of 1.5, 95 % CI 1.0-2.4), but no associations were found in men. No associations were found between BMI and recovery from PNP in any analyses. Physical activity seems to be associated with recovery from PNP in women and should therefore be encouraged. Future studies should continue investigating physical activity and lifestyle factors in relation to recovery from persistent neck pain, since these modifiable factors may be considered in interventions.

Social and Environmental Factors Related to Boys? and Girls? Park-Based Physical Activity

OpenAIRE

Bocarro, Jason N.; Floyd, Myron F.; Smith, William R.; Edwards, Michael B.; Schultz, Courtney L.; Baran, Perver; Moore, Robin A.; Cosco, Nilda; Suau, Luis J.

2015-01-01

Introduction Parks provide opportunities for physical activity for children. This study examined sex differences in correlates of park-based physical activity because differences may indicate that a standard environmental intervention to increase activity among children may not equally benefit boys and girls. Methods The System for Observation Play and Recreation in Communities was used to measure physical activity among 2,712 children and adolescents in 20 neighborhood parks in Durham, North...

Activity-Based Information Integrating the operations strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Augusto da Rocha de Araujo

2005-12-01

Full Text Available In the globalized world, companies seek for new operations strategies to ensure world corporate success. This article analyzes how the cost management models – both traditional and activity-based, aid the planning and management of corporate globalized operations. The efficacy of the models application depends on their alignment with the competitive strategy. Companies must evaluate the nature of the competition and its competitive priorities; they should then define the necessary and sufficient dependence level on costs information. In this article, three dependence levels are presented: operational, decision support and strategic control. The result of the research shows the importance of alignment between the cost management model and the competitive strategy for corporate success, and confirms the adequacy of the activity-based costing model as a supporting tool for decision taking in a global strategy. Case studies in world class companies in Brazil are presented.

Approach and issues toward development of risk-based release standards for radioactive scrap metal recycle and reuse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, S.Y.; Nieves, L.A.; Nabelssi, B.K.; LePoire, D.J.

1994-01-01

The decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities is expected to generate large amounts of slightly radioactive scrap metal (RSM). It is likely that some of these materials will be suitable for recycling and reuse. The amount of scrap steel from DOE facilities, for instance, is estimated to be more than one million tons (Hertzler 1993). However, under current practice and without the establishment of acceptable recycling standards, the RSM would be disposed of primarily as radioactive low-level waste (LLW). In the United States, no specific standards have been developed for the unrestricted release of bulk contaminated materials. Although standards for unrestricted release of radioactive surface contamination (NRC 1974) have existed for about 20 years, the release of materials is not commonly practiced because of the lack of risk-based justifications. Recent guidance from international bodies (IAEA 1988) has established a basis for deriving risk-based release limits for radioactive materials. It is important, therefore, to evaluate the feasibility of recycling and associated issues necessary for the establishment of risk-based release limits for the radioactive metals

Level of physical activity and accidental falls in elderly: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Cristina Passarella Brêtas

2009-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to analyze studies evaluating the association between the level of physical activity and the occurrence of accidental falls in the elderly. A systematic literature review of the LILACS and MEDLINE databases was conducted. As inclusion criteria, complete scientific articles investigating subjects older than 60 years, published in Portuguese, English or Spanish, were selected. Twenty-nine articles were retrieved, five from LILACS (1982 to 2007, two from MEDLINE (1966 to 1996, and 22 from MEDLINE (from 1997 to 2007. Ten (35% articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria and 19 (65% were excluded. A cross-sectional design was the most frequent type of study (60%. The studies identified suggest an association between the level of physical activity and factors related to the occurrence of falls such as functional disability, quality of life and independence to perform daily activities. Falls were found to restrict physical activity in some studies. In view of the heterogeneity of the studies in terms of methods and assessments, it was not possible to determine whether a better level of physical activity is able to decrease the incidence of falls in the elderly.

Chip-Level Channel Equalization in WCDMA Downlink

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kari Hooli

2002-08-01

Full Text Available The most important third generation (3G cellular communications standard is based on wideband CDMA (WCDMA. Receivers based on TDMA style channel equalization at the chip level have been proposed for a WCDMA downlink employing long spreading sequences to ensure adequate performance even with a high number of active users. These receivers equalize the channel prior to despreading, thus restoring the orthogonality of users and resulting in multiple-access interference (MAI suppression. In this paper, an overview of chip-level channel equalizers is delivered with special attention to adaptation methods suitable for the WCDMA downlink. Numerical examples on the equalizers′ performance are given in Rayleigh fading frequency-selective channels.

78 FR 57818 - Commission Participation and Commission Employee Involvement in Voluntary Standards Activities

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-20

... docket number for this rulemaking. All comments received may be posted without change, including any... found in in such locations as homes, schools, and recreational areas. Voluntary standards activity is an... handled primarily by three standards development/coordinating organizations: ASTM International...

Neighborhood level health risk assessment of lead paint removal activities from elevated steel bridges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conway, R.F.; Cohen, J.T.; Bowers, T.

1999-07-01

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) has adopted strict containment and monitoring procedures during paint removal activities on its bridges because of the increasing awareness about lead poisoning in children in urban environments and the potential risk of lead-based paint releases during those activities. NYCDOT owns nearly 800 bridges scattered throughout New York City. Before undertaking paint removal activities as part of its ongoing preventive maintenance and rehabilitation program, NYCDOT recently conducted an analysis to determine the public health risk posed to children living near them. The analysis the first of its kind to assess the actual public health risk potential during both routine operations and upset conditions, or accidental releases evaluated the total and incremental blood lead levels from paint removal activities on more than 5,000 children from 6 months to 6 years old. Increases in baseline blood lead levels were estimated using several models, including EPA's Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK) Model. This model estimates steady-state blood lead levels in children, reflecting exposure to lead in multiple media over an extended period of time. Increases in lead exposure from paint removal activities in the area surrounding the bridges was estimated using EPA's Industrial Source Complex (ISC3) model to calculate ambient air and deposition levels. Potential releases from the containment and ancillary equipment used in the paint removal process were modeled based on different release scenarios ranging from routine operations to complete failure of containment. To estimate the paint removal activities' contribution to long-term exterior dust lead levels (and its related interior component), a stochastic simulation model was developed for each block in the study area.

