Cockpit canopy shattering using exploding wire techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novac, B M; Smith, I R; Downs, P R; Marston, P; Fahey, D

2007-01-01

This paper presents the principal experimental results provided by a preliminary investigation into the possibility of using exploding wire (EW) techniques to shatter the plastic cockpit canopy of a modern jet aircraft. The data provided forms the basis for a qualitative understanding of the physics of interaction between the plasma produced by an EW and the surrounding elasto-plastic material in which the wire is embedded. To optimize the shock-wave 'clean cutting' effect, the significance of the material, the dimensions of the exploding wire and the amplitude of the current and voltage pulses are all considered. This leads to important conclusions concerning both the characteristics of the EW and the optimum arrangement of the electrical circuit, with the single most important optimization factor being the peak electrical power input to the EW, rather than the dissipated Joule energy. A full-scale system relevant to an actual cockpit canopy shattering is outlined and relevant results are presented and discussed

Measurements of electrically exploded tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shearer, J.W.; Hartman, C.W.; Munger, R.H.; Gullickson, R.L.; Trimble, D.O.; Cheng, D.Y.

1975-01-01

The dynamics of electrically exploded tubes were investigated, principally by means of current measurements and flash x-ray pictures. The pinch effect was observed on the tube motion. Pileup of the imploding tube metal was seen on axis. An approximate analytical model can be roughly fitted to the data, but a more complete fit can be obtained with detailed numerical codes. Application of the results to the planning of future gas-embedded Z-pinch experiments is discussed. (U.S.)

Study on Exploding Wire Compression for Evaluating Electrical Conductivity in Warm-Dense Diamond-Like-Carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Toru; Takahashi, Kazumasa; Kudo, Takahiro; Kikuchi, Takashi; Aso, Tsukasa; Harada, Nob.; Fujioka, Shinsuke; Horioka, Kazuhiko

2016-01-01

To improve a coupling efficiency for the fast ignition scheme of the inertial confinement fusion, fast electron behaviors as a function of an electrical conductivity are required. To evaluate the electrical conductivity for low-Z materials as a diamond-like-carbon (DLC), we have proposed a concept to investigate the properties of warm dense matter (WDM) by using pulsed-power discharges. The concept of the evaluation of DLC for WDM is a shock compression driven by an exploding wire discharge with confined by a rigid capillary. The qualitatively evaluation of the electrical conductivity for the WDM DLC requires a small electrical conductivity of the exploding wire. To analyze the electrical conductivity of exploding wire, we have demonstrated an exploding wire discharge in water for gold. The results indicated that the electrical conductivity of WDM gold for 5000 K of temperature has an insulator regime. It means that the shock compression driven by the exploding wire discharge with confined by the rigid capillary is applied for the evaluation of electrical conductivity for WDM DLC. (paper)

Chromospheric impact of an exploding solar granule

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, C. E.; Bello González, N.; Rezaei, R.

2017-06-01

Context. Observations of multi-wavelength and therefore height-dependent information following events throughout the solar atmosphere and unambiguously assigning a relation between these rapidly evolving layers are rare and difficult to obtain. Yet, they are crucial for our understanding of the physical processes that couple the different regimes in the solar atmosphere. Aims: We characterize the exploding granule event with simultaneous observations of Hinode spectroplarimetric data in the solar photosphere and Hinode broadband Ca II H images combined with Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) slit spectra. We follow the evolution of an exploding granule and its connectivity throughout the atmosphere and analyze the dynamics of a magnetic element that has been affected by the abnormal granule. Methods: In addition to magnetic flux maps we use a local correlation tracking method to infer the horizontal velocity flows in the photosphere and apply a wavelet analysis on several IRIS chromospheric emission features such as Mg II k2v and Mg II k3 to detect oscillatory phenomena indicating wave propagation. Results: During the vigorous expansion of the abnormal granule we detect radially outward horizontal flows, causing, together with the horizontal flows from the surrounding granules, the magnetic elements in the bordering intergranular lanes to be squeezed and elongated. In reaction to the squeezing, we detect a chromospheric intensity and velocity oscillation pulse which we identify as an upward traveling hot shock front propagating clearly through the IRIS spectral line diagnostics of Mg II h&k. Conclusions: Exploding granules can trigger upward-propagating shock fronts that dissipate in the chromosphere. Movies associated to Figs. A.1 and A.2 are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Holomorphic curves in exploded manifolds: Kuranishi structure

OpenAIRE

Parker, Brett

2013-01-01

This paper constructs a Kuranishi structure for the moduli stack of holomorphic curves in exploded manifolds. To avoid some technicalities of abstract Kuranishi structures, we embed our Kuranishi structure inside a moduli stack of curves. The construction also works for the moduli stack of holomorphic curves in any compact symplectic manifold.

Gold nanoparticles prepared by electro-exploding wire technique in aqueous solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Lalit; Kapoor, Akanksha; Meghwal, Mayank; Annapoorni, S.

2016-05-01

This article presents an effective approach for the synthesis of Au nanoparticles via an environmentally benevolent electro-exploding wire (EEW) technique. In this process, Au nanoparticles evolve through the plasma generated from the parent Au metal. Compared to other typical chemical methods, electro-exploding wire technique is a simple and economical technique which normally operates in water or organic liquids under ambient conditions. Efficient size control was achieved using different aqueous medium like (1mM) NaCl, deionized water and aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH, pH 9.5) using identical electro-exploding conditions. The gold nanoparticles exhibited the UV-vis absorption spectrum with a maximum absorption band at 530 nm, similar to that of gold nanoparticles chemically prepared in a solution. The mechanism of size variation of Au nanoparticles is also proposed. The results obtained help to develop methodologies for the control of EEW based nanoparticle growth and the functionalization of nanoparticle surfaces by specific interactions.

Clinical features of the exploding head syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearce, J M

1989-07-01

Fifty patients suffering from the "exploding head syndrome" are described. This hitherto unreported syndrome is characterised by a sense of an explosive noise in the head usually in the twilight stage of sleep. The associated symptoms are varied, but the benign nature of the condition is emphasised and neither extensive investigation nor treatment are indicated.

Clinical features of the exploding head syndrome.

OpenAIRE

Pearce, J M

1989-01-01

Fifty patients suffering from the "exploding head syndrome" are described. This hitherto unreported syndrome is characterised by a sense of an explosive noise in the head usually in the twilight stage of sleep. The associated symptoms are varied, but the benign nature of the condition is emphasised and neither extensive investigation nor treatment are indicated.

Fluorescent silver nanoparticles via exploding wire technique

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Pure silver nanoparticles in double distilled water were generated via simple physical method using pure (99.9%) silver wires with 0.2 mm diameter. These wires have been exploded in water by bringing them into sudden contact with pure (99.9%) silver plate when subjected to a potential difference of 36 V DC. High current.

Vacuum spark breakdown model based on exploding metal wire phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haaland, J.

1984-06-01

Spark source mass spectra (SSMS) indicates that ions are extracted from an expanding and decaying plasma. The intensity distribution shows no dependance on vaporization properties of individual elements which indicates explosive vapour formation. This seems further to be a requirement for bridging a vacuum gap. A model including plasma ejection from a superheated anode spot by a process similar to that of an exploding metal wire is proposed. The appearance of hot plasma points in low inductance vacuum sparks can then be explained as exploding micro particles ejected from a final central anode spot. The phenomenological model is compared with available experimental results from literature, but no extensive quantification is attempted

Visible emission from exploding wire in water

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šimek, Milan; Prukner, Václav; Schmidt, Jiří; Koláček, Karel; Štraus, Jaroslav; Frolov, Oleksandr

2007-01-01

Roč. 53, č. 10 (2007), s. 53-53 ISSN 0003-0503. [The 61st Annual Gaseous Electronic Conference. Dallas,Texas, 13.10.2008-17.10.2008] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA202/06/1324 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20430508 Keywords : Exploding wire * emission Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics

Simulation of the chemical environment of a nuclear explosion with exploding wires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meyer, Walter; Block, Oliver U.J. [Nuclear Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS (United States)

1970-05-15

The chemical processes in an expanding underground cavity resulting from a nuclear explosion cannot be predicted or controlled as well as such physical characteristics as crater size, magnitude of the outgoing shock wave, or the extent of rock fracturing. However in most underground nuclear explosions it would be desirable to control the chemical and/or physical form and amount of radioactive fallout venting from the explosion. The high temperatures and corresponding high energy densities produced by exploding wires are sufficient to produce in the wire and material immediately surrounding it the temperature (a few thousand degrees) required to simulate the chemical environment of a nuclear explosion in the time interval just preceding the venting of the cavity. The economics and the size of exploding wire apparatus make this type of experiment readily applicable to laboratory study. Design of exploding wire circuits to obtain particular temperatures or energy densities can be completed using several different combinations of circuit and wire conditions. Since the circuit parameters, including charging voltage, capacitor bank capacitance and circuit inductance primarily determine the cost of the necessary laboratory equipment, these parameters should be selected by theoretical expressions while also considering economic factors. Wire parameters are then experimentally determined to produce the most energetic explosions with the selected circuit parameters. A theoretical method applicable to designing exploding wire circuits to produce the desired high temperatures and energy densities in the wire and surrounding sample material has been obtained. The method assumes that a thermal spike of energy is deposited in a low conductivity material (typical of the earth's crust) surrounding the wire. From the assumed temperature distribution in the surrounding sample material the energy which must be deposited in the thermal spike to produce the desired temperature and

A white dwarf explodes inside a dense circumstellar disk peeking at a puzzling supernova with spectropolarimetry

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

"By measuring polarized light from an unusual exploding star, an international team of astrophysicists and astronomers has worked out the first detailed picture of a Type Ia supernova and the distinctive star system in which it exploded" (2 pages)

Linguistics As A Subversive Activity: Exploding Myths And ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Linguistics As A Subversive Activity: Exploding Myths And Misconceptions In The Language Classroom. E Hilton Hubbard. Abstract. No abstract available. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · http://dx.doi.org/10.5842/21-0-549 · AJOL African ...

Exploding Head Syndrome: A Case Report

OpenAIRE

Ganguly, Gautam; Mridha, Banshari; Khan, Asif; Rison, Richard Alan

2013-01-01

Introduction: Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a rare parasomnia in which affected individuals awaken from sleep with the sensation of a loud bang. The etiology is unknown, but other conditions including primary and secondary headache disorders and nocturnal seizures need to be excluded. Case Presentation: A 57-year-old Indian male presented with four separate episodes of awakening from sleep at night after hearing a flashing sound on the right side of his head over the last 2 years. These ev...

Did René Descartes Have Exploding Head Syndrome?

Science.gov (United States)

Otaiku, Abidemi Idowu

2018-04-15

René Descartes (1596-1650), "the Father of Modern Philosophy" and advocate of mind-body dualism, had three successive dreams on November 10, 1619 that changed the trajectory of his life and the trajectory of human thought. Descartes' influential dreams have been of interest to a number of commentators including the famous neurologist and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Descartes' second dream in particular, in which he heard a loud noise in his head before seeing a bright flash of light upon awakening, has been discussed extensively. Commentators have employed psychoanalytic and medical explanations to account for Descartes' unusual nocturnal experience. In this tradition, I propose that Descartes' second dream was not a dream at all; rather, it was an episode of exploding head syndrome; a benign and relatively common parasomnia. I further suggest that Adrien Baillet's account of Descartes' experience constitutes the earliest description of exploding head syndrome, predating the account described by Silas Weir Mitchell in 1876 by nearly 200 years. © 2018 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Exploding metallic fuse physics experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goforth, J.H.; Hackett, K.E.; Lindemuth, I.R.; Lopez, E.A.; McCullough, W.F.; Dona, H.; Reinovsky, R.E.

1986-01-01

The ultimate practicality of inductive pulse compression systems as drivers for energetic plasma implosions hinges on the development of a suitable opening switch capable of interrupting tons of megamp currents in time scales of a few hundred nanoseconds while withstanding L(dI/dt) voltages of a megavolt or more. 1. Exploding metallic foils (fuses) are a candidate for switching elements in the inductive store pulsed power systems used in the Los Alamos and Air Force Weapons Laboratory foil implosion X-ray source generation programs. To verify or modify new theoretical and computational predictions about the electrical and hydrodynamic behavior of exploding metallic foils used as fuses. The authors have initiated a new series of small scale capacitor bank driven fuse experiments. The experiments represent an extension of previous experiments, but in the new series a foil geometry more amenable to theoretical and computational analysis is used. The metallic foil (aluminum or copper) is laminated between two thin layers of insulating material (mylar or kaptan). Adjacent to one layer of insulation is a much heavier backing insulator (polyethylene) whereas air is adjacent to the other layer. Because of the differing masses on the two sides of the foil, the foil expansion and hydrodynamic motion is essentially one-sided and the layer of insulation on the expanding side becomes a readily-characterizable ''flyer'' which provides a controlled amount of hydrodynamic tamping. In addition to the usual voltage, current, and dI/dt electrical measurements, time-resolved spectrometer measurements are used to determine the temperature of the expanding metallic foil. Post-shot examination of the flyer and the insulation impacted by the flyer gives insight into the experimental behavior

Ocular injuries from exploding glass-bottled Coca-Cola® drinks in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro-Egbe CN

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Chinyere Nnenne Pedro-Egbe, Chibuike Sydney Ejimadu, Henrietta NwachukwuDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, NigeriaBackground: Eye injuries and subsequent loss of vision from the glass and caps of exploding pressurized bottled drinks have been well reported, and as a result most developed countries now use mainly plastic bottles. In Nigeria, however, most drinks are still sold in glass bottles and ocular injuries from this source are therefore not uncommon.Aim: To retrospectively analyze ocular injuries resulting from exploding glass-bottled Coca-Cola® and propose ways of eliminating such injuries in future.Setting: Eye Clinic, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.Materials and methods: The medical records of all cases of ocular injury that presented at the Eye Clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital over a 5-year period (January 2006 to December 2010 were retrieved and relevant data including age, sex, occupation, events surrounding bottle explosion, and type of ocular injury sustained were extracted.Results: A total of 426 cases of ocular injuries was seen during the period under review. There were 335 (78.6% males and 91 (21.4% females. Six patients had ocular injury from exploding glass-bottled Coca-Cola®, giving an incidence of 1.4%. The presenting visual acuities (VA were light perception (2 cases, counting fingers (2 cases, and 1 VA of 6/24 and 1 VA of 6/12. There were 4 (66.7% cases of corneoscleral laceration with uveal prolapse and 1 case of total hyphema.Conclusion: Because pressurized glass-bottles can explode with normal handling, legislation to ban the use of glass containers for bottling carbonated drinks will go a long way to reducing ocular morbidity from this source. Plastic bottles should be introduced as an alternative.Keywords: ocular injuries, exploding glass-bottled drink

Exploding and Being Swallowed: Cannibalism in Toni Morrison’s Beloved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lay Sion Ng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Cannibalism is a meta-discourse in Toni Morrison’s Beloved. In Alan Rice’s “Who’s Eating Whom,” Beloved’s dream of “exploding and being swallowed” has been critically linked to the cruel practices of slavery, yet it is important to note the way in which the dream of “being swallowed” is largely unexplored. This paper concentrates on the latter aspect, stating that in Beloved, cannibalism and slavery relate not only to the domination of black slaves by white masters, but also to the black mother-child relationships between Sethe and Beloved, Sethe and Denver, and the black sister-sister relationship between Denver and Beloved. This paper argues that the whites designate themselves as the ones who represent civilization through implanting the image of cannibalism into the black Other. Ironically, the system of slavery precisely deconstructs the images that they have built of themselves, making them something no more than cannibals.

Extended exploding reflector concept for computing prestack traveltimes for waves of different type in the DSR framework

KAUST Repository

Duchkov, Anton A.; Serdyukov, Alexander S.; Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

2013-01-01

including reflected, head and diving waves. We develop a WENO-RK numerical scheme for solving all mentioned forms of the DSR equation. Finally the extended exploding reflector concept can be used for computing prestack traveltimes while initiating the numerical solver as if a reflector was exploding in extended imaging space.

Ballistic trauma from an exploding electronic cigarette: Case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Ban, DMD

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes first became available in the United States in 2007, and since that time, the number of e-cigarette users in the US has grown to over 2.5 million. During the period from 2010–2013 alone, the percentage of Americans who reported that they had ever used electronic cigarettes more than doubled from 3.3% to 8.5%. This number will continue to grow, as the use of electronic cigarettes as an alternative to smoking and in smoking cessation is being explored by the public and medical professionals alike. This article presents a case report involving a patient who was injured when the electronic cigarette he was smoking exploded in his face, causing a ballistic injury to his maxilla, as well as a series of other associated injuries. There have been several recent reports in the literature of exploding electronic cigarettes. This article presents a case of avulsive injury due to ballistic trauma with associated impaction of the vaporizing device.

Supernova SN 2011fe from an exploding carbon-oxygen white dwarf star.

Science.gov (United States)

Nugent, Peter E; Sullivan, Mark; Cenko, S Bradley; Thomas, Rollin C; Kasen, Daniel; Howell, D Andrew; Bersier, David; Bloom, Joshua S; Kulkarni, S R; Kandrashoff, Michael T; Filippenko, Alexei V; Silverman, Jeffrey M; Marcy, Geoffrey W; Howard, Andrew W; Isaacson, Howard T; Maguire, Kate; Suzuki, Nao; Tarlton, James E; Pan, Yen-Chen; Bildsten, Lars; Fulton, Benjamin J; Parrent, Jerod T; Sand, David; Podsiadlowski, Philipp; Bianco, Federica B; Dilday, Benjamin; Graham, Melissa L; Lyman, Joe; James, Phil; Kasliwal, Mansi M; Law, Nicholas M; Quimby, Robert M; Hook, Isobel M; Walker, Emma S; Mazzali, Paolo; Pian, Elena; Ofek, Eran O; Gal-Yam, Avishay; Poznanski, Dovi

2011-12-14

Type Ia supernovae have been used empirically as 'standard candles' to demonstrate the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe even though fundamental details, such as the nature of their progenitor systems and how the stars explode, remain a mystery. There is consensus that a white dwarf star explodes after accreting matter in a binary system, but the secondary body could be anything from a main-sequence star to a red giant, or even another white dwarf. This uncertainty stems from the fact that no recent type Ia supernova has been discovered close enough to Earth to detect the stars before explosion. Here we report early observations of supernova SN 2011fe in the galaxy M101 at a distance from Earth of 6.4 megaparsecs. We find that the exploding star was probably a carbon-oxygen white dwarf, and from the lack of an early shock we conclude that the companion was probably a main-sequence star. Early spectroscopy shows high-velocity oxygen that slows rapidly, on a timescale of hours, and extensive mixing of newly synthesized intermediate-mass elements in the outermost layers of the supernova. A companion paper uses pre-explosion images to rule out luminous red giants and most helium stars as companions to the progenitor.

Effects of load voltage on voltage breakdown modes of electrical exploding aluminum wires in air

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Jian; Li, Xingwen, E-mail: xwli@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Yang, Zefeng; Wang, Kun; Chao, Youchuang; Shi, Zongqian; Jia, Shenli; Qiu, Aici [State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China)

2015-06-15

The effects of the load voltage on the breakdown modes are investigated in exploding aluminum wires driven by a 1 kA, 0.1 kA/ns pulsed current in air. From laser probing images taken by laser shadowgraphy, schlieren imaging, and interferometry, the position of the shockwave front, the plasma channel, and the wire core edge of the exploding product can be determined. The breakdown mode makes a transition from the internal mode, which involves breakdown inside the wire core, to the shunting mode, which involves breakdown in the compressed air, with decreasing charging voltage. The breakdown electrical field for a gaseous aluminum wire core of nearly solid density is estimated to be more than 20 kV/cm, while the value for gaseous aluminum of approximately 0.2% solid density decreases to 15–20 kV/cm. The breakdown field in shunting mode is less than 20 kV/cm and is strongly affected by the vaporized aluminum, the desorbed gas, and the electrons emitted from the wire core during the current pause. Ohmic heating during voltage collapses will induce further energy deposition in the current channel and thus will result in different expansion speeds for both the wire core and the shockwave front in the different modes.

Exploding metal film active anode source experiments on the LION extractor ion diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rondeau, G.D.; Bordonaro, G.J.; Greenly, J.B.; Hammer, D.A.

1989-01-01

In this paper the authors report results using an extractor geometry magnetically insulated ion diode on the 0.5 TW LION accelerator. Experiments with an exploding metal film active anode plasma source (EMFAAPS) have shown that intense beams with significantly improved turn-on time compared to epoxy-filled-groove anodes can be produced. A new geometry, in which a plasma switch is used to provide the current path that explodes the thin film anode, has improved the ion efficiency (to typically 70%) compared with the previous scheme in which an electron collector on the anode provided this current. Leakage electron current is reduced when no collector is used

Experimental observation of exploding electron bubbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Classen, J.; Su, C.K.; Hall, S.C.; Pettersen, M.S.; Maris, H.J.

1996-01-01

Since free electrons form small voids in liquid helium they are expected to be preferred sites for nucleating macroscopic bubbles when the liquid is exposed to sufficiently large negative pressures. We have performed a series of cavitation experiments using focussed ultrasound where free electrons were introduced into the liquid by a radioactive source. The electron bubbles are found to explode at negative pressures significantly lower than those required for homogeneous nucleation. We present measurements of the thresholds for cavitation at electrons in the temperature range 1 - 4.5 K. Reasonable agreement with a simple model for the stability limit of the electron bubble is obtained. (author)

Synthesis and characterization of copper nanoparticles by using the exploding wire method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Rashmita; Das, Basanta Kumar; Shyam, Anurag

2012-01-01

During the past few years, the synthesis of copper nanoparticles has attracted much attention because of their huge potential for replacing the expensive nano silver inks utilized in conductive printing. This opens a new possibility in printed electronics. Copper-based inkjet inks can be used to form various devices such as solar cells, RF identification tags and electroluminescence devices. This paper describes controlled synthesis of pure copper nanoparticles, mainly by using the exploding wire method. A wire of 0.26 mm in diameter was exploded in a nitrogen environment. The sample was characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). XRD revealed the presence of pure copper and AFM revealed the presence of nanoparticles with an average size of 55 nm.

Faraday and Kerr Effects Diagnostics for Underwater Exploding Wires

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkisov, G. S.; Fedotov-Gefen, A. V.; Krasik, Ya. E.

2012-10-01

Two-channel laser polarimeter was used to measure magnetic and electric fields in vicinity of underwater exploding wire. Nd:YAG Q-switch laser with 532nm wavelength, 100mJ energy and 5ns pulse width was used for probing. Single wire, parallel wires and X and V- shaped wires was used in experiments. Electric and magnetic field induced birefringes in the water results in changing of polarization stage of probing beam after propagation through this anisotropic medium. Magnetic field results in circular anisotropy of the water, while electric field creates linear anisotropy. Magnetic field results in rotation of polarization plan of linear-polarized probing beam. Electric field effect is more complicated- polarization plan of the laser beam subjected to pulsation and changing of ellipticity. Effect of electric field depends on initial probing geometry- angle between electrical field vector E and polarization plane of probing wave. In our exploding wire experiments we found influence of both Faraday and Kerr effects. It was demonstrated existence of Kerr effect inside bubbles at high voltage electrode. Effect of magnetic fields interaction for multi-wire loads was observed.

Ocular injuries from exploding glass-bottled Coca-Cola® drinks in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Pedro-Egbe, Chinyere Nnenne; Ejimadu, Chibuike Sydney; Nwachukwu, Henrietta

2011-01-01

Eye injuries and subsequent loss of vision from the glass and caps of exploding pressurized bottled drinks have been well reported, and as a result most developed countries now use mainly plastic bottles. In Nigeria, however, most drinks are still sold in glass bottles and ocular injuries from this source are therefore not uncommon. To retrospectively analyze ocular injuries resulting from exploding glass-bottled Coca-Cola® and propose ways of eliminating such injuries in future. Eye Clinic, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The medical records of all cases of ocular injury that presented at the Eye Clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital over a 5-year period (January 2006 to December 2010) were retrieved and relevant data including age, sex, occupation, events surrounding bottle explosion, and type of ocular injury sustained were extracted. A total of 426 cases of ocular injuries was seen during the period under review. There were 335 (78.6%) males and 91 (21.4%) females. Six patients had ocular injury from exploding glass-bottled Coca-Cola®, giving an incidence of 1.4%. The presenting visual acuities (VA) were light perception (2 cases), counting fingers (2 cases), and 1 VA of 6/24 and 1 VA of 6/12. There were 4 (66.7%) cases of corneoscleral laceration with uveal prolapse and 1 case of total hyphema. Because pressurized glass-bottles can explode with normal handling, legislation to ban the use of glass containers for bottling carbonated drinks will go a long way to reducing ocular morbidity from this source. Plastic bottles should be introduced as an alternative.

EIA: A splintering, exploding discipline with a massive new constituency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Eric P., E-mail: ejohnson@ecosite.co.uk

2015-02-15

After serving 18 years as Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Impact Assessment Review, the author observes that the period 1997–2014, the discipline of EIA: splintered, exploded and saw the rise of the developing-world authors. Publishing has also changed, with shifts from quantity to quality, the rise of open access, and an ever-increasing shortage of reviewers.

GLOBAL GALACTIC DYNAMO DRIVEN BY COSMIC RAYS AND EXPLODING MAGNETIZED STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanasz, Michal; Woltanski, Dominik; Kowalik, Kacper

2009-01-01

We report the first results of the first global galactic-scale cosmic ray (CR)-MHD simulations of CR-driven dynamo. We investigate the dynamics of magnetized interstellar medium (ISM), which is dynamically coupled with CR gas. We assume that exploding stars deposit small-scale, randomly oriented, dipolar magnetic fields into the differentially rotating ISM, together with a portion of CRs, accelerated in supernova shocks. We conduct numerical simulations with the aid of a new parallel MHD code PIERNIK. We find that the initial magnetization of galactic disks by exploding magnetized stars forms favorable conditions for the CR-driven dynamo. We demonstrate that dipolar magnetic fields supplied on small supernova remnant scales can be amplified exponentially by the CR-driven dynamo, to the present equipartition values, and transformed simultaneously to large galactic scales. The resulting magnetic field structure in an evolved galaxy appears spiral in the face-on view and reveals the so-called X-shaped structure in the edge-on view.

Exploding superstars understanding supernovae and gamma-ray bursts

CERN Document Server

Mazure, Alain

2009-01-01

The exceptional cosmic history and the fabulous destinies of exploding stars – supernovae and gamma-ray bursters – are highly fertile areas of research and are also very special tools to further our understanding of the universe. In this book, cosmologists Dr Alain Mazure and Dr Stéphane Basa throw light on the assemblage of facts, hypotheses and cosmological conclusions and show how these ‘beacons’ illuminate their immediate surroundings and allow us to study the vast cosmos, like searchlights revealing the matter comprising our universe.

Exploding head syndrome: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganguly, Gautam; Mridha, Banshari; Khan, Asif; Rison, Richard Alan

2013-01-01

Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a rare parasomnia in which affected individuals awaken from sleep with the sensation of a loud bang. The etiology is unknown, but other conditions including primary and secondary headache disorders and nocturnal seizures need to be excluded. A 57-year-old Indian male presented with four separate episodes of awakening from sleep at night after hearing a flashing sound on the right side of his head over the last 2 years. These events were described 'as if there are explosions in my head'. A neurologic examination, imaging studies, and a polysomnogram ensued, and the results led to the diagnosis of EHS. EHS is a benign, uncommon, predominately nocturnal disorder that is self-limited. No treatment is generally required. Reassurance to the patient is often all that is needed.

Prestack exploding reflector modeling and migration in TI media

KAUST Repository

Wang, H.

2014-01-01

Prestack depth migration in anisotropic media, especially those that exhibit tilt, can be costly using reverse time migration (RTM). We present two-way spectral extrapolation of prestack exploding reflector modeling and migration (PERM) in acoustic transversely isotropic (TI) media. We construct systematic ways to evaluate phase angles and phase velocities in dip oriented TI (DTI), vertical TI (VTI) and tilted TI (TTI) media. Migration results from the Marmousi VTI model and the BP2007 TTI model show the feasibility of our approach.

Exploding Head Syndrome:A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gautam Ganguly

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Exploding head syndrome (EHS is a rare parasomnia in which affected individuals awaken from sleep with the sensation of a loud bang. The etiology is unknown, but other conditions including primary and secondary headache disorders and nocturnal seizures need to be excluded. Case Presentation: A 57-year-old Indian male presented with four separate episodes of awakening from sleep at night after hearing a flashing sound on the right side of his head over the last 2 years. These events were described ‘as if there are explosions in my head’. A neurologic examination, imaging studies, and a polysomnogram ensued, and the results led to the diagnosis of EHS. Conclusion: EHS is a benign, uncommon, predominately nocturnal disorder that is self-limited. No treatment is generally required. Reassurance to the patient is often all that is needed.

Computational model of exploding metallic fuses for multimegajoule switching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindemuth, I.R.; Brownell, J.H.; Greene, A.E.; Nickel, G.H.; Oliphant, T.A.; Weiss, D.L.

1985-01-01

A new model for determining the time-dependent behavior of exploding metallic fuses is formulated. The model draws on an atomic data base and gives insight into the temporal behavior of the material density and temperature of the fuse as well as the nonlinear electrical circuit interaction. The model includes an embedding insulating tamper and leads to a plausible explanation of fuse ''restrike.'' The model predicts time-scale compression of 500 for inductive store systems powered by explosive driven magnetic flux compression generators. A scenario for achieving multimegajoule foil implosions is predicted

Exploding pusher targets for the SHIVA laser system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosen, M.D.; Larsen, J.T.; Nuckolls, J.H.

1977-01-01

The first targets for the 20 TW SHIVA laser system were designed. They are simple glass micro-balloons, approximately 300 μm in diameter and 2 μm thick, filled with D-T gas. Using LASNEX, whose model physics was utilized successfully for ARGUS targets, we optimize for both gain and yield. The target behaves as an exploding pusher. Different simple analytic models for the physics of this mode are presented, and are tested by comparing their scaling predictions, at constant absorbed power, with those demonstrated by LASNEX. Emphasis is placed on successful prediction of the basic quantities of peak ion temperature and compression, rather than neutron yield or n tau

Magnetic properties of iron nanoparticles prepared by exploding wire technique

OpenAIRE

Alqudami, Abdullah; Annapoorni, S.; Lamba, Subhalakshmi; Kothari, P C; Kotnala, R K

2006-01-01

Nanoparticles of iron were prepared in distilled water using very thin iron wires and sheets, by the electro-exploding wire technique. Transmission electron microscopy reveals the size of the nanoparticles to be in the range 10 to 50 nm. However, particles of different sizes can be segregated by using ultrahigh centrifuge. X-ray diffraction studies confirm the presence of the cubic phase of iron. These iron nanoparticles were found to exhibit fluorescence in the visible region in contrast to ...

Optically pumped ultraviolet and infrared lasers driven by exploding metal films and wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, C.R.; Ware, K.D.

1983-01-01

The 342-nm molecular iodine and 1315-nm atomic iodine lasers have been optically pumped by intense light from exploding-metal-film and exploding-wire discharges. Brightness temperatures for the exploding-film discharges were approx. 25,000 K and for the wire discharges were approx. 30,000 K. For the I 2 laser the 3.5-cm-diameter by 40-cm-long pumped volume lies adjacent to the wire or film of the same length. Pressures of 1 to 6 torr I 2 and 1 to 3 atm SF, CF 4 , or Ar were used in the stainless-steel cell. Using 20-μF capacitance charged to 40 kV, a 0.25-mm tungsten wire, 3-torr I 2 , and a 2-atm SF 6 , an energy of 2 J was obtained from the laser in a pulse of 8-μs duration. The specific output energy was 7 J/l. Substitution of a cylindrical Al film for the wire, under otherwise similar conditions, led to a X10 output energies and efficiencies were obtained with similar input energy. An output pulse of 12 J and 12-μs duration was measured for a specific output energy of 18 J/l. A laser energy of 110 J in a 20-us-long pulse has been measured from atomic iodine using a wire discharge along the axis of a larger cell. The active volume available was 20 cm in diameter and 80 cm in length. Input energy was 32 kJ. In similar measurements using a cylindrical Al film for discharge initiation, the measured output energy was 40 J

Exploding head syndrome followed by sleep paralysis: a rare migraine aura.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Randolph W

2006-04-01

A 26-year-old patient is described with a unique migraine aura. She described an 8-year history of episodes occurring 1 to 2 times yearly of exploding head syndrome followed by sleep paralysis followed by a migraine headache. She also had identical headaches without aura about once per week. Both aura symptoms, which may occur in the brainstem, resulted in activation of the trigeminovascular system through an unknown mechanism.

Observation of 23 supernovae that exploded <300 pc from Earth during the past 300 kyr

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Firestone, R. B., E-mail: rbfirestone@lbl.gov [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

2014-07-01

Four supernovae (SNe), exploding ≤300 pc from Earth, were recorded 44, 37, 32, and 22 kyr ago in the radiocarbon ({sup 14}C) record during the past 50 kyr. Each SN left a nearly identical signature in the record, beginning with an initial sudden increase in atmospheric radiocarbon, when the SN exploded, followed by a hiatus of 1500 yr, and concluding with a sustained 2000 yr increase in global radiocarbon due to γ-rays produced by diffusive shock in the SN remnant (SNR). For the past 18 kyr excess radiocarbon has decayed with the {sup 14}C half-life. SN22kyrBP, is identified as the Vela SN that exploded 250 ± 30 pc from Earth. These SN are confirmed in the {sup 10}Be, {sup 26}Al, {sup 36}Cl, and NO{sub 3}{sup −} geologic records. The rate of near-Earth SNe is consistent with the observed rate of historical SNe giving a galactic rate of 14 ± 3 kyr{sup –1} assuming the Chandra Galactic Catalog SNR distribution. The Earth has been used as a calorimeter to determine that ≈2 × 10{sup 49} erg were released as γ-rays at the time of each SN explosion and ≈10{sup 50} erg in γ-rays following each SN. The background rate of {sup 14}C production by cosmic rays has been determined as 1.61 atoms cm{sup –2} s{sup –1}. Approximately 1/3 of the cosmic ray energy produced by diffusive shock in the SNR was observed to be emitted as high-energy γ-rays. Analysis of the {sup 10}Be/{sup 9}Be ratio in marine sediment identified 19 additional near-Earth SNe that exploded 50-300 kyr ago. Comparison of the radiocarbon record with global temperature variations indicated that each SN explosion is correlated with a concurrent global warming of ≈3°C-4°C.

[Case of exploding head syndrome].

Science.gov (United States)

Okura, Mutsumi; Taniguchi, Mitsutaka; Muraki, Hisae; Sugita, Hideko; Ohi, Motoharu

2010-01-01

Exploding head syndrome (EHS) attacks are characterized by the sensation of sudden loud banging noises, and are occasionally accompanied by the sensation of a flash light. Although these attacks in themselves are usually not painful, it is reported that EHS attacks may precede migraines and may be perceived as auras. A 53-year-old woman, with a 40-year history of fulgurating migraines, experienced 2 different types of EHS attacks. During most of the attacks, which were not painful, she heard sounds like someone yelling or cars passing by. Only 1 episode was accompanied with the sensation of a flash light and of sounds similar to those of an electrical short circuit. On the video-polysomnography, video-polysomnography showed 11 EHS attacks occurred during stage N1 and stage N2; these attacks were preceded by soft snoring. She also had moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (Apnea Hypopnea Index: 16.7) for which an oral appliance was prescribed; the EHS attacks did not recur after this treatment. The pathophysiology of EHS is still unclear. A detailed analysis of PSG data may help in understanding the pathophysiology of this syndrome and also in the selection of therapeutic strategies.

Development of exploding wire ion source for intense pulsed heavy ion beam accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ochiai, Y.; Murata, T.; Ito, H.; Masugata, K.

2012-01-01

A Novel exploding wire type ion source device is proposed as a metallic ion source of intense pulsed heavy ion beam (PHIB) accelerator. In the device multiple shot operations is realized without breaking the vacuum. The basic characteristics of the device are evaluated experimentally with an aluminum wire of diameter 0.2 mm, length 25 mm. Capacitor bank of capacitance 3 μF, charging voltage 30 kV was used and the wire was successfully exploded by a discharge current of 15 kA, rise time 5.3 μs. Plasma flux of ion current density around 70 A/cm 2 was obtained at 150 mm downstream from the device. The drift velocity of ions evaluated by a time-of-flight method was 2.7x10 4 m/sec, which corresponds to the kinetic energy of 100 eV for aluminum ions. From the measurement of ion current density distribution ion flow is found to be concentrated to the direction where ion acceleration gap is placed. From the experiment the device is found to be acceptable for applying PHIB accelerator. (author)

Zanci Station: Exploded Diagram, single channel video, 4min 15sec, 2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominic Redfern

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Zanci Station: Exploded Diagram is an evocation of a place, a mapping of it that questions our ability to understand, to grasp and hold, its many and evolving meanings. The work’s miniscule detail allegorizes the viewers’ fleeting and subjective engagement with this place, creating a visual poetry of detritus. The extended choreographed shots embody my attempts to find different means to render the temporary, dynamic, and fluxing nature of place.

Generation of a subgigagauss magnetic field by pinching the plasma channel of exploded-wire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogolyubsky, S.L.