Elevated salivary C-reactive protein levels are associated with active and passive smoking in healthy youth: A pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azar Rima

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We examined salivary C-reactive protein (CRP levels in the context of tobacco smoke exposure (TSE in healthy youth. We hypothesized that there would be a dose-response relationship between TSE status and salivary CRP levels. Methods This work is a pilot study (N = 45 for a larger investigation in which we aim to validate salivary CRP against serum CRP, the gold standard measurement of low-grade inflammation. Participants were healthy youth with no self-reported periodontal disease, no objectively measured obesity/adiposity, and no clinical depression, based on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II. We assessed tobacco smoking and confirmed smoking status (non-smoking, passive smoking, and active smoking with salivary cotinine measurement. We measured salivary CRP by the ELISA method. We controlled for several potential confounders. Results We found evidence for the existence of a dose-response relationship between the TSE status and salivary CRP levels. Conclusions Our preliminary findings indicate that salivary CRP seems to have a similar relation to TSE as its widely used serum (systemic inflammatory biomarker counterpart.

Development of departmental standard for traceability of measured activity for 131I therapy capsules used in nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravichandran, Ramamoorthy; Binukumar, J.P.

2011-01-01

International Basic Safety Standards (International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA) provide guidance levels for diagnostic procedures in nuclear medicine indicating the maximum usual activity for various diagnostic tests in terms of activities of injected radioactive formulations. An accuracy of ± 10% in the activities of administered radio-pharmaceuticals is being recommended, for expected outcome in diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine procedures. It is recommended that the long-term stability of isotope calibrators used in nuclear medicine is to be checked periodically for their performance using a long-lived check source, such as 137 Cs, of suitable activity. In view of the un-availability of such a radioactive source, we tried to develop methods to maintain traceability of these instruments, for certifying measured activities for human use. Two re-entrant chambers ((HDR 1000 and Selectron Source Dosimetry System (SSDS)) with 125 I and 192 Ir calibration factors in the Department of Radiotherapy were used to measure Iodine-131 ( 131 I) therapy capsules to establish traceability to Mark V isotope calibrator of the Department of Nuclear Medicine. Special nylon jigs were fabricated to keep 131 I capsule holder in position. Measured activities in all the chambers showed good agreement. The accuracy of SSDS chamber in measuring 192 Ir activities in the last 5 years was within 0.5%, validating its role as departmental standard for measuring activity. The above method is adopted because mean energies of 131 I and 192 Ir are comparable. (author)

Synthetic multielement standards used for instrumental neutron activation analysis as rock imitations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leypunskaya, D.I.; Drynkin, V.I.; Belenky, B.V.; Kolomijtsev, M.A.; Dundera, V.Yu.; Pachulia, N.V.

1975-01-01

Complex (multielemental) standards representing microelement composition of standard rocks such as trap ST-1 (USSR), gabbrodiorite SGD-1 (USSR), albitized granite SG-1 (USSR), basalt BCR-1 (USA) and granodiorite GSP-1 (USA) have been synthesized. It has been shown that the concentration of each microelement in the synthetic standards can be given with a high precision. Comparative investigation has been carried out of the synthetic imitations and the above natural standard rocks. It has been found that the result of the instrumental neutron activation analysis using the synthetic standards is as good as in the case when natural standard rocks are used. The results obtained have been also used for substantiation of the versatility of the method used for standard preparation, i.e. a generalization has been made of a possibility of using this method for the preparation of synthetic standards representing the microelement composition of any natural rocks with various compositions and concentrations of microelements. (T.G.)

Does feedback on daily activity level from a Smart watch during inpatient stroke rehabilitation increase physical activity levels? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Yun; Steins, Dax; Sun, Shanbin; Li, Fei; Amor, James D; James, Christopher J; Xia, Zhidao; Dawes, Helen; Izadi, Hooshang; Cao, Yi; Wade, Derick T

2018-03-09

Practicing activities improves recovery after stroke, but many people in hospital do little activity. Feedback on activity using an accelerometer is a potential method to increase activity in hospital inpatients. This study's goal is to investigate the effect of feedback, enabled by a Smart watch, on daily physical activity levels during inpatient stroke rehabilitation and the short-term effects on simple functional activities, primarily mobility. A randomized controlled trial will be undertaken within the stroke rehabilitation wards of the Second Affiliated hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China. The study participants will be stroke survivors who meet inclusion criteria for the study, primarily: able to participate, no more than 4 months after stroke and walking independently before stroke. Participants will all receive standard local rehabilitation and will be randomly assigned either to receive regular feedback about activity levels, relative to a daily goal tailored by the smart watch over five time periods throughout a working day, or to no feedback, but still wearing the Smart watch. The intervention will last up to 3 weeks, ending sooner if discharged. The data to be collected in all participants include measures of daily activity (Smart watch measure); mobility (Rivermead Mobility Index and 10-metre walking time); independence in personal care (Barthel Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Index); overall activities (the World Health Organization (WHO) Disability Assessment Scale, 12-item version); and quality of life (the Euro-Qol 5L5D). Data will be collected by assessors blinded to allocation of the intervention at baseline, 3 weeks or at discharge (whichever is the sooner); and a reduced data set will be collected at 12 weeks by telephone interview. The primary outcome will be change in daily accelerometer activity scores. Secondary outcomes are compliance and adherence to wearing the watch, and changes in mobility

No interactions between previously associated 2-hour glucose gene variants and physical activity or BMI on 2-hour glucose levels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scott, Robert A; Chu, Audrey Y; Grarup, Niels

2012-01-01

to determine 2-h glucose levels is unknown. We meta-analyzed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) × BMI and SNP × physical activity (PA) interaction regression models for five SNPs previously associated with 2-h glucose levels from up to 22 studies comprising 54,884 individuals without diabetes. PA levels were......Gene-lifestyle interactions have been suggested to contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. Glucose levels 2 h after a standard 75-g glucose challenge are used to diagnose diabetes and are associated with both genetic and lifestyle factors. However, whether these factors interact...... dichotomized, with individuals below the first quintile classified as inactive (20%) and the remainder as active (80%). BMI was considered a continuous trait. Inactive individuals had higher 2-h glucose levels than active individuals (ß = 0.22 mmol/L [95% CI 0.13-0.31], P = 1.63 × 10(-6)). All SNPs were...