1990-01-01

An interest in the dense pinches produced in the explosion of thin wires in the diodes of high current-nanosecond-REB-generators is provided by an opportunity to obtain high temperature-dense plasma configurations as an object of fusion studies and that in the spectroscopy of multi-charged ions. One needs to have a micrometer size of the Z-pinch neck to ignite the fusion reaction. The plasma channel pinching of the wires exploded by a megaampere current to a micrometer size of its neck can provide gigagauss magnetic fields. An important aspect of a given study is verification of an opportunity to obtain the radiation collapse of the plasma channel due to an exploded wire along its whole length up to the kA because of a line radiation cut-off due to the Braginsky-Pease current reduction to 150-200 from the plasma with left-angle Z right-angle much-gt 1. This paper presents experimental studies in this field, with the currents 0.2 MA, 0.5 MA, 1.2 MA

Study of the dark pause phenomenon in a low cost exploding wire experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bressa, R.; Chatelain, G.; Lester, M.; Pouzo, J.

1988-01-01

A low cost exploding wire experiment is described and several aspects of the phenomenology in this type of plasmas are researched. Plasma photographies with high time resolution are obtained with a non-expensive Kerr cell switching system. The research is centered in the study of the dark pause phenomenon and the experimental results are interpreted using a very simple model. (author). 3 refs, 12 figs

The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, Exploding Stars, Neutron Stars, and Black Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, David J.

2010-01-01

Since August, 2008, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has been scanning the sky, producing a full-sky image every three hours. These cosmic gamma-rays come from extreme astrophysical phenomena, many related to exploding stars (supernovae) or what these explosions leave behind: supernova remnants, neutron stars, and black holes. This talk uses sample Fermi results, plus simple demonstrations, to illustrate the exotic properties of these endpoints of stellar evolution.

Investigation of electrically exploded large area foil for current switching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chernyshev, V.K.; Boyko, A.M.; Kostyukov, V.N.; Kuzyaev, A.I.; Kulagin, A.A.; Mamyshev, V.I.; Mezhevov, A.B.; Nechaev, A.I.; Petrukhin, A.A.; Protasov, M.S.; Shevtsov, V.I.; Yakubov, V.B.

1990-01-01

The possibility of microsecond ∼40 MA current switching from EMG into a quasiconstant inductive load by an electrically exploded foil is investigated. The copper foil of large area, S ∼ 10 4 cm 2 , was placed between thin-walled insulators into a coaxial transmission line (TL). This paper shows a conceptual device scheme. To feed a foil opening switch (FOS), a disc explosive magnetic generator (DEMG) with 20 μs current rise time was employed. An inductive coaxial load was connected to a FOS at a moment, that was close to the foil vaporization start by means of an axisymmetric explosive current commutator (ECC)

Extended exploding reflector concept for computing prestack traveltimes for waves of different type in the DSR framework

KAUST Repository

Duchkov, Anton A.

2013-09-22

The double-square-root (DSR) equation can be viewed as a Hamilton-Jacobi equation describing kinematics of downward data continuation in depth. It describes simultaneous propagation of source and receiver rays which allows computing reflection wave prestack traveltimes (for multiple sources) in a one run thus speeding up solution of the forward problem. Here we give and overview of different alternative forms of the DSR equation which allows stepping in two-way time and subsurface offset instead of depth. Different forms of the DSR equation are suitable for computing different types of waves including reflected, head and diving waves. We develop a WENO-RK numerical scheme for solving all mentioned forms of the DSR equation. Finally the extended exploding reflector concept can be used for computing prestack traveltimes while initiating the numerical solver as if a reflector was exploding in extended imaging space.

A comparison study of exploding a Cu wire in air, water, and solid powders

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Ruoyu; Wu, Jiawei; Ding, Weidong; Zhou, Haibin; Qiu, Aici; Wang, Yanan

2017-11-01

In this paper, an experimental study on exploding a copper wire in air, water, incombustible powders, and energetic materials is performed. We examined the effects of the surrounding media on the explosion process and its related phenomena. Experiments were first carried out with copper wire explosions driven by microsecond timescale pulsed currents in air, water, and the half-half case. Then, the copper wires were exploded in air, water, SiO2 powders, quartz sand, NaCl powders, and energetic-material cylinders, respectively. Our experimental results indicated that the explosion process was significantly influenced by the surrounding media, resulting in noticeable differences in energy deposition, optical emission, and shock waves. In particular, incombustible powders could throttle the current flow completely when a fine wire was adopted. We also found that an air or incombustible-powder layer could drastically attenuate the shock wave generated by a wire explosion. As for energetic-material loads, obvious discrepancies were found in voltage/current waveforms from vaporization when compared with a wire explosion in air/water, which meant the metal vapor/liquid drops play a significant role in the ignition process.

Investigation of ion kinetic effects in direct-drive exploding-pusher implosions at the NIF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosenberg, M. J., E-mail: mrosenbe@mit.edu; Zylstra, A. B.; Séguin, F. H.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Frenje, J. A.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Sio, H.; Waugh, C. J.; Sinenian, N.; Li, C. K.; Petrasso, R. D. [Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); McKenty, P. W.; Hohenberger, M.; Radha, P. B.; Delettrez, J. A.; Glebov, V. Yu.; Betti, R.; Goncharov, V. N.; Knauer, J. P.; Sangster, T. C. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); and others

2014-12-15

Measurements of yield, ion temperature, areal density (ρR), shell convergence, and bang time have been obtained in shock-driven, D{sub 2} and D{sup 3}He gas-filled “exploding-pusher” inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions at the National Ignition Facility to assess the impact of ion kinetic effects. These measurements probed the shock convergence phase of ICF implosions, a critical stage in hot-spot ignition experiments. The data complement previous studies of kinetic effects in shock-driven implosions. Ion temperature and fuel ρR inferred from fusion-product spectroscopy are used to estimate the ion-ion mean free path in the gas. A trend of decreasing yields relative to the predictions of 2D DRACO hydrodynamics simulations with increasing Knudsen number (the ratio of ion-ion mean free path to minimum shell radius) suggests that ion kinetic effects are increasingly impacting the hot fuel region, in general agreement with previous results. The long mean free path conditions giving rise to ion kinetic effects in the gas are often prevalent during the shock phase of both exploding pushers and ablatively driven implosions, including ignition-relevant implosions.

Models of the plasma corona formation and stratification of exploding micro-wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkov, N.B.; Sarkisov, G.S.; Struve, K.W.; McDaniel, D.H.

2005-01-01

There are proposed the models pf plasma corona formation and stratification of a gas-plasma core of exploding micro-wire. The opportunity of use for the description of physical processes in a formed plasma corona of an electronic magnetohydrodynamics is generalized in view of change of particle number as a result of evaporation, ionization and a leaving of electrons on a wire surface. Necessity of the account of influence of a hot plasma corona on stratification of a gas-plasma core was grounded [ru

Expansion of plasma of electrically exploding single copper wire under 4.5 kA-9.5 kA/wire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Yexun; Yang Libing; Sun Chengwei

2003-01-01

The experimental system for electrically exploding single metal wire has been designed and manufactured. Expansion of the dense plasma column formed from an electrically exploding Cu wire of diameter 30 μm has been studied with a high-speed photographer to obtain the time-dependent radius (R-t) curve. The experimental results demonstrate that the mean expansion rate of the dense plasma column is 1.94 μm/ns, 2.6 μm/ns and 3.75 μm/ns according to the peak pulse current 4.5 kA, 7 kA and 9.5 kA respectively. The results can be beneficial to giving a profound understanding of the early stage of wire-array Z-pinch physics and to improvement on their design

Optimum design of exploding pusher target to produce maximum neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitagawa, Y.; Miyanaga, N.; Kato, Y.; Nakatsuka, M.; Nishiguchi, A.; Yabe, T.; Yamanaka, C.

1985-03-01

Exploding pusher target experiments have been conducted with the 1.052-μm GEKKO MII two-beam glass laser system to design an optimum target, which couples to the incident laser light most effectively to produce the maximum neutrons. Since hot electrons preheat the shell entirely in spite of strongly nonuniform irradiation, a simple model can design the optimum target, of which the shell/fuel interface is accelerated to 0.5 to 0.7 times the initial radius within a laser pulse. A 2-dimensional computer simulation supports this target design. The scaling of the neutron yield N with the laser power P is N ∝ P 2.4±0.4 . (author)

NASA's Swift Satellite Catches First Supernova in The Act of Exploding

Science.gov (United States)

2008-05-01

GREENBELT, Md.- Thanks to a fortuitous observation with NASA’s Swift satellite, astronomers for the first time have caught a star in the act of exploding. Astronomers have previously observed thousands of stellar explosions, known as supernovae, but they have always seen them after the fireworks were well underway. "For years we have dreamed of seeing a star just as it was exploding, but actually finding one is a once in a lifetime event," says team leader Alicia Soderberg, a Hubble and Carnegie-Princeton Fellow at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J. "This newly born supernova is going to be the Rosetta stone of supernova studies for years to come." A typical supernova occurs when the core of a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity to form an ultradense object known as a neutron star. The newborn neutron star compresses and then rebounds, triggering a shock wave that plows through the star’s gaseous outer layers and blows the star to smithereens. Astronomers thought for nearly four decades that this shock "break-out" will produce bright X-ray emission lasting a few minutes. X-ray Image X-ray Images But until this discovery, astronomers have never observed this signal. Instead, they have observed supernovae brightening days or weeks later, when the expanding shell of debris is energized by the decay of radioactive elements forged in the explosion. "Seeing the shock break-out in X-rays can give a direct view of the exploding star in the last minutes of its life and also provide a signpost to which astronomers can quickly point their telescopes to watch the explosion unfold," says Edo Berger, a Carnegie-Princeton Fellow at Princeton University. Soderberg's discovery of the first shock breakout can be attributed to luck and Swift's unique design. On January 9, 2008, Soderberg and Berger were using Swift to observe a supernova known as SN 2007uy in the spiral galaxy NGC 2770, located 90 million light-years from Earth in the

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CELLULOSE AND LIGNIN FROM STEAM-EXPLODED LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS

OpenAIRE

Maha M. Ibrahim; Foster A. Agblevor; Waleed K. El-Zawawy

2010-01-01

The isolation of cellulose from different lignocellulosic biomass sources such as corn cob, banana plant, cotton stalk, and cotton gin waste, was studied using a steam explosion technology as a pre-treatment process for different times followed by alkaline peroxide bleaching. The agricultural residues were steam-exploded at 220 ºC for 1-4 min for the corn cob, 2 and 4 min for the banana plant, 3-5 min for the cotton gin waste, and for 5 min for the cotton stalk. The steamed fibers were water ...

A platform for exploding wires in different media

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Ruoyu; Wu, Jiawei; Qiu, Aici; Zhou, Haibin; Wang, Yanan; Yan, Jiaqi; Ding, Weidong

2017-10-01

A platform SWE-2 used for single wire explosion experiments has been designed, established, and commissioned. This paper describes the design and initial experiments of SWE-2. In summary, two pulsed current sources based on pulse capacitors and spark gaps are adopted to drive sub-microsecond and microsecond time scale wire explosions in a gaseous/liquid medium, respectively. In the initial experiments, a single copper wire was exploded in air, helium, and argon with a 0.1-0.3 MPa ambient pressure as well as tap water with a 283-323 K temperature, 184-11 000 μ S/cm conductivity, or 0.1-0.9 MPa hydrostatic pressure. In addition, the diagnostic system is introduced in detail. Energy deposition, optical emission, and shock wave characteristics are briefly discussed based on experimental results. The platform was demonstrated to operate successfully with a single wire load. These results provide the potential for further applications of this platform, such as plasma-matter interactions, shock wave effects, and reservoir simulations.

Massive Star Burps, Then Explodes

Science.gov (United States)

2007-04-01

Berkeley -- In a galaxy far, far away, a massive star suffered a nasty double whammy. On Oct. 20, 2004, Japanese amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki saw the star let loose an outburst so bright that it was initially mistaken for a supernova. The star survived, but for only two years. On Oct. 11, 2006, professional and amateur astronomers witnessed the star actually blowing itself to smithereens as Supernova 2006jc. Swift UVOT Image Swift UVOT Image (Credit: NASA / Swift / S.Immler) "We have never observed a stellar outburst and then later seen the star explode," says University of California, Berkeley, astronomer Ryan Foley. His group studied the event with ground-based telescopes, including the 10-meter (32.8-foot) W. M. Keck telescopes in Hawaii. Narrow helium spectral lines showed that the supernova's blast wave ran into a slow-moving shell of material, presumably the progenitor's outer layers ejected just two years earlier. If the spectral lines had been caused by the supernova's fast-moving blast wave, the lines would have been much broader. artistic rendering This artistic rendering depicts two years in the life of a massive blue supergiant star, which burped and spewed a shell of gas, then, two years later, exploded. When the supernova slammed into the shell of gas, X-rays were produced. (Credit: NASA/Sonoma State Univ./A.Simonnet) Another group, led by Stefan Immler of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., monitored SN 2006jc with NASA's Swift satellite and Chandra X-ray Observatory. By observing how the supernova brightened in X-rays, a result of the blast wave slamming into the outburst ejecta, they could measure the amount of gas blown off in the 2004 outburst: about 0.01 solar mass, the equivalent of about 10 Jupiters. "The beautiful aspect of our SN 2006jc observations is that although they were obtained in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, in the optical and in X-rays, they lead to the same conclusions," says Immler. "This

Exploding Head Syndrome as Aura of Migraine with Brainstem Aura: A Case Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, Fabian H; Gonzalez, Elizabeth; Rossi, Elisa Marie; Tsakadze, Nina

2018-01-01

This article reports a case of exploding head syndrome (EHS) as an aura of migraine with brainstem aura (MBA). A middle-aged man presented with intermittent episodes of a brief sensation of explosion in the head, visual flashing, vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus, confusion, ataxia, dysarthria, and bilateral visual impairment followed by migraine headache. The condition was diagnosed as MBA. Explosive head sensation, sensory phenomena, and headaches improved over time with nortriptyline. This case shows that EHS can present as a primary aura symptom in patients with MBA.

Ever Since the World Began: A Reading & Interview with Masha Tupitsyn

OpenAIRE

Masha Tupitsyn

2013-01-01

Writer and cultural critic Masha Tupitsyn is interviewed on her audio recording of her reading Ever Since This World Began, produced specially for this issue of continent. and adapted from her recently published Love Dog (Success and Failure) out from Penny-Ante Editions.

Breakdown dynamics of electrically exploding thin metal wires in vacuum

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkisov, G. S.; Caplinger, J.; Parada, F.; Sotnikov, V. I.

2016-10-01

Using a two-frame intensified charge coupled device (iCCD) imaging system with a 2 ns exposure time, we observed the dynamics of voltage breakdown and corona generation in experiments of fast ns-time exploding fine Ni and stainless-steel (SS) wires in a vacuum. These experiments show that corona generation along the wire surface is subjected to temporal-spatial inhomogeneity. For both metal wires, we observed an initial generation of a bright cathode spot before the ionization of the entire wire length. This cathode spot does not expand with time. For 25.4 μm diameter Ni and SS wire explosions with positive polarity, breakdown starts from the ground anode and propagates to the high voltage cathode with speeds approaching 3500 km/s or approximately one percent of light speed.

Polarimetry and Schlieren diagnostics of underwater exploding wires

Science.gov (United States)

Fedotov-Gefen, A. V.; Krasik, Ya. E.

2009-11-01

Nondisturbing laser-probing polarimetry (based on the Faraday and Kerr effects) and Schlieren diagnostics were used in the investigation of underwater electrical wire explosion. Measuring the polarization plane rotation angle of a probing laser beam due to the Faraday effect allows one to determine an axially resolved current flowing through the exploding wire, unlike commonly used current probes. This optical method of measuring current yields results that match those obtained using a current viewing resistor within an accuracy of 10%. The same optical setup allows simultaneous space-resolved measurement of the electric field using the Kerr effect. It was shown that the maximal amplitude of the electric field in the vicinity of the high-voltage electrode is ˜80 kV/cm and that the radial electric field is <1 MV/cm during the wire explosion. Finally, it was shown that the use of Schlieren diagnostics allows one to obtain qualitatively the density distribution behind the shock wave front, which is important for the determination of the energy transfer from the discharge channel to the generated water flow.

Polarimetry and Schlieren diagnostics of underwater exploding wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fedotov-Gefen, A. V.; Krasik, Ya. E.

2009-01-01

Nondisturbing laser-probing polarimetry (based on the Faraday and Kerr effects) and Schlieren diagnostics were used in the investigation of underwater electrical wire explosion. Measuring the polarization plane rotation angle of a probing laser beam due to the Faraday effect allows one to determine an axially resolved current flowing through the exploding wire, unlike commonly used current probes. This optical method of measuring current yields results that match those obtained using a current viewing resistor within an accuracy of 10%. The same optical setup allows simultaneous space-resolved measurement of the electric field using the Kerr effect. It was shown that the maximal amplitude of the electric field in the vicinity of the high-voltage electrode is ∼80 kV/cm and that the radial electric field is <1 MV/cm during the wire explosion. Finally, it was shown that the use of Schlieren diagnostics allows one to obtain qualitatively the density distribution behind the shock wave front, which is important for the determination of the energy transfer from the discharge channel to the generated water flow.

Ever Since the World Began: A Reading & Interview with Masha Tupitsyn

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masha Tupitsyn

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Writer and cultural critic Masha Tupitsyn is interviewed on her audio recording of her reading Ever Since This World Began, produced specially for this issue of continent. and adapted from her recently published Love Dog (Success and Failure out from Penny-Ante Editions.

Improved enzymatic saccharification of steam exploded cotton stalk using alkaline extraction and fermentation of cellulosic sugars into ethanol.

Science.gov (United States)

Keshav, Praveen K; Naseeruddin, Shaik; Rao, L Venkateswar

2016-08-01

Cotton stalk, a widely available and cheap agricultural residue lacking economic alternatives, was subjected to steam explosion in the range 170-200°C for 5min. Steam explosion at 200°C and 5min led to significant hemicellulose solubilization (71.90±0.10%). Alkaline extraction of steam exploded cotton stalk (SECOH) using 3% NaOH at room temperature for 6h led to 85.07±1.43% lignin removal with complete hemicellulose solubilization. Besides, this combined pretreatment allowed a high recovery of the cellulosic fraction from the biomass. Enzymatic saccharification was studied between steam exploded cotton stalk (SECS) and SECOH using different cellulase loadings. SECOH gave a maximum of 785.30±8.28mg/g reducing sugars with saccharification efficiency of 82.13±0.72%. Subsequently, fermentation of SECOH hydrolysate containing sugars (68.20±1.16g/L) with Saccharomyces cerevisiae produced 23.17±0.84g/L ethanol with 0.44g/g yield. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anisotropy of ultraviolet radiation of high current discharge in a plasma of exploding wire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogolyubskij, S.L.

1987-01-01

The experiments on exploding thin wires in a diode of a high current generator of relativistic electron beams ''Triton'' have demonstrated that the presence of a hot plasma corona and a colder and denser core is typical for appearing radiation coolled Z-pinch. It is found that for 5-10 ns ultraviolet radiation emmitted by plasma channel has a pronounced axial directivity conditioned by quanta with the energy in the 60-120 eV range. Control experiments have shown that this effect is not connected with various near-electrode phenomena

Correction of high-voltage pulse front by means of exploding wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azarkevich, E.I.; Zajtsev, N.I.; Kotov, Yu.A.

1979-01-01

A method of correcting the poWer pulse fronts shaped during the discharge of the Akradiev-Marx generator on active load has been suggested with a view to shaping power high-voltage pulses on the diode of a high-current electron accelerator. Thish correction is carried oUt by means of the current breaker on the base of electrically exploding wires. The breaker consists of four copper wires of 0.12 mm diameter, and 940 mm length. A current pulse of 32 kA amplitude, duration of 2.7 μs with a front of 100 ns was obtained by the use of the current breaker when forming the pulse in the electron accelerator power supply at load of 12 Ohm. The correction resulted in a nearly 20-fold reduction of the front duration

Risky decision making from childhood through adulthood: Contributions of learning and sensitivity to negative feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Humphreys, Kathryn L; Telzer, Eva H; Flannery, Jessica; Goff, Bonnie; Gabard-Durnam, Laurel; Gee, Dylan G; Lee, Steve S; Tottenham, Nim

2016-02-01

Decision making in the context of risk is a complex and dynamic process that changes across development. Here, we assessed the influence of sensitivity to negative feedback (e.g., loss) and learning on age-related changes in risky decision making, both of which show unique developmental trajectories. In the present study, we examined risky decision making in 216 individuals, ranging in age from 3-26 years, using the balloon emotional learning task (BELT), a computerized task in which participants pump up a series of virtual balloons to earn points, but risk balloon explosion on each trial, which results in no points. It is important to note that there were 3 balloon conditions, signified by different balloon colors, ranging from quick- to slow-to-explode, and participants could learn the color-condition pairings through task experience. Overall, we found age-related increases in pumps made and points earned. However, in the quick-to-explode condition, there was a nonlinear adolescent peak for points earned. Follow-up analyses indicated that this adolescent phenotype occurred at the developmental intersection of linear age-related increases in learning and decreases in sensitivity to negative feedback. Adolescence was marked by intermediate values on both these processes. These findings show that a combination of linearly changing processes can result in nonlinear changes in risky decision making, the adolescent-specific nature of which is associated with developmental improvements in learning and reduced sensitivity to negative feedback. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploding pusher targets illuminated using f/1 lenses at approx. 0.4 TW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Storm, E.K.; Ahlstrom, H.G.; Holzrichter, J.F.

1976-01-01

A series of laser fusion microimplosion experiments have been performed with the LLL two beam laser system JANUS. The JANUS laser is capable of focusing up to 400 gigawatts of 1.06 μm laser power (32J in 80 psec) on microscopic laser fusion targets, producing intensities in excess of 10 17 w/cm 2 . In these experiments the targets were Deuterium--Tritium (DT) gas filled, thin walled (.5 to 1.0 μm) SiO 2 microshells with diameters of 40 to 100 μm. Targets with these dimensions, properties and laser powers operate in what has become known as the exploding pusher mode. A summary of the salient points of each design limit is illustrated

The exploding head syndrome: polysomnographic recordings and therapeutic suggestions.

Science.gov (United States)

Sachs, C; Svanborg, E

1991-06-01

Attention has recently been drawn to a condition termed the exploding head syndrome, which is characterized by unpleasant, even terrifying sensations of flashing lights and/or sounds during reported sleep. Nine patients complaining of sensations of explosions in the head during sleep or drowsiness were investigated with polysomnographic recordings. None of them had any neurological disorder. Five patients reported explosions during the recording sessions. According to the recordings, the attacks always took place when the patients were awake and relaxed. In two cases abrupt electroencephalographic (EEG) and electromyographic changes indicating increasing alertness were recorded at the time of the reported attacks. In the remaining three cases no EEG changes were seen. Thus, there were no indications of an epileptic etiology to the condition. In all patients the symptoms ameliorated spontaneously with time. The severity of the symptoms was reduced by reassurance of the harmlessness of the condition. Clomipramine was prescribed to three patients who all reported immediate relief of symptoms. It is concluded that symptoms of this type are probably not true hypnagogic phenomena but may be an expression of emotional stress in the awake state.

The Comparison of Risky Decision Making in Opium Abuser and Healthy Matched Individuals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vahid Nejati

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Objective: Risky decision making is one of the most basic mechanisms of impulsive and addictive behaviors. The purpose of present study was the comparison of risky decision making in opium abuser and healthy matched individuals. Method: In present cross sectional study, 50 opium abusers compared to 50 healthy who were matched on age and gender. Balloon Analogue Risk Taking Task was used for evaluation of risk taking in participant of both groups. Results: The results showed that opium abusers have had higher scores on number of plumbing balloon and exploded balloon in BART task than normal individuals. Conclusion: Opium abusers have higher risk taking than normal individuals.

Characteristic symptoms and associated features of exploding head syndrome in undergraduates.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharpless, Brian A

2018-03-01

Background Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is characterized by loud noises or a sense of explosion in the head during sleep transitions. Though relatively common, little is known about its characteristic symptoms or associated features. Methods A cross-sectional study of 49 undergraduates with EHS was performed. A clinical interview established diagnosis. Results The most common accompanying symptoms were tachycardia, fear, and muscle jerks/twitches with the most severe associated with respiration difficulties. Visual phenomena were more common than expected (27%). EHS episodes were perceived as having a random course, but were most likely to occur during wake-sleep transitions and when sleeping in a supine position. Only 11% reported EHS to a professional, and 8% of those with recurrent EHS attempted to prevent episodes. Conclusions EHS episodes are complex (Mean (M) = 4.5 additional symptoms), often multisensorial, and usually associated with clinically-significant fear. They are rarely reported to professionals and treatment approaches are limited.

A potential environment for lasing below 15 nm initiated by exploding wire in water

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Koláček, Karel; Prukner, Václav; Schmidt, Jiří; Frolov, Oleksandr; Štraus, Jaroslav

2010-01-01

Roč. 28, č. 1 (2010), s. 61-67 ISSN 0263-0346. [International Conference on the Frontiers of Plasma Physics and Technology/4th./. Kathmandu, Nepal, 06.04.2009-10.04.2009] R&D Projects: GA MŠk LA08024; GA MŠk(CZ) LC528; GA AV ČR KAN300100702; GA AV ČR KJB100430702 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20430508 Keywords : exploding wire in water * modeling of wire explosion * measurement of H-alpha line profile Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 3.656, year: 2010 http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1&fid=7482804&jid=LPB&volumeId=28&issueId=01&aid=7482796

Valorization of lignin and cellulose in acid-steam-exploded corn stover by a moderate alkaline ethanol post-treatment based on an integrated biorefinery concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Sheng; Zhang, Yue; Yue, Wen; Wang, Wei; Wang, Yun-Yan; Yuan, Tong-Qi; Sun, Run-Cang

2016-01-01

Due to the unsustainable consumption of fossil resources, great efforts have been made to convert lignocellulose into bioethanol and commodity organic compounds through biological methods. The conversion of cellulose is impeded by the compactness of plant cell wall matrix and crystalline structure of the native cellulose. Therefore, appropriate pretreatment and even post-treatment are indispensable to overcome this problem. Additionally, an adequate utilization of coproduct lignin will be important for improving the economic viability of modern biorefinery industries. The effectiveness of moderate alkaline ethanol post-treatment on the bioconversion efficiency of cellulose in the acid-steam-exploded corn stover was investigated in this study. Results showed that an increase of the alcoholic sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentration from 0.05 to 4% led to a decrease in the lignin content in the post-treated samples from 32.8 to 10.7%, while the cellulose digestibility consequently increased. The cellulose conversion of the 4% alcoholic NaOH integrally treated corn stover reached up to 99.3% after 72 h, which was significantly higher than that of the acid steam exploded corn stover without post-treatment (57.3%). In addition to the decrease in lignin content, an expansion of cellulose I lattice induced by the 4% alcoholic NaOH post-treatment played a significant role in promoting the enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover. More importantly, the lignin fraction (AL) released during the 4% alcoholic NaOH post-treatment and the lignin-rich residue (EHR) remained after the enzymatic hydrolysis of the 4% alcoholic NaOH post-treated acid-steam-exploded corn stover were employed to synthesize lignin-phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) resins. The plywoods prepared with the resins exhibit satisfactory performances. An alkaline ethanol system with an appropriate NaOH concentration could improve the removal of lignin and modification of the crystalline structure of cellulose in acid-steam-exploded

How nonimaging optics began

Science.gov (United States)

Winston, Roland

2016-09-01

Classical optics was traditionally the mapping of point sources by lenses, mirrors and occasionally holograms , i.e. making an image. The subject has had many famous scientists associated with it; Fermat, Huygens, Descartes, Hamilton just to name a few. By the mid 20th Century it was a well-developed field as exemplified by such luminaries as Walter T. Welford, Emil Wolf and many others. The theory of aberrations which addresses the imperfections of the mapping codified the state of the art. Then arose the need to collect energy, not just images. To the author's knowledge it can be traced back to WWII Germany with collection of infra-red radiation (the work by D. E. Williamson, was not published until 1952). The radiation collector, a simple right-circular cone, was a harbinger of things to come.

Comparison of SHF and SSF processes from steam-exploded wheat straw for ethanol production by xylose-fermenting and robust glucose-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tomas Pejo, Elia; Oliva, Jose M.; Ballesteros, Mercedes

2008-01-01

In this study, bioethanol production from steam-exploded wheat straw using different process configurations was evaluated using two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, F12 and Red Star. The strain F12 has been engineerically modified to allow xylose consumption as cereal straw contain considerable ...

X-rays Provide a New Way to Investigate Exploding Stars

Science.gov (United States)

2007-05-01

The European Space Agency's X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has revealed a new class of exploding stars - where the X-ray emission 'lives fast and dies young'. The identification of this particular class of explosion gives astronomers a valuable new constraint to help them understand stellar explosions. Exploding stars called novae remain a puzzle to astronomers. "Modelling these outbursts is very difficult," says Wolfgang Pietsch, Max Planck Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik. Now, ESA's XMM-Newton and NASA's Chandra have provided valuable information about when individual novae emit X-rays. Between July 2004 and February 2005, the X-ray observatories watched the heart of the nearby Andromeda Galaxy, known to astronomers as M31. During that time, Pietsch and his colleagues monitored novae, looking for the X-rays. X-ray Image of Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Chandra X-ray Image of Andromeda Galaxy (M31) They detected that eleven out of the 34 novae that had exploded in the galaxy during the previous year were shining X-rays into space. "X-rays are an important window onto novae. They show the atmosphere of the white dwarf," says Pietsch. White dwarfs are hot stellar corpses left behind after the rest of the star has been ejected into space. A typical white dwarf contains about the mass of the Sun, in a spherical volume little bigger than the Earth. It has a strong pull of gravity and, if it is in orbit around a normal star, can rip gas from it. This material builds up on the surface of the white dwarf until it reaches sufficient density to nuclear detonate. The resultant explosion creates a nova. However, these particular events are not strong enough to destroy the underlying white dwarf. The X-ray emission becomes visible some time after the detonation, when the matter ejected by the nova thins out enough to allow astronomers to peer down to the nuclear burning white dwarf atmosphere beneath. At the end of the process, the X-ray emission stops when the fuel is

Lexicography, or the Gentle Art of Making Mistakes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni Iamartino

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The man in the street’s attitude of mind towards dictionaries is that they are the true repositories of all the words in a language, and that they are both authoritative and objective – in short, dictionaries are perfect. By mainly referring to the early history of English mono- and bilingual lexicography, this essay explodes the myth of the perfect dictionary and shows that mistakes in dictionaries may profitably be discussed under two headings: lexicographical mistakes, i.e. vague or circular definitions and the so-called ghost words in monolingual dictionaries, and non-insertable equivalents in bilingual dictionaries; and socio-cultural mistakes, which are related to the often elusive impact of ideology on dictionary-making.

The CHilean Automatic Supernova sEarch

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hamuy, M.; Pignata, G.; Maza, J.

2012-01-01

The CHilean Automatic Supernova sEarch (CHASE) project began in 2007 with the goal to discover young, nearby southern supernovae in order to (1) better understand the physics of exploding stars and their progenitors, and (2) refine the methods to derive extragalactic distances. During the first...

Delayed Diagnosis of Pharyngeal Perforation following Exploding Tyre Blast Barotrauma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantha M. Field

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Pharyngoesophageal perforation secondary to barotrauma is a rare phenomenon that can have serious complications if identified late. It is challenging to detect due to nonspecific symptoms. We present a case in which detection proved difficult leading to delayed diagnosis. Case Report. A 27-year-old mechanic presented with haemoptysis, dysphonia, and odynophagia after a car tyre exploded in his face. Flexible nasoendoscopy (FNE revealed blood in the pharynx, thought to represent mucosal haemorrhage. Initial treatment consisted of IV dexamethasone and antibiotics. After 3 days, odynophagia persisted prompting a CT scan. This revealed a defect in the posterior hypopharynx and surgical emphysema in the deep neck tissues. Contrast swallow confirmed posterior hypopharyngeal leak. NG feeding was commenced until repeated contrast swallow confirmed resolution of the defect. Discussion. Prompt nonsurgical management of pharyngoesophageal perforation has good outcomes but untreated perforation can have serious complications. FNE should be performed routinely, but only a contrast swallow can diagnose a functional perforation. Clinicians should have a high index of clinical suspicion when patients present with barotrauma and odynophagia. Patients should be kept nil by mouth until perforation has been excluded. Conclusion. When faced with cases of facial barotrauma, clinicians should have a low threshold for further imaging to exclude pharyngoesophageal perforation.

Hesitant Fuzzy Thermodynamic Method for Emergency Decision Making Based on Prospect Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Peijia; Xu, Zeshui; Hao, Zhinan

2017-09-01

Due to the timeliness of emergency response and much unknown information in emergency situations, this paper proposes a method to deal with the emergency decision making, which can comprehensively reflect the emergency decision making process. By utilizing the hesitant fuzzy elements to represent the fuzziness of the objects and the hesitant thought of the experts, this paper introduces the negative exponential function into the prospect theory so as to portray the psychological behaviors of the experts, which transforms the hesitant fuzzy decision matrix into the hesitant fuzzy prospect decision matrix (HFPDM) according to the expectation-levels. Then, this paper applies the energy and the entropy in thermodynamics to take the quantity and the quality of the decision values into account, and defines the thermodynamic decision making parameters based on the HFPDM. Accordingly, a whole procedure for emergency decision making is conducted. What is more, some experiments are designed to demonstrate and improve the validation of the emergency decision making procedure. Last but not the least, this paper makes a case study about the emergency decision making in the firing and exploding at Port Group in Tianjin Binhai New Area, which manifests the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed method.

Exploding head syndrome: six new cases and review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Frese, Achim; Summ, Oliver; Evers, Stefan

2014-09-01

Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is characterized by attacks of a sudden noise or explosive feeling experienced in the head occurring during the transition from wake to sleep or from sleep to wake. We present six new cases extending the clinical experience with the syndrome. We also reviewed all available cases from the scientific literature and evaluated the typical features of EHS. The female to male ratio is 1.5 to 1. The median age at onset is 54. In average, one attack per day to one attack per week occurs. Some patients suffer from several attacks per night. In about half of all patients, a chronic time course can be observed but episodic or sporadic occurrence is also common. The most frequent accompanying symptoms beside the noise are fear and flashes of light. Polysomnographic studies do not reveal any specific sleep pattern associated with EHS. Tricyclic antidepressants are helpful in some patients. However, most patients do not need treatment because of the benign nature of the syndrome. EHS is a well-defined disease entity with a benign nature. © International Headache Society 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

A well-established profession

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Braae, Ellen Marie; Hare, Richard Andrew

2011-01-01

It was during the economic boom of the 1960s that the demand for landscape architects began to explode in Denmark as the expanding welfare state brought about rapid physical changes. At this time the country’s first specific education for landscape architects was established and 2010 marked the 5...

Laser-energy scaling law for neutrons generated from nano particles Coulomb-exploded by intense femtosecond laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakabe, Shuji; Hashida, Masaki

2015-01-01

To discuss the feasibility of compact neutron sources the yield of laser produced neutrons is scaled by the laser energy. High-energy ions are generated by Coulomb explosion of clusters through intense femtosecond laser-cluster interactions. The laser energy scaling law of the neutron yield is estimated using the laser intensity scaling law for the energy of ions emitted from clusters Coulomb-exploded by an intense laser pulse. The neutron yield for D (D, n) He shows the potential of compact neutron sources with modern laser technology, and the yield for p (Li, n) Be shows much higher than that for Li (p, n) Be with the assumption of 500 nm-class cluster Coulomb explosion. (author)

Parental Influence on Exploratory Students' College Choice, Major, and Career Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Workman, Jamie L.

2015-01-01

This article explores parental influence on exploratory students' college choice, major, and career decision making. The research began with examination of a first year academic advising model and Living Learning Community. Parental influence emerged as a key theme in student decision making processes. The project was conducted using grounded…

And so it all began: A personal tribute to the man behind the scientist

Science.gov (United States)

Aliotta, Marialuisa

2018-01-01

At the time I began my scientific career as a PhD student under the supervision of Claudio Spitaleri, the Trojan Horse Method was still in its infancy. Like with any new-born idea, it took time and passion and effort to plant the early seeds that would eventually develop into a now well-established method in nuclear astrophysics research. Here, I offer my own recollection of those early years as a personal homage to Claudio's unique mix of human traits that shaped our professional relationship for many years since.

Making National Headlines: The Media Magic of Tad Foote.

Science.gov (United States)

Dudley, Christopher

1988-01-01

On becoming president of the University of Miami, Tad Foote began a long-term campaign of media access, making a point of being both honest and available. His experience as a former journalist helps him both understand the needs of news editors and write articles himself. (MSE)

Micron-scale resolution radiography of laser-accelerated and laser-exploded foils using an yttrium x-ray laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cauble, R.; Da Silva, L.B.; Barbee, T.W. Jr.; Celliers, P.; Moreno, J.C.; Mrowka, S.; Perry, T.S.; Wan, A.S.

1994-09-01

The authors have imaged laser-accelerated foils and exploding foils on the few-micron scale using an yttrium x-ray laser (155 angstrom, 80 eV, ∼200 ps duration) and a multilayer mirror imaging system. At the maximum magnification of 30, resolution was of order one micron. The images were side-on radiographs of the foils. Accelerated foils showed significant filamentation on the rear-side (away from the driving laser) of the foil, although the laser beam was smoothed. In addition to the narrow rear-side filamentation, some shots revealed larger-scale plume-like structures on the front (driven) side of the Al foil. These plumes seem to be little-affected by beam smoothing and are likely a consequence of Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The experiments were carried out at the Nova two-beam facility

Source-receiver two-way wave extrapolation for prestack exploding-reflector modelling and migration

KAUST Repository

Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

2014-10-08

Most modern seismic imaging methods separate input data into parts (shot gathers). We develop a formulation that is able to incorporate all available data at once while numerically propagating the recorded multidimensional wavefield forward or backward in time. This approach has the potential for generating accurate images free of artiefacts associated with conventional approaches. We derive novel high-order partial differential equations in the source-receiver time domain. The fourth-order nature of the extrapolation in time leads to four solutions, two of which correspond to the incoming and outgoing P-waves and reduce to the zero-offset exploding-reflector solutions when the source coincides with the receiver. A challenge for implementing two-way time extrapolation is an essential singularity for horizontally travelling waves. This singularity can be avoided by limiting the range of wavenumbers treated in a spectral-based extrapolation. Using spectral methods based on the low-rank approximation of the propagation symbol, we extrapolate only the desired solutions in an accurate and efficient manner with reduced dispersion artiefacts. Applications to synthetic data demonstrate the accuracy of the new prestack modelling and migration approach.

Optimization of a synthetic mixture composed of major Trichoderma reesei enzymes for the hydrolysis of steam-exploded wheat straw

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Billard Hélène

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background An efficient hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrates to soluble sugars for biofuel production necessitates the interplay and synergistic interaction of multiple enzymes. An optimized enzyme mixture is crucial for reduced cost of the enzymatic hydrolysis step in a bioethanol production process and its composition will depend on the substrate and type of pretreatment used. In the present study, an experimental design was used to determine the optimal composition of a Trichoderma reesei enzyme mixture, comprising the main cellulase and hemicellulase activities, for the hydrolysis of steam-exploded wheat straw. Methods Six enzymes, CBH1 (Cel7a, CBH2 (Cel6a, EG1 (Cel7b, EG2 (Cel5a, as well as the xyloglucanase Cel74a and the xylanase XYN1 (Xyl11a were purified from a T. reesei culture under lactose/xylose-induced conditions. Sugar release was followed in milliliter-scale hydrolysis assays for 48 hours and the influence of the mixture on initial conversion rates and final yields is assessed. Results The developed model could show that both responses were strongly correlated. Model predictions suggest that optimal hydrolysis yields can be obtained over a wide range of CBH1 to CBH2 ratios, but necessitates a high proportion of EG1 (13% to 25% which cannot be replaced by EG2. Whereas 5% to 10% of the latter enzyme and a xylanase content above 6% are required for highest yields, these enzymes are predicted to be less important in the initial stage of hydrolysis. Conclusions The developed model could reliably predict hydrolysis yields of enzyme mixtures in the studied domain and highlighted the importance of the respective enzyme components in both the initial and the final hydrolysis phase of steam-exploded wheat straw.

Steam-exploded biomass saccharification is predominately affected by lignocellulose porosity and largely enhanced by Tween-80 in Miscanthus.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Dan; Alam, Aftab; Tu, Yuanyuan; Zhou, Shiguang; Wang, Yanting; Xia, Tao; Huang, Jiangfeng; Li, Ying; Zahoor; Wei, Xiaoyang; Hao, Bo; Peng, Liangcai

2017-09-01

In this study, total ten Miscanthus accessions exhibited diverse cell wall compositions, leading to largely varied hexoses yields at 17%-40% (% cellulose) released from direct enzymatic hydrolysis of steam-exploded (SE) residues. Further supplied with 2% Tween-80 into the enzymatic digestion, the Mis7 accession showed the higher hexose yield by 14.8-fold than that of raw material, whereas the Mis10 had the highest hexoses yield at 77% among ten Miscanthus accessions. Significantly, this study identified four wall polymer features that negatively affect biomass saccharification as pbiomass enzymatic digestion. Hence, this study provides the potential strategy to enhance biomass saccharification using optimal biomass process technology and related genetic breeding in Miscanthus and beyond. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supernova will continue to glow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1987-01-01

On the night of 23/24 February 1987 a new supernova called SN 1987A, was discovered. Within a few hours of the announcement of the discovery, the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) began a series of observations. In this article, the importance of supernovae-exploding stars, and what the SAAO has discovered so far from SN 1987A are discussed

Formation of plasma around wire fragments created by electrically exploded copper wire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Michael J.

2002-01-01

The physical processes occurring during the electrical explosion of metallic conductors has attracted interest for many years. Applications include circuit breakers, segmented lightning divertor strips for aircraft radomes, disruption of metallic shaped charge jets, plasma armatures for electromagnetic railguns and plasma generators for electrothermal-chemical guns. Recent work has cited the phenomenology of the fragmentation processes, particularly the development of a plasma around the lower resistance condensed fragments. An understanding of both the fragmentation process and the development of the accompanying formation of plasma is essential for the optimization of devices that utilize either of these phenomena. With the use of x-radiography and fast photography, this paper explores the wire explosion process, in particular the relationship between the fragmentation, plasma development and resistance rise that occurs during this period. A hypothesis is put forward to account for the development of plasma around the condensed wire fragments. Experimental parameters used in this study are defined. Wires studied were typically copper, with a diameter of 1 mm and length in excess of 150 mm. Circuit inductance used were from 26 to 800 μH. This relatively high circuit inductance gave circuit rise times less than 180 MA s -1 , slow with respect to many other exploding wire studies. Discharge duration ranged from 0.8 to 10 ms. (author)

When the atomic age began

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1967-01-01

2 December 1942, just twenty-five years ago, is the date most often proclaimed as marking the beginning of the atomic age. On that day Enrico Fermi's atomic 'pile' went critical - man had achieved the first self-sustained nuclear chain reaction and controlled it. This achievement is an outstanding example of how modern science can work. It had been predicted in theory, calculated in advance and finally realised through the work of large teams of scientists, headed by some of the most imaginative personalities of our century. The military aspects of man-made nuclear chain reaction still dominate our world today. However, within this quarter of a century, nuclear energy has also become significant as a source of power for peaceful purposes. By the end of another quarter of a century it will, according to the best forecasts we can make today, produce a major part of the electricity in the world. The control of nuclear fission was initiated by Fermi and his collaborators. It had a tremendous impact on politics, on concepts of warfare and finally on scientific progress for man's welfare. Fifteen years afterwards the International Atomic Energy Agency was created to promote the peaceful uses of the new technology and to assist in winning the advantages it offered for improving health and prosperity. Another of its great objects is to ensure, as far as possible, that nuclear materials intended for peaceful purposes shall not be diverted to military ends. The hope of the world must be that this, one day, will include all nuclear materials

Colobopsis explodens sp. n., model species for studies on "exploding ants" (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with biological notes and first illustrations of males of the Colobopsis cylindrica group

OpenAIRE

Laciny, Alice; Zettel, Herbert; Kopchinskiy, Alexey; Pretzer, Carina; Pal, Anna; Abu Salim, Kamariah; Javad Rahimi, Mohammad; Hoenigsberger, Michaela; Lim, Linda; Jaitrong, Weeyawat; Druzhinina, Irina S.

2018-01-01

A taxonomic description of all castes of Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. from Borneo, Thailand, and Malaysia is provided, which serves as a model species for biological studies on "exploding ants" in Southeast Asia. The new species is a member of the Colobopsis cylindrica (COCY) group and falls into a species complex that has been repeatedly summarized under the name Colobopsis saundersi (Emery, 1889) (formerly Camponotus saundersi). The COCY species group is known under its vern...

Different SEP recovery cycle in adolescent migraineurs with exploding or imploding pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Iacovelli, Elisa; Tarantino, Samuela; Capuano, Alessandro; De Luca, Massimiliano; De Ranieri, Cristiana; Vigevano, Federico; Arendt-Nielsen, Lars; Valeriani, Massimiliano

2013-01-01

Our aim was to investigate whether migraine adolescents with pain directed inside (imploding pain--IP) and outside (exploding pain--EP) the head may have different levels of cortical excitability underlying their migraineous syndrome. Ten migraine children referring prevalent EP (mean age 14.5 ± 1.4 years, 3 girls, 7 boys), 10 patients with IP (mean age 14.1 ± 2.2 years, 4 girls, 6 boys), and 13 control subjects (mean age 13 ± 1.8 years, 6 males, 7 females) participated to the study. The recovery cycle of the somatosensory evoked potentials to electrical median nerve stimuli at interstimulus intervals of 5, 20, and 40 ms was measured. Anger expression, anxiety, and somatic concerns were investigated in migraine patients. Overall, SEP recovery cycle was shorter in migraineurs than in healthy controls. The recovery cycle of the frontal N30 SEP component was significantly shorter in IP than in EP patients. While among the EP patients those with faster N30 recovery cycle had higher Trait-Anger score, the opposite was found among the IP patients. Our results suggest that the inhibitory mechanisms within the somatosensory cortex are more impaired in IP than in EP migraine adolescents. The pathophysiological difference between IP and EP migraineurs was strengthened also by the opposite correlations between the brain excitability and the anger expression. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Colobopsis explodens sp. n., model species for studies on “exploding ants” (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with biological notes and first illustrations of males of the Colobopsis cylindrica group

OpenAIRE

Alice Laciny; Herbert Zettel; Alexey Kopchinskiy; Carina Pretzer; Anna Pal; Kamariah Abu Salim; Mohammad Javad Rahimi; Michaela Hoenigsberger; Linda Lim; Weeyawat Jaitrong; Irina S. Druzhinina

2018-01-01

A taxonomic description of all castes of Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. from Borneo, Thailand, and Malaysia is provided, which serves as a model species for biological studies on “exploding ants” in Southeast Asia. The new species is a member of the Colobopsis cylindrica (COCY) group and falls into a species complex that has been repeatedly summarized under the name Colobopsis saundersi (Emery, 1889) (formerly Camponotus saundersi). The COCY species group is known under ...

Imaging of exploding wire plasmas by high-luminosity monochromatic X-ray backlighting using an X-pinch radiation source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pikuz, S A; Shelkovenko, T A; Romanova, V M [Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation). P.N. Lebedev Physical Inst.; Hammer, D A [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). Laboratory of Plasma Studies; Faenov, A Ya; Pikuz, T A [VNIIFTRI, Mendeleevo (Russian Federation). Multicharged Ions Spectral Data Center

1997-12-31

A new diagnostic method for dense plasmas, monochromatic x-ray backlighting, is described. In this method, shadow images of a bright, dense plasma can be obtained with high spatial resolution using monochromatic radiation from a separate plasma, permitting a major reduction in the required backlighting source power. The object plasma is imaged utilizing spherically bent mica crystals as the x-ray optical elements. Images of test objects obtained using x-ray radiation having different photon energies are presented. Shadow images of exploding Al wire plasmas in the ls{sup 2}-1s3p line radiation of He-like Al XII are also shown. Spatial resolution as fine as 4 {mu}m is demonstrated. The scheme described is useful for backlighting extended high density plasmas, and could be a less costly alternative to using X-ray lasers for such purposes. (author). 7 figs., 10 refs.

The trail to Leduc began in the North

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McKenzie-Brown, P.

2000-06-01

A milestone event in the history of the petroleum industry in Canada occurred in 1914 with the expedition down the Mackenzie River by Dr. T. O. Bosworth, a British geologist, which rivals in importance two better known events, namely the Dingman No. 1 discovery which began disgorging wet gas at Turner Valley in 1914, and the beginning of the modern era with the discovery of oil at Leduc, Alberta in 1947. The Bosworth expedition was commissioned by two Calgary businessmen to investigate the petroleum potential of northern Alberta and beyond, and to stake the most promising claims. That Dr. Bosworth did not disappoint his sponsors is evident from his 70-page long report which he produced upon his return, indicating excellent exploration prospects in three general regions, namely the Mackenzie River between Old Fort Good Hope and Fort Norman, the Tar Springs District on the Great Slave Lake, and the Tar Sand District on the Athabasca River. Exploration was postponed by the exigencies of World War I, but Imperial Oil drilled on one of Bosworth's claims after the war ended and oil was found in 1920. Because of lack of infrastructure to get the oil to major markets, development was lagging until after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, when Norman Wells was developed with American help, primarily to supply oil to the Pacific Fleet. Imperial drilled, while construction crews built a 1,000-km oil pipeline over the Mackenzie Mountains to a newly constructed refiner in Whitehorse. Despite a total cost to the U.S. taxpayers of $134 million, the Canol project (as it was known) contributed little to the war effort. Total production was 1.98 million barrels of oil, of which 46,000 barrels were spilled along the poorly constructed pipeline. Refined petroleum product output was just 866,670 barrels. The appalling disposal and clean up practices eventually led to having the Whitehorse site declared an environmentally contaminated site in 1998. The Maxwell Tar Pit is

Cu/Cu{sub 2}O/CuO nanoparticles: Novel synthesis by exploding wire technique and extensive characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sahai, Anshuman [Department of Physics and Materials Science and Engineering, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, A-10, Sector-62, Noida 201307 (India); Goswami, Navendu, E-mail: navendugoswami@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Materials Science and Engineering, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, A-10, Sector-62, Noida 201307 (India); Kaushik, S.D. [UGC-DAE-Consortium for Scientific Research Mumbai Centre, R5 Shed, BARC, Mumbai 400085 (India); Tripathi, Shilpa [UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Indore, M.P. (India)

2016-12-30

Highlights: The salient features of this research article are following: • Mixed phase synthesis of Cu/Cu{sub 2}O/CuO nanoparticles prepared by Exploding Wire Technique (EWT). • Predominant Cu/Cu{sub 2}O phases along with minor CuO phase revealed through XRD, TEM, Raman, FTIR, UV–Visible and PL analyses. • XPS analysis provided direct evidences of Cu{sup 2+} and Cu{sup +} along with O deficiency for prepared nanoparticles. • Room temperature weak ferromagnetic behaviour was demonstrated for Cu/Cu{sub 2}O/CuO nanoparticles. - Abstract: In this article, we explore potential of Exploding Wire Technique (EWT) to synthesize the copper nanoparticles using the copper metal in a plate and wire geometry. Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of prepared material indicates presence of mixed phases of copper (Cu) and copper oxide (Cu{sub 2}O). Agglomerates of copper and copper oxide comprised of ∼20 nm average size nanoparticles observed through high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Micro-Raman (μR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies of prepared nanoparticles reveal existence of additional minority CuO phase, not determined earlier through XRD and TEM analysis. μR investigations vividly reveal cubic Cu{sub 2}O and monoclinic CuO phases based on the difference of space group symmetries. In good agreement with μRaman analysis, FTIR stretching modes corresponding to Cu{sub 2}-O and Cu-O were also distinguished. Investigations of μR and FTIR vibrational modes are in accordance and affirm concurrence of CuO phases besides predominant Cu and Cu{sub 2}O phase. Quantum confinement effects along with increase of band gaps for direct and indirect optical transitions of Cu/Cu{sub 2}O/CuO nanoparticles are reflected through UV–vis (UV–vis) spectroscopy. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy spots the electronic levels of each phase and optical transitions processes

Liberation and Franco-American Relations in Post-War Cherbourg

Science.gov (United States)

2008-06-13

liberation of Naples began to go sour on October 7, when the first of many German time bombs exploded in the city killing and wounding seventy, half...Service contracted the Brasserie le Cerf in Cherbourg for beer for the troops. This was the only brewery available for the supplying of the civilian...population. The military contract supplied not more than half their monthly production of beer to the Army. Three locations in Cherbourg became beer

Colobopsis explodens sp. n., model species for studies on "exploding ants" (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with biological notes and first illustrations of males of the Colobopsis cylindrica group.

Science.gov (United States)

Laciny, Alice; Zettel, Herbert; Kopchinskiy, Alexey; Pretzer, Carina; Pal, Anna; Salim, Kamariah Abu; Rahimi, Mohammad Javad; Hoenigsberger, Michaela; Lim, Linda; Jaitrong, Weeyawat; Druzhinina, Irina S

2018-01-01

A taxonomic description of all castes of Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. from Borneo, Thailand, and Malaysia is provided, which serves as a model species for biological studies on "exploding ants" in Southeast Asia. The new species is a member of the Colobopsis cylindrica (COCY) group and falls into a species complex that has been repeatedly summarized under the name Colobopsis saundersi (Emery, 1889) (formerly Camponotus saundersi ). The COCY species group is known under its vernacular name "exploding ants" for a unique behaviour: during territorial combat, workers of some species sacrifice themselves by rupturing their gaster and releasing sticky and irritant contents of their hypertrophied mandibular gland reservoirs to kill or repel rivals. This study includes first illustrations and morphometric characterizations of males of the COCY group: Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. and Colobopsis badia (Smith, 1857). Characters of male genitalia and external morphology are compared with other selected taxa of Camponotini. Preliminary notes on the biology of C. explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. are provided. To fix the species identity of the closely related C. badia , a lectotype from Singapore is designated. The following taxonomic changes within the C. saundersi complex are proposed: Colobopsis solenobia (Menozzi, 1926), syn. n. and Colobopsis trieterica (Menozzi, 1926), syn. n. are synonymized with Colobopsis corallina Roger, 1863, a common endemic species of the Philippines. Colobopsis saginata Stitz, 1925, stat. n ., hitherto a subspecies of C. badia , is raised to species level.

Review of effects of dielectric coatings on electrical exploding wires and Z pinches

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jian; Li, Xingwen; Li, Mo; Li, Yang; Qiu, Aici

2017-10-01

As the most powerful x-ray source in the laboratories, the wire array Z pinches have been of great relevance to inertial confinement fusions, laboratory astrophysics, and other high-energy density applications. In order to produce x-ray with greater power and higher efficiency, the dynamics of wire array has been investigated extensively, and various methods have been proposed to improve the implosion quality of the wire array. This review focuses on the experimental and theoretical investigations regarding the effects of the dielectric coatings on electrical exploding wires and Z pinches. Since the early 2000, the electrical wire explosion related to the first stage of the wire array Z pinches has been studied extensively, and the results indicated that the dielectric coatings can significantly increase the joule energy deposition into a wire in the initial stage, and even the corona free explosion of tungsten wires can be achieved. Recently, there is an increasing interest in the dynamics of insulated wire array Z pinches. By applying dielectric coatings, the ablation process is suppressed, the x-ray start time is delayed, and the possibility of multi-peak radiation is decreased. This review is organized by the evolution dynamics of wire array Z pinches, and a broad introduction to relevant scientific concepts and various other applications are presented. According to the current research status, the challenges, opportunities and further developments of Z pinch loads using dielectric coatings are proposed to further promote the researches and their applications.

Review of effects of dielectric coatings on electrical exploding wires and Z pinches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Jian; Li, Mo; Li, Yang; Li, Xingwen; Qiu, Aici

2017-01-01

As the most powerful x-ray source in the laboratories, the wire array Z pinches have been of great relevance to inertial confinement fusions, laboratory astrophysics, and other high-energy density applications. In order to produce x-ray with greater power and higher efficiency, the dynamics of wire array has been investigated extensively, and various methods have been proposed to improve the implosion quality of the wire array. This review focuses on the experimental and theoretical investigations regarding the effects of the dielectric coatings on electrical exploding wires and Z pinches. Since the early 2000, the electrical wire explosion related to the first stage of the wire array Z pinches has been studied extensively, and the results indicated that the dielectric coatings can significantly increase the joule energy deposition into a wire in the initial stage, and even the corona free explosion of tungsten wires can be achieved. Recently, there is an increasing interest in the dynamics of insulated wire array Z pinches. By applying dielectric coatings, the ablation process is suppressed, the x-ray start time is delayed, and the possibility of multi-peak radiation is decreased. This review is organized by the evolution dynamics of wire array Z pinches, and a broad introduction to relevant scientific concepts and various other applications are presented. According to the current research status, the challenges, opportunities and further developments of Z pinch loads using dielectric coatings are proposed to further promote the researches and their applications. (topical review)

Recycling cellulases during the hydrolysis of steam exploded and ethanol pretreated Lodgepole pine.

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Maobing; Chandra, Richard P; Saddler, Jack N

2007-01-01

Recycling of cellulases is one way of reducing the high cost of enzymes during the bioconversion process. The effects of surfactant addition on enzymatic hydrolysis and the potential recycling of cellulases were studied during the hydrolysis of steam exploded Lodgepole pine (SELP) and ethanol pretreated Lodgepole pine (EPLP). Three cellulase preparations (Celluclast, Spezyme CP, and MSUBC) were evaluated to determine their hydrolysis efficiencies over multiple rounds of recycling. The surfactant, Tween 80, significantly increased the yield from 63% to 86% during the hydrolysis of the SELP substrate. The addition of surfactant to the hydrolysis of the EPLP substrate increased the free enzymes in the supernatant from 71% of the initial protein to 96%. Based on the Langmuir adsorption constants, cellulases (Celluclast and Spezyme CP) from Trichoderma reesei showed a higher affinity (3.48 mL/mg and 3.17 mL/mg) for the EPLP substrate than did the Penicillium enzyme (0.62 mg/mg). The Trichoderma reesei enzyme was used in four successive rounds of enzyme recycling using surfactant addition and readsorption onto fresh substrates during the hydrolysis of EPLP. In contrast, the Penicillium-derived enzyme preparation (MSUBC) could only be recycled once. When the same recycling strategy was carried out using the SELP substrate, the hydrolysis yield declined during each enzyme recycling round. These results suggested that the higher lignin content of the SELP substrate, and the low affinity of cellulases for the SELP substrate limited enzyme recycling by readsorption onto fresh substrates.

Integrated Production of Xylonic Acid and Bioethanol from Acid-Catalyzed Steam-Exploded Corn Stover.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Junjun; Rong, Yayun; Yang, Jinlong; Zhou, Xin; Xu, Yong; Zhang, Lingling; Chen, Jiahui; Yong, Qiang; Yu, Shiyuan

2015-07-01

High-efficiency xylose utilization is one of the restrictive factors of bioethanol industrialization. However, xylonic acid (XA) as a new bio-based platform chemical can be produced by oxidation of xylose with microbial. So, an applicable technology of XA bioconversion was integrated into the process of bioethanol production. After corn stover was pretreated with acid-catalyzed steam-explosion, solid and liquid fractions were obtained. The liquid fraction, also named as acid-catalyzed steam-exploded corn stover (ASC) prehydrolyzate (mainly containing xylose), was catalyzed with Gluconobacter oxydans NL71 to prepare XA. After 72 h of bioconversion of concentrated ASC prehydrolyzate (containing 55.0 g/L of xylose), the XA concentration reached a peak value of 54.97 g/L, the sugar utilization ratio and XA yield were 94.08 and 95.45 %, respectively. The solid fraction was hydrolyzed to produce glucose with cellulase and then fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae NL22 to produce ethanol. After 18 h of fermentation of concentrated enzymatic hydrolyzate (containing 86.22 g/L of glucose), the ethanol concentration reached its highest value of 41.48 g/L, the sugar utilization ratio and ethanol yield were 98.72 and 95.25 %, respectively. The mass balance showed that 1 t ethanol and 1.3 t XA were produced from 7.8 t oven dry corn stover.

Risky decision-making in children with and without ADHD: A prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Humphreys, Kathryn L; Tottenham, Nim; Lee, Steve S

2018-02-01

Learning from past decisions can enhance successful decision-making. It is unclear whether difficulties in learning from experience may contribute to risky decision-making, which may be altered among individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study follows 192 children with and without ADHD aged 5 to 10 years for approximately 2.5 years and examines their risky decision-making using the Balloon Emotional Learning Task (BELT), a computerized assessment of sequential risky decision-making in which participants pump up a series of virtual balloons for points. The BELT contains three task conditions: one with a variable explosion point, one with a stable and early explosion point, and one with a stable and late explosion point. These conditions may be learned via experience on the task. Contrary to expectations, ADHD status was not found to be related to greater risk-taking on the BELT, and among younger children ADHD status is in fact associated with reduced risk-taking. In addition, the typically-developing children without ADHD showed significant learning-related gains on both stable task conditions. However, the children with ADHD demonstrated learning on the condition with a stable and early explosion point, but not on the condition with the stable and late explosion point, in which more pumps are required before learning when the balloon will explode. Learning during decision-making may be more difficult for children with ADHD. Because adapting to changing environmental demands requires the use of feedback to guide future behavior, negative outcomes associated with childhood ADHD may partially reflect difficulties in learning from experience.

Exploding Stars and Stripes

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

The discovery of a pattern of X-ray "stripes" in the remains of an exploded star may provide the first direct evidence that a cosmic event can accelerate particles to energies a hundred times higher than achieved by the most powerful particle accelerator on Earth. This result comes from a very long observation of the Tycho supernova remnant with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. It could explain how some of the extremely energetic particles bombarding the Earth, called cosmic rays, are produced. "We've seen lots of intriguing structures in supernova remnants, but we've never seen stripes before," said Kristoffer Eriksen, a postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers University who led the study. "This made us think very hard about what's happening in the blast wave of this powerful explosion." This latest study from Chandra provides support for a theory about how magnetic fields can be dramatically amplified in such blast waves. In this theory, the magnetic fields become highly tangled and the motions of the particles very turbulent near the expanding supernova shock wave at the front edge of the supernova remnant. High-energy charged particles can bounce back and forth across the shock wave repeatedly, gaining energy with each crossing. Theoretical models of the motion of the most energetic particles -- which are mostly protons -- are predicted to leave a messy network of holes and dense walls corresponding to weak and strong regions of magnetic fields, respectively. The X-ray stripes discovered by the Chandra researchers are thought to be regions where the turbulence is greater and the magnetic fields more tangled than surrounding areas, and may be the walls predicted by the theory. Electrons become trapped in these regions and emit X-rays as they spiral around the magnetic field lines. However, the regular and almost periodic pattern of the X-ray stripes was not predicted by the theory. "It was a big surprise to find such a neatly arranged set of stripes," said co

Sexy males and choosy females on exploded leks: correlates of male attractiveness in the Little Bustard.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiguet, Frédéric; Bretagnolle, Vincent

2014-03-01

In their choice of mates, females may use alternative tactics, including a comparative assessment of males in a population, using one or several relative preference criteria. Traits involved in female choice should presumably be variable between, but not within males, thus potentially providing reliable cues of male identity and quality for prospecting females. In lekking species, sexual selection is usually intense, and females can freely choose mates. Studying the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax, a bird with an exploded lek mating system, we first identified male phenotypic traits that showed higher among, than within variation (plumage pattern, display rates and call structure). Among those and other traits (ornaments and their symmetry, body condition, lek spatial organization and territory quality), we identified phenotypic traits that correlated with male attractiveness toward females. At least four phenotypic male traits were correlated with female attraction, i.e. body condition, lek attendance, ornamental symmetry and display rates. Traits related to the initial female attraction on male territory seem to differ from traits related to the decision of females to stay in the territory of attractive males. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Colobopsis explodens sp. n., model species for studies on “exploding ants” (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with biological notes and first illustrations of males of the Colobopsis cylindrica group

Science.gov (United States)

Laciny, Alice; Zettel, Herbert; Kopchinskiy, Alexey; Pretzer, Carina; Pal, Anna; Salim, Kamariah Abu; Rahimi, Mohammad Javad; Hoenigsberger, Michaela; Lim, Linda; Jaitrong, Weeyawat; Druzhinina, Irina S.

2018-01-01

Abstract A taxonomic description of all castes of Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. from Borneo, Thailand, and Malaysia is provided, which serves as a model species for biological studies on “exploding ants” in Southeast Asia. The new species is a member of the Colobopsis cylindrica (COCY) group and falls into a species complex that has been repeatedly summarized under the name Colobopsis saundersi (Emery, 1889) (formerly Camponotus saundersi). The COCY species group is known under its vernacular name “exploding ants” for a unique behaviour: during territorial combat, workers of some species sacrifice themselves by rupturing their gaster and releasing sticky and irritant contents of their hypertrophied mandibular gland reservoirs to kill or repel rivals. This study includes first illustrations and morphometric characterizations of males of the COCY group: Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. and Colobopsis badia (Smith, 1857). Characters of male genitalia and external morphology are compared with other selected taxa of Camponotini. Preliminary notes on the biology of C. explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. are provided. To fix the species identity of the closely related C. badia, a lectotype from Singapore is designated. The following taxonomic changes within the C. saundersi complex are proposed: Colobopsis solenobia (Menozzi, 1926), syn. n. and Colobopsis trieterica (Menozzi, 1926), syn. n. are synonymized with Colobopsis corallina Roger, 1863, a common endemic species of the Philippines. Colobopsis saginata Stitz, 1925, stat. n., hitherto a subspecies of C. badia, is raised to species level. PMID:29706783

Colobopsis explodens sp. n., model species for studies on “exploding ants” (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, with biological notes and first illustrations of males of the Colobopsis cylindrica group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alice Laciny

2018-04-01

Full Text Available A taxonomic description of all castes of Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. from Borneo, Thailand, and Malaysia is provided, which serves as a model species for biological studies on “exploding ants” in Southeast Asia. The new species is a member of the Colobopsis cylindrica (COCY group and falls into a species complex that has been repeatedly summarized under the name Colobopsis saundersi (Emery, 1889 (formerly Camponotus saundersi. The COCY species group is known under its vernacular name “exploding ants” for a unique behaviour: during territorial combat, workers of some species sacrifice themselves by rupturing their gaster and releasing sticky and irritant contents of their hypertrophied mandibular gland reservoirs to kill or repel rivals. This study includes first illustrations and morphometric characterizations of males of the COCY group: Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. and Colobopsis badia (Smith, 1857. Characters of male genitalia and external morphology are compared with other selected taxa of Camponotini. Preliminary notes on the biology of C. explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. are provided. To fix the species identity of the closely related C. badia, a lectotype from Singapore is designated. The following taxonomic changes within the C. saundersi complex are proposed: Colobopsis solenobia (Menozzi, 1926, syn. n. and Colobopsis trieterica (Menozzi, 1926, syn. n. are synonymized with Colobopsis corallina Roger, 1863, a common endemic species of the Philippines. Colobopsis saginata Stitz, 1925, stat. n., hitherto a subspecies of C. badia, is raised to species level.

Making Sense of Learning at Secondary School: Involving Students to Improve Teaching Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Kane, Ruth G.; Maw, Nicola

2005-01-01

Consulting students on their experiences of learning and teaching in schools, while signalled as a potentially valuable research practice fifteen years ago by Michael Fullan, is now gaining prominence in educational research within New Zealand. The "Making Sense of Learning at Secondary Schools" research began with the premise that to…

Conversion of C6 and C5 sugars in undetoxified wet exploded bagasse hydrolysates using Scheffersomyces (Pichia) stipitis CBS6054

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Biswas, Rajib; Uellendahl, Hinrich; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

2013-01-01

Sugarcane bagasse is a potential feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production, rich in both glucan and xylan. This stresses the importance of utilizing both C6 and C5 sugars for conversion into ethanol in order to improve the process economics. During processing of the hydrolysate degradation...... products such as acetate, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural are formed, which are known to inhibit microbial growth at higher concentrations. In the current study, conversion of both glucose and xylose sugars into ethanol in wet exploded bagasse hydrolysates was investigated without detoxification...... using Scheffersomyces (Pichia) stipitis CBS6054, a native xylose utilizing yeast strain. The sugar utilization ratio and ethanol yield (Yp/s) ranged from 88-100% and 0.33-0.41 ± 0.02 g/g, respectively, in all the hydrolysates tested. Hydrolysate after wet explosion at 185°C and 6 bar O2, composed...

Virological failure of staggered and simultaneous treatment interruption in HIV patients who began Efavirenz-based regimens after allergic reactions to nevirapine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siripassorn Krittaecho

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objective The objective of this work was to study the virological outcomes associated with two different types of treatment interruption strategies in patients with allergic reactions to nevirapine (NVP. We compared the virological outcomes of (1 HIV-1-infected patients who discontinued an initial NVP-based regimen because of cutaneous allergic reactions to NVP; different types of interruption strategies were used, and second-line regimen was based on efavirenz (EFV; and (2 HIV-1-infected patients who began an EFV-based regimen as a first-line therapy (controls. Methods This retrospective cohort included patients who began an EFV-based regimen, between January 2002 and December 2008, as either an initial regimen or as a subsequent regimen after resolving a cutaneous allergic reaction against an initial NVP-based regimen. The study ended in March 2010. The primary outcome was virological failure, which was defined as either (a two consecutive plasma HIV-1 RNA levels >400 copies/mL or (b a plasma HIV-1 RNA level >1,000 copies/mL plus any genotypic resistance mutation. Results A total of 559 patients were stratified into three groups: (a Simultaneous Interruption, in which the subjects simultaneously discontinued all the drugs in an NVP-based regimen following an allergic reaction (n=161; (b Staggered Interruption, in which the subjects discontinued NVP treatment while continuing nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI backbone therapy for a median of 7 days (n=82; and (c Control, in which the subjects were naïve to antiretroviral therapy (n=316. The overall median follow-up time was 43 months. Incidence of virological failure in Simultaneous Interruption was 12.9 cases per 1,000 person-years, which trended toward being higher than the incidences in Staggered Interruption (5.4 and Control (6.6. However, differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions Among the patients who had an acute allergic reaction to first

X-ray imaging and 3D reconstruction of in-flight exploding foil initiator flyers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Willey, T. M., E-mail: willey1@llnl.gov; Champley, K., E-mail: champley1@llnl.gov; Hodgin, R.; Lauderbach, L.; Bagge-Hansen, M.; May, C.; Buuren, T. van [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94551 (United States); Sanchez, N.; Jensen, B. J. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States); Iverson, A. [National Security Technologies, LLC, Las Vegas, Nevada 89193 (United States)

2016-06-21

Exploding foil initiators (EFIs), also known as slapper initiators or detonators, offer clear safety and timing advantages over other means of initiating detonation in high explosives. This work outlines a new capability for imaging and reconstructing three-dimensional images of operating EFIs. Flyer size and intended velocity were chosen based on parameters of the imaging system. The EFI metal plasma and plastic flyer traveling at 2.5 km/s were imaged with short ∼80 ps pulses spaced 153.4 ns apart. A four-camera system acquired 4 images from successive x-ray pulses from each shot. The first frame was prior to bridge burst, the 2nd images the flyer about 0.16 mm above the surface but edges of the foil and/or flyer are still attached to the substrate. The 3rd frame captures the flyer in flight, while the 4th shows a completely detached flyer in a position that is typically beyond where slappers strike initiating explosives. Multiple acquisitions at different incident angles and advanced computed tomography reconstruction algorithms were used to produce a 3-dimensional image of the flyer at 0.16 and 0.53 mm above the surface. Both the x-ray images and the 3D reconstruction show a strong anisotropy in the shape of the flyer and underlying foil parallel vs. perpendicular to the initiating current and electrical contacts. These results provide detailed flyer morphology during the operation of the EFI.

Comparing cell viability and ethanol fermentation of the thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on steam-exploded biomass treated with laccase.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, Antonio D; Ibarra, David; Ballesteros, Ignacio; González, Alberto; Ballesteros, Mercedes

2013-05-01

In this study, the thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus CECT 10875 was compared to the industrial strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ethanol Red for lignocellulosic ethanol production. For it, whole slurry from steam-exploded wheat straw was used as raw material, and two process configurations, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) and presaccharification and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (PSSF), were evaluated. Compared to S. cerevisiae, which was able to produce ethanol in both process configurations, K. marxianus was inhibited, and neither growth nor ethanol production occurred during the processes. However, laccase treatment of the whole slurry removed specifically lignin phenols from the overall inhibitory compounds present in the slurry and triggered the fermentation by K. marxianus, attaining final ethanol concentrations and yields comparable to those obtained by S. cerevisiae. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method and system for making integrated solid-state fire-sets and detonators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Brien, Dennis W. (Livermore, CA); Druce, Robert L. (Union City, CA); Johnson, Gary W. (Livermore, CA); Vogtlin, George E. (Fremont, CA); Barbee, Jr., Troy W. (Palo Alto, CA); Lee, Ronald S. (Livermore, CA)

1998-01-01

A slapper detonator comprises a solid-state high-voltage capacitor, a low-jitter dielectric breakdown switch and trigger circuitry, a detonator transmission line, an exploding foil bridge, and a flier material. All these components are fabricated in a single solid-state device using thin film deposition techniques.

Influence of portofolio management in decision-making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rolney Baptestone

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This research aims to demonstrate how portfolio management influences the decision-making process in the projects of a financial organization. And to achieve this goal was used the single case study method. In order to reach this goal, the study began by means of bibliometric research on the subject of portfolio management and subsequent bibliographic research on the theme, decision making. Next, the relationships between portfolio management and decision making were studied. The results of the data collected confirmed the relationship between "the use of the project identification process in portfolio management to influence decision making" in order to add value to the business. It is also possible to demonstrate moderately that "the use of criteria for project selection influences the consequences of decision making", helping in the strategic management of the organization. One of the academic contributions was to note a migration of the portfolio management process, such as a tool that only controls the projects that will compose the portfolio of an organization, for a process that aims at a direct alignment with the strategic management of the organization. Regarding the practical implications, it was verified the importance of portfolio analysis for decision making, to the detriment of the evaluation of only one project. Taking into account the profitability and the return on investment of the projects, as the most important aspects for a decision making.

Featured Image: Making a Rapidly Rotating Black Hole

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-10-01

These stills from a simulation show the evolution (from left to right and top to bottom) of a high-mass X-ray binary over 1.1 days, starting after the star on the right fails to explode as a supernova and then collapses into a black hole. Many high-mass X-ray binaries like the well-known Cygnus X-1, the first source widely accepted to be a black hole host rapidly spinning black holes. Despite our observations of these systems, however, were still not sure how these objects end up with such high rotation speeds. Using simulations like that shown above, a team of scientists led by Aldo Batta (UC Santa Cruz) has demonstrated how a failed supernova explosion can result in such a rapidly spinning black hole. The authors work shows that in a binary where one star attempts to explode as a supernova and fails it doesnt succeed in unbinding the star the large amount of fallback material can interact with the companion star and then accrete onto the black hole, spinning it up in the process. You can read more about the authors simulations and conclusions in the paper below.CitationAldo Batta et al 2017 ApJL 846 L15. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa8506

Method and system for making integrated solid-state fire-sets and detonators

Science.gov (United States)

O`Brien, D.W.; Druce, R.L.; Johnson, G.W.; Vogtlin, G.E.; Barbee, T.W. Jr.; Lee, R.S.