Effects of Curricular Activity on Students' Situational Motivation and Physical Activity Levels

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Zan; Hannon, James C.; Newton, Maria; Huang, Chaoqun

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine (a) the effects of three curricular activities on students' situational motivation (intrinsic motivation [IM], identified regulation [IR], external regulation, and amotivation [AM]) and physical activity (PA) levels, and (b) the predictive strength of situational motivation to PA levels. Four hundred twelve…

A biomolecular proportional integral controller based on feedback regulations of protein level and activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Mairet, Francis

2018-02-01

Homeostasis is the capacity of living organisms to keep internal conditions regulated at a constant level, despite environmental fluctuations. Integral feedback control is known to play a key role in this behaviour. Here, I show that a feedback system involving transcriptional and post-translational regulations of the same executor protein acts as a proportional integral (PI) controller, leading to enhanced transient performances in comparison with a classical integral loop. Such a biomolecular controller-which I call a level and activity-PI controller (LA-PI)-is involved in the regulation of ammonium uptake by Escherichia coli through the transporter AmtB. The P II molecules, which reflect the nitrogen status of the cell, inhibit both the production of AmtB and its activity (via the NtrB-NtrC system and the formation of a complex with GlnK, respectively). Other examples of LA-PI controller include copper and zinc transporters, and the redox regulation in photosynthesis. This scheme has thus emerged through evolution in many biological systems, surely because of the benefits it offers in terms of performances (rapid and perfect adaptation) and economy (protein production according to needs).

Adverse Health Effects Associated with Increased Activity at Kīlauea Volcano: A Repeated Population-Based Survey

OpenAIRE

Longo, Bernadette M.

2013-01-01

Eruptive activity at the Kīlauea volcano (Hawai`i, USA) has increased since 2008 resulting in volcanic air pollution (vog) at levels exceeding the national air quality standard for sulfur dioxide. Previous investigations during lower vog levels found adverse cardiorespiratory effects in the residents. The purpose of this 2012 survey was to reassess and compare the impact of the increased volcanic activity on population health. Prevalence of cardiorespiratory signs, symptoms, and diseases was ...

The validity of parental reports on motor skills performance level in preschool children: a comparison with a standardized motor test.

Science.gov (United States)

Zysset, Annina E; Kakebeeke, Tanja H; Messerli-Bürgy, Nadine; Meyer, Andrea H; Stülb, Kerstin; Leeger-Aschmann, Claudia S; Schmutz, Einat A; Arhab, Amar; Ferrazzini, Valentina; Kriemler, Susi; Munsch, Simone; Puder, Jardena J; Jenni, Oskar G

2018-05-01

Motor skills are interrelated with essential domains of childhood such as cognitive and social development. Thus, the evaluation of motor skills and the identification of atypical or delayed motor development is crucial in pediatric practice (e.g., during well-child visits). Parental reports on motor skills may serve as possible indicators to decide whether further assessment of a child is necessary or not. We compared parental reports on fundamental motor skills performance level (e.g., hopping, throwing), based on questions frequently asked in pediatric practice, with a standardized motor test in 389 children (46.5% girls/53.5% boys, M age = 3.8 years, SD = 0.5, range 3.0-5.0 years) from the Swiss Preschoolers' Health Study (SPLASHY). Motor skills were examined using the Zurich Neuromotor Assessment 3-5 (ZNA3-5), and parents filled in an online questionnaire on fundamental motor skills performance level. The results showed that the answers from the parental report correlated only weakly with the objectively assessed motor skills (r = .225, p skills would be desirable, the parent's report used in this study was not a valid indicator for children's fundamental motor skills. Thus, we may recommend to objectively examine motor skills in clinical practice and not to exclusively rely on parental report. What is Known: • Early assessment of motor skills in preschool children is important because motor skills are essential for the engagement in social activities and the development of cognitive abilities. Atypical or delayed motor development can be an indicator for different developmental needs or disorders. • Pediatricians frequently ask parents about the motor competences of their child during well-child visits. What is New: • The parental report on fundamental motor skills performance level used in this study was not a reliable indicator for describing motor development in the preschool age. • Standardized examinations of motor skills are

Nine-phase hex-tuple inverter for five-level output based on double carrier PWM technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Padmanaban, S.; Bhaskar, M.S.; Blaabjerg, F.

2016-01-01

This work articulates double carrier based five-level pulsewidth modulation for a nine-phase hex-tuple inverter AC drive. A set of standard three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI) with slight modification is used for framing the ninephase AC drive. In particular VSI packed with one bidirectiona...

The NPL survey on tritium and radon standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makepeace, J.; Curry, M.

1989-02-01

The survey was carried out to establish the ranges of activity and levels of uncertainty which would satisfy U.K. customers' needs for Tritium and Radon standards in gas and water. A secondary object was to obtain comments on needs for other standards. (U.K.)

Activity-based differentiation of pathologists' workload in surgical pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Meijer, G A; Oudejans, J J; Koevoets, J J M; Meijer, C J L M

2009-06-01

Adequate budget control in pathology practice requires accurate allocation of resources. Any changes in types and numbers of specimens handled or protocols used will directly affect the pathologists' workload and consequently the allocation of resources. The aim of the present study was to develop a model for measuring the pathologists' workload that can take into account the changes mentioned above. The diagnostic process was analyzed and broken up into separate activities. The time needed to perform these activities was measured. Based on linear regression analysis, for each activity, the time needed was calculated as a function of the number of slides or blocks involved. The total pathologists' time required for a range of specimens was calculated based on standard protocols and validated by comparing to actually measured workload. Cutting up, microscopic procedures and dictating turned out to be highly correlated to number of blocks and/or slides per specimen. Calculated workload per type of specimen was significantly correlated to the actually measured workload. Modeling pathologists' workload based on formulas that calculate workload per type of specimen as a function of the number of blocks and slides provides a basis for a comprehensive, yet flexible, activity-based costing system for pathology.

Systems Biology Graphical Notation: Activity Flow language Level 1 Version 1.2.

Science.gov (United States)

Mi, Huaiyu; Schreiber, Falk; Moodie, Stuart; Czauderna, Tobias; Demir, Emek; Haw, Robin; Luna, Augustin; Le Novère, Nicolas; Sorokin, Anatoly; Villéger, Alice

2015-09-04

The Systems Biological Graphical Notation (SBGN) is an international community effort for standardized graphical representations of biological pathways and networks. The goal of SBGN is to provide unambiguous pathway and network maps for readers with different scientific backgrounds as well as to support efficient and accurate exchange of biological knowledge between different research communities, industry, and other players in systems biology. Three SBGN languages, Process Description (PD), Entity Relationship (ER) and Activity Flow (AF), allow for the representation of different aspects of biological and biochemical systems at different levels of detail. The SBGN Activity Flow language represents the influences of activities among various entities within a network. Unlike SBGN PD and ER that focus on the entities and their relationships with others, SBGN AF puts the emphasis on the functions (or activities) performed by the entities, and their effects to the functions of the same or other entities. The nodes (elements) describe the biological activities of the entities, such as protein kinase activity, binding activity or receptor activity, which can be easily mapped to Gene Ontology molecular function terms. The edges (connections) provide descriptions of relationships (or influences) between the activities, e.g., positive influence and negative influence. Among all three languages of SBGN, AF is the closest to signaling pathways in biological literature and textbooks, but its well-defined semantics offer a superior precision in expressing biological knowledge.