1998-03-24

A slapper detonator comprises a solid-state high-voltage capacitor, a low-jitter dielectric breakdown switch and trigger circuitry, a detonator transmission line, an exploding foil bridge, and a flier material. All these components are fabricated in a single solid-state device using thin film deposition techniques. 13 figs.

How life began.

Science.gov (United States)

Cloud, P

1986-11-01

Study of the origin of life has become a legitimate scientific inquiry, with an international, multidisciplinary membership and a cogent body of data. Experiments involving plausible early Earth conditions and biogeochemical analyses of carbonaceous meteorites imply a variety of available starting molecules. Biogeological evidence indicates microbial beginnings about 3800 million years (3.8 aeons) ago. By then the known universe had been in existence for perhaps 15 aeons and galaxies abundant for ten. Conditions suitable for the origin of life may require a long prior cosmic evolution. The natural origin of life on the early Earth is now widely agreed upon but not the pathways. The beginnings of catalysis, replication and a functional cell remain moot. Much discussion has centered on the templating role that crystals such as clays and zeolites might have played in prebiotic evolution. Recent discovery of the catalytic and replicative functions of RNA recommend it as the key molecule in the transition from chemical to biological evolution. Copyright © 1986. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Tomorrow Began Yesterday

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konstantin Lidin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The phenomenon of the sixtiers was prepared by the previous historical period. The period after the World War II comprises a fundamental change of the world order – from a multipolar world to a confrontation of two superpowers and two ideological systems, and, at the same time, formation of a complex of international organizations on a global scale. In this context, the Soviet architecture made a sharp turn from Stalin’s Empire style to an extreme ascetism – the continuation of constructivism of the early XXth century. The Irkutsk architectural school, unlike the main flow of the 1960s, developed the style of Neo-Brutalism. The article draws parallels between Neo-Brutalism of the Irkutsk school and “a severe style” of the Soviet pictorial art of the same period.

Ethanol production from wet-exploded wheat straw hydrolysate by thermophilic anaerobic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter BG1L1 in a continuous immobilized reactor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Georgieva, Tania I.; Mikkelsen, Marie Just; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

2008-01-01

was not detoxified, ethanol yield in a range of 0.39-0.42 g/g was obtained. Overall, sugar efficiency to ethanol was 68-76%. The reactor was operated continuously for approximately 143 days, and no contamination was seen without the use of any agent for preventing bacterial infections. The tested microorganism has......Thermophilic ethanol fermentation of wet-exploded wheat straw hydrolysate was investigated in a continuous immobilized reactor system. The experiments were carried out in a lab-scale fluidized bed reactor (FBR) at 70C. Undetoxified wheat straw hydrolysate was used (3-12% dry matter), corresponding...... to sugar mixtures of glucose and xylose ranging from 12 to 41 g/l. The organism, thermophilic anaerobic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter BG1L1, exhibited significant resistance to high levels of acetic acid (up to 10 g/l) and other metabolic inhibitors present in the hydrolysate. Although the hydrolysate...

Effects of Gain/Loss Framing in Cyber Defense Decision-Making

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bos, Nathan; Paul, Celeste; Gersh, John; Greenberg, Ariel; Piatko, Christine; Sperling, Scott; Spitaletta, Jason; Arendt, Dustin L.; Burtner, Edwin R.

2016-10-24

Cyber defense requires decision making under uncertainty. Yet this critical area has not been a strong focus of research in judgment and decision-making. Future defense systems, which will rely on software-defined networks and may employ ‘moving target’ defenses, will increasingly automate lower level detection and analysis, but will still require humans in the loop for higher level judgment. We studied the decision making process and outcomes of 17 experienced network defense professionals who worked through a set of realistic network defense scenarios. We manipulated gain versus loss framing in a cyber defense scenario, and found significant effects in one of two focal problems. Defenders that began with a network already in quarantine (gain framing) used a quarantine system more than those that did not (loss framing). We also found some difference in perceived workload and efficacy. Alternate explanations of these findings and implications for network defense are discussed.

"They come in peasants and leave citizens": urban villages and the making of Shenzhen, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Bach, Jonathan

2010-01-01

This essay examines the ongoing process of postsocialist transformation at the intersection of cultural and economic forces in an urban environment through the example of the so-called "urban villages"(chengzhongcun) in Shenzhen, China, a booming southern Chinese city and former Special Economic Zone next to Hong Kong. This essay ethnographically examines the role of former rural collectives encircled by a city that has exploded from farmland to an export-driven city of over 14 million people in little over one generation. These villages form an internal other that is both the antithesis and the condition of possibility for Shenzhen city. By co-opting the market economy in ways that weave them into the fabric of the contemporary global city, the villages become as much an experiment as the Special Economic Zone itself. This essay analyzes the urban-rural divide as complicit in each other's continued production and effacement and explores how village and city exploit the ambiguities of their juxtaposition in the making of Shenzhen.

Mild chemical pretreatments are sufficient for complete saccharification of steam-exploded residues and high ethanol production in desirable wheat accessions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zahoor; Tu, Yuanyuan; Wang, Lingqiang; Xia, Tao; Sun, Dan; Zhou, Shiguang; Wang, Yanting; Li, Ying; Zhang, Heping; Zhang, Tong; Madadi, Meysam; Peng, Liangcai

2017-11-01

In this study, a combined pretreatment was performed in four wheat accessions using steam explosion followed with different concentrations of H 2 SO 4 or NaOH, leading to increased hexoses yields by 3-6 folds from enzymatic hydrolysis. Further co-supplied with 1% Tween-80, Talq90 and Talq16 accessions exhibited an almost complete enzymatic saccharification of steam-exploded (SE) residues after 0.5% H 2 SO 4 or 1% NaOH pretreatment, with the highest bioethanol yields at 18.5%-19.4%, compared with previous reports about wheat bioethanol yields at 11%-17% obtained under relatively strong pretreatment conditions. Furthermore, chemical analysis indicated that much enhanced saccharification in Talq90 and Talq16 may be partially due to their relatively low cellulose CrI and DP values and high hemicellulose Ara and H-monomer levels in raw materials and SE residues. Hence, this study has not only demonstrated a mild pretreatment technology for a complete saccharification, but it has also obtained the high ethanol production in desirable wheat accessions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Type II supernovae: How do they explode?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baron, E.

1988-01-01

I discuss what has been learned from the neutrino observations of Supernova 1987A. The neutrino detections confirmed our basic theoretical scenario that Type II supernovae involve the gravitational collapse of a massive star. The small number of events makes it difficult to infer details about the actual mechanism of collapse. I discuss the current theoretical situation on the mechanism of explosion

Hospital management of mass radiological casualties: reassessing exposures from contaminated victims of an exploded radiological dispersal device (RDD)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ansari, Armin; Harper, Frederick Taylor; Smith, James M.

2005-01-01

One of the key issues in the aftermath of an exploded radiological dispersal device from a terrorist event is that of the contaminated victim and the concern among healthcare providers for the harmful exposures they may receive in treating patients, especially if the patient has not been thoroughly decontaminated. This is critically important in the event of mass casualties from a nuclear or radiological incident because of the essential rapidity of acute medical decisions and that those who have life- or limb-threatening injuries may have treatment unduly delayed by a decontamination process that may be unnecessary for protecting the health and safety of the patient or the healthcare provider. To estimate potential contamination of those exposed in a radiological dispersal device event, results were used from explosive aerosolization tests of surrogate radionuclides detonated with high explosives at the Sandia National Laboratories. Computer modeling was also used to assess radiation dose rates to surgical personnel treating patients with blast injuries who are contaminated with any of a variety of common radionuclides. It is demonstrated that exceptional but plausible cases may require special precautions by the healthcare provider, even while managing life-threatening injuries of a contaminated victim from a radiological dispersal device event.

A brief history of decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchanan, Leigh; O'Connell, Andrew

2006-01-01

Sometime around the middle of the past century, telephone executive Chester Barnard imported the term decision making from public administration into the business world. There it began to replace narrower terms, like "resource allocation" and "policy making," shifting the way managers thought about their role from continuous, Hamlet-like deliberation toward a crisp series of conclusions reached and actions taken. Yet, decision making is, of course, a broad and ancient human pursuit, flowing back to a time when people sought guidance from the stars. From those earliest days, we have strived to invent better tools for the purpose, from the Hindu-Arabic systems for numbering and algebra, to Aristotle's systematic empiricism, to friar Occam's advances in logic, to Francis Bacon's inductive reasoning, to Descartes's application of the scientific method. A growing sophistication with managing risk, along with a nuanced understanding of human behavior and advances in technology that support and mimic cognitive processes, has improved decision making in many situations. Even so, the history of decision-making strategies--captured in this time line and examined in the four accompanying essays on risk, group dynamics, technology, and instinct--has not marched steadily toward perfect rationalism. Twentieth-century theorists showed that the costs of acquiring information lead executives to make do with only good-enough decisions. Worse, people decide against their own economic interests even when they know better. And in the absence of emotion, it's impossible to make any decisions at all. Erroneous framing, bounded awareness, excessive optimism: The debunking of Descartes's rational man threatens to swamp our confidence in our choices. Is it really surprising, then, that even as technology dramatically increases our access to information, Malcolm Gladwell extols the virtues of gut decisions made, literally, in the blink of an eye?

The state of shared decision making in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yew Kong; Ng, Chirk Jenn

2017-06-01

Shared decision making (SDM) activities in Malaysia began around 2010. Although the concept is not widespread, there are opportunities to implement SDM in both the public and private healthcare sectors. Malaysia has a multicultural society and cultural components (such as language differences, medical paternalism, strong family involvement, religious beliefs and complementary medicine) influence medical decision making. In terms of policy, the Ministry of Health has increasingly mentioned patient-centered care as a component of healthcare delivery while the Malaysian Medical Council's guidelines on doctors' duties mentioned collaborative partnerships as a goal of doctor-patient relationships. Current research on SDM comprises baseline surveys of decisional role preferences, development and implementation of locally developed patient decision aids, and conducting of SDM training workshops. Most of this research is carried out by public research universities. In summary, the current state of SDM in Malaysia is still at its infancy. However, there are increasing recognition and efforts from the academic institutions and Ministry of Health to conduct research in SDM, develop patient decision support tools and initiate national discussion on patient involvement in decision making. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Polyethylenimine functionalized Fe3O4/steam-exploded rice straw composite as an efficient adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shengli; Wang, Zhikai; Chen, Haoyu; Kai, Chengcheng; Jiang, Man; Wang, Qun; Zhou, Zuowan

2018-05-01

Polyethyleneimine functionalized Fe3O4/steam-exploded rice straw composite (Fe3O4-PEI-SERS), which combines magnetic separation with adsorption of PEI functionalized biosorbent, was successfully prepared via a simple glutaraldehyde crosslinking method. Its adsorption potential for the removal of Cr(VI) was systematically studied in batch mode. Results showed that Cr(VI) adsorption on Fe3O4-PEI-SESERS was highly pH-dependent, and the optimum pH was 2.0. The time to reach equilibrium was related to initial Cr(VI) concentration and was 1 and 6 h for 200 and 300 mg/L of Cr(VI), respectively. The adsorption system followed pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm. Its maximum adsorption capacity was 280.11, 317.46 and 338.98 mg/g at 25, 35 and 45 °C, respectively. The competitive uptake from coexisting ions (K+, Na+, Cu2+, Cl- and NO3-) was insignificant except SO42-. After six adsorption/desorption cycles, the adsorbent retained good adsorption capacity. The Cr(VI) removal involved its partial reduction into Cr(III). Due to the properties of high adsorption capacity, strong magnetic responsiveness, good reusability and Cr(VI) detoxification, the Fe3O4-PEI-SESERS has a potential application in Cr(VI) removal from wastewater.

Dating the period when intensive anthropogenic activity began to influence the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

Science.gov (United States)

Cong, Jinxin; Gao, Chuanyu; Zhang, Yan; Zhang, Shaoqing; He, Jiabao; Wang, Guoping

2016-01-01

Dating the start of intensive anthropogenic influence on ecosystems is important for identifying the conditions necessary for ecosystem recovery. However, few studies have focused on determining when anthropogenic influences on wetland began through sedimentary archives. To fill this critical gap in our knowledge, combustion sources and emission intensities, reconstructed via black carbon (BC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in two wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain in Northeast China. 14C provided age control for the sedimentary records. By combining previous sedimentary and archaeological studies, we attempt to date the beginning of intensive anthropogenic influences on the Sanjiang Plain. Our results showed that BC deposition fluxes increased from 0.02 to 0.7 g C/m2.yr during the last 10,000 years. An upward trend was apparent during the last 500 years. Before 1200 cal yr BP, human activities were minor, such that the wetland ecosystem in the Sanjiang Plain before this period may represent the reference conditions that for the recovery of these wetlands. As the human population increased after 1200 cal yr BP, combustion sources changed and residential areas became a major source of BC and PAHs. In this way, the wetland ecosystem gradually became more heavily influenced by human activities. PMID:26907560

Dating the period when intensive anthropogenic activity began to influence the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

Science.gov (United States)

Cong, Jinxin; Gao, Chuanyu; Zhang, Yan; Zhang, Shaoqing; He, Jiabao; Wang, Guoping

2016-02-01

Dating the start of intensive anthropogenic influence on ecosystems is important for identifying the conditions necessary for ecosystem recovery. However, few studies have focused on determining when anthropogenic influences on wetland began through sedimentary archives. To fill this critical gap in our knowledge, combustion sources and emission intensities, reconstructed via black carbon (BC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in two wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain in Northeast China. 14C provided age control for the sedimentary records. By combining previous sedimentary and archaeological studies, we attempt to date the beginning of intensive anthropogenic influences on the Sanjiang Plain. Our results showed that BC deposition fluxes increased from 0.02 to 0.7 g C/m2.yr during the last 10,000 years. An upward trend was apparent during the last 500 years. Before 1200 cal yr BP, human activities were minor, such that the wetland ecosystem in the Sanjiang Plain before this period may represent the reference conditions that for the recovery of these wetlands. As the human population increased after 1200 cal yr BP, combustion sources changed and residential areas became a major source of BC and PAHs. In this way, the wetland ecosystem gradually became more heavily influenced by human activities.

EVIDENCE THAT GAMMA-RAY BURST 130702A EXPLODED IN A DWARF SATELLITE OF A MASSIVE GALAXY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, Patrick L.; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Fox, Ori D.; Zheng Weikang; Clubb, Kelsey I.

2013-01-01

GRB 130702A is a nearby long-duration gamma-ray burst (LGRB) discovered by the Fermi satellite whose associated afterglow was detected by the Palomar Transient Factory. Subsequent photometric and spectroscopic monitoring has identified a coincident broad-lined Type Ic supernova (SN), and nebular emission detected near the explosion site is consistent with a redshift of z = 0.145. The SN-GRB exploded at an offset of ∼7.''6 from the center of an inclined r = 18.1 mag red disk-dominated galaxy, and ∼0.''6 from the center of a much fainter r = 23 mag object. We obtained Keck-II DEIMOS spectra of the two objects and find a 2σ upper limit on their line-of-sight velocity offset of ∼ –1 . If we calculate the inclination angle of the massive red galaxy from its axis ratio and assume that its light is dominated by a very thin disk, the explosion would have a ∼60 kpc central offset, or ∼9 times the galaxy's half-light radius. A significant bulge or a thicker disk would imply a higher inclination angle and greater central offset. The substantial offset suggests that the faint source is a separate dwarf galaxy. The star-formation rate of the dwarf galaxy is ∼0.05 M ☉ yr –1 , and we place an upper limit on its oxygen abundance of 12 + log(O/H) < 8.16 dex. The identification of an LGRB in a dwarf satellite of a massive, metal-rich primary galaxy suggests that recent detections of LGRBs spatially coincident with metal-rich galaxies may be, in some cases, superpositions

Semi-continuous anaerobic co-digestion of cow manure and steam-exploded Salix with recirculation of liquid digestate.

Science.gov (United States)

Estevez, Maria M; Sapci, Zehra; Linjordet, Roar; Schnürer, Anna; Morken, John

2014-04-01

The effects of recirculating the liquid fraction of the digestate during mesophilic anaerobic co-digestion of steam-exploded Salix and cow manure were investigated in laboratory-scale continuously stirred tank reactors. An average organic loading rate of 2.6 g VS L(-1) d(-1) and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 30 days were employed. Co-digestion of Salix and manure gave better methane yields than digestion of manure alone. Also, a 16% increase in the methane yield was achieved when digestate was recirculated and used instead of water to dilute the feedstock (1:1 dilution ratio). The reactor in which the larger fraction of digestate was recirculated (1:3 dilution ratio) gave the highest methane yields. Ammonia and volatile fatty acids did not reach inhibitory levels, and some potentially inhibitory compounds released during steam explosion (i.e., furfural and 5-hydroxy methyl furfural) were only detected at trace levels throughout the entire study period. However, accumulation of solids, which was more pronounced in the recycling reactors, led to decreased methane yields in those systems after three HRTs. Refraining from the use of fresh water to dilute biomass with a high-solids content and obtaining a final digestate with increased dry matter content might offer important economic benefits in full-scale processes. To ensure long-term stability in such an approach, it would be necessary to optimize separation of the fraction of digestate to be recirculated and also perform proper monitoring to avoid accumulation of solids. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Periodic peristalsis increasing acetone-butanol-ethanol productivity during simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of steam-exploded corn straw.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jingwen; Wang, Lan; Chen, Hongzhang

2016-11-01

The acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation of lignocellulose at high solids content has recently attracted extensive attention. However, the productivity of high solids ABE fermentation of lignocellulose is typically low in traditional processes due to the lack of efficient intensifying methods. In the present study, periodic peristalsis, a novel intensifying method, was applied to improve ABE production by the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of steam-exploded corn straw using Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC824. The ABE concentration and the ABE productivity of SSF at a solids content of 17.5% (w/w) with periodic peristalsis were 17.1 g/L and 0.20 g/(L h), respectively, which were higher than those obtained under static conditions (15.2 g/L and 0.14 g/(L h)). The initial sugar conversion rate over the first 12 h with periodic peristalsis was 4.67 g/(L h) at 10 FPU/g cellulase dosage and 15% (w/w) solids content, an increase of 49.7% compared with the static conditions. With periodic peristalsis, the period of batch fermentation was shortened from 108 h to 84 h. The optimal operating regime was a low frequency (6 h -1 ) of periodic peristalsis in the acid-production phase (0-48 h) of SSF. Therefore, periodic peristalsis should be an effective intensifying method to increase the productivity of ABE fermentation at high solids content. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Artificial Intelligence Framework for Simulating Clinical Decision-Making: A Markov Decision Process Approach

OpenAIRE

Bennett, Casey C.; Hauser, Kris

2013-01-01

In the modern healthcare system, rapidly expanding costs/complexity, the growing myriad of treatment options, and exploding information streams that often do not effectively reach the front lines hinder the ability to choose optimal treatment decisions over time. The goal in this paper is to develop a general purpose (non-disease-specific) computational/artificial intelligence (AI) framework to address these challenges. This serves two potential functions: 1) a simulation environment for expl...

EVIDENCE THAT GAMMA-RAY BURST 130702A EXPLODED IN A DWARF SATELLITE OF A MASSIVE GALAXY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelly, Patrick L.; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Fox, Ori D.; Zheng Weikang; Clubb, Kelsey I., E-mail: pkelly@astro.berkeley.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 (United States)

2013-09-20

GRB 130702A is a nearby long-duration gamma-ray burst (LGRB) discovered by the Fermi satellite whose associated afterglow was detected by the Palomar Transient Factory. Subsequent photometric and spectroscopic monitoring has identified a coincident broad-lined Type Ic supernova (SN), and nebular emission detected near the explosion site is consistent with a redshift of z = 0.145. The SN-GRB exploded at an offset of {approx}7.''6 from the center of an inclined r = 18.1 mag red disk-dominated galaxy, and {approx}0.''6 from the center of a much fainter r = 23 mag object. We obtained Keck-II DEIMOS spectra of the two objects and find a 2{sigma} upper limit on their line-of-sight velocity offset of {approx}<60 km s{sup -1}. If we calculate the inclination angle of the massive red galaxy from its axis ratio and assume that its light is dominated by a very thin disk, the explosion would have a {approx}60 kpc central offset, or {approx}9 times the galaxy's half-light radius. A significant bulge or a thicker disk would imply a higher inclination angle and greater central offset. The substantial offset suggests that the faint source is a separate dwarf galaxy. The star-formation rate of the dwarf galaxy is {approx}0.05 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1}, and we place an upper limit on its oxygen abundance of 12 + log(O/H) < 8.16 dex. The identification of an LGRB in a dwarf satellite of a massive, metal-rich primary galaxy suggests that recent detections of LGRBs spatially coincident with metal-rich galaxies may be, in some cases, superpositions.

Cu/Cu2O/CuO nanoparticles: Novel synthesis by exploding wire technique and extensive characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Sahai, Anshuman; Goswami, Navendu; Kaushik, S. D.; Tripathi, Shilpa

2016-12-01

In this article, we explore potential of Exploding Wire Technique (EWT) to synthesize the copper nanoparticles using the copper metal in a plate and wire geometry. Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of prepared material indicates presence of mixed phases of copper (Cu) and copper oxide (Cu2O). Agglomerates of copper and copper oxide comprised of ∼20 nm average size nanoparticles observed through high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Micro-Raman (μR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies of prepared nanoparticles reveal existence of additional minority CuO phase, not determined earlier through XRD and TEM analysis. μR investigations vividly reveal cubic Cu2O and monoclinic CuO phases based on the difference of space group symmetries. In good agreement with μRaman analysis, FTIR stretching modes corresponding to Cu2-O and Cu-O were also distinguished. Investigations of μR and FTIR vibrational modes are in accordance and affirm concurrence of CuO phases besides predominant Cu and Cu2O phase. Quantum confinement effects along with increase of band gaps for direct and indirect optical transitions of Cu/Cu2O/CuO nanoparticles are reflected through UV-vis (UV-vis) spectroscopy. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy spots the electronic levels of each phase and optical transitions processes occurring therein. Iterative X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) fitting of core level spectra of Cu (2p3/2) and O (1s), divulges presence of Cu2+ and Cu+ in the lattice with an interesting evidence of O deficiency in the lattice structure and surface adsorption. Magnetic analysis illustrates that the prepared nanomaterial demonstrates ferromagnetic behaviour at room temperature.

Efficient Modeling and Migration in Anisotropic Media Based on Prestack Exploding Reflector Model and Effective Anisotropy

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hui

2014-05-01

This thesis addresses the efficiency improvement of seismic wave modeling and migration in anisotropic media. This improvement becomes crucial in practice as the process of imaging complex geological structures of the Earth\\'s subsurface requires modeling and migration as building blocks. The challenge comes from two aspects. First, the underlying governing equations for seismic wave propagation in anisotropic media are far more complicated than that in isotropic media which demand higher computational costs to solve. Second, the usage of whole prestack seismic data still remains a burden considering its storage volume and the existing wave equation solvers. In this thesis, I develop two approaches to tackle the challenges. In the first part, I adopt the concept of prestack exploding reflector model to handle the whole prestack data and bridge the data space directly to image space in a single kernel. I formulate the extrapolation operator in a two-way fashion to remove he restriction on directions that waves propagate. I also develop a generic method for phase velocity evaluation within anisotropic media used in this extrapolation kernel. The proposed method provides a tool for generating prestack images without wavefield cross correlations. In the second part of this thesis, I approximate the anisotropic models using effective isotropic models. The wave phenomena in these effective models match that in anisotropic models both kinematically and dynamically. I obtain the effective models through equating eikonal equations and transport equations of anisotropic and isotropic models, thereby in the high frequency asymptotic approximation sense. The wavefields extrapolation costs are thus reduced using isotropic wave equation solvers while the anisotropic effects are maintained through this approach. I benchmark the two proposed methods using synthetic datasets. Tests on anisotropic Marmousi model and anisotropic BP2007 model demonstrate the applicability of my

Physician Incentive Management in University Hospitals: Inducing Efficient Behavior Through the Allocation of Research Facilities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K.M. Glorie (Kristiaan); J.M. van Oostrum (Jeroen); A.J. Dur (Robert); G. Kazemier (Geert); A.P.M. Wagelmans (Albert)

2010-01-01

textabstractThe imperative to improve healthcare efficiency is now stronger than ever. Rapidly increasing healthcare demand and the prospect of healthcare cost exploding require that measures be taken to make healthcare organizations become more efficiency-aware. Alignment of organizational

Ressenya a Henry Ettinghausen, How the Press Began. The Pre-Periodical Printed News in Early Modern Europe, A Coruña, SIELAE – Facultad de Filología, Universidade da Coruña, 2015,

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricard Expósito i Amagat

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Ressenya a Henry Ettinghausen, How the Press Began. The Pre-Periodical Printed News in Early Modern Europe, A Coruña, SIELAE – Facultad de Filología, Universidade da Coruña, 2015, 302 pp., 80 il·ls., ISBN: 978-84-608-3423-6 Review to  Henry Ettinghausen, How the Press Began. The Pre-Periodical Printed News in Early Modern Europe, A Coruña, SIELAE – Facultad de Filología, Universidade da Coruña, 2015, 302 pp., 80 il·ls., ISBN: 978-84-608-3423-6

On the treatment of dependence in making decisions about risk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bier, V.M.

1989-01-01

Much attention has been paid to the treatment of dependence in performing probabilistic risk assessments (PRA). For instance, causal dependencies (e.g., common cause failures, cascade failures, and intersystem dependencies) have been taken into account in PRAs beginning with the Reactor Safety Study (USNRC, 1975). In addition, beginning in the early 1980s, attention began to be paid to the issue of probabilistic dependence between the failure rates (Apostolakis and Kaplan, 1981) or seismic fragilities (Kaplan, 1985) of similar components, and the impact of such dependence on risk estimates. By now, it has been clearly demonstrated that failure to take either casual or probabilistic dependence into account in PRAs can lead to misleading results, typically underestimates of the true risk. However, there has been little attention to date on the effects of dependence in the area of decision making. The objectives of this paper are to illustrate the potential importance of dependence in making decisions about risks, and to present some ideas on how to communicate the effects of dependence to decision makers in a clear and easily comprehensible manner

'Just talking about it opens your heart': meaning-making among Black African migrants and refugees living with HIV.

Science.gov (United States)

Henrickson, Mark; Brown, Derek Brian; Fouché, Christa; Poindexter, Cynthia C; Scott, Kay

2013-01-01

Meaning-making has emerged as a core construct in addressing trauma, loss or crisis. This paper considers how diasporic Black Africans living with HIV, who come from interdependent collectivist cultures where the norm is one of implicit support, extend their meaning-making strategies when faced with a diagnosis of HIV. In this qualitative study, 13 Black African migrants and refugees living with HIV in New Zealand were interviewed and the transcripts analysed. After their diagnosis, participants began a journey of reconceptualising situational and global meaning. They extended their meaning-making strategies to include a community of like others to gain explicit support. Caregivers in host countries must understand the meaning-making processes of HIV-positive Black African migrants in order to provide competent services that lead to good social and health outcomes. All healthcare and social services workers should regularly assess Black African migrants and refugees living with HIV for positive social connectedness as well as medication adherence and more specific health concerns.

How newspapers began to blog

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Rasmus Kleis

2012-01-01

of technologists (project managers, computer programers, information architects, etc.) that are increasingly integral to how legacy media organizations operate in a new and ever more convergent media environment under circumstances of great economic uncertainty, and discuss the wider implications for how we......In this article, I examine how ‘old’ media organizations develop ‘new’ media technologies by analyzing processes of technological innovation in two Danish newspaper companies that integrated blogs into their websites in very different ways in 2007. Drawing on concepts from science and technology...... studies and sociology and building on previous research on blogging by news media organizations, I analyze how the three different communities involved in the development process – journalists and managers, but also the often-overlooked community of technologists – articulated different versions of what...

Economic Aspects of Green ICT

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fernandez, H.J.; Procaccianti, G.; Lago, P.; Calero, C.; Piattini, M.

2015-01-01

Over the last decades, the use of information and communications technology (ICT) and software systems has exploded, making our lives and work much more efficient. However, besides the benefits that ICT brings us, it also contributes significantly to environmental issues [11, 13], not only because

How to analyse a Big Bang of data: the mammoth project at the Cern physics laboratory in Geneva to recreate the conditions immediately after the universe began requires computing power on an unprecedented scale

CERN Multimedia

Thomas, Kim

2005-01-01

How to analyse a Big Bang of data: the mammoth project at the Cern physics laboratory in Geneva to recreate the conditions immediately after the universe began requires computing power on an unprecedented scale

Making Friends in Cyberspace.

Science.gov (United States)

Parks, Malcolm R.; Floyd, Kory

1996-01-01

Finds that just over 60% of a random sample of people in an Internet newsgroup reported forming a personal relationship with someone they had first contacted through a newsgroup. Shows that nearly two-thirds of those whose personal relationship began online chose to have other forms of contact as well. (SR)

Commentary on The Anthropogenic Greenhouse Era Began Thousands of Years Ago

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crucifix, M.; Loutre, M.F.; Berger, A.

2005-01-01

Bill Ruddiman (Climatic Change, 61, 261-293, 2003) recently suggested that early civilisations could have saved us from an ice age because land management over substantial areas caused an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration. Ruddiman suggests a decreasing natural course of the Holocene greenhouse gases concentrations and sea-level by referring to analogous situations in the past, namely the last three interglacials. An examination of marine isotopic stage 11 would perhaps make Ruddimans argument even more thought-challenging. Yet, the hypothesis of a natural lowering of CO2 during the Holocene contradicts recent numerical simulations of the Earth carbon cycle during this period. We think that the only way to resolve this conflict is to properly assimilate the palaeoclimate information in numerical climate models. As a general rule, models are insufficiently tested with respect to the wide range of climate situations that succeeded during the Pleistocene. In this comment, we present three definitions of palaeoclimate information assimilation with relevant examples. We also present original results with the Louvain-la-Neuve climate-ice sheet model suggesting that if, indeed, the Holocene atmospheric CO2 increase is anthropogenic, a late Holocene glacial inception is plausible, but not certain, depending on the exact time evolution of the atmospheric CO2 concentration during this period

Health care technology--information technology/Part 4. Why will the Internet be important to clinicians?

Science.gov (United States)

Ruffin, M

1996-10-01

As the popularity of the Internet's World Wide Web exploded in 1994 and 1995, corporations began adopting the browser software called Mosaic (and its derivatives) for their networks. Why? That same software can be used to "surf" the Internet. Since Intranets are easier to maintain and less expensive, they are replacing the more expensive "groupware" applications based on client-server architectures that corporations installed over the past five years. These Intranets are based on widely-available technologies designed for the Internet, not proprietary software designed for a relatively few customers. Organizations with communication networks integrated with their transaction systems and electronic medical records will be more effective in managing health care resources--and more attractive to employers and insurers for managed care contracting.

Editor's note Recent instances of author misconduct in Pramana

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The exploding nature of the amount of available scientific information in- deed makes it a very demanding job for referees and editors to catch possible cases of plagiarism. While many cases are discovered during the refereeing process, some do slip through it. We are sorry that this has happened for. Pramana in a few ...

Making Biology Relevant to Undergraduates

Science.gov (United States)

Musante, Susan

2012-01-01

This article features Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER; www.sencer.net) Summer Institute. The SENCER program, which began formally in 2001, was the vision of David Burns; Karen Oates, currently Peterson Family Dean of Arts and Sciences at Worcester Polytechnic Institute; and Ric Wiebl, currently director of…

Oil reactivation, second opportunity for Tibu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carta Petrolera

1998-01-01

A new development opportunity began for people that inhabit the Catatumbo Region, especially for those that are part of the operation area of the first incremental production contract that ECOPETROL started for the maintenance of producing fields in decline. It is a project that it allows ECOPETROL to continue the operation of Tibu and the Yucca field, located in the Municipality of Tibu, (Norte de Santander, Colombia), by means of the private contribution of investments in exploration and application of new technologies of raw recovery, with that activity, the production of petroleum will increase in considerable form. The project has as purpose to recover the productive and economic balance of fields exploded for more than fifty years whose close was almost imminent for the low profitability of the operation

The day the Internet age began

CERN Multimedia

Cerf, Vinton G

2009-01-01

Forty years ago today the first message was sent between computers on the ARPANET. Vinto G. Cerf, who was a principal programmer on the project, reflects on how our online world was shaped by its innovative origins. (2 pages)

The Geneva conference - How it began

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1964-08-15

The First International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy had its origin in President Eisenhower's initiative of the early nineteen-fifties, when he proposed a concerted international effort to divert the power of the atom from warlike purposes into the service of peace. To the United Nations General Assembly in December 1953, he pledged the determination of the United States 'to help solve the fearful atomic dilemma - to devote its entire heart and mind to finding the way by which the miraculous inventiveness of man shall not be dedicated to his death, but consecrated to his life'. The UN General Assembly in plenary session, in December 1954, unanimously and enthusiastically adopted a resolution which provided for the establishment of an International Atomic Energy Agency, and for the holding of an international technical conference of governments under the auspices of the United Nations. To prepare the way, an Advisory Committee was set up, consisting of representatives of Brazil, Canada, France, India, USSR, United Kingdom and USA. The result was the largest meeting that had been convened under the auspices of the United Nations; it was held from 8 to 25 August 1955 in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, where the necessary facilities were available for such a large multilingual conference. Thirty-eight governments submitted 1067 papers and 1428 participants attended. The conference was wide in scope, embracing all major aspects of the peaceful applications of atomic energy.

The Geneva conference - How it began

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1964-01-01

The First International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy had its origin in President Eisenhower's initiative of the early nineteen-fifties, when he proposed a concerted international effort to divert the power of the atom from warlike purposes into the service of peace. To the United Nations General Assembly in December 1953, he pledged the determination of the United States 'to help solve the fearful atomic dilemma - to devote its entire heart and mind to finding the way by which the miraculous inventiveness of man shall not be dedicated to his death, but consecrated to his life'. The UN General Assembly in plenary session, in December 1954, unanimously and enthusiastically adopted a resolution which provided for the establishment of an International Atomic Energy Agency, and for the holding of an international technical conference of governments under the auspices of the United Nations. To prepare the way, an Advisory Committee was set up, consisting of representatives of Brazil, Canada, France, India, USSR, United Kingdom and USA. The result was the largest meeting that had been convened under the auspices of the United Nations; it was held from 8 to 25 August 1955 in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, where the necessary facilities were available for such a large multilingual conference. Thirty-eight governments submitted 1067 papers and 1428 participants attended. The conference was wide in scope, embracing all major aspects of the peaceful applications of atomic energy.

Simon`s Puzzle: Heuristics in the Process of Making Political Choices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mateusz Wajzer

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In this article we analyse one of the most fascinating paradoxes of mass politics. Based on the data from the studies of neurobiologists, neurologists, social psychology, cognitive and evolution studies we answer the question specified in literature as the Simon’s puzzle: How is it possible that citizens have their opinions about politics, if they know so little about it? We began our analysis from the criticism of the economic rationality approach. To do this, we referred to the Allais paradox, cognitive dissonance theory, Ellsberg paradox, the concept of bounded rationality, conjunction fallacy and prospect theory. Next, we described the evolutionary processes shaping the minds of Homo sapiens and characterised cognitive mechanisms, thanks to which people can make political choices, especially in view of the shortage of time and information. The following heuristics are referred to herein: affect, recognition, judgment and imitation.

LiDAR utility for natural resource managers

Science.gov (United States)

Andrew Thomas Hudak; Jeffrey Scott Evans; Alistair Mattthew Stuart. Smith

2009-01-01

Applications of LiDAR remote sensing are exploding, while moving from the research to the operational realm. Increasingly, natural resource managers are recognizing the tremendous utility of LiDAR-derived information to make improved decisions. This review provides a cross-section of studies, many recent, that demonstrate the relevance of LiDAR across a suite of...

The population explodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Grefe, L S

1999-01-01

This letter to the editor refers to an article on the "Baby Boom" published in 1998. The letter-writer, the Political Director of the Republican Pro-Choice PAC, concurs with the article that if the religious right holds sway in the US and is able to interfere with family planning assistance, the number of abortions will increase. The letter-writer then identifies Representative Chris Smith (Republican of New Jersey) and Representative Henry Hyde (Republican of Illinois) as the leaders of an anti-family planning alliance in Congress. The Republican Pro-Choice PAC is supported by Republicans who are concerned about overpopulation and want to elect members of their party who understand the importance of these issues and act accordingly.

Exploding Water Drops

Science.gov (United States)

Reich, Gary

2016-01-01

Water has the unusual property that it expands on freezing, so that ice has a specific gravity of 0.92 compared to 1.0 for liquid water. The most familiar demonstration of this property is ice cubes floating in a glass of water. A more dramatic demonstration is the ice bomb shown in Fig. 1. Here a cast iron flask is filled with water and tightly…

Exploding Chernobyl myths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnott, D.

1991-01-01

Misconceptions about the way thermal reactors really work, and the use of misleading terminology, have allowed the western nuclear industry to claim that the accident at the RBMK (water cooled, graphite moderated) type reactor at Chernobyl would not be possible in western type pressurized water reactors. The author contends that control of thermal reactors is only possible because a small but consistent fraction of the secondary neutrons are delayed. If the delayed neutron reaction is overridden by the prompt neutron reaction, control is irretrievably lost and a nuclear explosion, such as at Chernobyl, results. Parallels between the PWR and RBMK are drawn. The consequences of the Chernobyl explosion are discussed and the question is asked: can any combination of circumstances, however improbable, produce a prompt neutron explosion in any western reactors? (UK)

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals different strategies for degradation of steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse by Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei.

Science.gov (United States)

Borin, Gustavo Pagotto; Sanchez, Camila Cristina; de Santana, Eliane Silva; Zanini, Guilherme Keppe; Dos Santos, Renato Augusto Corrêa; de Oliveira Pontes, Angélica; de Souza, Aline Tieppo; Dal'Mas, Roberta Maria Menegaldo Tavares Soares; Riaño-Pachón, Diego Mauricio; Goldman, Gustavo Henrique; Oliveira, Juliana Velasco de Castro

2017-06-30

Second generation (2G) ethanol is produced by breaking down lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars. In Brazil, sugarcane bagasse has been proposed as the lignocellulosic residue for this biofuel production. The enzymatic cocktails for the degradation of biomass-derived polysaccharides are mostly produced by fungi, such as Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei. However, it is not yet fully understood how these microorganisms degrade plant biomass. In order to identify transcriptomic changes during steam-exploded bagasse (SEB) breakdown, we conducted a RNA-seq comparative transcriptome profiling of both fungi growing on SEB as carbon source. Particular attention was focused on CAZymes, sugar transporters, transcription factors (TFs) and other proteins related to lignocellulose degradation. Although genes coding for the main enzymes involved in biomass deconstruction were expressed by both fungal strains since the beginning of the growth in SEB, significant differences were found in their expression profiles. The expression of these enzymes is mainly regulated at the transcription level, and A. niger and T. reesei also showed differences in TFs content and in their expression. Several sugar transporters that were induced in both fungal strains could be new players on biomass degradation besides their role in sugar uptake. Interestingly, our findings revealed that in both strains several genes that code for proteins of unknown function and pro-oxidant, antioxidant, and detoxification enzymes were induced during growth in SEB as carbon source, but their specific roles on lignocellulose degradation remain to be elucidated. This is the first report of a time-course experiment monitoring the degradation of pretreated bagasse by two important fungi using the RNA-seq technology. It was possible to identify a set of genes that might be applied in several biotechnology fields. The data suggest that these two microorganisms employ different strategies for biomass

School Nurses Make a Difference

Science.gov (United States)

Kitchell, Susan

2016-01-01

Susan Kitchell decided to become a school-based healthcare provider after working for more than twenty years in pediatrics and pediatric critical care at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. She needed a position with daytime hours within her field of expertise that allowed her time to spend with her family. She began working as a school nurse in…

Luck Reveals Stellar Explosion's First Moments

Science.gov (United States)

2008-05-01

Through a stroke of luck, astronomers have witnessed the first violent moments of a stellar explosion known as a supernova. Astronomers have seen thousands of these stellar explosions, but all previous supernovae were discovered days after the event had begun. This is the first time scientists have been able to study a supernova from its very beginning. Seeing one just moments after the event began is a major breakthrough that points the way to unraveling longstanding mysteries about how such explosions really work. Galaxy Before Supernova Explosion NASA's Swift satellite took these images of SN 2007uy in galaxy NGC 2770 before SN 2008D exploded. An X-ray image is on the left; image at right is in visible light. CREDIT: NASA/Swift Science Team/Stefan Immler. Large Image With Labels Large Image Without Labels Galaxy After Supernova Explosion On January 9, 2008, Swift caught a bright X-ray burst from an exploding star. A few days later, SN 2008D appeared in visible light. CREDIT: NASA/Swift Science Team/Stefan Immler. Large Image With Labels Large Image Without Labels "For years, we have dreamed of seeing a star just as it was exploding," said team leader Alicia Soderberg, a Hubble and Carnegie-Princeton Fellow at Princeton University. "This newly-born supernova is going to be the Rosetta Stone of supernova studies for years to come." Theorists had predicted for four decades that a bright burst of X-rays should be produced as the shock wave from a supernova blasts out of the star and through dense material surrounding the star. However, in order to see this burst, scientists faced the nearly-impossible challenge of knowing in advance where to point their telescopes to catch a supernova in the act of exploding. On January 9, luck intervened. Soderberg and her colleagues were making a scheduled observation of the galaxy NGC 2770, 88 million light-years from Earth, using the X-ray telescope on NASA's Swift satellite. During that observation, a bright burst of X

Chandra Finds Oxygen and Neon Ring in Ashes of Exploded Star

Science.gov (United States)

2000-01-01

studying these supernova remnants for decades, but now we're getting the kind of information we need to really test the theories," said Canizares. "Understanding supernovas helps us to learn about the processes that formed chemical elements like those which are found on Earth and are necessary for life," said Flanagan. Most of the oxygen in the universe, for example, is synthesized in the interiors of relatively few massive stars like the one being studied here. When they explode, they expel the newly manufactured elements which become part of the raw material for new stars and planets. The amount of oxygen in the E0102-72 ring is enough for thousands of solar systems. By measuring the expansion velocity of the ring, the team can estimate the amount of energy liberated in the explosion. The expansion energy would be enough to power the Sun for 3 billion years. The ring has more complex structure and motion than can be explained by current simplified theories, suggesting complexity in the explosion itself or in the surrounding interstellar matter. The supernova remnant also provides a laboratory for atomic physics. The observations show how the atoms in the expelled matter behave when heated to such high temperatures. The images reveal the progressive stripping of electrons from the atoms after the super-sonic shock wave has passed. The Chandra observation was taken using the HETG in conjunction with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) on September 28 and October 10, 1999. ACIS was built by Pennsylvania State University, University Park, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. To follow Chandra's progress or download images visit the Chandra sites at http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2000/0015/index.html AND http://chandra.nasa.gov NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program. TRW, Inc., Redondo Beach, Calif., is the prime contractor for the spacecraft. The Smithsonian's Chandra X-ray Center controls science

The Ethics of Rural Place-Making: Public Space, Poetics, and the Ontologies of Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily Potter

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The small settlement of Hopetoun in the Victoria’s north-east – Mallee country – is oriented physically, economically and socially around Lake Laschelle. Large signs map the way for the tourist to its edge, where boat ramps and picnic sites await. And yet there is no water here and has been none for years. The presence of water in its absence is palpable. Over three years I followed water around the drought-ridden Mallee, a participant in a creative research project that sought to poetically recollect and assemble stories from this country as an experiment in place-making. Via collaborative practice between artists, with local community, and with the material environment of the Mallee itself, this still ongoing project brings poetic practice to bear on questions of political urgency – drought, climate change, community distress – usually the province of the techno and social sciences. In a land cultivated to take note of water’s absence, the project began to assemble its presence. This paper discusses this project as a methodological experiment that raises unsettling questions about the ethics of place-making in a context of post-colonial environmental change.

Contemporary decision making and perception in patients undergoing cosmetic breast augmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Walden, Jennifer L; Panagopoulous, Georgia; Shrader, Sarah W

2010-01-01

Today's breast augmentation (BA) patient obtains information from a variety of sources that may positively or negatively influence her decision. The authors evaluate the decision-making process of patients undergoing BA, including how they seek information regarding the procedure, potential complications, the medical device itself, referral sources, and surgeon(s). A written 36-item, blinded survey developed for this study was administered to all patients who underwent aesthetic primary BA by the senior author (JW) over a 12-month period in her metropolitan private practice. Patients were included only if they had undergone surgery after Food and Drug Administration approval of silicone implants and had at least four months of follow-up. Patients were excluded if they underwent reconstruction, revision, augmentation/mastopexy, or implant exchange. Data were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics; frequencies of responses were calculated with SPSS (version 16). Of 153 mailed surveys, 100 respondents returned completed questionnaires (65%). Mean age was 30 years (range, 20-50 years). Eighty-eight patients were in the workforce, eight were students, and three were homemakers. Thirty-three percent had completed some graduate work or had a graduate degree, and 41% had a college degree. In terms of how patients began their informational searches, 41% began with Google, 18% began with a BA portal Web site, and 1% went through referral from a primary care provider (PCP)/OB-GYN. The primary influence in a patient's decision to have BA was her own desire to change her appearance (36%), and second was her plastic surgeon's Web site (16%). On a graded scale of 10 factors ranking importance (1 = not at all and 5 = extremely), 52% said that their plastic surgeon's Web site very much or extremely influenced their decision. Of respondents, 82% had silicone implants (18% saline). The most influential factor in choosing implant filler was the feel of the silicone versus saline

Staged decision making based on probabilistic forecasting

Science.gov (United States)

Booister, Nikéh; Verkade, Jan; Werner, Micha; Cranston, Michael; Cumiskey, Lydia; Zevenbergen, Chris

2016-04-01

Flood forecasting systems reduce, but cannot eliminate uncertainty about the future. Probabilistic forecasts explicitly show that uncertainty remains. However, as - compared to deterministic forecasts - a dimension is added ('probability' or 'likelihood'), with this added dimension decision making is made slightly more complicated. A technique of decision support is the cost-loss approach, which defines whether or not to issue a warning or implement mitigation measures (risk-based method). With the cost-loss method a warning will be issued when the ratio of the response costs to the damage reduction is less than or equal to the probability of the possible flood event. This cost-loss method is not widely used, because it motivates based on only economic values and is a technique that is relatively static (no reasoning, yes/no decision). Nevertheless it has high potential to improve risk-based decision making based on probabilistic flood forecasting because there are no other methods known that deal with probabilities in decision making. The main aim of this research was to explore the ways of making decision making based on probabilities with the cost-loss method better applicable in practice. The exploration began by identifying other situations in which decisions were taken based on uncertain forecasts or predictions. These cases spanned a range of degrees of uncertainty: from known uncertainty to deep uncertainty. Based on the types of uncertainties, concepts of dealing with situations and responses were analysed and possible applicable concepts where chosen. Out of this analysis the concepts of flexibility and robustness appeared to be fitting to the existing method. Instead of taking big decisions with bigger consequences at once, the idea is that actions and decisions are cut-up into smaller pieces and finally the decision to implement is made based on economic costs of decisions and measures and the reduced effect of flooding. The more lead-time there is in

Unique Migraine Subtypes, Rare Headache Disorders, and Other Disturbances.

Science.gov (United States)

Goadsby, Peter J

2015-08-01

The medical aphorism that common things happen commonly makes unique (and less common) migraine subtypes especially appropriate to review for the general neurologist. This article also identifies some rare headache disorders and other disturbances, and offers strategies to manage them. This article discusses migraine with brainstem aura, which is troublesome clinically and has had a change in terminology in the International Classification of Headache Disorders, Third Edition, beta version (ICHD-3 beta), and hemiplegic migraine, which is also troublesome in practice. The rare headache disorder hypnic headache and the exploding head syndrome are also discussed. When hypnic headache is recognized, it is eminently treatable, while exploding head syndrome is a benign condition with no reported consequences. Unique migraine subtypes, rare headache disorders, and other disturbances present to neurologists. When recognized, they can often be managed very well, which offers significant benefits to patients and practice satisfaction to neurologists.

Exploding and non-exploding stars: Coupling nuclear reaction networks to multidimensional hydrodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kifonidis, K.; Mueller, E.; Plewa, T.

2001-01-01

After decades of one-dimensional nucleosynthesis calculations, the growth of computational resources has meanwhile reached a level, which for the first time allows astrophysicists to consider performing routinely realistic multidimensional nucleosynthesis calculations in explosive and, to some extent, also in non-explosive environments. In the present contribution we attempt to give a short overview of the physical and numerical problems which are encountered in these simulations. In addition, we assess the accuracy that can be currently achieved in the computation of nucleosynthetic yields, using multidimensional simulations of core collapse supernovae as an example

Making beautiful deep-sky images astrophotography with affordable equipment and software

CERN Document Server

Parker, Greg

2017-01-01

In this updated version of his classic on deep-sky imaging, astrophotographer Greg Parker describes how the latest technology can help amateur astronomers process their own beautiful images. Whether you are taking your own images from a backyard system or processing data from space telescopes, this book shows you how to enhance the visuals in the "electronic darkroom" for maximum beauty and impact. The wealth of options in the astrophotography realm has exploded in the recent past, and Parker proves an able guide for the interested imager to improve his or her comfort level against this exciting new technological backdrop. From addressing the latest DSLR equipment to updating the usage of Hyperstar imaging telescopes and explaining the utility of parallel imaging arrays, this edition brings the book fully up-to-date, and includes clear tutorials, helpful references, and gorgeous color astrophotography by one of the experts in the field.

The influence of Aspergillus niger transcription factors AraR and XlnR in the gene expression during growth in D-xylose, L-arabinose and steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse.

Science.gov (United States)

de Souza, Wagner Rodrigo; Maitan-Alfenas, Gabriela Piccolo; de Gouvêa, Paula Fagundes; Brown, Neil Andrew; Savoldi, Marcela; Battaglia, Evy; Goldman, Maria Helena S; de Vries, Ronald P; Goldman, Gustavo Henrique

2013-11-01

The interest in the conversion of plant biomass to renewable fuels such as bioethanol has led to an increased investigation into the processes regulating biomass saccharification. The filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is an important microorganism capable of producing a wide variety of plant biomass degrading enzymes. In A. niger the transcriptional activator XlnR and its close homolog, AraR, controls the main (hemi-)cellulolytic system responsible for plant polysaccharide degradation. Sugarcane is used worldwide as a feedstock for sugar and ethanol production, while the lignocellulosic residual bagasse can be used in different industrial applications, including ethanol production. The use of pentose sugars from hemicelluloses represents an opportunity to further increase production efficiencies. In the present study, we describe a global gene expression analysis of A. niger XlnR- and AraR-deficient mutant strains, grown on a D-xylose/L-arabinose monosaccharide mixture and steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse. Different gene sets of CAZy enzymes and sugar transporters were shown to be individually or dually regulated by XlnR and AraR, with XlnR appearing to be the major regulator on complex polysaccharides. Our study contributes to understanding of the complex regulatory mechanisms responsible for plant polysaccharide-degrading gene expression, and opens new possibilities for the engineering of fungi able to produce more efficient enzymatic cocktails to be used in biofuel production. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Principles of shared decision-making within teams.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Jeffrey P; Wernovsky, Gil; Cooper, David S; Karl, Tom R

2015-12-01

In the domain of paediatric and congenital cardiac care, the stakes are huge. Likewise, the care of these children assembles a group of "A+ personality" individuals from the domains of cardiac surgery, cardiology, anaesthesiology, critical care, and nursing. This results in an environment that has opportunity for both powerful collaboration and powerful conflict. Providers of healthcare should avoid conflict when it has no bearing on outcome, as it is clearly a squandering of individual and collective political capital. Outcomes after cardiac surgery are now being reported transparently and publicly. In the present era of transparency, one may wonder how to balance the following potentially competing demands: quality healthcare, transparency and accountability, and teamwork and shared decision-making. An understanding of transparency and public reporting in the domain of paediatric cardiac surgery facilitates the implementation of a strategy for teamwork and shared decision-making. In January, 2015, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) began to publicly report outcomes of paediatric and congenital cardiac surgery using the 2014 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database (STS-CHSD) Mortality Risk Model. The 2014 STS-CHSD Mortality Risk Model facilitates description of Operative Mortality adjusted for procedural and patient-level factors. The need for transparency in reporting of outcomes can create pressure on healthcare providers to implement strategies of teamwork and shared decision-making to assure outstanding results. A simple strategy of shared decision-making was described by Tom Karl and was implemented in multiple domains by Jeff Jacobs and David Cooper. In a critical-care environment, it is not unusual for healthcare providers to disagree about strategies of management of patients. When two healthcare providers disagree, each provider can classify the disagreement into three levels: • SDM Level 1 Decision: "We disagree but it really

Satisfying story of how it all began

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liddle, Andrew

2004-12-01

{sup N}ow this 'Big Bang' idea seemed to me to be unsatisfactory...for it is an irrational process that cannot be described in scientific terms.' With this rather derisory remark (or at least so intended) in a 1950 radio broadcast, Fred Hoyle named the theory that rivalled his steady-state theory. The Big Bang has subsequently become the dominant paradigm in attempts to understand our universe. It is also one of the dominant ways in which popular-science writing seeks to persuade people to part with their cash. Simon Singh has rapidly made a name for himself as one of the leading popularizers of science, with his previous books Fermat's Last Theorem and The Code Book bringing accessible science to a wide audience . Big Bang brings him to a much busier marketplace, where he must compete both with other science writers and with working scientists. (U.K.)

BIOFAC-An investment in space infrastructure for biotechnology

Science.gov (United States)

Deuser, Mark S.; Vellinger, John C.

2000-01-01

During the last half century, biotechnology has contributed to the development of many important new and useful products that have improved our quality of life. To a large extent, these contributions are attributable to advances in cellular and molecular biology that can be traced to the discovery of DNA. What began as a science involved with manipulations of whole organisms has transcended into an ability to influence organisms at the cellular and molecular levels with greater speed, flexibility and precision than ever before. This has produced significantly improved pharmaceutical, textile, diagnostic, and environmental products, to name just a few. Early in this new century, biotechnology research is expected to literally explode with exciting new and promising opportunities. More importantly, biotechnology research in the low gravity environment of space is expected to play a significant part in this biotechnology revolution by expediting the discovery of important new medical, agricultural and environmental products. .

Temperatures of exploding nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serfling, V.; Schwarz, C.; Begemann-Blaich, M.; Fritz, S.; Gross, C.; Kleinevoss, U.; Kunze, W.D; Lynen, U.; Mahi, M.; Mueller, W.F.J.; Odeh, T.; Schnittker, M.; Trautmann, W.; Woerner, A.; Xi, H. [Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung mbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Bassini, R.; Iori, I.; Moroni, A.; Petruzzelli, F. [Milan Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Scienze Fisiche]|[Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Milan (Italy); Gaff, S.J.; Kunde, G.J. [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy]|[Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). National Superconducting Cyclotron Lab.; Imme, G.; Maddalena, V.; Nociforo, C.; Raciti, G.; Riccobene, G.; Romano, F.P.; Saija, A.; Sfienti, C.; Verde, G. [Catania Univ. (Italy). Dipt. di Fisica]|[Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Catania (Italy); Moehlenkamp, T.; Seidel, W. [Forschungszentrum Rossendorf e.V. (FZR), Dresden (Germany); Ocker, B.; Schuettauf, A. [Frankfurt Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Kernphysik; Pochodzalla, J. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Trzcinski, A.; Zwieglinski, B. [Soltan Inst. for Nuclear Studies, Warsaw (Poland)

1998-01-01

Breakup temperatures in central collisions of {sup 197}Au+{sup 197}Au at bombarding energies E/A=50 to 200 MeV were determined with two methods. Isotope temperatures, deduced from double ratios of hydrogen, helium, and lithium isotopic yields, increase monotonically with bombarding energy from 5 MeV to 12 MeV, in qualitative agreement with a scenario of chemical freeze-out after adiabatic expansion. Excited-state temperatures, derived from yield ratios of states in {sup 4}He, {sup 5,6}Li, and {sup 8}Be, are about 5 MeV, independent of the projectile energy, and seem to reflect the internal temperature of fragments at their final separation from the system. (orig.)

Our galaxy is exploding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Closets, Francois de.

1977-01-01

Improvements made in radioastronomy, and infrared, X and γ emission studies of the Galaxy have allowed to study the galactic nucleus, which is characterized by an intense activity. The most recent hypotheses made to explain this activity and replace it in the general context of the evolution of the galaxies are presented [fr

The Book Club Exploded

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffert, Barbara

2006-01-01

One leader, 12 readers, and a few well-thumbed copies of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." That is all a book club once required, but this is no longer the case. This article describes how the runaway popularity of book clubs has brought with it a whole new set of possibilities. Thematic discussion? A fiction/nonfiction mix? Videoconferencing?…

Old-fashioned charm and newfangled electronics make today's oil scouts formidable figures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenz, A.

1999-01-01

A profile of oil scouting, a secretive trade within the petroleum industry, was presented. Scouting began as early as 1949 when, in a fiercely competitive industry, a scout had to gain any information anyway he could regarding a competitor's drilling activity. Scouts were particularly useful when the industry was new because it was profitable to pay a field scout to watch a competitor's well from a hilltop with binoculars. If a scout informed their company that a given lease looked promising, the company would snap up that lease and the scout earned his wages many times over. Today's oil scout is more likely to be an independent consultant than a company employee. Their equipment ranges from devices such as parabolic microphones, wireless transmitters, night vision goggles, de-bugging devices, tools for listening through solid objects, and cell phone monitors. Acquired information can be invaluable and can prevent companies from making expensive mistakes, particularly in take-over situations. Estimates range from 100 to 150 independent scouts in Alberta. 2 figs

Value Measurement Systems, Professional Narratives and the (Un)Making of Market Regimes in Twentieth-Century American Advertising

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schwarzkopf, Stefan

During the 1920s, consumer psychologists and market researchers began to develop measurement systems that allowed their clients to express in ‘hard’ figures, and thus to put a financial value on, the impact that particular advertisements had on consumers. At the same time, advertising designers...... owners, their clients and by media organizations which printed, aired or screened commercial messages. Drawing on the notion of the socio-technical ‘agencements’, and on theories of the performativity of measurement regimes in the making of markets, economic sociologists have developed a good...... understanding of how the act of measuring itself can affect the behaviour of those whose social actions are being measured. Much less well developed is an economic-sociological account of how such measurement regimes are being resisted and how and why they decline. This paper uses the rise and fall...

A palette of particles

CERN Document Server

Bernstein, Jeremy

2013-01-01

From molecules to stars, much of the cosmic canvas can be painted in brushstrokes of primary color: the protons, neutrons, and electrons we know so well. But for meticulous detail, we have to dip into exotic hues - leptons, mesons, hadrons, quarks. Bringing particle physics to life as few authors can, Jeremy Bernstein here unveils nature in all its subatomic splendor. In this graceful account, Bernstein guides us through high-energy physics from the early twentieth century to the present, including such highlights as the newly discovered Higgs boson. Beginning with Ernest Rutherford's 1911 explanation of the nucleus, a model of atomic structure emerged that sufficed until the 1930s, when new particles began to be theorized and experimentally confirmed. In the postwar period, the subatomic world exploded in a blaze of unexpected findings leading to the theory of the quark, in all its strange and charmed variations. An eyewitness to developments at Harvard University and the Institute for Advanced Study in Prin...

Chaos making a new science

CERN Document Server

Gleick, James

1987-01-01

The blockbuster modern science classic that introduced the butterfly effect to the world-even more relevant two decades after it became an international sensation For centuries, scientific thought was focused on bringing order to the natural world. But even as relativity and quantum mechanics undermined that rigid certainty in the first half of the twentieth century, the scientific community clung to the idea that any system, no matter how complex, could be reduced to a simple pattern. In the 1960s, a small group of radical thinkers began to take that notion apart, placing new importance on t

HUBBLE SPIES MOST DISTANT SUPERNOVA EVER SEEN

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers pinpointed a blaze of light from the farthest supernova ever seen, a dying star that exploded 10 billion years ago. The detection and analysis of this supernova, called 1997ff, is greatly bolstering the case for the existence of a mysterious form of dark energy pervading the cosmos, making galaxies hurl ever faster away from each other. The supernova also offers the first glimpse of the universe slowing down soon after the Big Bang, before it began speeding up. This panel of images, taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, shows the supernova's cosmic neighborhood; its home galaxy; and the dying star itself. Astronomers found this supernova in 1997 during a second look at the northern Hubble Deep Field [top panel], a tiny region of sky first explored by the Hubble telescope in 1995. The image shows the myriad of galaxies Hubble spied when it peered across more than 10 billion years of time and space. The white box marks the area where the supernova dwells. The photo at bottom left is a close-up view of that region. The white arrow points to the exploding star's home galaxy, a faint elliptical. Its redness is due to the billions of old stars residing there. The picture at bottom right shows the supernova itself, distinguished by the white dot in the center. Although this stellar explosion is among the brightest beacons in the universe, it could not be seen directly in the Hubble images. The stellar blast is so distant from Earth that its light is buried in the glow of its host galaxy. To find the supernova, astronomers compared two pictures of the 'deep field' taken two years apart. One image was of the original Hubble Deep Field; the other, the follow-up deep-field picture taken in 1997. Using special computer software, astronomers then measured the light from the galaxies in both images. Noting any changes in light output between the two pictures, the computer identified a blob of light in the 1997 picture

Construction recently began on the new CERN hostel

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2006-01-01

Construction begins on a third CERN hostel to add almost 100 more rooms for Laboratory visitors. The new hostel, building 41, will be a three-story structure containing 98 rooms, ready for occupancy in June 2007

Hospice decision making: diagnosis makes a difference.

Science.gov (United States)

Waldrop, Deborah P; Meeker, Mary Ann

2012-10-01

This study explored the process of decision making about hospice enrollment and identified factors that influence the timing of that decision. This study employed an exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional design and was conducted using qualitative methods. In-depth in-person semistructured interviews were conducted with 36 hospice patients and 55 caregivers after 2 weeks of hospice care. The study was guided by Janis and Mann's conflict theory model (CTM) of decision making. Qualitative data analysis involved a directed content analysis using concepts from the CTM. A model of hospice enrollment decision making is presented. Concepts from the CTM (appraisal, surveying and weighing the alternatives, deliberations, adherence) were used as an organizing framework to illustrate the dynamics. Distinct differences were found by diagnosis (cancer vs. other chronic illness, e.g., heart and lung diseases) during the pre-encounter phase or before the hospice referral but no differences emerged during the post-encounter phase. Differences in decision making by diagnosis suggest the need for research about effective means for tailored communication in end-of-life decision making by type of illness. Recognition that decision making about hospice admission varies is important for clinicians who aim to provide person-centered and family-focused care.

Naval War College Review. Volume 60, Number 3, Summer 2007

Science.gov (United States)

2007-06-01

you a new idea, and in that context it is interesting to think for a moment about the name of this beautiful , small town on the Narragansett Bay. It is...at everyone’s fingertips • Exploding Internet with bloggers , hackers, and chat rooms • Cell-phone cameras and recorders, making everyone a “reporter...simply The Road, and it is notable in every sense, most particularly for the heartbreaking beauty of its poetic language and as well for the utterly

The development and implementation of a decision-making capacity assessment model.

Science.gov (United States)

Parmar, Jasneet; Brémault-Phillips, Suzette; Charles, Lesley

2015-03-01

Decision-making capacity assessment (DMCA) is an issue of increasing importance for older adults. Current challenges need to be explored, and potential processes and strategies considered in order to address issues of DMCA in a more coordinated manner. An iterative process was used to address issues related to DMCA. This began with recognition of challenges associated with capacity assessments (CAs) by staff at Covenant Health (CH). Review of the literature, as well as discussions with and a survey of staff at three CH sites, resulted in determination of issues related to DMCA. Development of a DMCA Model and demonstration of its feasibility followed. A process was proposed with front-end screening/problem- solving, a well-defined standard assessment, and definition of team member roles. A Capacity Assessment Care Map was formulated based on the process. Documentation was developed consisting of a Capacity Assessment Process Worksheet, Capacity Interview Worksheet, and a brochure. Interactive workshops were delivered to familiarize staff with the DMCA Model. A successful demonstration project led to implementation across all sites in the Capital Health region, and eventual provincial endorsement. Concerns identified in the survey and in the literature regarding CA were addressed through the holistic interdisciplinary approach offered by the DMCA Model.

Construction Management--Exploding Some Myths.

Science.gov (United States)

Kluenker, Charles

1986-01-01

Construction management on educational facility projects provides boards of education with documentation showing the project is on track. Eight "myths" surrounding construction management are explained. (MLF)

Nuclear power : exploding the myths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, G.

2001-01-01

A critique of the Canadian government's unaccountability in terms of nuclear decisions was presented. The federal government has spent more than $13 billion building dozens of nuclear facilities, and spreading Canadian nuclear technology to India, Pakistan, Taiwan, Korea, Argentina and Romania. The author argued that this was done without any public consultation or public debate. In addition, the federal government announced in 1996 that it will play a role in nuclear disarmament and would accept tonnes of leftover plutonium from dismantled nuclear warheads to be used as fuel in CANDU reactors. Samples of weapons plutonium fuels from Russia and the United States are currently being tested in a reactor at Chalk River, Ontario. In addition, China received a $1.5 billion loan from the Treasury of Canada to help finance a CANDU reactor. It was the largest loan in Canadian history, yet had no procedure to obtain taxpayer's permission. Turkey was promised an equal amount if it would build a CANDU reactor. Despite this activity, the nuclear industry is in a dying state. No reactors have been ordered in North America for the past 25 years and there are no future prospects. Nuclear expansion has also ground to a halt in western Europe, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and France. The author discussed the association of nuclear energy with nuclear weapons and dispelled the myth that the nuclear energy programs have nothing to do with nuclear weapons. He also dispelled the myth that plutonium extracted from dismantled warheads can be destroyed by burning it as fuel in civilian reactors. The author emphasized that nuclear warheads are rendered useless when their plutonium cores are removed, but there is no method for destroying the plutonium, which constitutes a serious danger. The third myth which he dispelled was that nuclear power can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Studies show that each dollar invested in energy efficiency saves 5 to 7 times as much carbon dioxide as a dollar spent on nuclear power. The fourth and final myth that the author dispelled was that nuclear power is safe and clean, arguing that irradiated nuclear fuel remains toxic for millions of years. A 10-year environmental review has found safety and environmental concerns regarding a geologic repository project which is estimated to cost approximately $17 billion. 2 figs

Dickens and the Exploding World

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rainsford, Dominic

2014-01-01

’s relationship to debates about the reach of social and ethical responsibility. Taking off from the concept of ‘telescopic philanthropy’ in Bleak House, and paying attention to recent applications of Dickens beyond Europe and North America, I will consider the relevance of his writing to the question of how...

Lone ranger decision making versus consensus decision making: Descriptive analysis

OpenAIRE

Maite Sara Mashego

2015-01-01

Consensus decision making, concerns group members make decisions together with the requirement of reaching a consensus that is all members abiding by the decision outcome. Lone ranging worked for sometime in a autocratic environment. Researchers are now pointing to consensus decision-making in organizations bringing dividend to many organizations. This article used a descriptive analysis to compare the goodness of consensus decision making and making lone ranging decision management. This art...

Uranium Fever: From Boom to Bust

OpenAIRE

Grieve, Victoria

2016-01-01

The Atomic Energy Commission’s demand for uranium exploded in the 1950s. This was due, in part, to President Eisenhower's "Atoms For Peace" speech, which encouraged the governments of the world to focus more time, effort, and resources on research for peaceful uses of nuclear energy.[1] The demand for uranium was higher than ever while the United States government explored both belligerent and peaceful uses for the atom. This increased demand for uranium led many to try and make it big in ura...

Making detailed predictions makes (some) predictions worse

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Theresa F.

In this paper, we investigate whether making detailed predictions about an event makes other predictions worse. Across 19 experiments, 10,895 participants, and 415,960 predictions about 724 professional sports games, we find that people who made detailed predictions about sporting events (e.g., how many hits each baseball team would get) made worse predictions about more general outcomes (e.g., which team would win). We rule out that this effect is caused by inattention or fatigue, thinking too hard, or a differential reliance on holistic information about the teams. Instead, we find that thinking about game-relevant details before predicting winning teams causes people to give less weight to predictive information, presumably because predicting details makes information that is relatively useless for predicting the winning team more readily accessible in memory and therefore incorporated into forecasts. Furthermore, we show that this differential use of information can be used to predict what kinds of games will and will not be susceptible to the negative effect of making detailed predictions.

Do Liberal Arts Colleges Make Students More Liberal? Some Initial Evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Jana M.; Weeden, Dustin D.; Pascarella, Ernest T.; Blaich, Charles

2012-01-01

The effect of attending college on students' political ideology has been a controversial topic for many decades. In this study, we explored the relationship between attending a liberal arts college and students' political views. Compared to their counterparts at other 4-year institutions, liberal arts college students began postsecondary education…

Medical decision making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stiggelbout, A.M.; Vries, M. de; Scherer, L.; Keren, G.; Wu, G.

2016-01-01

This chapter presents an overview of the field of medical decision making. It distinguishes the levels of decision making seen in health-care practice and shows how research in judgment and decision making support or improve decision making. Most of the research has been done at the micro level,

Steel making

CERN Document Server

Chakrabarti, A K

2014-01-01

"Steel Making" is designed to give students a strong grounding in the theory and state-of-the-art practice of production of steels. This book is primarily focused to meet the needs of undergraduate metallurgical students and candidates for associate membership examinations of professional bodies (AMIIM, AMIE). Besides, for all engineering professionals working in steel plants who need to understand the basic principles of steel making, the text provides a sound introduction to the subject.Beginning with a brief introduction to the historical perspective and current status of steel making together with the reasons for obsolescence of Bessemer converter and open hearth processes, the book moves on to: elaborate the physiochemical principles involved in steel making; explain the operational principles and practices of the modern processes of primary steel making (LD converter, Q-BOP process, and electric furnace process); provide a summary of the developments in secondary refining of steels; discuss principles a...

Post-decontamination and dismantlement (D ampersand D) characterization report for CFA-669 site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.L.

1995-01-01

This report presents results of post-decontamination and dismantling (D ampersand D) characterization surveys performed by EG ampersand G Idaho, Inc. (EG ampersand G Idaho), at Central Facilities Area (CFA)-669, which was the Hot Laundry Facility. The site was characterized to determine and document the radiological and chemical conditions of the site following D ampersand D and to determine if the site satisfies the release criteria. Constructed in 1950, CFA-669 served as the ''hot'' and ''cold'' laundry for Idaho National Engineering Laboratory site contractors until the boiler exploded in 1981. The building was shut down at that time. Before D ampersand D activities began in 1992, the facility was characterized and the results documented. D ampersand D activities were completed in July 1994. The post-D ampersand D radiological characterization consisted of radiation measurements and analyses of soil samples to identify man-made radionuclides and determine the specific activity of each sample. The chemical characterization consisted of toxicity characterization leaching procedure (TCLP) analysis for metals and for volatile and semivolatile organic contamination

[Not Available].

Science.gov (United States)

2004-06-01

St Dunstan's, the charity for blind ex-Service men and women, is commemorating this month's 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings with a spectacular rocket and light display linking all the towns and cities along the south coast that participated in the D-Day departures. Embarkation for the biggest military invasion of World War Two began on June 2 1944 on the beaches of Falmouth. Among the 'St Dunstaners' who took part were Fred Bentley (pictured left, with a guide) who, as a 20-year-old, was blinded when a German grenade exploded in front of him during the battle for Caen in northern France after the Allied invasion. Also pictured (inset) is Bob Osborne who was in the first wave of troops landing on the Normandy beaches. He, too, was 20 at the time and lost a leg, an arm and his sight under fire from enemy tanks. For many years he ran the newsagent at St Dunstan's main centre for training, rehabilitation and support near Brighton.

A CHANDRASEKHAR MASS PROGENITOR FOR THE TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA REMNANT 3C 397 FROM THE ENHANCED ABUNDANCES OF NICKEL AND MANGANESE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamaguchi, Hiroya; Williams, Brian J.; Petre, Robert [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Badenes, Carles [Department of Physics and Astronomy and Pittsburgh Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology Center (PITT PACC), University of Pittsburgh, 3941 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (United States); Foster, Adam R.; Brickhouse, Nancy S. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Bravo, Eduardo [E.T.S. Arquitectura del Vallès, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Carrer Pere Serra 1-15, E-08173 Sant Cugat del Vallès (Spain); Maeda, Keiichi [Department of Astronomy, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan); Nobukawa, Masayoshi; Koyama, Katsuji [Department of Physics, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan); Eriksen, Kristoffer A., E-mail: hiroya.yamaguchi@nasa.gov [Theoretical Design Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

2015-03-10

Despite decades of intense efforts, many fundamental aspects of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) remain elusive. One of the major open questions is whether the mass of an exploding white dwarf (WD) is close to the Chandrasekhar limit. Here, we report the detection of strong K-shell emission from stable Fe-peak elements in the Suzaku X-ray spectrum of the Type Ia supernova remnant (SNR) 3C 397. The high Ni/Fe and Mn/Fe mass ratios (0.11–0.24 and 0.018–0.033, respectively) in the hot plasma component that dominates the K-shell emission lines indicate a degree of neutronization in the supernova ejecta that can only be achieved by electron capture in the dense cores of exploding WDs with a near-Chandrasekhar mass. This suggests a single-degenerate origin for 3C 397, since Chandrasekhar mass progenitors are expected naturally if the WD accretes mass slowly from a companion. Together with other results supporting the double-degenerate scenario, our work adds to the mounting evidence that both progenitor channels make a significant contribution to the SN Ia rate in star-forming galaxies.

A CHANDRASEKHAR MASS PROGENITOR FOR THE TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA REMNANT 3C 397 FROM THE ENHANCED ABUNDANCES OF NICKEL AND MANGANESE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Hiroya; Williams, Brian J.; Petre, Robert; Badenes, Carles; Foster, Adam R.; Brickhouse, Nancy S.; Bravo, Eduardo; Maeda, Keiichi; Nobukawa, Masayoshi; Koyama, Katsuji; Eriksen, Kristoffer A.