Comparing Panelists' Understanding of Standard Setting across Multiple Levels of an Alternate Science Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Mary A.; Lyon, Steven R.; Heh, Peter; Zigmond, Naomi

2013-01-01

Large-scale assessment programs, including alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS), must provide evidence of technical quality and validity. This study provides information about the technical quality of one AA-AAS by evaluating the standard setting for the science component. The assessment was designed to have…

Quantifying levels of animal activity using camera trap data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rowcliffe, J.M.; Kays, R.; Kranstauber, B.; Carbone, C.; Jansen, P.A.

2014-01-01

1.Activity level (the proportion of time that animals spend active) is a behavioural and ecological metric that can provide an indicator of energetics, foraging effort and exposure to risk. However, activity level is poorly known for free-living animals because it is difficult to quantify activity

Findings and recommendations of the competency based standards project for radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Egan, Ingrid

1993-01-01

In February 1992, the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition funded a $150,000 research project for the development of Competency Based Standards for the professions of Medical Radiation Science (MRS). The four professions of MRS are now considered to be: Radiography, Radiation Therapy, Nuclear Medicine Science and Sonography. The four national documents have aimed at describing the performances of the MRS practitioner at entry level to the profession. Findings from survey and interviews indicate that the existing structure of the undergraduate courses should be reviewed with emphasis on: problem solving skills, theater radiography, paediatric radiography, image interpretation or radiography pathology as well as venepuncture, if accepted nationally. . 5 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs

Adherence to a Videogame-Based Physical Activity Program for Older Adults with Schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Leutwyler, Heather; Hubbard, Erin M; Dowling, Glenna A

2014-08-01

Adults with schizophrenia are a growing segment of the older adult population. Evidence suggests that they engage in limited physical activity. Interventions are needed that are tailored around their unique limitations. An active videogame-based physical activity program that can be offered at a treatment facility can overcome these barriers and increase motivation to engage in physical activity. The purpose of this report is to describe the adherence to a videogame-based physical activity program using the Kinect(®) for Xbox(®) 360 game system (Microsoft(®), Redmond, WA) in older adults with schizophrenia. This was a descriptive longitudinal study among 34 older adults with schizophrenia to establish the adherence to an active videogame-based physical activity program. In our ongoing program, once a week for 6 weeks, participants played an active videogame, using the Kinect for Xbox 360 game system, for 30 minutes. Adherence was measured with a count of sessions attended and with the total minutes attended out of the possible total minutes of attendance (180 minutes). Thirty-four adults with schizophrenia enrolled in the study. The mean number of groups attended was five out of six total (standard deviation=2), and the mean total minutes attended were 139 out of 180 possible (standard deviation=55). Fifty percent had perfect attendance. Older adults with schizophrenia need effective physical activity programs. Adherence to our program suggests that videogames that use the Kinect for Xbox 360 game system are an innovative way to make physical activity accessible to this population.

Adherence to a Videogame-Based Physical Activity Program for Older Adults with Schizophrenia

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbard, Erin M.; Dowling, Glenna A.

2014-01-01

Abstract Objectives: Adults with schizophrenia are a growing segment of the older adult population. Evidence suggests that they engage in limited physical activity. Interventions are needed that are tailored around their unique limitations. An active videogame-based physical activity program that can be offered at a treatment facility can overcome these barriers and increase motivation to engage in physical activity. The purpose of this report is to describe the adherence to a videogame-based physical activity program using the Kinect® for Xbox® 360 game system (Microsoft®, Redmond, WA) in older adults with schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive longitudinal study among 34 older adults with schizophrenia to establish the adherence to an active videogame-based physical activity program. In our ongoing program, once a week for 6 weeks, participants played an active videogame, using the Kinect for Xbox 360 game system, for 30 minutes. Adherence was measured with a count of sessions attended and with the total minutes attended out of the possible total minutes of attendance (180 minutes). Results: Thirty-four adults with schizophrenia enrolled in the study. The mean number of groups attended was five out of six total (standard deviation=2), and the mean total minutes attended were 139 out of 180 possible (standard deviation=55). Fifty percent had perfect attendance. Conclusions: Older adults with schizophrenia need effective physical activity programs. Adherence to our program suggests that videogames that use the Kinect for Xbox 360 game system are an innovative way to make physical activity accessible to this population. PMID:26192371

Innovations in mental health services implementation: a report on state-level data from the U.S. Evidence-Based Practices Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnabosco, Jennifer L

2006-05-30

The Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Project has been investigating the implementation of evidence-based mental health practices (Assertive Community Treatment, Family Psychoeducation, Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment, Illness Management and Recovery, and Supported Employment) in state public mental health systems in the United States since 2001. To date, Project findings have yielded valuable insights into implementation strategy characteristics and effectiveness. This paper reports results of an effort to identify and classify state-level implementation activities and strategies employed across the eight states participating in the Project. Content analysis and Greenhalgh et al's (2004) definition of innovation were used to identify and classify state-level activities employed during three phases of EBP implementation: Pre-Implementation, Initial Implementation and Sustainability Planning. Activities were coded from site visit reports created from documents and notes from key informant interviews conducted during two periods, Fall 2002-Spring 2003, and Spring 2004. Frequency counts and rank-order analyses were used to examine patterns of implementation activities and strategies employed across the three phases of implementation. One hundred and six discreet implementation activities and strategies were identified as innovative and were classified into five categories: 1) state infrastructure building and commitment, 2) stakeholder relationship building and communications, 3) financing, 4) continuous quality management, and 5) service delivery practices and training. Implementation activities from different categories were employed at different phases of implementation. Insights into effective strategies for implementing EBPs in mental health and other health sectors require qualitative and quantitative research that seeks to: a) empirically test the effects of tools and methods used to implement EBPs, and b) establish a stronger evidence-base from which to plan

Innovations in mental health services implementation: a report on state-level data from the U.S. Evidence-Based Practices Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magnabosco Jennifer L