2015-01-01

Despite decades of intense efforts, many fundamental aspects of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) remain elusive. One of the major open questions is whether the mass of an exploding white dwarf (WD) is close to the Chandrasekhar limit. Here, we report the detection of strong K-shell emission from stable Fe-peak elements in the Suzaku X-ray spectrum of the Type Ia supernova remnant (SNR) 3C 397. The high Ni/Fe and Mn/Fe mass ratios (0.11–0.24 and 0.018–0.033, respectively) in the hot plasma component that dominates the K-shell emission lines indicate a degree of neutronization in the supernova ejecta that can only be achieved by electron capture in the dense cores of exploding WDs with a near-Chandrasekhar mass. This suggests a single-degenerate origin for 3C 397, since Chandrasekhar mass progenitors are expected naturally if the WD accretes mass slowly from a companion. Together with other results supporting the double-degenerate scenario, our work adds to the mounting evidence that both progenitor channels make a significant contribution to the SN Ia rate in star-forming galaxies

Model : making

OpenAIRE

Bottle, Neil

2013-01-01

The Model : making exhibition was curated by Brian Kennedy in collaboration with Allies & Morrison in September 2013. For the London Design Festival, the Model : making exhibition looked at the increased use of new technologies by both craft-makers and architectural model makers. In both practices traditional ways of making by hand are increasingly being combined with the latest technologies of digital imaging, laser cutting, CNC machining and 3D printing. This exhibition focussed on ...

Interactive Governance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bang, Henrik

2016-01-01

Governance analysis has exploded in recent years, and it has become nearly impossible to tell what difference the concept and practice of governance makes from those of government and state. In addition governance analysis has been placed more and more in the shadow of the new institutionalisms and...... and growth. However, interactive governance is not a property or effect of institutions; nor does it apply solely to those individuals who seek success above everything else. It is connective more than individualistic or collectivistic in nature; and it manifests a governability capacity which...

Administration of Standardized Competency Tests: Does the Testing Environment Make a Difference?

Science.gov (United States)

Wongbundhit, Yuwadee

1996-01-01

To relieve overcrowded, distracting, and uncomfortable testing conditions, the Dade County (Florida) Public Schools began administering the High School Competency Test on two successive Saturdays, instead of on school days. Classrooms were used, and students received free breakfasts and lunches. The new arrangement improved student performance and…

Business making decisions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enrique Benjamín Franklin Fincowsky

2011-06-01

Full Text Available People and organizations make better or get wrong as consequence of making decisions. Sometimes making decisions is just a trial and error process. Some others, decisions are good and the results profitable with a few of mistakes, most of the time because it’s considered the experience and the control of a specific field or the good intention of who makes them. Actually, all kinds of decisions bring learning. What is important is the intention, the attitude and the values considered in this process. People from different scenes face many facts and circumstances—almost always out of control—that affect the making decisions process. There is not a unique way to make decisions for all companies in many settings. The person who makes a decision should identify the problem, to solve it later using alternatives and solutions. Even though, follow all the steps it’s not easy as it seems. Looking back the conditions related to the decisions, we can mention the followings: uncertainty, risk and certainty. When people identify circumstances and facts, as well as its effects in a possible situation, they will make decisions with certainty. As long as the information decreases and it becomes ambiguous the risk becomes an important factor in the making decisions process because they are connected to probable objectives (clear or subjective (opinion judgment or intuition. To finish, uncertainty, involves people that make a decision with no or little information about circumstances or criteria with basis

Global Perspectives: Making the Shift from Multiculturalism to Culturally Responsive Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Walter, Jennifer S.

2018-01-01

In the early part of the 1970s, multicultural music education began in earnest and was focused primarily on the curriculum used for music: textbooks, method books, and repertoire. At the turn of the 21th century, however, culturally responsive teaching emerged as the predominant pedagogy for relating to students. It was considered a…

Decision Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pier Luigi Baldi

2006-06-01

Full Text Available This article points out some conditions which significantly exert an influence upon decision and compares decision making and problem solving as interconnected processes. Some strategies of decision making are also examined.

The changing nature of ICU charge nurses' decision making: from supervision of care delivery to unit resource management.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Anne; Buerhaus, Peter I

2013-01-01

Recent findings that variations in nursing workload may affect inpatient outcomes now highlight nurse workload management and the need for an updated analysis of the role of the charge nurse (CN). Observational data for eight CNs, each at one of eight ICUs in a not-for-profit Level 1 Trauma Center, coded to capture interprofessional interactions, decision making, team coordination phases, and support tools. A researcher shadowed each participant for 12 hours. Each shift began and ended with a face-to-face handoff that included summaries of each patient's condition; the current bed census; anticipated admissions, discharges, and transfers; and the number of nurses available to work the current and coming two shifts. The researcher, using a notebook, recorded the substantive content of all work conversations initiated by or directed to the CN from physicians, staff nurses, allied health workers, other employees, and patients/families. The tools used to support conversations were collected as blank forms or computer screen prints and annotated to describe how they were used, when, and for what purpose. Statistically significant three-way interactions suggest that CNs' conversations with colleagues depend on the team coordination phase and the decision-making level, and that the support tools that CNs use when talking to colleagues depend on the decision-making level and the team coordination phase. The role of ICU CNs appears to be continuing to evolve, now encompassing unit resource management in addition to supervising care delivery. Effective support tools, together with education that would enhance communication and resource management skills, will be essential to CNs' ability to support unit resilience and adaptability in an increasingly complex environment.

Maine Yankee: Making the Transition from an Operating Plant to an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norton, W.; McGough, M. S.

2002-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the challenges faced by Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company in making the transition from an operating nuclear power plant to an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). Maine Yankee (MY) is a 900-megawatt Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactor whose architect engineer was Stone and Webster. Maine Yankee was put into commercial operation on December 28, 1972. It is located on an 820-acre site, on the shores of the Back River in Wiscasset, Maine about 40 miles northeast of Portland, Maine. During its operating life, it generated about 1.2 billion kilowatts of power, providing 25% of Maine's electric power needs and serving additional customers in New England. Maine Yankee's lifetime capacity factor was about 67% and it employed more than 450 people. The decision was made to shutdown Maine Yankee in August of 1997, based on economic reasons. Once this decision was made planning began on how to accomplish safe and cost effective decommissioning of the plant by 2004 while being responsive to the community and employees

Defense Waste Processing Facility radioactive operations -- Part 2, Glass making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carter, J.T.; Rueter, K.J.; Ray, J.W.; Hodoh, O.

1996-01-01

The Savannah River Site's Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) near Aiken, SC is the nation's first and world's largest vitrification facility. Following a ten year construction period and nearly 3 year non-radioactive test program, the DWPF began radioactive operations in March, 1996. The results of the first 8 months of radioactive operations are presented. Topics include facility production from waste preparation batching to canister filling

Shared decision making

Science.gov (United States)

... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000877.htm Shared decision making To use the sharing features on this page, ... treatment you both support. When to use Shared Decision Making Shared decision making is often used when you ...

Evaluation of a Shared Decision-Making Intervention on the Utilization of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy in a VA Outpatient PTSD Clinic.

Science.gov (United States)

Hessinger, Jonathan D; London, Melissa J; Baer, Sheila M

2017-03-13

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has continued to emphasize the availability, access, and utilization of high quality mental health care particularly in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While dissemination and availability of evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) have only increased, treatment engagement and utilization have continued to be oft-noted challenges. Administrators, researchers, and individual clinicians have continued to develop and explore novel systemic and individualized interventions to address these issues. Pilot studies utilizing shared decision-making models to aid in veteran treatment selection have demonstrated the impact this approach may have on selection of and engagement in EBPs for PTSD. Based on these promising studies, a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient PTSD clinic began to implement a shared-decision making intervention as part of a clinic redesign. In seeking to evaluate the impact of this intervention, archival clinical data from 1,056 veterans were reviewed by the authors for rates of treatment selection, EBP initiation, session attendance, and EBP completion. Time elapsed from consult until EBP initiation was also computed by the authors. These variables were then compared on the basis of whether the veteran received the shared-decision making intervention. Veterans who received the intervention were more likely to select and thus initiate an EBP for PTSD sooner than veterans who did not receive this intervention. Veterans, whether receiving the intervention or not, did not differ in therapy session attendance and completion. Implications of these findings and directions for future study are further discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Make Sense?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gyrd-Jones, Richard; Törmälä, Minna

Purpose: An important part of how we sense a brand is how we make sense of a brand. Sense-making is naturally strongly connected to how we cognize about the brand. But sense-making is concerned with multiple forms of knowledge that arise from our interpretation of the brand-related stimuli......: Declarative, episodic, procedural and sensory. Knowledge is given meaning through mental association (Keller, 1993) and / or symbolic interaction (Blumer, 1969). These meanings are centrally related to individuals’ sense of identity or “identity needs” (Wallpach & Woodside, 2009). The way individuals make...... sense of brands is related to who people think they are in their context and this shapes what they enact and how they interpret the brand (Currie & Brown, 2003; Weick, Sutcliffe, & Obstfeld, 2005; Weick, 1993). Our subject of interest in this paper is how stakeholders interpret and ascribe meaning...

Handbook on Decision Making Vol 2 Risk Management in Decision Making

CERN Document Server

Lu, Jie; Zhang, Guangquan

2012-01-01

This book presents innovative theories, methodologies, and techniques in the field of risk management and decision making. It introduces new research developments and provides a comprehensive image of their potential applications to readers interested in the area. The collection includes: computational intelligence applications in decision making, multi-criteria decision making under risk, risk modelling,forecasting and evaluation, public security and community safety, risk management in supply chain and other business decision making, political risk management and disaster response systems. The book is directed to academic and applied researchers working on risk management, decision making, and management information systems.

The Role of School Health Instruction in Preventing Injury: Making It Work.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiler, Robert M.

Reducing the incidence and severity of child and adolescent injuries requires a multifaceted approach involving broad-based health and social service agencies, including schools. Recognition of the need for injury prevention education began with the Industrial Revolution in the 1900s, and safety education was developed as a unit of health…

MODERN CLINICAL SCIENCE BEGAN WITH SANTORIO SANTORIO (1561-1636

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natale G. De Santo

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Santorio Santorio (1561-1636, born in Capodistria, a Venice Republic territory, (now Koper in Slovenia, student, medical doctor, and professor of theoretical medicine at the university of Padua, marked the beginning of modern medicine. Santorio introduced measurements and mathematics into human experimentation. By means of a weighing machine, over a 30-year period, he investigated on more than ten thousand persons, including Galileo Galilei. He used to measure daily body weight, along with the quantity of ingested food and drink, and the quantity of body discharges (urine and feces so that he could calculate the insensible perspiration which he used as a dual token to characterize health and disease, to cure patients after knowing their physical parameters including the pulse and the temperature. His main work was De statica medicina, a well received book which had more than 40 editions during the 17th and 18th century and was translated into English, Italian, French and German. A book small but praised by Boerhaave, von Haller and Lavoisier which granted to Santorio the definition of Galilean, by many historians of medicine including Salvatore De Renzi, Castiglioni, Pucinotti and Pazzini. Santorio embodied the modern physician-scientist, continually experimenting on humans and immediately transforming into medical devices using the data originating in basic science. So the findings repported in the books were immediately used to help patients. He also introduced self-experimentation in medicine, an important problem even nowadays. Although he was aware that the university took credit for his work, he respected the institution from which he obtained a salary for life even when he stopped the teaching at the University. So he even showed his modernity: pioneer in granting to the University of Padua, through his last will, money for yearly scholarships.

How We Began - About the Guard - The National Guard

Science.gov (United States)

Marshal Office of the Joint Surgeon PARC Small Business Programs Chaplain Diversity NGB-GOMO Resources Legislative Liaison Small Business Programs Social Media State Websites Videos Featured Videos On Every Front the organization date of the oldest Army National Guard units is based in law. The Militia Act of May

The South African commercial abalone Haliotis midae fishery began ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

spamer

and 20 m deep, and virtually no abalone occur at ... factories were granted processing rights to a fixed percentage of an overall .... behaviour and temporal change in individual and aggre- ... series, is to gain further information through carefully.

Who Makes The News?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørndrup, Hanne; Bentsen, Martine

As newsroom staff around the world went about their day on 25 March 2015, hundreds of volunteers located in over 100 countries gathered to monitor their news media as part of the Fifth Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP). The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) is the world’s longest......-running and most extensive research on gender in the news media. It began in 1995 when volunteers in 71 countries around the world monitored women’s presence in their national radio, television and print news. The research revealed that only 17% of news subjects – the people who are interviewed or whom the news...... is about – were women. It found that gender parity was ‘a distant prospect in any region of the world. News [was] more often being presented by women but it [was] still rarely about women. Denmark participates in GMMP for the second time and both times we can recognize the global inequality in the Danish...

Making ethical choices: a comprehensive decision-making model for Canadian psychologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadjistavropoulos, T; Malloy, D C

2000-05-01

This paper proposes a theoretical augmentation of the seven-step decision-making model outlined in the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. We propose that teleological, deontological, and existential ethical perspectives should be taken into account in the decision-making process. We also consider the influence of individual, issue-specific, significant-other, situational, and external factors on ethical decision-making. This theoretical analysis demonstrates the richness and complexity of ethical decision-making.

Make up your mind - How stress and sex affect decision-making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koot, S.

2013-01-01

Decision-making refers to assessing costs and benefits of competing actions, with either a known outcome or an uncertain result. Decision-making depends on several abilities, such as behavioural flexibility and inhibiting risky responses. Several factors affect decision-making, causing differences

Assessing the Validity of Using Serious Game Technology to Analyze Physician Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, Deepika; Angus, Derek C.; Ricketts, Daniel; Farris, Coreen; Fischhoff, Baruch; Rosengart, Matthew R.; Yealy, Donald M.; Barnato, Amber E.

2014-01-01

Background Physician non-compliance with clinical practice guidelines remains a critical barrier to high quality care. Serious games (using gaming technology for serious purposes) have emerged as a method of studying physician decision making. However, little is known about their validity. Methods We created a serious game and evaluated its construct validity. We used the decision context of trauma triage in the Emergency Department of non-trauma centers, given widely accepted guidelines that recommend the transfer of severely injured patients to trauma centers. We designed cases with the premise that the representativeness heuristic influences triage (i.e. physicians make transfer decisions based on archetypes of severely injured patients rather than guidelines). We randomized a convenience sample of emergency medicine physicians to a control or cognitive load arm, and compared performance (disposition decisions, number of orders entered, time spent per case). We hypothesized that cognitive load would increase the use of heuristics, increasing the transfer of representative cases and decreasing the transfer of non-representative cases. Findings We recruited 209 physicians, of whom 168 (79%) began and 142 (68%) completed the task. Physicians transferred 31% of severely injured patients during the game, consistent with rates of transfer for severely injured patients in practice. They entered the same average number of orders in both arms (control (C): 10.9 [SD 4.8] vs. cognitive load (CL):10.7 [SD 5.6], p = 0.74), despite spending less time per case in the control arm (C: 9.7 [SD 7.1] vs. CL: 11.7 [SD 6.7] minutes, pdecisions consistent with actual practice, that we could manipulate cognitive load, and that load increased the use of heuristics, as predicted by cognitive theory. PMID:25153149

What sense can the sense-making perspective make for economics?

Science.gov (United States)

Cortés, Mauricio; Londoño, Sandra

2009-06-01

A landscape of interdisciplinary decision theories is sketched with a tentative place for the sense-making approach presented by Salvatore et al (2009). Uncertainty and ambiguity are highlighted as key concepts in both, economics and sense-making perspectives aligning possible and useful conceptual coincidences among post Keynesian economics (Shackle 1974; Davidson 2005) cultural psychology (Salvatore et al. 2009) and organization theory (March 1978, 1994; Weick 1995). Few ideas for the construction of possible research agenda aimed to build a complex model of decision making are suggested. Finally a brief reflection on the study of underground economy is presented. The challenge for the link between psychology and economics is to figure out a descriptive general model of the process of decision making, perhaps by combining weighted elements of the different ways in which human rationality emerges--calculation, rule following, sense-making--for explaining singular and specific decisions.

Ethical Decision Making for Private Colleges: The Relationship to the Auditor's Opinion

Science.gov (United States)

Shepard, Nicole G.

2013-01-01

Colleges and other not-for-profit institutions have been experiencing increasing fiscal concerns because of the American economic downturn that began in 2008. As a result, fraudulent activity is becoming more of an issue. This study focused on the annual auditor's report and its relationship to the ethical relativism of financial managers. In…

Elements of Making

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Shelly; Harron, Jason; Fletcher, Steven; Spock, Hannah

2018-01-01

While there is no official definition, making is generally thought of as turning ideas into products through design, invention, and building. Support is growing for integrating making into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Making can help high school students explore science concepts and phenomena, yet, lacking…

Make Up Your Mind

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Holmström Olsson

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Today, connected software-intensive products permeate virtually every aspect of our lives and the amount of customer and product data that is collected by companies across domains is exploding. In revealing what products we use, when and how we use them and how the product performs, this data has the potential to help companies optimize existing products, prioritize among features and evaluate new innovations. However, despite advanced data collection and analysis techniques, companies struggle with how to effectively extract value from the data they collect and they experience difficulties in defining what values to optimize for. As a result, the impact of data is low and companies run the risk of sub-optimization due to misalignment of the values they optimize for. In this paper, and based on multi-case study research in embedded systems and online companies, we explore data collection and analysis practices in companies in the embedded systems and in the online domain. In particular, we look into how the value that is delivered to customers can be expressed as a value function that combines different factors that are of importance to customers. By expressing customer value as a value function, companies have the opportunity to increase their awareness of key value factors and they can establish an agreement on what to optimize for. Based on our findings, we see that companies in the embedded systems domain suffer from vague and confusing value functions while companies in the online domain use simple and straightforward value functions to inform development. Ideally, and as proposed in this paper, companies should strive for a comprehensive value function that includes all relevant factors without being vague or too simple as is the case in the companies we studied. To achieve this, and to address the difficulties many companies experience, we present a systematic approach to value modelling in which we provide detailed guidance for how to

Flexible lot sizing in hybrid make-to-order/make-to-stock production planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beemsterboer, Bart; Land, Martin; Teunter, Ruud

2017-01-01

Hybrid make-to-order/make-to-stock production systems are difficult to control. Batch production of make-to-stock products allows for efficient capacity usage, but fixed batch sizes can make the system less responsive to make-to-order customers. Using Markov Decision Process modeling, we show that

Bright boys the making of information technology

CERN Document Server

Green, Tom

2010-01-01

Everything has a beginning. None was more profound-and quite as unexpected-than Information Technology. Here for the first time is the untold story of how our new age came to be and the bright boys who made it happen. What began on the bare floor of an old laundry building eventually grew to rival in size the Manhattan Project. The unexpected consequence of that journey was huge---what we now know as Information Technology. For sixty years the bright boys have been totally anonymous while their achievements have become a way of life for all of us. "Bright Boys" brings them home. By 1950 they'd

Making a Theist out of Darwin: Asa Gray's Post-Darwinian Natural Theology

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, T. Russell

2012-01-01

In March of 1860 the eminent Harvard Botanist and orthodox Christian Asa Gray began promoting the Origin of Species in hopes of securing a fair examination of Darwin's evolutionary theory among theistic naturalists. To this end, Gray sought to demonstrate that Darwin had not written atheistically and that his theory of evolution by natural…

Making sense of adolescent decision-making: challenge and reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Unguru, Yoram

2011-08-01

Few topics in pediatric bioethics are as vexing as decision-making. Decision-making in pediatrics presents challenges for children, parents, and physicians alike. The related, yet distinct, concepts of assent and consent are central to pediatric decision-making. Although informed consent is largely regarded as a worthwhile adult principle, assent has been, and continues to be, mired in debate. Controversial subjects include a meaningful definition of assent; how old children should be to assent; who should be included in the assent process; parental permission; how to resolve disputes between children and their parents; the relationship between assent and consent; the quantity and quality of information to disclose to children and their families; how much and what information children desire and need; the necessity and methods for assessing both children's understanding of disclosed information and of the assent process itself; reconciling ethical and legal attitudes toward assent; and finally, an effective, practical, and realistically applicable decision-making model.

Preliminary design of HL-2A discharge control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Chao; Song Xianming; Li Qiang

2001-01-01

HL-2A Discharge Control System consists of one or more VXI work stations so as to compose an all digital control system. The DCS are used to measure and control the poloidal coils, the main tasks of the poloidal coils are exploding, keeping and controlling the current of plasma. These coils explode plasma and keep it in the determined position

I: Making Art

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenfeld, Malke; Johnson, Marquetta; Plemons, Anna; Makol, Suzanne; Zanskas, Meghan; Dzula, Mark; Mahoney, Meg Robson

2014-01-01

Writing about the teaching artist practice should mean writing about art making. As both teacher and artist, the authors are required to be cognizant of their own art-making processes, both how it works and why it is important to them, in order to make this process visible to their students. They also need the same skills to write about how and…

BioMake: a GNU make-compatible utility for declarative workflow management.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Ian H; Mungall, Christopher J

2017-11-01

The Unix 'make' program is widely used in bioinformatics pipelines, but suffers from problems that limit its application to large analysis datasets. These include reliance on file modification times to determine whether a target is stale, lack of support for parallel execution on clusters, and restricted flexibility to extend the underlying logic program. We present BioMake, a make-like utility that is compatible with most features of GNU Make and adds support for popular cluster-based job-queue engines, MD5 signatures as an alternative to timestamps, and logic programming extensions in Prolog. BioMake is available for MacOSX and Linux systems from https://github.com/evoldoers/biomake under the BSD3 license. The only dependency is SWI-Prolog (version 7), available from http://www.swi-prolog.org/. ihholmes + biomake@gmail.com or cmungall + biomake@gmail.com. Feature table comparing BioMake to similar tools. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Decision Making and Cancer

OpenAIRE

Reyna, Valerie F.; Nelson, Wendy L.; Han, Paul K.; Pignone, Michael P.

2015-01-01

We review decision-making along the cancer continuum in the contemporary context of informed and shared decision making, in which patients are encouraged to take a more active role in their health care. We discuss challenges to achieving informed and shared decision making, including cognitive limitations and emotional factors, but argue that understanding the mechanisms of decision making offers hope for improving decision support. Theoretical approaches to decision making that explain cogni...

Categorization = Decision Making + Generalization

Science.gov (United States)

Seger, Carol A; Peterson, Erik J.

2013-01-01

We rarely, if ever, repeatedly encounter exactly the same situation. This makes generalization crucial for real world decision making. We argue that categorization, the study of generalizable representations, is a type of decision making, and that categorization learning research would benefit from approaches developed to study the neuroscience of decision making. Similarly, methods developed to examine generalization and learning within the field of categorization may enhance decision making research. We first discuss perceptual information processing and integration, with an emphasis on accumulator models. We then examine learning the value of different decision making choices via experience, emphasizing reinforcement learning modeling approaches. Next we discuss how value is combined with other factors in decision making, emphasizing the effects of uncertainty. Finally, we describe how a final decision is selected via thresholding processes implemented by the basal ganglia and related regions. We also consider how memory related functions in the hippocampus may be integrated with decision making mechanisms and contribute to categorization. PMID:23548891

Make or buy strategy decision making in supply quality chain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyed Mohammad Seyedhosseini

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Minimizing the total cost is absolutely the goal of each supply chain, which is most of the time pursued. In this regards, quality related costs that have significant roles are sometimes neglected. Selecting suppliers, which supply relatively high quality raw materials in a lower cost is considered as a strategic decision. Make or Buy decision can be also noticed in supplier selection process. In this paper, the supply strategy: Make or Buy decision (SS: MOB is studied in order to find which strategy (Make or Buy should be chosen to minimize the total costs of supply chain. Therefore, two separate models are generated for each strategy and several examples are solved for the respective models. Computational experiments show the efficiency of the proposed models for making decision about selecting the best strategy.

Make2Learn: Fostering Engagement and Creativity in Learning through Making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Giannakos, Michail N.; Divitini, Monica; Iversen, Ole Sejer

2015-01-01

by research- ers to introduce making principles to young students. Making principles enable them foster co-creativity and joy in learning processes and construct knowledge. By involving students in the design decisions they begin to develop technological fluency and the needed competences, in a joyful way....... Make2Learn aims to bring together international researchers, educators, designers, and makers for the ex- ploration of making principles towards the acquisition of 21st Century learning competences, by employing the state art aspects of entertainment technologies, new media, gaming, robotics, toys...... and applications. The main objective is to build a research community around this topical area. In particular, Make2Learn aims to develop a critical discussion about the well-established practices and en- tertainment technologies of the maker movement, and expected outcomes of put- ting them into practice under...

THE MAKING OF DECISION MAKING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Yuji Tamura

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Quantum Electronics was a Brazilian startup in the 1990's that was acquired by an American equity fund in 2012. They are currently the largest manufacturer of vehicle tracking and infotainment systems. The company was founded by three college friends, who are currently executives at the company: Camilo Santos, Pedro Barbosa and Luana Correa. Edward Hutter was sent by the equity fund to take over the company’s finances, but is having trouble making organizational decisions with his colleagues. As a consultant, I was called to help them improve their decision making process and project prioritization. I adapted and deployed our firm's methodology, but, in the end, its adequacy is shown to be very much in question. The author of this case study intends to explore how actual organizational decisions rely on different decision models and their assumptions, .as well as demonstrate that a decision model is neither absolutely good nor bad as its quality is context dependent.

Making the Connection between Environmental Science and Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Woodhouse, C. A.; Crimmins, M.; Ferguson, D. B.; Garfin, G. M.; Scott, C. A.

2011-12-01

As society is confronted with population growth, limited resources, and the impacts of climate variability and change, it is vital that institutions of higher education promote the development of professionals who can work with decision-makers to incorporate scientific information into environmental planning and management. Skills for the communication of science are essential, but equally important is the ability to understand decision-making contexts and engage with resource managers and policy makers. It is increasingly being recognized that people who understand the linkages between science and decision making are crucial if science is to better support planning and policy. A new graduate-level seminar, "Making the Connection between Environmental Science and Decision Making," is a core course for a new post-baccalaureate certificate program, Connecting Environmental Science and Decision Making at the University of Arizona. The goal of the course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the dynamics between scientists and decision makers that result in scientific information being incorporated into environmental planning, policy, and management decisions. Through readings from the environmental and social sciences, policy, and planning literature, the course explores concepts including scientific information supply and demand, boundary organizations, co-production of knowledge, platforms for engagement, and knowledge networks. Visiting speakers help students understand some of the challenges of incorporating scientific information into planning and decision making within institutional and political contexts. The course also includes practical aspects of two-way communication via written, oral, and graphical presentations as well as through the interview process to facilitate the transfer of scientific information to decision makers as well as to broader audiences. We aspire to help students develop techniques that improve communication and

OS X Mountain Lion bible

CERN Document Server

Gruman, Galen

2012-01-01

The complete guide to Mac OS X, fully updated for the newest release! The Mac's solid, powerful operating system and the exploding popularity of iOS devices are fueling a strong increase in market share for Apple. Previous editions of this book have sold more than 75,000 copies, and this new edition is fully updated with all the exciting features of OS X Mountain Lion, including Game Center, Messages, and Notifications. Written by industry expert Galen Gruman, it covers all the basics and then delves deep into professional and higher-end topics, making it the one book you need to succeed with

The case of the exploding egg.

Science.gov (United States)

Brink, Christie; McKay, Gillian; Rode, Heinz

2016-04-19

The vast majority of paediatric burns occur in developing countries, and many of these injuries are entirely preventable. In general, four paediatric injury patterns have been identified in toddlers and infants, who are at a significantly increased risk of burn injuries. Children <2 years of age are often innocent bystanders, but as they grow older physical mobility, social independence and gender-specific high-risk activities come into play.

Exploding outhouses: Changing perspectives on waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, D.

1992-01-01

The changing attitudes of the public toward waste and environmental pollution by the oil and gas industry are discussed with reference to historical anecdotes from the Alberta oil and gas industry. In the Turner Valley, Alberta's first oil and gas field, residents used sour gas in their homes without pressure regulators, adverse health effects from hydrogen sulfide were common in the industry, and hydrogen sulfide scrubbed at the gas plant was simply vented to the atmosphere. In the late 1800s, a gas well blew wild in northern Alberta for 21 years until it was capped. At a well near Leduc, Alberta, a blowout in 1948 spilled 1.4 million bbl of oil onto a field, yet a spill eight times that of the Exxon Valdez spill is little remembered. In the 1920s, the city of Calgary begged Imperial Oil to build its refinery along the Bow River, and the refinery has been leaking oil into the river ever since. The change in attitudes toward an environmental consciousness is attributed to such factors as a higher living standard, less open spaces, a realization that economic growth is not linear, a lack of trust in the oil industry, and better knowledge of the problems with waste and pollution

Signs of Asymmetry in Exploding Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Hensley, Kerry

2018-03-01

Supernova explosions enrich the interstellar medium and can even briefly outshine their host galaxies. However, the mechanism behind these massive explosions still isnt fully understood. Could probing the asymmetry of supernova remnants help us better understand what drives these explosions?Hubble image of the remnant of supernova 1987A, one of the first remnants discovered to be asymmetrical. [ESA/Hubble, NASA]Stellar Send-OffsHigh-mass stars end their lives spectacularly. Each supernova explosion churns the interstellar medium and unleashes high-energy radiation and swarms of neutrinos. Supernovae also suffuse the surrounding interstellar medium with heavy elements that are incorporated into later generations of stars and the planets that form around them.The bubbles of expanding gas these explosions leave behind often appear roughly spherical, but mounting evidence suggests that many supernova remnants are asymmetrical. While asymmetry in supernova remnants can arise when the expanding material plows into the non-uniform interstellar medium, it can also be an intrinsic feature of the explosion itself.Simulation results clockwise from top left: Mass density, calcium mass fraction, oxygen mass fraction, nickel-56 mass fraction. Click to enlarge. [Adapted from Wollaeger et al. 2017]Coding ExplosionsThe presence or absence of asymmetry in a supernova remnant can hold clues as to what drove the explosion. But how can we best observe asymmetry in a supernova remnant? Modeling lets us explore different observational approaches.A team of scientists led by Ryan T. Wollaeger (Los Alamos National Laboratory) used radiative transfer and radiative hydrodynamics simulations to model the explosion of a core-collapse supernova. Wollaeger and collaborators introduced asymmetry into the explosion by creating a single-lobed, fast-moving outflow along one axis.Their simulations showed that while some chemical elements lingered near the origin of the explosion or were distributed evenly throughout the remnant, calcium was isolated to the asymmetrical region, hinting that spectral lines of calcium may be good tracersof asymmetry.Bolometric (top) and gamma-ray (bottom) synthetic light curves for the authors model for a range of simulated viewing angles. [Adapted from Wollaeger et al. 2017]Synthesizing SpectraWollaeger and collaborators then generated synthetic light curves and spectra from their models to determine which spectral features or characteristics indicated the presence of the asymmetric outflow lobe. They found that when an asymmetric outflow lobe is present, the peak luminosity of the explosion depends on the angle at which you view it; the highest luminosity occurs when the lobe is viewed from the side, while the lowest luminosity nearly40%dimmer is seen when the explosion is viewed down the barrel of the lobe. The dense outflow shades the central radioactive source from view, lowering the luminosity.This effect also plays out in the gamma-ray light curves; when viewed down the barrel, the shading of the central source by ahigh-density lobe slows the rise of the gamma-ray luminosity and changes the shape of the light curve compared to views from other vantage points.Another promising avenue for exploring asymmetry is a near-infrared band encompassing an emission line of singly-ionized calcium near 815 nm. Since calcium is confined within the outflow lobe in the simulation, its emission lines are blueshifted when the lobe points toward the observer.The authors point out that there is much more to be done in their models, such as including the effects of shock heating of circumstellar material, which can contribute strongly to the light curve, but these simulations bring us a step closer to understanding the nature of asymmetrical supernova remnants and the explosions that create them.CitationRyan T. Wollaeger et al 2017ApJ845168. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa82bd

Individual decision making, group decision making and deliberation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radovanović Bojana

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Each of us makes a number of decisions, from the less important to those with far-reaching consequences. As members of different groups, we are also actors of group decision making. In order to make a rational decision, a choice-making procedure must satisfy a number of assumptions (conditions of rationality. In addition, when it comes to group decisions, those procedures should also be “fair.” However, it is not possible to define a procedure of choice-making that would transform individual orders of alternatives based on preferences of perfectly rational individuals into a single social order and still meet conditions of rationality and ethics. The theory of deliberative democracy appeared in response to the impossibility of Social Choice theory. The basic assumption of deliberative democracy is that individuals adjust their preferences taking into account interests of the community. They are open for discussion with other group members and are willing to change their attitudes in order to achieve common interests. Ideally, group members come to an agreement during public discussion (deliberation. Still, this concept cannot completely over­come all the difficulties posed by the theory of social choice. Specifically, there is no solution for strategic and manipulative behavior of individuals. Also, the concept of deliberative democracy faces certain problems particular to this approach, such as, to name but a few, problems with the establishment of equality of participants in the debate and their motivation, as well as problems with the organization of public hearings. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 47009: Evropske integracije i društveno-ekonomske promene privrede Srbije na putu ka EU i br. 179015: Izazovi i perspektive strukturnih promena u Srbiji: Strateški pravci ekonomskog razvoja i usklađivanje sa zahtevima EU

Making Media Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Gauntlett

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This podcast is a recording of a research seminar that took place on December 3, 2015, at the University of Westminster's Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI. In this contribution, David Gauntlett discusses his new book, Making Media Studies, and other new work. In Making Media Studies (Peter Lang, 2015, Gauntlett proposes a vision of media studies based around doing and making – not about the acquisition of skills, as such, but an experience of building knowledge and understanding through creative hands-on engagement with all kinds of media. Gauntlett suggests that media studies scholars have failed to recognise the significance of everyday creativity – the vital drive of people to make, exchange, and learn together, supported by online networks. He argues that we should think about media in terms of conversations, inspirations, and making things happen. Media studies can be about genuine social change, he suggests, if we recognise the significance of everyday creativity, work to transform our tools, and learn to use them wisely. David Gauntlett is a Professor in the School of Media, Arts and Design at the University of Westminster, where he is also the School's Co-Director of Research. He is the author of several books, including: Creative Explorations (2007, Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction (2nd edition 2008, Making is Connecting (2011, and Making Media Studies (2015. He has made a number of popular online resources, videos and playthings, and has pioneered creative research and workshop methods. He is external examiner for Information Experience Design at the Royal College of Art, London.

Integrating make-to-order and make-to-stock in job shop control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beemsterboer, Bart; Land, Martin; Teunter, Ruud; Bokhorst, Jos

2017-01-01

Demand fluctuations in make-to-order job shops lead to utilisation fluctuations and delivery delays, particularly in periods with high demand. Many job shop production companies therefore include some standardised products in their product mix and use a hybrid make-to-order/ make-to-stock production

Making and Changing Wills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheryl Tilse

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Wills are important social, economic, and legal documents. Yet little is known about current will making practices and intentions. A comprehensive national database on the prevalence of will making in Australia was developed to identify who is or is not most likely to draw up a will and triggers for making and changing wills. A national survey of 2,405 adults aged above 18 years was administered by telephone in August and September 2012. Fifty-nine percent of the Australian adult population has a valid will, and the likelihood of will making increases with age and estate value. Efforts to get organized, especially in combination with life stage and asset changes trigger will making; procrastination, rather than a strong resistance, appears to explain not making a will. Understanding will making is timely in the context of predicted significant intergenerational transfers of wealth, changing demographics, and a renewed emphasis on retirement planning.

Research on self-esteem in decision-making and decision-making styles in orienteering athletes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eroğlu Başak

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to examine the self-esteem in decision making and decision-making styles of orienteering athletes in terms of different variables. 157 male and 43 female orienteering athletes, making a total of 200 athletes that joined the 3rd Level of Turkey Championship in 2015 have participated in this study which is in a survey model. The data collection tools were the Melbourne Decision-making. Quastionnaire I-II and the Personal Information Form which were adapted into Turkish by Deniz (2004. In the data analysis, descriptive statics, anova, t test and Tukey test have been utilized. There is a significant difference between athletes’ marital status, age groups, experiences in orienteering sports and self-esteem in decision making, decision making styles (p<0.05. According to the research results, it has been determined that married orienteering athletes prefer both self-esteem in decision making and vigilance decision-making style more often than the single athletes that mostly prefer procrastination decision-making style. Also, it has been found out that as the athletes’ age and experiences in sports increase, selfesteem and decision-making styles are affected more positively as well.

Decision making and cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Reyna, Valerie F; Nelson, Wendy L; Han, Paul K; Pignone, Michael P

2015-01-01

We review decision making along the cancer continuum in the contemporary context of informed and shared decision making in which patients are encouraged to take a more active role in their health care. We discuss challenges to achieving informed and shared decision making, including cognitive limitations and emotional factors, but argue that understanding the mechanisms of decision making offers hope for improving decision support. Theoretical approaches to decision making that explain cognition, emotion, and their interaction are described, including classical psychophysical approaches, dual-process approaches that focus on conflicts between emotion versus cognition (or reason), and modern integrative approaches such as fuzzy-trace theory. In contrast to the earlier emphasis on rote use of numerical detail, modern approaches emphasize understanding the bottom-line gist of options (which encompasses emotion and other influences on meaning) and retrieving relevant social and moral values to apply to those gist representations. Finally, research on interventions to support better decision making in clinical settings is reviewed, drawing out implications for future research on decision making and cancer. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Making effective links to decision-making: Key challenges for health impact assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elliott, Eva; Francis, Sarah

2005-01-01

This paper draws on an exploratory research study to examine the effectiveness of health impact assessments in Wales. Through the review of five case study health impact assessments the research identified a number of benefits of the process in terms of skills and knowledge development amongst participants. The indirect contributions to decision-making were also evident including the way in which health impact assessment provided useful insights into the local community's perspective and raised awareness about the wider determinants of health. The process was also useful in establishing a dialogue between different stakeholders, which indirectly assisted decision-making and implementation. The direct links between health impact assessment and decision-making were more difficult to trace and this paper puts forward a number of suggestions for making those links more transparent. Suggestions include integrating decision-makers and clarifying the intended links to decision-making at the start of the health impact assessment process. Mainstreaming health impact assessment so that it is triggered as a routine part of all decision-making would help ensure it stands the best chance of informing decisions

Making Restaurant No. 1 greener

CERN Multimedia

Roberto Cantoni

2010-01-01

The extension of a section of the terrace of Restaurant No. 1, which was part of the infrastructure consolidation programme that began in April 2009, will be completed at the end of this year. The new terrace will have an area of 1770 m² (compared with 1650 m²  today) and will stretch the length of the restaurant extension.   The new building is a striking example of the use of renewable energies, comprising high-performance photovoltaic panels with an innovative sealing system integrated in the roof that cope particularly well with low amounts of sun. The electric cables and connections of each module are hidden and integrated in the roof, giving it a uniform appearance. The roof comprises two rows of 12 modules, each measuring 11.6 m². Their total annual energy production capacity is around 14 MWh. By comparison, the building's estimated annual energy consumption is 98 MWh, depending on the conditions of use.

Urea nitrate, an exceptionally easy-to-make improvised explosive: studies towards trace characterization.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamiri, Tsippy; Rozin, Rinat; Lemberger, Nitay; Almog, Joseph

2009-09-01

Urea nitrate is a powerful improvised explosive, frequently used by terrorists in the Israeli arena. It was also used in the first World Trade Center bombing in New York in February 1993. It is difficult to identify urea nitrate in post-explosion debris, since only a very small fraction survives the blast. Also, in the presence of water, it readily decomposes to its original components, urea and nitric acid. It is suspected that post-blast debris of urea nitrate can be confused with ammonium nitrate, the main solid product of urea nitrate thermal decomposition. In a comprehensive study towards identification of urea nitrate in post-blast traces, a spectrophotometric technique for quantitative determination of urea nitrate was developed, and conditions were found for extraction and separation of un-exploded traces of urea nitrate with minimal decomposition. Nevertheless, out of 28 samples collected from a series of three controlled firings of urea nitrate charges, only one gave the typical adduct ion by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. We found that urea nitrate can be extracted from solid mixtures to organic solvents by using Crown ethers as "host compounds." The adducts thus formed are solid, crystalline compounds that can be characterized by microanalysis and spectroscopic techniques.

Transport fleet sizing by using make and buy decision-making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stojanović Đurđica

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Cost reduction is among the main quoted reasons for logistics outsourcing, while transport capacities and operations are among the most outsourced logistics areas. However, according to transaction costs theory, there is often room for transport insourcing. Furthermore, nowadays many authors stress that mixed solutions can give better results than “make” or “buy” alternatives. “Make or buy” decision-making normative models, methods, and procedures in transport planning are not much explored. Instead, research is rather focused on carrier selection techniques, whereby it is supposed that outsourcing transport capacities is the most suitable solution. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the body of literature on classical “makeor-buy” decision-making in transport fleet sizing in a non-logistics enterprise. It goes beyond the basic “make or buy” decisionmaking, and intermediate solutions (i.e., “make and buy” are explored. Practical directions are given according to theoretical principles, and a case study is used to exemplify the main deductions. The research also has practical implications. Many enterprises in transition economies have faced the question of what to do with their in-house transport fleets. The obtained results are of interest to merchants and manufacturing enterprises that already have a private transport fleet and are considering how to rationalize it.

[Interoception and decision-making].

Science.gov (United States)

Ohira, Hideki

2015-02-01

We sometimes make decisions relying not necessarily on deliberative thoughts but on intuitive and emotional processes in uncertain situations. The somatic marker hypothesis proposed by Damasio argued that interoception, which means bodily responses such as sympathetic activity, can be represented in the insula and anterior cingulate cortex and can play critical roles in decision-making. Though this hypothesis has been criticized in its theoretical and empirical aspects, recent studies are expanding the hypothesis to elucidate multiple bodily responses including autonomic, endocrine, and immune activities that affect decision-making. In addition, cumulative findings suggest that the anterior insula where the inner model of interoception is represented can act as an interface between the brain and body in decision-making. This article aims to survey recent findings on the brain-body interplays underlying decision-making, and to propose hypotheses on the significance of the body in decision-making.

Physician Approaches to Conflict with Families Surrounding End-of-Life Decision-making in the Intensive Care Unit. A Qualitative Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehter, Hashim M; McCannon, Jessica B; Clark, Jack A; Wiener, Renda Soylemez

2018-02-01

Families of critically ill patients are often asked to make difficult decisions to pursue, withhold, or withdraw aggressive care or resuscitative measures, exercising "substituted judgment" from the imagined standpoint of the patient. Conflict may arise between intensive care unit (ICU) physicians and family members regarding the optimal course of care. To characterize how ICU physicians approach and manage conflict with surrogates regarding end-of-life decision-making. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 18 critical care physicians from four academically affiliated hospitals. Interview transcripts were analyzed using methods of grounded theory. Physicians described strategies for engaging families to resolve conflict about end-of-life decision-making and tending to families' emotional health. Physicians commonly began by gauging family receptiveness to recommendations from the healthcare team. When faced with resistance to recommendations for less aggressive care, approaches ranged from deference to family wishes to various persuasive strategies designed to change families' minds, and some of those strategies may be counterproductive or harmful. The likelihood of deferring to family in the event of conflict was associated with the perceived sincerity of the family's "substituted judgment" and the ability to control patient pain and suffering. Physicians reported concern for the family's emotional needs and made efforts to alleviate the burden on families by assuming decision-making responsibility and expressing nonabandonment and commitment to the patient. Physicians were attentive to repairing damage to their relationship with the family in the aftermath of conflict. Finally, physicians described their own emotional responses to conflict, ranging from frustration and anxiety to satisfaction with successful resolution of conflict. Critical care physicians described a complex and multilayered approach to physician-family conflict. The reported strategies

Using the Situated Clinical Decision-Making framework to guide analysis of nurses' clinical decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillespie, Mary

2010-11-01

Nurses' clinical decision-making is a complex process that holds potential to influence the quality of care provided and patient outcomes. The evolution of nurses' decision-making that occurs with experience has been well documented. In addition, literature includes numerous strategies and approaches purported to support development of nurses' clinical decision-making. There has been, however, significantly less attention given to the process of assessing nurses' clinical decision-making and novice clinical educators are often challenged with knowing how to best support nurses and nursing students in developing their clinical decision-making capacity. The Situated Clinical Decision-Making framework is presented for use by clinical educators: it provides a structured approach to analyzing nursing students' and novice nurses' decision-making in clinical nursing practice, assists educators in identifying specific issues within nurses' clinical decision-making, and guides selection of relevant strategies to support development of clinical decision-making. A series of questions is offered as a guide for clinical educators when assessing nurses' clinical decision-making. The discussion presents key considerations related to analysis of various decision-making components, including common sources of challenge and errors that may occur within nurses' clinical decision-making. An exemplar illustrates use of the framework and guiding questions. Implications of this approach for selection of strategies that support development of clinical decision-making are highlighted. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teachers' Grading Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Isnawati, Ida; Saukah, Ali

2017-01-01

This study investigated teachers' grading decision making, focusing on their beliefs underlying their grading decision making, their grading practices and assessment types, and factors they considered in grading decision making. Two teachers from two junior high schools applying different curriculum policies in grade reporting in Indonesian…

A proposal of group decision making procedure for supporting social consensus making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Yoshiaki

1996-01-01

Being interested in supporting social consensus making, in this paper, we have proposed a group decision making procedure through conflict resolution in the following situation: each group has a different privilege with decision making; the final goal should be evaluated by a few qualitative sub-goals besides quantitative ones. For this purpose, we have developed a step-wise procedure that has been popularly adapted when encountered with complicated and large-scale problem-solving. As well as at the value system design phase, we applied the analytic hierarchy process, AHP to decide weights standing for the privilege at the decision making phase. Then, after rearranging the hierarchy of the sub-goals depending on the nature, we have provided an iterative procedure to derive a final solution from a discrete optimization problem. To reduce the difficulties of multi-objective decision making thereat, we took a scoring method for total evaluation and applied the genetic algorithm as a solution method. Through numerical experiments applied to a planning problem of the radioactive waste management system, we have shown numerically the proposed approach is very promising for social consensus making. (author)

Culinary Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis, Rob

1987-01-01

Advises directors of ways to include day care workers in the decision-making process. Enumerates benefits of using staff to help focus and direct changes in the day care center and discusses possible pitfalls in implementation of a collective decision-making approach to management. (NH)

Assessing the validity of using serious game technology to analyze physician decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, Deepika; Angus, Derek C; Ricketts, Daniel; Farris, Coreen; Fischhoff, Baruch; Rosengart, Matthew R; Yealy, Donald M; Barnato, Amber E

2014-01-01

Physician non-compliance with clinical practice guidelines remains a critical barrier to high quality care. Serious games (using gaming technology for serious purposes) have emerged as a method of studying physician decision making. However, little is known about their validity. We created a serious game and evaluated its construct validity. We used the decision context of trauma triage in the Emergency Department of non-trauma centers, given widely accepted guidelines that recommend the transfer of severely injured patients to trauma centers. We designed cases with the premise that the representativeness heuristic influences triage (i.e. physicians make transfer decisions based on archetypes of severely injured patients rather than guidelines). We randomized a convenience sample of emergency medicine physicians to a control or cognitive load arm, and compared performance (disposition decisions, number of orders entered, time spent per case). We hypothesized that cognitive load would increase the use of heuristics, increasing the transfer of representative cases and decreasing the transfer of non-representative cases. We recruited 209 physicians, of whom 168 (79%) began and 142 (68%) completed the task. Physicians transferred 31% of severely injured patients during the game, consistent with rates of transfer for severely injured patients in practice. They entered the same average number of orders in both arms (control (C): 10.9 [SD 4.8] vs. cognitive load (CL):10.7 [SD 5.6], p = 0.74), despite spending less time per case in the control arm (C: 9.7 [SD 7.1] vs. CL: 11.7 [SD 6.7] minutes, prepresentative cases in the two arms (C: 45% vs. CL: 34%, p = 0.20), but were more likely to transfer non-representative cases in the control arm (C: 38% vs. CL: 26%, p = 0.03). We found that physicians made decisions consistent with actual practice, that we could manipulate cognitive load, and that load increased the use of heuristics, as predicted by cognitive theory.

Assessing the validity of using serious game technology to analyze physician decision making.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deepika Mohan

Full Text Available Physician non-compliance with clinical practice guidelines remains a critical barrier to high quality care. Serious games (using gaming technology for serious purposes have emerged as a method of studying physician decision making. However, little is known about their validity.We created a serious game and evaluated its construct validity. We used the decision context of trauma triage in the Emergency Department of non-trauma centers, given widely accepted guidelines that recommend the transfer of severely injured patients to trauma centers. We designed cases with the premise that the representativeness heuristic influences triage (i.e. physicians make transfer decisions based on archetypes of severely injured patients rather than guidelines. We randomized a convenience sample of emergency medicine physicians to a control or cognitive load arm, and compared performance (disposition decisions, number of orders entered, time spent per case. We hypothesized that cognitive load would increase the use of heuristics, increasing the transfer of representative cases and decreasing the transfer of non-representative cases.We recruited 209 physicians, of whom 168 (79% began and 142 (68% completed the task. Physicians transferred 31% of severely injured patients during the game, consistent with rates of transfer for severely injured patients in practice. They entered the same average number of orders in both arms (control (C: 10.9 [SD 4.8] vs. cognitive load (CL:10.7 [SD 5.6], p = 0.74, despite spending less time per case in the control arm (C: 9.7 [SD 7.1] vs. CL: 11.7 [SD 6.7] minutes, p<0.01. Physicians were equally likely to transfer representative cases in the two arms (C: 45% vs. CL: 34%, p = 0.20, but were more likely to transfer non-representative cases in the control arm (C: 38% vs. CL: 26%, p = 0.03.We found that physicians made decisions consistent with actual practice, that we could manipulate cognitive load, and that load increased

Determination of the pr of laser fusion targets using the α-particle TOF technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slivinsky, V.W.; Lent, E.; Shay, H.D.; Manes, K.R.

1975-01-01

A computer code was written to describe the alpha particle energy loss. The problem of a symmetric compression of the DT gas by an exploding microsphere is analyzed. The code calculates the energy spectrum of a Gaussian distribution of alpha particles after passing through the compressed gas and the exploded glass. The calculations are being used to determine design parameters for diagnostic instruments for measuring charged particle energy distributions from laser fusion targets

Origins how the planets, stars, galaxies, and the universe began

CERN Document Server

Eales, Stephen

2007-01-01

This book looks at answers to the biggest questions in astronomy – the questions of how the planets, stars, galaxies and the universe were formed. Over the last decade, a revolution in observational astronomy has produced possible answers to three of these questions. This book describes this revolution. The one question for which we still do not have an answer is the question of the origin of the universe. In the final chapter, the author looks at the connection between science and philosophy and shows how new scientific results have laid the groundwork for the first serious scientific studies of the origin of the universe.

Where Radiobiology Began in Russia: A Physician’s Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-01

White Archipelago”) (Gubarev, 2004): “Visiting a number of production facilities that worked with plutonium and polonium - 210 , I was struck by the...its owners. The wide array of food on the table was all vegetarian fare. I found out for the first time that both of them were Orthodox Christians...was ordinary food poisoning. After several days’ treatment, the workers returned to the area. Later, after changes in their skin and blood

Decision-making: Theory and practice

OpenAIRE

SM Turpin; MA Marais

2004-01-01

This paper compares a number of theoretical models of decision-making with the way in which senior managers make decisions in practice. Six prominent decision-makers were interviewed about their own decision-making style, as well as their use of decision support technology. Significant variation was found in personal decision-making styles. However, some central themes emerged, such as the importance of sensitivity to the decision-making context, attention to the presentation of information, ...

Dementia, Decision Making, and Capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Darby, R Ryan; Dickerson, Bradford C

After participating in this activity, learners should be better able to:• Assess the neuropsychological literature on decision making and the medical and legal assessment of capacity in patients with dementia• Identify the limitations of integrating findings from decision-making research into capacity assessments for patients with dementia ABSTRACT: Medical and legal professionals face the challenge of assessing capacity and competency to make medical, legal, and financial decisions in dementia patients with impaired decision making. While such assessments have classically focused on the capacity for complex reasoning and executive functions, research in decision making has revealed that motivational and metacognitive processes are also important. We first briefly review the neuropsychological literature on decision making and on the medical and legal assessment of capacity. Next, we discuss the limitations of integrating findings from decision-making research into capacity assessments, including the group-to-individual inference problem, the unclear role of neuroimaging in capacity assessments, and the lack of capacity measures that integrate important facets of decision making. Finally, we present several case examples where we attempt to demonstrate the potential benefits and important limitations of using decision-making research to aid in capacity determinations.

Joe Celko's complete guide to NoSQL what every SQL professional needs to know about non-relational databases

CERN Document Server

Celko, Joe

2013-01-01

Joe Celko's Complete Guide to NoSQL provides a complete overview of non-relational technologies so that you can become more nimble to meet the needs of your organization. As data continues to explode and grow more complex, SQL is becoming less useful for querying data and extracting meaning. In this new world of bigger and faster data, you will need to leverage non-relational technologies to get the most out of the information you have. Learn where, when, and why the benefits of NoSQL outweigh those of SQL with Joe Celko's Complete Guide to NoSQL. This book covers three areas that make toda

Operating characteristics and modeling of the LLNL 100-kV electric gun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osher, J.E.; Barnes, G.; Chau, H.H.; Lee, R.S.; Lee, C.; Speer, R.; Weingart, R.C.

1989-01-01

In the electric gun, the explosion of an electrically heated metal foil and the accompanying magnetic forces drive a thin flyer plate up a short barrel. Flyer velocities of up to 18 km/s make the gun useful for hypervelocity impact studies. The authors briefly review the technological evolution of the exploding-metal circuit elements that power the gun, describe the 100-kV electric gun designed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in some detail, and present the general principles of electric gun operation. They compare the experimental performance of the LLNL gun with a simple model and with predictions of a magnetohydrodynamics code

Mapping Coaches' Views of Participation in CrossFit to the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change and Sense of Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Heinrich, Katie M; Carlisle, Taran; Kehler, Ainslie; Cosgrove, Sarah J

Group-based training through CrossFit has recently exploded in popularity. Anecdotally, participants often make lifestyle changes and experience improved fitness. Participation factors were mapped to the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change and "sense of community" constructs. Key informant interviews were conducted with 6 CrossFit gym owners/coaches. Data were thematically coded with NVivo 10. Results revealed key factors that both facilitated and restricted participation in CrossFit. Findings provide implications for future theory application and highlight how to improve initiation and adherence by capitalizing on community building and taking steps to reduce intimidation and cost, facilitate realistic goals, and ensure social support.

Mapping Coaches’ Views of Participation in CrossFit to the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change and Sense of Community

Science.gov (United States)

Heinrich, Katie M.; Carlisle, Taran; Kehler, Ainslie; Cosgrove, Sarah J.

2017-01-01

Group-based training through CrossFit has recently exploded in popularity. Anecdotally, participants often make lifestyle changes and experience improved fitness. Participation factors were mapped to the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change and “sense of community” constructs. Key informant interviews were conducted with 6 CrossFit gym owners/coaches. Data were thematically coded with NVivo 10. Results revealed key factors that both facilitated and restricted participation in CrossFit. Findings provide implications for future theory application and highlight how to improve initiation and adherence by capitalizing on community building and taking steps to reduce intimidation and cost, facilitate realistic goals, and ensure social support. PMID:27870750

A step toward nuclear sanity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gottfried, K.; Long, F.

1988-01-01

This paper reports that Reykjavik formally ended as a diplomatic failure, but it has begun an overdue revolution in perceptions. At long last, both superpowers have the in concrete terms that vastly smaller nuclear arsenals would make them safer. Implicitly, they are saying that nuclear weapons are not useful weapons. Those insights are a prerequisite to nuclear sanity. The United States has proposed to eliminate all strategic ballistic missiles, on land and submarines, in two five-year steps. During that period, we (and presumably the Soviet Union) would develop missile defenses to be deployed in ten years. The first part of this plan makes excellent sense. Ballistic missiles explode on their targets ten to thirty minutes after launch. Today's huge and accurate missile arsenals have forced both superpowers to adopt a hair-trigger stance: they might launch missiles simply on warning of attack

Decision Making in Action

Science.gov (United States)

Orasanu, Judith; Statler, Irving C. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

The importance of decision-making to safety in complex, dynamic environments like mission control centers and offshore installations has been well established. NASA-ARC has a program of research dedicated to fostering safe and effective decision-making in the manned spaceflight environment. Because access to spaceflight is limited, environments with similar characteristics, including aviation and nuclear power plants, serve as analogs from which space-relevant data can be gathered and theories developed. Analyses of aviation accidents cite crew judgement and decision making as causes or contributing factors in over half of all accidents. A similar observation has been made in nuclear power plants. Yet laboratory research on decision making has not proven especially helpful in improving the quality of decisions in these kinds of environments. One reason is that the traditional, analytic decision models are inappropriate to multidimensional, high-risk environments, and do not accurately describe what expert human decision makers do when they make decisions that have consequences. A new model of dynamic, naturalistic decision making is offered that may prove useful for improving decision making in complex, isolated, confined and high-risk environments. Based on analyses of crew performance in full-mission simulators and accident reports, features that define effective decision strategies in abnormal or emergency situations have been identified. These include accurate situation assessment (including time and risk assessment), appreciation of the complexity of the problem, sensitivity to constraints on the decision, timeliness of the response, and use of adequate information. More effective crews also manage their workload to provide themselves with time and resources to make good decisions. In brief, good decisions are appropriate to the demands of the situation. Effective crew decision making and overall performance are mediated by crew communication. Communication

Decision Making Under Uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-01

A sound approach to rational decision making requires a decision maker to establish decision objectives, identify alternatives, and evaluate those...often violate the axioms of rationality when making decisions under uncertainty. The systematic description of such observations may lead to the...which leads to “anchoring” on the initial value. The fact that individuals have been shown to deviate from rationality when making decisions

Decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, David W

2011-01-01

A decision is a commitment of resources under conditions of risk in expectation of the best future outcome. The smart decision is always the strategy with the best overall expected value-the best combination of facts and values. Some of the special circumstances involved in decision making are discussed, including decisions where there are multiple goals, those where more than one person is involved in making the decision, using trigger points, framing decisions correctly, commitments to lost causes, and expert decision makers. A complex example of deciding about removal of asymptomatic third molars, with and without an EBD search, is discussed.

Transport fleet sizing by using make and buy decision-making

OpenAIRE

Stojanović Đurđica; Nikoličić Svetlana; Miličić Milica

2011-01-01

Cost reduction is among the main quoted reasons for logistics outsourcing, while transport capacities and operations are among the most outsourced logistics areas. However, according to transaction costs theory, there is often room for transport insourcing. Furthermore, nowadays many authors stress that mixed solutions can give better results than “make” or “buy” alternatives. “Make or buy” decision-making normative models, methods, and procedures in transport planning are not much expl...

Human factors influencing decision making

OpenAIRE

Jacobs, Patricia A.

1998-01-01

This report supplies references and comments on literature that identifies human factors influencing decision making, particularly military decision making. The literature has been classified as follows (the classes are not mutually exclusive): features of human information processing; decision making models which are not mathematical models but rather are descriptive; non- personality factors influencing decision making; national characteristics influencing decision makin...

Realism and Impartiality: Making Sustainability Effective in Decision-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastons, Miquel; Armengou, Jaume

2017-08-01

There is both individual and collective widespread concern in society about the impact of human activity and the effects of our decisions on the physical and social environment. This concern is included within the idea of sustainability. The meaning of the concept is still ambiguous and its practical effectiveness disputed. Like many other authors, this article uses as a starting point the definition proposed by the World Commission on Environment and Development (Our common future, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1987), considering it to be a proposal for changing the assessment of the effects of decisions, from at least two perspectives: (1) what effects we should consider and (2) how we should assess them. Based on this double perspective, sustainability is explored as a method for decision-making which both expands the assessment of the consequences, and also provides an objective criterion for such assessment. It will be argued that the idea of sustainability, seen from this perspective, brings to decision-making two qualities which had been partially lost: realism and impartiality. In turn, the criteria for realism and impartiality in decision-making can be used to identify the limitations of some partial approaches to sustainability, which suffer from insufficient realism (emotional altruism), insufficient impartiality (tactical altruism) or both phenomena at once (egoism). The article concludes by demonstrating how realism and impartiality provide the basis for a new form of sustainable decision-making (ethical sustainability), which is dependent on the development of two moral virtues, prudence and benevolence, and which brings practical effectiveness and ethical sense to the concept of sustainability.

Research on self-esteem in decision-making and decision-making styles in orienteering athletes

OpenAIRE

Eroğlu Başak; Özkan Zekiye; Eroğlu Arif Kaan; Bilgin Şakire

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the self-esteem in decision making and decision-making styles of orienteering athletes in terms of different variables. 157 male and 43 female orienteering athletes, making a total of 200 athletes that joined the 3rd Level of Turkey Championship in 2015 have participated in this study which is in a survey model. The data collection tools were the Melbourne Decision-making. Quastionnaire I-II and the Personal Information Form which were adapted into Turkish ...

Organizational decision making

OpenAIRE

Grandori, Anna

2015-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited This thesis develops a heuristic approach to organizational decision-making by synthesizing the classical, neo-classical and contingency approaches to organization theory. The conceptual framework developed also integrates the rational and cybernetic approaches with cognitive processes underlying the decision-making process. The components of the approach address the role of environment in organizational decision-maki...

Science communication in policy making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Coumou, Hilde; van der Werf Kulichova, Z.; Wehrmann, C.

2014-01-01

Policy making regarding application of agricultural biotechnology has been controversial. This study investigates what determines the motivation of European biotech scientists to actively participate in policy making. To do this, a conceptual framework was developed based on the Theory of Planned...... Behavior. The framework was operationalized in semi-structured interviews with 17 European biotech scientists to collect data about their motivation to involve in GMO policy making. The results of this qualitative study suggest that the attitude of the scientists towards active participation in policy...... making is dependent on their view of the way science and decision making relate to each other. The respondents who are currently active in policy making seem to be driven by commitment to the public good. However, many respondents feel social pressure from environmental NGOs to withdraw from engagement...

Science and film-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Gouyon, Jean-Baptiste

2016-01-01

The essay reviews the literature, mostly historical, on the relationship between science and film-making, with a focus on the science documentary. It then discusses the circumstances of the emergence of the wildlife making-of documentary genre. The thesis examined here is that since the early days of cinema, film-making has evolved from being subordinate to science, to being an equal partner in the production of knowledge, controlled by non-scientists. © The Author(s) 2015.

Self-Esteem in Decision Making and Decision-Making Styles of Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Temel, Veysel; Birol, Sefa Sahan; Nas, Kazim; Akpinar, Selahattin; Tekin, Murat

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to examine the self-esteem in decision-making and decision-making styles of the teachers in various branches of Çat town of Erzurum Province, Turkey in terms of some variables in 2014-2015 year. A total of 153 teachers (84 females and 69 males) (age (? = 1.6536 ± 0.72837) from different departments participated in the…

Decision-making: Theory and practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SM Turpin

2004-12-01

Full Text Available This paper compares a number of theoretical models of decision-making with the way in which senior managers make decisions in practice. Six prominent decision-makers were interviewed about their own decision-making style, as well as their use of decision support technology. Significant variation was found in personal decision-making styles. However, some central themes emerged, such as the importance of sensitivity to the decision-making context, attention to the presentation of information, and the use of intuition. In terms of the use of decision support technology, the use of self-help tools, such as office software, was clearly favoured.

Making alliances work -- Using a computer-based management system to integrate the supply chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, J.B.; Randolph, S.

1995-01-01

Traditionally, price has been king in the selection of suppliers and service companies in the upstream oil and gas market. Three years ago, Amoco began to question this selection practice and embarked on an extensive benchmarking effort that has led the company to a proven strategy for goods and services procurement called supply-chain management (SCM). However, the company found that managing compact, integrated supply chains is not always easy. Several implementation issues need to be reconciled for alliances to achieve their full bottom-line potential benefits consistently. Issues that must be resolved, whether they are called alliances, supply chains, or integrated services, are (1) whether these new working relationships are profitable for all the entities involved, from suppliers through to end users; (2) how to assess and improve risk management; (3) how to reduce total system costs; and (4) how to improve performance for each of the alliance members and for the alliance as a whole. This brief describes one possible solution to the complex issues involved in making alliances work: a computer-facilitated management system designed to integrate the work processes of different organizations. In the case described, the Drilling Management System (DMS) was developed and used by the Amoco (U.K.) Well Dept. The system uses off-the-shelf commercial software to improve the performance of the company's drilling operations by integrating the activities of the company and its suppliers

The Relations between Decision Making in Social Relationships and Decision Making Styles

Science.gov (United States)

Sari, Enver

2008-01-01

The research reported in this paper aimed to examine the relationships between decisiveness in social relationships, and the decision-making styles of a group of university students and to investigate the contributions of decision-making styles in predicting decisiveness in social relationship (conflict resolution, social relationship selection…

Make Better Food Choices

Science.gov (United States)

10 tips Nutrition Education Series make better food choices 10 tips for women’s health Fruits Grains Dairy Vegetables Protein Make yourself a priority and take time to care for yourself. ChooseMyPlate. gov ...

Making sense with ePortfolios

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, Bo Klindt; Dimsits, Miriam

2017-01-01

of the statements from the students concerning their understanding of ePortfolio processes are fundamentally questions of how to make sense of the ePortfolio tool, both in their professional and personal lives. This calls for a didactical stance with the teachers who use ePortfolios, based on empowerment through......This article discusses the question of making sense out of working with ePortfolio in adult education. The article presents the results of a small-scale survey among adults in continuing education who have worked with ePortfolio as the central didactic principle. It is argued that many...... meaning-making, in order for ePortfolios to make sense. It is suggested that two relevant didactic perspectives for making sense of the world can be found in theories of biographicity and metaphor work. Moreover, a strong didactic stance that supports sense-making must be based on a strong teacher role...

The amygdala and decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Rupa; Koscik, Timothy R; Bechara, Antoine; Tranel, Daniel

2011-03-01

Decision-making is a complex process that requires the orchestration of multiple neural systems. For example, decision-making is believed to involve areas of the brain involved in emotion (e.g., amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and memory (e.g., hippocampus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). In this article, we will present findings related to the amygdala's role in decision-making, and differentiate the contributions of the amygdala from those of other structurally and functionally connected neural regions. Decades of research have shown that the amygdala is involved in associating a stimulus with its emotional value. This tradition has been extended in newer work, which has shown that the amygdala is especially important for decision-making, by triggering autonomic responses to emotional stimuli, including monetary reward and punishment. Patients with amygdala damage lack these autonomic responses to reward and punishment, and consequently, cannot utilize "somatic marker" type cues to guide future decision-making. Studies using laboratory decision-making tests have found deficient decision-making in patients with bilateral amygdala damage, which resembles their real-world difficulties with decision-making. Additionally, we have found evidence for an interaction between sex and laterality of amygdala functioning, such that unilateral damage to the right amygdala results in greater deficits in decision-making and social behavior in men, while left amygdala damage seems to be more detrimental for women. We have posited that the amygdala is part of an "impulsive," habit type system that triggers emotional responses to immediate outcomes. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decision-Making under Criteria Uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Kureychik, V. M.; Safronenkova, I. B.

2018-05-01

Uncertainty is an essential part of a decision-making procedure. The paper deals with the problem of decision-making under criteria uncertainty. In this context, decision-making under uncertainty, types and conditions of uncertainty were examined. The decision-making problem under uncertainty was formalized. A modification of the mathematical decision support method under uncertainty via ontologies was proposed. A critical distinction of the developed method is ontology usage as its base elements. The goal of this work is a development of a decision-making method under criteria uncertainty with the use of ontologies in the area of multilayer board designing. This method is oriented to improvement of technical-economic values of the examined domain.

Ethical Decision Making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauesen, Linne Marie

2012-01-01

of the interaction between a corporation and its stakeholders. Methodology/approach: This paper offers a theoretical 'Organic Stakeholder Model' based on decision making theory, risk assessment and adaption to a rapidly changing world combined with appropriate stakeholder theory for ethical purposes in decision...... applicable): The Model is based on case studies, but the limited scope of the length of the paper did not leave room to show the empirical evidence, but only the theoretical study. Originality / value of a paper: The model offers a new way of combining risk management with ethical decision-making processes...... by the inclusion of multiple stakeholders. The conceptualization of the model enhances business ethics in decision making by managing and balancing stakeholder concerns with the same concerns as the traditional risk management models does – for the sake of the wider social responsibilities of the businesses...

Making Our Food Safe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madsen, Michael

2013-01-01

Full text: As civilization has progressed societies have strived to make food safer; from using fire to cook our food, and boiling our water to make it safe to drink, advances in technology have helped kill microorganisms that can make food unsafe. The FAO/IAEA Joint Division helps provide technical assistance to Member States that want to implement irradiation technology in making their food safer. Food and waterborne diarrhoeal diseases are estimated to kill roughly 2.2 million people annually, of which 1.9 million are children. Irradiating some of the foods we eat can save many of these lives by reducing the risk of food poisoning and killing the organisms that cause disease. Irradiation works by treating food with a small dose of ionizing radiation, this radiation disrupts the bacteria’s DNA and cell membranes structure stopping the organism from reproducing or functioning, but does not make the food radioactive. It can be applied to a variety of foods from spices and seasonings, to fruits and vegetables and is similar to pasteurization, but without the need for high temperatures that might impair food quality. (author)

White dwarf models of supernovae and cataclysmic variables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nomoto, K.; Hashimoto, M.

1986-01-01

If the accreting white dwarf increases its mass to the Chandrasekhar mass, it will either explode as a Type I supernova or collapse to form a neutron star. In fact, there is a good agreement between the exploding white dwarf model for Type I supernovae and observations. We describe various types of evolution of accreting white dwarfs as a function of binary parameters (i.e,. composition, mass, and age of the white dwarf, its companion star, and mass accretion rate), and discuss the conditions for the precursors of exploding or collapsing white dwarfs, and their relevance to cataclysmic variables. Particular attention is given to helium star cataclysmics which might be the precursors of some Type I supernovae or ultrashort period x-ray binaries. Finally we present new evolutionary calculations using the updated nuclear reaction rates for the formation of O+Ne+Mg white dwarfs, and discuss the composition structure and their relevance to the model for neon novae. 61 refs., 14 figs

Educating girls in Bangladesh: exploding the myth.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, M

1993-01-01

Poor landless families in Bangladesh typically see no need to educate their girls. Even where school fees are waived, exercise books, pencils, and school clothes cost money, and girls are especially needed to care for siblings and do other household chores. The Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), however, has found it possible to get girls to school by adapting education to the circumstances of poverty instead of requiring families and students to adjust to the conventional rules of primary school. The BRAC non-formal primary education (NFPE) program in five years has expanded to 12,000 centers serving 360,000 children in two programs of three-year duration each for 8-10 year olds and 11-14 year olds. Reflecting the policy of giving priority to girls, more than 70% of enrolled children are female. Almost all teachers are also female and typically young, married, from the neighborhood, and with 9-10 years of schooling. Each center is a thatch or tin-roofed hut accommodating thirty children managed by a village committee and a parent-teacher committee at a cost of US$18 per child per year. All learning materials are provided at the center for the three hours of courses six days per week set according to students' availability and convenience. The course for the younger children offers the equivalent of three years of primary education, while the course for the older children offers basic literacy and life skills. The success of the BRAC centers demonstrates how parents and children may respond when education is socially and culturally acceptable, affordable, and strives to meet parents' and child's expectations.

Making Smart Food Choices

Science.gov (United States)

... turn JavaScript on. Feature: Healthy Aging Making Smart Food Choices Past Issues / Winter 2015 Table of Contents Everyday ... NIH www.nia.nih.gov/Go4Life Making Smart Food Choices To maintain a healthy weight, balance the calories ...

Curie's hypotheses concerning radioactivity and the origin of the elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuroda, P.K.

1999-09-01

Pierre Curie gave two hypotheses at first; (1) It can be supposed that the radioactive substances borrow the energy, which they release, from an external radiation, and their radiation would then be a secondary radiation, (2) It can be supposed that the radioactive substances draw from themselves the energy which they release. The second hypothesis has shown the more fertile in explaining the properties of the radioactive substances. Consequently, the first hypothesis became more or less forgotten. It appears, however, the first hypothesis should play an important role in explaining the phenomena concerning the origin of the elements. The Oklo Phenomenon has demonstrated that a nuclear fire had once existed on our planet earth and formation of heavy elements was occurring in nature. The author pointed out that the difference in the isotopic compositions of xenon found in meteorites, lunar samples and in the earth's atmosphere can only be explained as due to the alterations of the isotropic compositions of xenon by combined effect of (a) mass-fractionation, (b) spallation, and (c) stellar temperature neutron-capture reactions. The strange xenon components are not isotopically pure substance. Instead, xenon-HL is a mixture of the {sup 244}Pu fission xenon and the xenon whose isotopic compositions is severely altered by a combined effect of the processes (a), (b) and (c) mentioned above. These results also indicate that C1 carbonaceous chondrites, which is generally as the most primitive sample of the solar system material, began to retain its xenon 5.1 billion years ago, when the plutonium to uranium ratio in the solar system was as high as almost 0.6 (atom/atom), while the C2 carbonaceous chondrite began to retain their xenon about 150 million years later and the ordinary chondrites and achondrite about 500 to 600 million years later. This means that the birth of the solar system began soon after the last supernova exploded about 5.1 billion years ago, and the

Curie's hypotheses concerning radioactivity and the origin of the elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuroda, P.K.

1999-01-01

Pierre Curie gave two hypotheses at first; (1) It can be supposed that the radioactive substances borrow the energy, which they release, from an external radiation, and their radiation would then be a secondary radiation, (2) It can be supposed that the radioactive substances draw from themselves the energy which they release. The second hypothesis has shown the more fertile in explaining the properties of the radioactive substances. Consequently, the first hypothesis became more or less forgotten. It appears, however, the first hypothesis should play an important role in explaining the phenomena concerning the origin of the elements. The Oklo Phenomenon has demonstrated that a nuclear fire had once existed on our planet earth and formation of heavy elements was occurring in nature. The author pointed out that the difference in the isotopic compositions of xenon found in meteorites, lunar samples and in the earth's atmosphere can only be explained as due to the alterations of the isotropic compositions of xenon by combined effect of (a) mass-fractionation, (b) spallation, and (c) stellar temperature neutron-capture reactions. The strange xenon components are not isotopically pure substance. Instead, xenon-HL is a mixture of the 244 Pu fission xenon and the xenon whose isotopic compositions is severely altered by a combined effect of the processes (a), (b) and (c) mentioned above. These results also indicate that C1 carbonaceous chondrites, which is generally as the most primitive sample of the solar system material, began to retain its xenon 5.1 billion years ago, when the plutonium to uranium ratio in the solar system was as high as almost 0.6 (atom/atom), while the C2 carbonaceous chondrite began to retain their xenon about 150 million years later and the ordinary chondrites and achondrite about 500 to 600 million years later. This means that the birth of the solar system began soon after the last supernova exploded about 5.1 billion years ago, and the generally

Making Sense of Natural Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Passmore, Cynthia; Coleman, Elizabeth; Horton, Jennifer; Parker, Heather

2013-01-01

At its core, science is about making sense of the world around us. Therefore, science education should engage students in that sense-making process. Helping students make sense of disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts by engaging in scientific practices is the key innovation of the "Next Generation Science Standards"…

Interactive Strategy-Making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Torben Juul

2015-01-01

This article outlines an interactive strategy-making model that combines central reasoning with ongoing learning from decentralised responses. The management literature often presents strategy as implementing an optimal plan identified through rational analysis and ascribes potential shortcomings...... to failed communication and execution of the planned actions. However, effective strategy-making comprises both central reasoning from forward-looking planning considerations and decentralised responses to emerging events as interacting elements in a dynamic adaptive system. The interaction between...