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Evidence-Based Practice (EBP Project has been investigating the implementation of evidence-based mental health practices (Assertive Community Treatment, Family Psychoeducation, Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment, Illness Management and Recovery, and Supported Employment in state public mental health systems in the United States since 2001. To date, Project findings have yielded valuable insights into implementation strategy characteristics and effectiveness. This paper reports results of an effort to identify and classify state-level implementation activities and strategies employed across the eight states participating in the Project. Methods Content analysis and Greenhalgh et al's (2004 definition of innovation were used to identify and classify state-level activities employed during three phases of EBP implementation: Pre-Implementation, Initial Implementation and Sustainability Planning. Activities were coded from site visit reports created from documents and notes from key informant interviews conducted during two periods, Fall 2002 – Spring 2003, and Spring 2004. Frequency counts and rank-order analyses were used to examine patterns of implementation activities and strategies employed across the three phases of implementation. Results One hundred and six discreet implementation activities and strategies were identified as innovative and were classified into five categories: 1 state infrastructure building and commitment, 2 stakeholder relationship building and communications, 3 financing, 4 continuous quality management, and 5 service delivery practices and training. Implementation activities from different categories were employed at different phases of implementation. Conclusion Insights into effective strategies for implementing EBPs in mental health and other health sectors require qualitative and quantitative research that seeks to: a empirically test the effects of tools and methods used to implement EBPs

77 FR 43018 - Updating OSHA Construction Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-23

.... OSHA-2011-0184] RIN 1218-AC65 Updating OSHA Construction Standards Based on National Consensus... Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Labor. ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; correction. SUMMARY: OSHA is correcting a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) with regard to the construction...

A Review on Video-Based Human Activity Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shian-Ru Ke

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This review article surveys extensively the current progresses made toward video-based human activity recognition. Three aspects for human activity recognition are addressed including core technology, human activity recognition systems, and applications from low-level to high-level representation. In the core technology, three critical processing stages are thoroughly discussed mainly: human object segmentation, feature extraction and representation, activity detection and classification algorithms. In the human activity recognition systems, three main types are mentioned, including single person activity recognition, multiple people interaction and crowd behavior, and abnormal activity recognition. Finally the domains of applications are discussed in detail, specifically, on surveillance environments, entertainment environments and healthcare systems. Our survey, which aims to provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of the field, also addresses several challenges associated with these systems and applications. Moreover, in this survey, various applications are discussed in great detail, specifically, a survey on the applications in healthcare monitoring systems.

The Science Camp Model based on maker movement and tinkering activity for developing concept of electricity in middle school students to meet standard evaluation of ordinary national educational test (O-NET)

Science.gov (United States)

Chamrat, Suthida

2018-01-01

The standard evaluation of Thai education relies excessively on the Ordinary National Educational Test, widely known as O-NET. However, a focus on O-Net results can lead to unsatisfactory teaching practices, especially in science subjects. Among the negative consequences, is that schools frequently engage in "cramming" practices in order to elevate their O-NET scores. Higher education, which is committed to generating and applying knowledge by socially engaged scholars, needs to take account of this situation. This research article portrays the collaboration between the faculty of education at Chiang Mai University and an educational service area to develop the model of science camp. The activities designed for the Science Camp Model were based on the Tinkering and Maker Movement. Specifically, the Science Camp Model was designed to enhance the conceptualization of electricity for Middle School Students in order to meet the standard evaluation of the Ordinary National Educational Test. The hands-on activities consisted of 5 modules which were simple electrical circuits, paper circuits, electrical measurement roleplay motor art robots and Force from Motor. The data were collected by 11 items of Electricity Socratic-based Test adapted from cumulative published O-NET tests focused on the concept of electricity concept. The qualitative data were also collected virtually via Flinga.com. The results indicated that students after participating in 5modules of science camp based on the Maker Movement and tinkering activity developed average percentage of test scores from 33.64 to 65.45. Gain score analysis using dependent t-test compared pretest and posttest mean scores. The p value was found to be statistically significant (less than 0.001). The posttest had a considerably higher mean score compared with the pretest. Qualitative data also indicated that students could explain the main concepts of electrical circuits, and the transformation of electrical energy to

COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING: OVERVIEW OF MODERN STANDARDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Рupena

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The article deals with modern international standards ISA-95 and ISA-88 on the development of computer inegreted manufacturing. It is shown scope of standards in the context of a hierarchical model of the enterprise. Article is built in such a way to describe the essence of the standards in the light of the basic descriptive models: product definition, resources, schedules and actual performance of industrial activity. Description of the product definition is given by hierarchical presentation of products at various levels of management. Much attention is given to describe this type of resources like equipment, which is logical chain to all these standards. For example, the standard batch process control shows the relationship between the definition of product and equipment on which it is made. The article shows the hierarchy of planning ERP-MES / MOM-SCADA (in terms of standard ISA-95, which traces the decomposition of common production plans of enterprises for specific works at APCS. We consider the appointment of the actual performance of production at MES / MOM considering KPI. Generalized picture of operational activity on a level MES / MOM is shown via general circuit diagrams of the relationship of activities and information flows between the functions. The article is finished by a substantiation of necessity of distribution, approval and development of standards ISA-88 and ISA-95 in Ukraine. The article is an overview and can be useful to specialists in computer-integrated systems control and management of industrial enterprises, system integrators and suppliers.

Argentine nuclear energy standardization activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boero, Norma; Corcuera, Roberto; Palacios, Tulio A.; Hey, Alfredo M.; Berte, G.; Trama, L.

2004-01-01

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has more than 200 Technical Committees that develop technical standards. During April 2004 took place in Buenos Aires the 14th Plenary of the ISO/TC 85 Nuclear Energy Committee. During this Plenary issues as Nuclear Terminology, Radiation Protection, Nuclear Fuels, Nuclear Reactors and Irradiation Dosimetry was dealt with. 105 International delegates and 45 National delegates (belonging to CNEA, ARN, NASA, INVAP, CONUAR, IONICS and other organizations) attended the meetings. During this meeting ISO/TC 85 changed its scope; the new scope of the Committee is 'Standardization in the fields of peaceful applications of nuclear energy and of the protection of individuals against all sources of ionizing radiations'. This work summarizes the most important advances and resolutions about the development of standards taken during this meeting as well as the main conclusions. (author) [es

Survey of State-Level Cost and Benefit Estimates of Renewable Portfolio Standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heeter, J.; Barbose, G.; Bird, L.; Weaver, S.; Flores-Espino, F.; Kuskova-Burns, K.; Wiser, R.

2014-05-01

Most renewable portfolio standards (RPS) have five or more years of implementation experience, enabling an assessment of their costs and benefits. Understanding RPS costs and benefits is essential for policymakers evaluating existing RPS policies, assessing the need for modifications, and considering new policies. This study provides an overview of methods used to estimate RPS compliance costs and benefits, based on available data and estimates issued by utilities and regulators. Over the 2010-2012 period, average incremental RPS compliance costs in the United States were equivalent to 0.8% of retail electricity rates, although substantial variation exists around this average, both from year-to-year and across states. The methods used by utilities and regulators to estimate incremental compliance costs vary considerably from state to state and a number of states are currently engaged in processes to refine and standardize their approaches to RPS cost calculation. The report finds that state assessments of RPS benefits have most commonly attempted to quantitatively assess avoided emissions and human health benefits, economic development impacts, and wholesale electricity price savings. Compared to the summary of RPS costs, the summary of RPS benefits is more limited, as relatively few states have undertaken detailed benefits estimates, and then only for a few types of potential policy impacts. In some cases, the same impacts may be captured in the assessment of incremental costs. For these reasons, and because methodologies and level of rigor vary widely, direct comparisons between the estimates of benefits and costs are challenging.

Cancer development based on chronic active gastritis and resulting gastric atrophy as assessed by serum levels of pepsinogen and Helicobacter pylori antibody titer.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshida, Takeichi; Kato, Jun; Inoue, Izumi; Yoshimura, Noriko; Deguchi, Hisanobu; Mukoubayashi, Chizu; Oka, Masashi; Watanabe, Mika; Enomoto, Shotaro; Niwa, Toru; Maekita, Takao; Iguchi, Mikitaka; Tamai, Hideyuki; Utsunomiya, Hirotoshi; Yamamichi, Nobutake; Fujishiro, Mitsuhiro; Iwane, Masataka; Takeshita, Tatsuya; Ushijima, Toshikazu; Ichinose, Masao

2014-03-15

Our study investigated the relationship between gastric cancer development and activity of Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis or the resulting chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). A cohort of 4,655 healthy asymptomatic subjects, in whom serum pepsinogen (PG) and H. pylori antibody titer had been measured to assess the activity and stage of H. pylori-associated chronic gastritis, was followed for up to 16 years, and cancer development was investigated. In subjects with a serologically diagnosed healthy stomach (H. pylori-negative/CAG-negative), cancer incidence rate was low, at 16/100,000 person-years. With the establishment of H. pylori infection and progression of chronic gastritis, significant stepwise cancer risk elevations were seen from CAG-free subjects (H. pylori-positive/CAG-negative) [hazard ratio (HR) = 8.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.7-54.7] to subjects with CAG (H. pylori-positive/CAG-positive) (HR = 17.7, 95% CI = 5.4-108.6) and finally to subjects with metaplastic gastritis (H. pylori-negative/CAG-positive) (HR = 69.7, 95% CI = 13.6-502.9). In H. pylori-infected CAG-free subjects, significantly elevated cancer risk was observed in the subgroup with active inflammation-based high PG II level or potent immune response-based high H. pylori antibody titer; the former was associated with a particularly high risk of diffuse-type cancer, and both subgroups showed high cancer incidence rates of around 250/100,000 person-years, comparable to that in subjects with CAG. No such risk elevation was observed in H. pylori-infected subjects with CAG. These results clearly indicate that gastric cancer develops mainly from the gastritis-atrophy-metaplasia-cancer sequence and partly from active inflammation-based direct carcinogenesis, and that serum levels of PG and H. pylori antibody titer provide indices of cancer development in H. pylori-infected subjects. © 2013 UICC.

Physical activity levels early after lung transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wickerson, Lisa; Mathur, Sunita; Singer, Lianne G; Brooks, Dina

2015-04-01

Little is known of the early changes in physical activity after lung transplantation. The purposes of this study were: (1) to describe physical activity levels in patients up to 6 months following lung transplantation and (2) to explore predictors of the change in physical activity in that population. This was a prospective cohort study. Physical activity (daily steps and time spent in moderate-intensity activity) was measured using an accelerometer before and after transplantation (at hospital discharge, 3 months, and 6 months). Additional functional measurements included submaximal exercise capacity (measured with the 6-Minute Walk Test), quadriceps muscle torque, and health-related quality of life (measured with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey 36 [SF-36] and the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire). Thirty-six lung transplant recipients (18 men, 18 women; mean age=49 years, SD=14) completed posttransplant measurements. Before transplant, daily steps were less than a third of the general population. By 3 months posttransplant, the largest improvement in physical activity had occurred, and level of daily steps reached 55% of the general population. The change in daily steps (pretransplant to 3 months posttransplant) was inversely correlated with pretransplant 6-minute walk distance (r=-.48, P=.007), daily steps (r=-.36, P=.05), and SF-36 physical functioning (SF-36 PF) score (r=-.59, P=.0005). The SF-36 PF was a significant predictor of the change in physical activity, accounting for 35% of the variation in change in daily steps. Only individuals who were ambulatory prior to transplant and discharged from the hospital in less than 3 months were included in the study. Physical activity levels improve following lung transplantation, particularly in individuals with low self-reported physical functioning. However, the majority of lung transplant recipients remain sedentary between 3 to 6 months following transplant. The role of exercise

77 FR 53769 - Receipts-Based, Small Business Size Standard; Confirmation of Effective Date

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-04

... Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended. The NRC is increasing its receipts-based, small business size standard from $6.5 million to $7 million to conform to the standard set by the Small Business Administration...-Based, Small Business Size Standard; Confirmation of Effective Date AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory...

Position paper on standardization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-04-01

The ''NPOC Strategic Plan for Building New Nuclear Plants'' creates a framework within which new standardized nuclear plants may be built. The Strategic Plan is an expression of the nuclear energy industry's serious intent to create the necessary conditions for new plant construction and operation. One of the key elements of the Strategic Plan is a comprehensive industry commitment to standardization: through design certification, combined license, first-of-a-kind engineering, construction, operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants. The NPOC plan proposes four stages of standardization in advanced light water reactors (ALWRs). The first stage is established by the ALWR Utility Requirements Document which specifies owner/operator requirements at a functional level covering all elements of plant design and construction, and many aspects of operations and maintenance. The second stage of standardization is that achieved in the NRC design certification. This certification level includes requirements, design criteria and bases, functional descriptions and performance requirements for systems to assure plant safety. The third stage of standardization, commercial standardization, carries the design to a level of completion beyond that required for design certification to enable the industry to achieve potential increases in efficiency and economy. The final stage of standardization is enhanced standardization beyond design. A standardized approach is being developed in construction practices, operating, maintenance training, and procurement practices. This comprehensive standardization program enables the NRC to proceed with design certification with the confidence that standardization beyond the regulations will be achieved. This confidence should answer the question of design detail required for design certification, and demonstrate that the NRC should require no further regulatory review beyond that required by 10 CFR Part 52

A Standardized Generalized Dimensionality Discrepancy Measure and a Standardized Model-Based Covariance for Dimensionality Assessment for Multidimensional Models

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Roy; Xu, Yuning; Yel, Nedim; Svetina, Dubravka

2015-01-01

The standardized generalized dimensionality discrepancy measure and the standardized model-based covariance are introduced as tools to critique dimensionality assumptions in multidimensional item response models. These tools are grounded in a covariance theory perspective and associated connections between dimensionality and local independence.…

Activity Level Change Detection for Persistent Surveillance

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Liu, F; Bush, L. A

2004-01-01

.... Instead of traditional target tracking, this approach utilizes GMTI data as moving spots on the ground to estimate the level of activities and detect unusual activities such as military deployments...

The Determination Of Trace Element Levels In Diet By Neutron Activation Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukuh, Ratnawati; Djojosubroto, Harjoto

2002-01-01

Trace element levels in foodstuff are normally low. Although the levels are low, certain trace elements which are called essential trace elements have an important role in metabolism process. Deficiency or intoxication of essential trace elements may lead to abnormal health. In this study the levels of Zn, Fe, AI, Mn, and Co in diet samples were determined by neutron activation analysis, and then the daily intakes of these elements were estimated. The samples were prepared by duplicate diet method, representing those that were consumed by population from West, Central and East Java. Following the collection the respective samples were blended, then were freeze dried at-54 o c. The elemental quantification were performed by neutron activation analysis. The traceability of the determination was ensured using standard reference material NIST-SRM-1548a. The results show that the daily intake for Zn were 2.8-22.8 mg/day (reference value were 5- 40 mg/day), Fe were 3.1-26.5 mg/day (reference value were 6-40 mg/day), AI were 4,2-32.9 mg/day (reference value were 2-45 mg/day), Mn were 1.0-5,6 mg/day (reference value were 0.4-10,0 mg/day), and Co were 0,005-0,074 mg/day (reference value were 0.005 -1.8 mg/day

Prenatal androgen exposure and children's aggressive behavior and activity level.

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Debra; Pasterski, Vickie; Neufeld, Sharon; Glover, Vivette; O'Connor, Thomas G; Hindmarsh, Peter C; Hughes, Ieuan A; Acerini, Carlo L; Hines, Melissa

2017-11-01

Some human behaviors, including aggression and activity level, differ on average for males and females. Here we report findings from two studies investigating possible relations between prenatal androgen and children's aggression and activity level. For study 1, aggression and activity level scores for 43 girls and 38 boys, aged 4 to 11years, with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH, a genetic condition causing increased adrenal androgen production beginning prenatally) were compared to those of similarly-aged, unaffected relatives (41 girls, 31 boys). Girls with CAH scored higher on aggression than unaffected girls, d=0.69, and unaffected boys scored higher on activity level than unaffected girls, d=0.50. No other group differences were significant. For study 2, the relationship of amniotic fluid testosterone to aggression and activity level was investigated in typically-developing children (48 girls, 44 boys), aged 3 to 5years. Boys scored higher than girls on aggression, d=0.41, and activity level, d=0.50. However, amniotic fluid testosterone was not a significant predictor of aggression or activity level for either sex. The results of the two studies provide some support for an influence of prenatal androgen exposure on children's aggressive behavior, but not activity level. The within-sex variation in amniotic fluid testosterone may not be sufficient to allow reliable assessment of relations to aggression or activity level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cervical cancer risk levels in Turkey and compliance to the national cervical cancer screening standard.

Science.gov (United States)

Açikgöz, Ayla; Ergör, Gül

2011-01-01

Cervical cancer screening with Pap smear test is a cost-effective method. The Ministry of Health in Turkey recommends that it be performed once every five years after age 35. The purpose of this study was to determine the cervical cancer risk levels of women between 35 and 69, and the intervals they have the Pap smear test, and to investigate the relation between the two. This study was performed on 227 women aged between 35 and 69 living in Balçova District of İzmir province. Using the cervical cancer risk index program of Harvard School of Public Health, the cervical cancer risk level of 70% of the women was found below average, 22.1% average, and 7.9% above average. Only 52% of the women have had Pap smear test at least once in their lives. The percentage screening regularly in conformity with the national screening standard was 39.2%. Women in the 40-49 age group, were married, conformed significantly more (pducation and decreased with the cervical cancer risk level (pducation level, menstruation state of the women and the economic level of the family. Not having the Pap smear test in conformity with the national cervical cancer screening standard in 35-39 age group was 2.52 times more than 40-49 age group, while it was 3.26 times more in 60-69 age group (pducation level might cause not having Pap smear test. Under these circumstances, the cervical cancer risk levels should be determined and the individuals should be informed. Providing Pap smear test screening service to individuals in the target group of national screening standard, as a public service may resolve the inequalities due to age and educational differences.

SELF-RATED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL ACROSS EUROPE – POLAND AND OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monika Ewa Piątkowska

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Physical inactivity has become a serious public health problem as it contributes to major non-communicable diseases. Increasing activity levels has beneficial effects on musculoskeletal health and mental health as well. In Poland there are a few studies which refer to the physical activity (PA of the overall society and which are based on an international questionnaire, thus enabling comparative analysis. The aim of the study was to assess the PA level of the Polish society and to examine fields of their activity and intensity of them in order to compare the data with fifteen European countries. A survey based on computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI was carried out in Poland in November 2006. A random sample of Polish adults (n=1028 was selected and divided according to demographic criteria. PA was estimated by a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ. In the last seven days 53.4�0of the Polish society reported no vigorous PA whereas in the European sample the percentage was significantly higher (57.4% For the PA of moderate level of intensity 39.8% of the Polish respondents reported no such PA; in the European sample the percentage was 40.8%. Only 12.8% of the Polish respondents reported not having walked in the past week, whereas in the EU the percentage was 17.1%. It must be noted that in all aspects the results were varied in the studied countries. These observations indicate a need for urgent actions to promote HEPA across EU member countries and in particular the least active member states. The present study is the first referring to PA of the whole Polish population, based on a representative sample and an international standardised questionnaire. The data confirm that the PA level of the Polish society is not as low as it has been shown in many studies.

A multicenter study to standardize reporting and analyses of fluorescence-activated cell-sorted murine intestinal epithelial cells

Science.gov (United States)

Magness, Scott T.; Puthoff, Brent J.; Crissey, Mary Ann; Dunn, James; Henning, Susan J.; Houchen, Courtney; Kaddis, John S.; Kuo, Calvin J.; Li, Linheng; Lynch, John; Martin, Martin G.; May, Randal; Niland, Joyce C.; Olack, Barbara; Qian, Dajun; Stelzner, Matthias; Swain, John R.; Wang, Fengchao; Wang, Jiafang; Wang, Xinwei; Yan, Kelley; Yu, Jian

2013-01-01

Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) is an essential tool for studies requiring isolation of distinct intestinal epithelial cell populations. Inconsistent or lack of reporting of the critical parameters associated with FACS methodologies has complicated interpretation, comparison, and reproduction of important findings. To address this problem a comprehensive multicenter study was designed to develop guidelines that limit experimental and data reporting variability and provide a foundation for accurate comparison of data between studies. Common methodologies and data reporting protocols for tissue dissociation, cell yield, cell viability, FACS, and postsort purity were established. Seven centers tested the standardized methods by FACS-isolating a specific crypt-based epithelial population (EpCAM+/CD44+) from murine small intestine. Genetic biomarkers for stem/progenitor (Lgr5 and Atoh 1) and differentiated cell lineages (lysozyme, mucin2, chromogranin A, and sucrase isomaltase) were interrogated in target and control populations to assess intra- and intercenter variability. Wilcoxon's rank sum test on gene expression levels showed limited intracenter variability between biological replicates. Principal component analysis demonstrated significant intercenter reproducibility among four centers. Analysis of data collected by standardized cell isolation methods and data reporting requirements readily identified methodological problems, indicating that standard reporting parameters facilitate post hoc error identification. These results indicate that the complexity of FACS isolation of target intestinal epithelial populations can be highly reproducible between biological replicates and different institutions by adherence to common cell isolation methods and FACS gating strategies. This study can be considered a foundation for continued method development and a starting point for investigators that are developing cell isolation expertise to study physiology and

Estimation of the Driving Style Based on the Users’ Activity and Environment Influence

Science.gov (United States)

Sysoev, Mikhail; Kos, Andrej; Guna, Jože; Pogačnik, Matevž

2017-01-01

New models and methods have been designed to predict the influence of the user’s environment and activity information to the driving style in standard automotive environments. For these purposes, an experiment was conducted providing two types of analysis: (i) the evaluation of a self-assessment of the driving style; (ii) the prediction of aggressive driving style based on drivers’ activity and environment parameters. Sixty seven h of driving data from 10 drivers were collected for analysis in this study. The new parameters used in the experiment are the car door opening and closing manner, which were applied to improve the prediction accuracy. An Android application called Sensoric was developed to collect low-level smartphone data about the users’ activity. The driving style was predicted from the user’s environment and activity data collected before driving. The prediction was tested against the actual driving style, calculated from objective driving data. The prediction has shown encouraging results, with precision values ranging from 0.727 up to 0.909 for aggressive driving recognition rate. The obtained results lend support to the hypothesis that user’s environment and activity data could be used for the prediction of the aggressive driving style in advance, before the driving starts. PMID:29065476

Estimation of the Driving Style Based on the Users' Activity and Environment Influence.

Science.gov (United States)

Sysoev, Mikhail; Kos, Andrej; Guna, Jože; Pogačnik, Matevž

2017-10-21

New models and methods have been designed to predict the influence of the user's environment and activity information to the driving style in standard automotive environments. For these purposes, an experiment was conducted providing two types of analysis: (i) the evaluation of a self-assessment of the driving style; (ii) the prediction of aggressive driving style based on drivers' activity and environment parameters. Sixty seven h of driving data from 10 drivers were collected for analysis in this study. The new parameters used in the experiment are the car door opening and closing manner, which were applied to improve the prediction accuracy. An Android application called Sensoric was developed to collect low-level smartphone data about the users' activity. The driving style was predicted from the user's environment and activity data collected before driving. The prediction was tested against the actual driving style, calculated from objective driving data. The prediction has shown encouraging results, with precision values ranging from 0.727 up to 0.909 for aggressive driving recognition rate. The obtained results lend support to the hypothesis that user's environment and activity data could be used for the prediction of the aggressive driving style in advance, before the driving starts.

Achieving IT-supported standardized nursing documentation through participatory design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Stine Loft; Lyng, Karen Marie; Jensen, Sanne

2012-01-01

that support guideline-based highly structured standard documentation in a large organization with many stakeholders. Applying a participatory design (PD) approach at many organizational levels has involved the stakeholders actively in the design process. Developing a set of design principles has concurrently......In the Capital Region of Denmark a full-scale pilot project on IT-supported nursing documentation is - after running for two months at one full university hospital - showing promising results. In this paper we discuss participatory design as a method to design clinical documentation templates...

Secondary standards (non-activation) for neutron data measurements above 20 MeV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haight, R.C.

1991-01-01

In addition to H(n,p) scattering and 235,238 U(n,f) reactions, secondary standards for neutron flux determination may be useful for neutron energies above 20 MeV. For experiments where gamma rays are detected, reference gamma-ray production cross sections are relevant. For neutron-induced charged particle production, standard (n,p) and (n,alpha) cross sections would be helpful. Total cross section standards would serve to check the accuracy of these measurements. These secondary standards are desirable because they can be used with the same detector systems employed in measuring the quantities of interest. Uncertainties due to detector efficiency, geometrical effects, timing and length of flight paths can therefore be significantly reduced. Several secondary standards that do not depend on activation techniques are proposed. 14 refs

Virtual standards of vibration-based defects diagnostics in railway industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir TETTER

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The issues related to testing the functionality stated by producers of vibration-based diagnostic equipment have been considered. The introduction of virtual standards of defects found in bearing and geared assemblies of rolling stock is offered. The variants of virtual standards realization have been considered.

Inquiry-Based Laboratory Activity to Investigate Physical Growth Requirements of Microorganisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle Furlong

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Standard "cookbook" laboratory activities that are used to teach students the optimal physical growth conditions of microorganisms should be modified so that they more effectively foster student's higher order cognitive skills and attract student interest.  This paper describes a laboratory activity that engages students in an inquiry-based approach to studying the physical growth requirements of microorganisms.  In this activity, students design and implement an experiment to obtain pure cultures of specific microorganisms, with distinct growth properties, that are provided to them in a mixed culture.

Teaching Physics at Preschool Level for Mexican Students in Order to Achieve the National Scientific Standards

Science.gov (United States)

Ramírez Díaz, Mario H.; Nieto Betance, Gabriela; García Trujillo, Luís Antonio; Chávez-Campos, David A.

2015-01-01

In its program of studies for preschool level, the Secretary of Public Education of Mexico promoted development of four standards of science: Scientific knowledge, applications of scientific knowledge and technology, skills associated to science, and attitudes associated to science. However, to develop this skills and reach out the standards there…