[Decision making in cariology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verdonschot, E.H.A.M.; Liem, S.L.; Palenstein Helderman, W.H. van

2003-01-01

By conducting an oral examination, during radiographic examination and in treatment planning procedures dentists make numerous decisions. A dentist will be required to make his decisions explicit. Decision trees and decision analyses may play an important role. In a decision analysis, the

Variation in decision making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dall, Sasha R. X.; Gosling, Samuel; Gordon D.A., Brown,; Dingemanse, Niels; Ido, Erev,; Martin, Kocher,; Laura, Schulz,; Todd, Peter M; Weissing, Franz; Wolf, Max; Hammerstein, Peter; Stevens, Jeffrey R.

2012-01-01

Variation in how organisms allocate their behavior over their lifetimes is key to determining Darwinian fitness., and thus the evolution of human and nonhuman decision making. This chapter explores how decision making varies across biologically and societally significant scales and what role such

Making people be healthy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkinson, Timothy Martin

2009-09-01

How are we supposed to decide the rights and wrongs of banning smoking in bars, restricting adverts for junk food, nagging people into being screened for cancers, or banning the sale of party pills? The aim of this paper is to think through the political ethics of trying to make people healthier through influencing or restricting their choices. This paper covers: (1) Paternalism. What it is, what it assumes. (2) The place of health in well-being, and how this makes paternalism problematic. (3) The mistakes people make in acting in their own interests, and the implications for pro-health paternalism. (4) Autonomy objections to paternalism. The paper (5) finishes on a note of hope, by commending the currently fashionable libertarian paternalism: trying to have one's carrot cake and eat it too. A persistent theme is that thinking sensibly about making people healthier needs subtlety, not broad, ringing declarations.

Decision-Making Based on Emotional Images

OpenAIRE

Katahira, Kentaro; Fujimura, Tomomi; Okanoya, Kazuo; Okada, Masato

2011-01-01

The emotional outcome of a choice affects subsequent decision making. While the relationship between decision making and emotion has attracted attention, studies on emotion and decision making have been independently developed. In this study, we investigated how the emotional valence of pictures, which was stochastically contingent on participants’ choices, influenced subsequent decision making. In contrast to traditional value-based decision-making studies that used money or food as a reward...

Decision making based on emotional images

OpenAIRE

Kentaro eKatahira; Kentaro eKatahira; Kentaro eKatahira; Tomomi eFujimura; Tomomi eFujimura; Kazuo eOkanoya; Kazuo eOkanoya; Kazuo eOkanoya; Masato eOkada; Masato eOkada; Masato eOkada

2011-01-01

The emotional outcome of a choice affects subsequent decision making. While the relationship between decision making and emotion has attracted attention, studies on emotion and decision making have been independently developed. In this study, we investigated how the emotional valence of pictures, which was stochastically contingent on participants’ choices, influenced subsequent decision making. In contrast to traditional value-based decision-making studies that used money or food as a reward...

Ethical decision-making, passivity and pharmacy

OpenAIRE

Cooper, R.J.; Bissell, P.; Wingfield, J.

2008-01-01

Background: Increasing interest in empirical ethics has enhanced understanding of healthcare professionals' ethical problems and attendant decision-making. A four-stage decision-making model involving ethical attention, reasoning, intention and action offers further insights into how more than reasoning alone may contribute to decision-making.\\ud \\ud Aims: To explore how the four-stage model can increase understanding of decision-making in healthcare and describe the decision-making of an und...

Decision Making in the Airplane

Science.gov (United States)

Orasanu, Judith; Shafto, Michael G. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

The Importance of decision-making to safety in complex, dynamic environments like mission control centers, aviation, and offshore installations has been well established. NASA-ARC has a program of research dedicated to fostering safe and effective decision-making in the manned spaceflight environment. Because access to spaceflight is limited, environments with similar characteristics, including aviation and nuclear power plants, serve as analogs from which space-relevant data can be gathered and theories developed. Analyses of aviation accidents cite crew judgement and decision making as causes or contributing factors in over half of all accidents. Yet laboratory research on decision making has not proven especially helpful In improving the quality of decisions in these kinds of environments. One reason is that the traditional, analytic decision models are inappropriate to multi-dimensional, high-risk environments, and do not accurately describe what expert human decision makers do when they make decisions that have consequences. A new model of dynamic, naturalistic decision making is offered that may prove useful for improving decision making in complex, isolated, confined and high-risk environments. Based on analyses of crew performance in full-mission simulators and accident reports, features that define effective decision strategies in abnormal or emergency situations have been identified. These include accurate situation assessment (including time and risk assessment), appreciation of the complexity of the problem, sensitivity to constraints on the decision, timeliness of the response, and use of adequate information. More effective crews also manage their workload to provide themselves with time and resources to make good decisions. In brief, good decisions are appropriate to the demands of the situation. Effective crew decision making and overall performance are mediated by crew communication. Communication contributes to performance because it assures that

Between Policy-Making and Planning SEA and Strategic Decision-Making in the Danish Energy Sector

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyhne, Ivar

2011-01-01

This article deals with the challenge of approaching decision-making processes through strategic environmental assessment (SEA). It is argued that the interaction between policy-making and planning in strategic decision-making processes is a neglected reason for problems with applying SEA......, as legislation and guidance on SEA primarily approach either the policy or plan level. To substantiate the argument, the extent of interaction is empirically investigated. Four contemporary decision-making processes in the Danish energy sector are mapped as a series of choices. Fundamental changes...... with considerable environmental impacts are decided these years, often without preceding SEA processes. The mapping shows a profound interaction between policy-making and planning. In this interaction, public consultation, systematic environmental analyses, and transparency on alternatives are primarily related...

Focused Science Delivery makes science make sense.

Science.gov (United States)

Rachel W. Scheuering; Jamie. Barbour

2004-01-01

Science does not exist in a vacuum, but reading scientific publications might make you think it does. Although the policy and management implications of their findings could often touch a much wider audience, many scientists write only for the few people in the world who share their area of expertise. In addition, most scientific publications provide information that...

Making Team Differences Work

Science.gov (United States)

Strathman, Beth

2015-01-01

Most district and school leaders understand that recruiting group members who have differing backgrounds, perspectives, talents, and personalities makes for good decision-making. Unfortunately, simply assembling a variety of top-notch individuals does not necessarily mean their talents and perspectives will be fully considered. Beth Strathman…

Medical uses of nitinol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pelton, A.R.; Stoeckel, D.; Duering, T.W. [Nitinol Devices and Components - Cordis Corp., Fremont, CA (United States)

2000-07-01

The growth of nitinol in the medical industries has exploded in the past ten years. Patients and care providers have encouraged the transition from traditional open-surgical procedures, which require long hospital stays, to less-invasive techniques, which are often performed in out-patient clinics. This demand for minimally invasive procedures has allowed novel instrumentation and implants to be designed. An increasing number of these devices use nitinol as the critical component. Examples of medical applications range from orthodontic archwires and endoscopic instruments to endovascular stents. This paper will focus on key performance attributes of nitinol that make it an ideal material for medical applications. Specific applications will be introduced through their use of the enabling features. (orig.)

The Effect of Decision-Making Skill Training Programs on Self-Esteem and Decision-Making Styles

Science.gov (United States)

Colakkadioglu, Oguzhan; Celik, D. Billur

2016-01-01

Problem Statement: Decision making is a critical cognitive process in every area of human life. In this process, the individuals play an active role and obtain outputs with their functional use of decision-making skills. Therefore, the decision-making process can affect the course of life, life satisfaction, and the social relations of an…

Collaborative Decision Making in METOC

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

desired effect (Eagly, & Chaiken, 1993). Arguably, artificial intelligence is representative of the best of approaches in rational decision - making ...2001), The quantum of social action and the function of emotion in decision - making , Emotional and Intelligent II: The Tangled Knot of Social...Collaborative decision making in METOC W.F. Lawless Paine College, Departments of Mathematics and Psychology Augusta, GA 30901-3182 ph: 706

Defining decision making: a qualitative study of international experts' views on surgical trainee decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Rennie, Sarah C; van Rij, Andre M; Jaye, Chrystal; Hall, Katherine H

2011-06-01

Decision making is a key competency of surgeons; however, how best to assess decisions and decision makers is not clearly established. The aim of the present study was to identify criteria that inform judgments about surgical trainees' decision-making skills. A qualitative free text web-based survey was distributed to recognized international experts in Surgery, Medical Education, and Cognitive Research. Half the participants were asked to identify features of good decisions, characteristics of good decision makers, and essential factors for developing good decision-making skills. The other half were asked to consider these areas in relation to poor decision making. Template analysis of free text responses was performed. Twenty-nine (52%) experts responded to the survey, identifying 13 categories for judging a decision and 14 for judging a decision maker. Twelve features/characteristics overlapped (considered, informed, well timed, aware of limitations, communicated, knowledgeable, collaborative, patient-focused, flexible, able to act on the decision, evidence-based, and coherent). Fifteen categories were generated for essential factors leading to development of decision-making skills that fall into three major themes (personal qualities, training, and culture). The categories compiled from the perspectives of good/poor were predominantly the inverse of each other; however, the weighting given to some categories varied. This study provides criteria described by experts when considering surgical decisions, decision makers, and development of decision-making skills. It proposes a working definition of a good decision maker. Understanding these criteria will enable clinical teachers to better recognize and encourage good decision-making skills and identify poor decision-making skills for remediation.

Adapting Scott and Bruce's General Decision-Making Style Inventory to Patient Decision Making in Provider Choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Sophia; Soyez, Katja; Gurtner, Sebastian

2015-05-01

Research testing the concept of decision-making styles in specific contexts such as health care-related choices is missing. Therefore, we examine the contextuality of Scott and Bruce's (1995) General Decision-Making Style Inventory with respect to patient choice situations. Scott and Bruce's scale was adapted for use as a patient decision-making style inventory. In total, 388 German patients who underwent elective joint surgery responded to a questionnaire about their provider choice. Confirmatory factor analyses within 2 independent samples assessed factorial structure, reliability, and validity of the scale. The final 4-dimensional, 13-item patient decision-making style inventory showed satisfactory psychometric properties. Data analyses supported reliability and construct validity. Besides the intuitive, dependent, and avoidant style, a new subdimension, called "comparative" decision-making style, emerged that originated from the rational dimension of the general model. This research provides evidence for the contextuality of decision-making style to specific choice situations. Using a limited set of indicators, this report proposes the patient decision-making style inventory as valid and feasible tool to assess patients' decision propensities. © The Author(s) 2015.

Combined make-to-order and make-to-stock in a food production system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soman, Chetan Anil; Donk, Dirk Pieter van; Gaalman, Gerard

2002-01-01

The research into multi-product production/inventory control systems has mainly assumed one of the two strategies: Make-to-Order (MTO) or Make-to-Stock (MTS). In practice, however, many companies cater to an increasing variety of products with varying logistical demands (e.g. short due dates,

Combined make-to-order and make-to-stock in a food production system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soman, C.A.; van Donk, D.P.; Gaalman, G.J.C.

2004-01-01

The research into multi-product production/inventory control systems has mainly assumed one of the two strategies: make-to-order (MTO) or make-to-stock (MTS). In practice, however, many companies cater to an increasing variety of products with varying logistical demands (e.g. short due dates,

Serotonin and decision making processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Homberg, Judith R

2012-01-01

Serotonin (5-HT) is an important player in decision making. Serotonergic antidepressant, anxiolytic and antipsychotic drugs are extensively used in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by impaired decision making, and exert both beneficial and harmful effects in patients. Detailed insight into the serotonergic mechanisms underlying decision making is needed to strengthen the first and weaken the latter. Although much remains to be done to achieve this, accumulating studies begin to deliver a coherent view. Thus, high central 5-HT levels are generally associated with improved reversal learning, improved attentional set shifting, decreased delay discounting, and increased response inhibition, but a failure to use outcome representations. Based on 5-HT's evolutionary role, I hypothesize that 5-HT integrates expected, or changes in, relevant sensory and emotional internal/external information, leading to vigilance behaviour affecting various decision making processes. 5-HT receptor subtypes play distinctive roles in decision making. 5-HT(2A) agonists and 5-HT2c antagonists decrease compulsivity, whereas 5-HT(2A) antagonists and 5-HT(2C) agonists decrease impulsivity. 5-HT(6) antagonists univocally affect decision making processes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decision-Making Theories and Models: A Discussion of Rational and Psychological Decision-Making Theories and Models: The Search for a Cultural-Ethical Decision-Making Model

OpenAIRE

Oliveira, Arnaldo

2007-01-01

This paper examines rational and psychological decision-making models. Descriptive and normative methodologies such as attribution theory, schema theory, prospect theory, ambiguity model, game theory, and expected utility theory are discussed. The definition of culture is reviewed, and the relationship between culture and decision making is also highlighted as many organizations use a cultural-ethical decision-making model.

Constraint programming and decision making

CERN Document Server

Kreinovich, Vladik

2014-01-01

In many application areas, it is necessary to make effective decisions under constraints. Several area-specific techniques are known for such decision problems; however, because these techniques are area-specific, it is not easy to apply each technique to other applications areas. Cross-fertilization between different application areas is one of the main objectives of the annual International Workshops on Constraint Programming and Decision Making. Those workshops, held in the US (El Paso, Texas), in Europe (Lyon, France), and in Asia (Novosibirsk, Russia), from 2008 to 2012, have attracted researchers and practitioners from all over the world. This volume presents extended versions of selected papers from those workshops. These papers deal with all stages of decision making under constraints: (1) formulating the problem of multi-criteria decision making in precise terms, (2) determining when the corresponding decision problem is algorithmically solvable; (3) finding the corresponding algorithms, and making...

Tools for collaborative decision-making

CERN Document Server

Zaraté, Pascale

2013-01-01

Decision-making has evolved recently thanks to the introduction of information and communication technologies in many organizations, which has led to new kinds of decision-making processes, called "collaborative decision-making", at the organizational and cognitive levels. This book looks at the development of the decision-making process in organizations. Decision-aiding and its paradigm of problem solving are defined, showing how decision-makers now need to work in a cooperative way. Definitions of cooperation and associated concepts such as collaboration and coordination are given and a framework of cooperative decision support systems is presented, including intelligent DSS, cooperative knowledge-based systems, workflow, group support systems, collaborative engineering, integrating with a collaborative decision-making model in part or being part of global projects. Several models and experimental studies are also included showing that these new processes have to be supported by new types of tools, several ...

Role of affect in decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Bandyopadhyay, Debarati; Pammi, V S Chandrasekhar; Srinivasan, Narayanan

2013-01-01

Emotion plays a major role in influencing our everyday cognitive and behavioral functions, including decision making. We introduce different ways in which emotions are characterized in terms of the way they influence or elicited by decision making. This chapter discusses different theories that have been proposed to explain the role of emotions in judgment and decision making. We also discuss incidental emotional influences, both long-duration influences like mood and short-duration influences by emotional context present prior to or during decision making. We present and discuss results from a study with emotional pictures presented prior to decision making and how that influences both decision processes and postdecision experience as a function of uncertainty. We conclude with a summary of the work on emotions and decision making in the context of decision-making theories and our work on incidental emotions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

It Makes You Think

Science.gov (United States)

Harden, Helen

2009-01-01

This article provides an overview of the "It Makes You Think" resource. The lessons provided by this resource show how students can learn about the global dimension through science. The "It Makes You Think" resource contains ten topics: (1) Metals in jewellery worldwide; (2) Global food market; (3) The worldwide travels of…

Modeling decision making as a support tool for policy making on renewable energy development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cannemi, Marco; García-Melón, Mónica; Aragonés-Beltrán, Pablo; Gómez-Navarro, Tomás

2014-01-01

This paper presents the findings of a study on decision making models for the analysis of capital-risk investors’ preferences on biomass power plants projects. The aim of the work is to improve the support tools for policy makers in the field of renewable energy development. Analytic Network Process (ANP) helps to better understand capital-risk investors preferences towards different kinds of biomass fueled power plants. The results of the research allow public administration to better foresee the investors’ reaction to the incentive system, or to modify the incentive system to better drive investors’ decisions. Changing the incentive system is seen as major risk by investors. Therefore, public administration must design better and longer-term incentive systems, forecasting market reactions. For that, two scenarios have been designed, one showing a typical decision making process and another proposing an improved decision making scenario. A case study conducted in Italy has revealed that ANP allows understanding how capital-risk investors interpret the situation and make decisions when investing on biomass power plants; the differences between the interests of public administrations’s and promoters’, how decision making could be influenced by adding new decision criteria, and which case would be ranked best according to the decision models. - Highlights: • We applied ANP to the investors’ preferences on biomass power plants projects. • The aim is to improve the advising tools for renewable energy policy making. • A case study has been carried out with the help of two experts. • We designed two scenarios: decision making as it is and how could it be improved. • Results prove ANP is a fruitful tool enhancing participation and transparency

Motivations Underlying Career Decision-Making Activities: The Career Decision-Making Autonomy Scale (CDMAS)

Science.gov (United States)

Guay, Frederic

2005-01-01

The purpose of the present research was to develop and validate a measure of motivation toward career decision-making activities, the Career Decision-Making Autonomy Scale (CDMAS). The CDMAS is designed to assess the constructs of intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, and external regulation. A longitudinal study was…

Does making meaning make it better? Narrative meaning-making and well-being in at-risk African-American adolescent females

Science.gov (United States)

Sales, Jessica M.; Merrill, Natalie A.; Fivush, Robyn

2012-01-01

It has been argued that, for certain people, attempts at making meaning about past life events, especially challenging events, might be detrimental to well-being. In this study we explored the association between narrative indicators of meaning-making and psychological well-being, while also considering the role of individual level factors such as life history, personality characteristics and locus of control, among an at-risk sample of low socioeconomic status inner-city African-American adolescent females with challenging lives. We found that having a more external locus of control and including more cognitive processing language in narratives about a highly negative past experience were associated with increased depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that certain types of narrative meaning-making language may reflect ongoing and unsuccessful efforts after meaning, and, may be more similar to rumination than to resolution. Additionally, they support claims that for certain individuals from challenging backgrounds, efforts after meaning might not be psychologically healthy. PMID:22897108

Nonlinear Waves in Complex Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2007-01-01

The study of nonlinear waves has exploded due to the combination of analysis and computations, since the discovery of the famous recurrence phenomenon on a chain of nonlinearly coupled oscillators by Fermi-Pasta-Ulam fifty years ago. More than the discovery of new integrable equations, it is the ......The study of nonlinear waves has exploded due to the combination of analysis and computations, since the discovery of the famous recurrence phenomenon on a chain of nonlinearly coupled oscillators by Fermi-Pasta-Ulam fifty years ago. More than the discovery of new integrable equations...

From Career Decision-Making Styles to Career Decision-Making Profiles: A Multidimensional Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Gati, Itamar; Landman, Shiri; Davidovitch, Shlomit; Asulin-Peretz, Lisa; Gadassi, Reuma

2010-01-01

Previous research on individual differences in career decision-making processes has often focused on classifying individuals into a few types of decision-making "styles" based on the most dominant trait or characteristic of their approach to the decision process (e.g., rational, intuitive, dependent; Harren, 1979). In this research, an…

Rule-based decision making model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sirola, Miki

1998-01-01

A rule-based decision making model is designed in G2 environment. A theoretical and methodological frame for the model is composed and motivated. The rule-based decision making model is based on object-oriented modelling, knowledge engineering and decision theory. The idea of safety objective tree is utilized. Advanced rule-based methodologies are applied. A general decision making model 'decision element' is constructed. The strategy planning of the decision element is based on e.g. value theory and utility theory. A hypothetical process model is built to give input data for the decision element. The basic principle of the object model in decision making is division in tasks. Probability models are used in characterizing component availabilities. Bayes' theorem is used to recalculate the probability figures when new information is got. The model includes simple learning features to save the solution path. A decision analytic interpretation is given to the decision making process. (author)

Entrepreneurs` Cognitive and Decision Making Styles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmoud Motvaseli

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this study is to explore the relation between decision-making styles which are measured by the General decision-making style (GDMS test and information processing styles which are often termed cognitive styles and are, in this study, measured by Cognitive Style Inventory. The authors directed a survey research on 162 Iranian students. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to measure the impact of cognitive styles on decision-making styles. The authors found that cognitive styles have a positive impact on decision-making styles. In spite of the abundant research on factors that affect decision-making styles, few researches have tested the relationship between cognitive styles and decision-making styles. This study examines the impact of cognitive styles on decision-making styles in Iran. This study, like most research paper studies, cannot easily be generalized. Furthermore, the results of this study could be affected by economic conditions.

Moral and Ethical Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

2007-07-01

rational ones (i.e. Kohlberg’s influential model of decision making ). However, non- rational elements, such as affect, risk perception, risk preference...dread or anxiety) play a strong role in many types of decisions , and that the addition of decision makers’ emotions to models of choice may make ...White, 1994) agree that emotions are an integral part of ethical decision making as well. Emotions arise in the context of interpersonal

Viewpoint: Decision-making in committees

OpenAIRE

Li Hao; Wing Suen

2009-01-01

This article reviews recent developments in the theory of committee decision-making. A committee consists of self-interested members who make a public decision by aggregating imperfect information dispersed among them according to a pre-specified decision rule. We focus on costly information acquisition, strategic information aggregation, and rules and processes that enhance the quality of the committee decision. Seeming inefficiencies of the committee decision-making process such as over-cau...

MIGRATION AND CHINESE ENTREPRENEURS IN MAZATLAN. SINCE ARRIVING IN MID- NINETEENTH CENTURY UNTIL THEIR EXPULSION IN 1930

OpenAIRE

R. Arturo Román Alarcón

2014-01-01

The Chinese migration to Mazatlan and Mexico, began in the mid-nineteenth century, via San Francisco. They were the most important foreign colony from the early decades of the twentieth century. On arrival the Chinese population lacked capital as largely devoted to provide their services as domestic workers, especially farmers and craft activities related to repairing and making shoes. With the advent of the twentieth century and the accumulation of some capital, began its foray into the reta...

Making nuclear waste governable. Deep underground disposal and the challenge of reversibility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonnot, Francois-Michel; Dupuis, Marie-Claude; Aparicio, Luis (ed.) [Agence nationale pour la gestion des dechets radioactifs - Andra, 1-7, rue Jean-Monnet, 92298 Chatenay-Malabry cedex (France); Barthe, Yannick [Centre de Sociologie de l' Innovation, Mines Paris Tech, 60, Boulevard Saint-Michel 75272 Paris cedex 06 (France); Cezanne-Bert, Pierrick; Chateauraynaud, Francis [Groupe de Sociologie Pragmatique et Reflexive - GSPR, Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales - EHESS, 105 bd Raspail 75006 Paris (France)

2010-12-15

This book is the result of a collaboration that began over two years ago between researchers from the social sciences and ANDRA engineers and natural scientists. Contributions to the various chapters have been discussed and enhanced, especially during the workshop and the interdisciplinary conference both held by ANDRA in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The French approach to reversibility will also once again be developed and open to debate during the international conference organised under the aegis of the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency in Reims from December 14 to 17, 2010. Devoted to the application of the reversibility principle to radioactive waste management, this work is divided into three chapters. The discussion throughout the chapters deals mainly with the issue of how to implement the 'definitive securing' of the waste, as stated by the French Planning Act dated June 28 2006, while providing a flexible management programme that keeps options open over time to make radioactive waste governable. The originality of this work is, precisely, to focus on the specific operational provisions being considered today to allow present and future generations to ensuring the protection of persons and the environment sustainably. The first chapter was written by Yannick Barthe, researcher at the CNRS and member of the Centre for the Sociology of Innovation at the Mines ParisTech School. He examines the political qualities of technology, analysing the action modes related to the various management solutions being suggested. According to the author, different decision-making models - as well as specific approaches to safety - are inscribed within technical devices. In this regard, the introduction of the reversibility principle appears to be a radical innovation, both in technical and in political terms. The second chapter reports on Andra's current positioning with respect to the project of a reversible deep disposal facility. It presents a recursive

Making nuclear waste governable. Deep underground disposal and the challenge of reversibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonnot, Francois-Michel; Dupuis, Marie-Claude; Aparicio, Luis; Cezanne-Bert, Pierrick; Chateauraynaud, Francis

2010-12-01

This book is the result of a collaboration that began over two years ago between researchers from the social sciences and ANDRA engineers and natural scientists. Contributions to the various chapters have been discussed and enhanced, especially during the workshop and the interdisciplinary conference both held by ANDRA in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The French approach to reversibility will also once again be developed and open to debate during the international conference organised under the aegis of the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency in Reims from December 14 to 17, 2010. Devoted to the application of the reversibility principle to radioactive waste management, this work is divided into three chapters. The discussion throughout the chapters deals mainly with the issue of how to implement the 'definitive securing' of the waste, as stated by the French Planning Act dated June 28 2006, while providing a flexible management programme that keeps options open over time to make radioactive waste governable. The originality of this work is, precisely, to focus on the specific operational provisions being considered today to allow present and future generations to ensuring the protection of persons and the environment sustainably. The first chapter was written by Yannick Barthe, researcher at the CNRS and member of the Centre for the Sociology of Innovation at the Mines ParisTech School. He examines the political qualities of technology, analysing the action modes related to the various management solutions being suggested. According to the author, different decision-making models - as well as specific approaches to safety - are inscribed within technical devices. In this regard, the introduction of the reversibility principle appears to be a radical innovation, both in technical and in political terms. The second chapter reports on Andra's current positioning with respect to the project of a reversible deep disposal facility. It presents a recursive definition for

Ethical aspect price decision making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grubor Aleksandar

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Price decision making in a marketing program framework creatings is a complicated and delicated part of marketing management, especially to keep in sight culminating of mass external factors. In a market economies price policy as a marketing mix instrument rarely is regulated by the law, which opening the ethical aspect questions of price decision making process. The ethics in the price decision making means consideration of the inner law of the individual (marketing managers and/or consumers, whose irreverence does not entail any juridical sanctions, rather its application is sanctioned by the self - awareness. The acception and stability of the ethical aspect price decision making are determined by the characteristic of selected marketing environment.

Making Healthy Choices Easier

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guldborg Hansen, Pelle; Skov, Laurits Rohden; Lund Skov, Katrine

2016-01-01

. However, integration and testing of the nudge approach as part of more comprehensive public health strategies aimed at making healthy choices easier is being threatened by inadequate understandings of its scientific character, relationship with regulation and its ethical implications. This article reviews...... working with or incorporating the nudge approach into programs or policies aimed at making healthy choices easier...

Quality as Sense-Making

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Stephen

2016-01-01

Sense-making is a process of engaging with complex and dynamic environments that provides organisations and their leaders with a flexible and agile model of the world. The seven key properties of sense-making describe a process that is social and that respects the range of different stakeholders in an organisation. It also addresses the need to…

Make or buy decision considering uncertainty based on fuzzy logic using simulation and multiple criteria decision making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Mohtashami

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Decision making on making/buying problem has always been a challenge to decision makers. In this paper a methodology has been proposed to resolve this challenge. This methodology is capable of evaluating making/buying decision making under uncertainty. For uncertainty, the fuzzy logic and simulation approaches have been used. The proposed methodology can be applied to parts with multi stage manufacturing processes and different suppliers. Therefore this methodology provides a scale for decision making from full outsourcing to full manufacturing and with selecting appropriate supplier.

Man creation had began since the creation of the first biological ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Keywords – Man creation, Early life evolution, Montmorillonite clay, RNA oligomerization ... appearance of specific conditions when liquid hydrocarbons and water could meet each ..... Journal of Physical Chemistry B. 112, 3597–3604. Nahvi ...

Where It All Began: Peer Education and Leadership in Student Services

Science.gov (United States)

Ganser, Stephanie R.; Kennedy, Tricia L.

2012-01-01

The emergence of undergraduate students serving in peer leader or peer educator roles is relatively recent in the history of higher education. Peer leadership positions were first recorded in 1959 in the field of student services, specifically working with students entering college and living in residence halls. Beginning with the Hazen Report of…

The decision-making process in public healthcare entities – identification of the decision-making process type

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szymaniec-Mlicka Karolina

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The decisions made in the organization determine its success, therefore, conducting studies in the scope of decision-making seems important both for theory and practice. The aim of the studies was to identify the type of decision-making process in public medical entities with the use of typology developed by P. Nutt. For this purpose we used qualitative methods. Interviews with 8 directors of hospitals were conducted and the reconstruction was made on the basis of the decision-making process, which enabled the assignment of the model of decision-making process to the organization. The research indicated that four organizations use the historical decision-making model, three organizations represent the model of generating solutions, and one organization uses the model of available solutions.

Decision-making impairment in anorexia nervosa: New insights into the role of age and decision-making style.

Science.gov (United States)

Giannunzio, Valeria; Degortes, Daniela; Tenconi, Elena; Collantoni, Enrico; Solmi, Marco; Santonastaso, Paolo; Favaro, Angela

2018-07-01

Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) often report difficulties in decision making, which may interfere with treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate decision making in a large sample of adolescent and adult patients with AN, by using the Iowa gambling task. Participants were 611 female individuals (310 patients and 301 controls) who underwent neuropsychological and clinical assessment. Significantly poorer decision-making performance was observed in adult patients, whereas no difference emerged between affected and nonaffected adolescents. Both adolescent and adult patients were characterized by trends for higher levels of attention to losses in comparison with healthy controls. Although healthy adult women exhibited better decision-making performance than healthy adolescents, in AN, there was no improvement of decision making with age. A cluster analysis identified 2 different styles of decision making in both patients and controls: a conservative style and an impulsive style. Our study provides evidence of dysfunctional decision making in adult patients with AN and reveals an association between poor decision making and excessive punishment sensitivity in AN. The clinical and scientific implications of these findings merit further exploration. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Intersubjective meaning making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davidsen, Jacob

of single-touch screen interaction among 8-9 year-old children presented here, shows that while the constraints of single-touch screens does not support equality of interaction at the verbal and the physical level, there seems to be an intersubjective learning outcome. More precisely, the constraints...... of single-touch screens offer support for intersubjective meaning making in its ability of constraining the interaction. By presenting a short embodied interaction analysis of 22 seconds of collaboration, I illustrate how an embodied interaction perspective on intersubjective meaning making can tell...... a different story about touch-screen supported collaborative learning....

Making PMT halftone prints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corey, J.D.

1977-05-01

In the printing process for technical reports presently used at Bendix Kansas City Division, photographs are reproduced by pasting up PMT halftone prints on the artwork originals. These originals are used to make positive-working plastic plates for offset lithography. Instructions for making good-quality halftone prints using Eastman Kodak's PMT materials and processes are given in this report. 14 figures.

Ethical decision-making, passivity and pharmacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, R J; Bissell, P; Wingfield, J

2008-06-01

Increasing interest in empirical ethics has enhanced understanding of healthcare professionals' ethical problems and attendant decision-making. A four-stage decision-making model involving ethical attention, reasoning, intention and action offers further insights into how more than reasoning alone may contribute to decision-making. To explore how the four-stage model can increase understanding of decision-making in healthcare and describe the decision-making of an under-researched professional group. 23 purposively sampled UK community pharmacists were asked, in semi-structured interviews, to describe ethical problems in their work and how they were resolved. Framework analysis of transcribed interviews utilised the four decision-making stages, together with constant comparative methods and deviant-case analysis. Pharmacists were often inattentive and constructed problems in legal terms. Ethical reasoning was limited, but examples of appeals to consequences, the golden rule, religious faith and common-sense experience emerged. Ethical intention was compromised by frequent concern about legal prosecution. Ethical inaction was common, typified by pharmacists' failure to report healthcare professionals' bad practices, and ethical passivity emerged to describe these negative examples of the four decision-making stages. Pharmacists occasionally described more ethically active decision-making, but this often involved ethical uncertainty. The four decision-making stages are a useful tool in considering how healthcare professionals try to resolve ethical problems in practice. They reveal processes often ignored in normative theories, and their recognition and the emergence of ethical passivity indicates the complexity of decision-making in practice. Ethical passivity may be deleterious to patients' welfare, and concerns emerge about improving pharmacists' ethical training and promoting ethical awareness and responsibility.

A New Interlink Decision Making Index for Making Multi-criteria Decision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric Hu

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Multi-criteria decisions usually require measurement or evaluation of performance in different units and their mix by application of weighting factors. This approach lads to potential manipulation of the results as a direct consequence of the applied weightings. In this paper a mechanism that is the brain child of the authors, has been proposed to overcome this problem. It is known as the Interlink Decision Making Index (IDMI and has all the desired features: simple, interlink (all criteria and automatically guaranteed dominant influence of critical criteria (i.e. no human weighting needed. The IDMI is capable of reflecting the total merits of a particular option once the normal decision making criteria and (up to two critical criteria have been chosen. Then, without arbitrarily weighting criteria, comparison and selection of the best possible option can be made. Simple software has been developed to do this numerical transfer and graphic presentation. Two hypothetical examples are presented in the paper to demonstrate the application of the IDMI concept and its advantages over the traditional "tabular and weightingmethod" in the decision making process. 

Nonrational processes in ethical decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogerson, Mark D; Gottlieb, Michael C; Handelsman, Mitchell M; Knapp, Samuel; Younggren, Jeffrey

2011-10-01

Most current ethical decision-making models provide a logical and reasoned process for making ethical judgments, but these models are empirically unproven and rely upon assumptions of rational, conscious, and quasilegal reasoning. Such models predominate despite the fact that many nonrational factors influence ethical thought and behavior, including context, perceptions, relationships, emotions, and heuristics. For example, a large body of behavioral research has demonstrated the importance of automatic intuitive and affective processes in decision making and judgment. These processes profoundly affect human behavior and lead to systematic biases and departures from normative theories of rationality. Their influence represents an important but largely unrecognized component of ethical decision making. We selectively review this work; provide various illustrations; and make recommendations for scientists, trainers, and practitioners to aid them in integrating the understanding of nonrational processes with ethical decision making.

Knowledge, decision making, and uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fox, J.

1986-01-01

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems depend heavily upon the ability to make decisions. Decisions require knowledge, yet there is no knowledge-based theory of decision making. To the extent that AI uses a theory of decision-making it adopts components of the traditional statistical view in which choices are made by maximizing some function of the probabilities of decision options. A knowledge-based scheme for reasoning about uncertainty is proposed, which extends the traditional framework but is compatible with it

Decision Making Styles and Progress in Occupational Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Susan D.; And Others

1984-01-01

Examined the role of rational, intuitive, and dependent decisional strategies in facilitating decisions about postcollege occupation among college students (N=71). Results indicated that the use of a dependent decision-making style was the single most powerful predictor of progress. (LLL)

Transdiscipline and research in health: science, society and decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Méndez, Fabián

2015-09-30

Significant advances in science should be given to addressing the needs of society and the historical context of the territories. Although technological developments that began with modernity and the industrial revolution allowed human beings to control the resources of nature to put to your service without limits, it is clear that the crisis of the prevailing development models manifest themselves in many ways but with three common denominators: environmental degradation, social injustice and extreme poverty. Consequently, today should not be possible to think a breakthrough in the development of science without addressing global environmental problems and the deep social injustices that increase at all scales under the gaze, impassively in many occasions, of formal science.

Neural substrates of decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Broche-Pérez, Y; Herrera Jiménez, L F; Omar-Martínez, E

2016-06-01

Decision-making is the process of selecting a course of action from among 2 or more alternatives by considering the potential outcomes of selecting each option and estimating its consequences in the short, medium and long term. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has traditionally been considered the key neural structure in decision-making process. However, new studies support the hypothesis that describes a complex neural network including both cortical and subcortical structures. The aim of this review is to summarise evidence on the anatomical structures underlying the decision-making process, considering new findings that support the existence of a complex neural network that gives rise to this complex neuropsychological process. Current evidence shows that the cortical structures involved in decision-making include the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). This process is assisted by subcortical structures including the amygdala, thalamus, and cerebellum. Findings to date show that both cortical and subcortical brain regions contribute to the decision-making process. The neural basis of decision-making is a complex neural network of cortico-cortical and cortico-subcortical connections which includes subareas of the PFC, limbic structures, and the cerebellum. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Affective Decision Making in Artificial Intelligence : Making Virtual Characters With High Believability

OpenAIRE

Johansson, Anja

2012-01-01

Artificial intelligence is often used when creating believable virtual characters in games or in other types of virtual environments. The intelligent behavior these characters show to the player is often flawed, leading to a worse gameplay experience. In particular, there is often little or no emotional impact on the decision making of the characters. This thesis focuses on extending decision-making and pathfinding mechanisms for virtual characters, with a particular focus on the use of emoti...

The Influence of Workers' Health Status on Employers' Decision-Making During Personnel Restructuring in a Typical Public Limited Enterprise in Slovenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Margan, Andrea; Dodič-Fikfak, Metoda

2015-09-01

Alongside individual indicators of job performance, even workers' health status could be a criterion for selection. The mechanisms for health selection are a reduction of productivity in relation to illness or certain health behaviour. The aim of the study was to establish how indicators of workers' health status, which are accessible to the employer, influence the employer's decision-making on which workers to retain and which to dismiss during personnel restructuring in the enterprise. Due to a planned closure of a plant, the observed company began personnel restructuring which included a strategic decrease in the number of employees and the relocation of workers within the company. Two nested case control studies were conducted. The cases were divided into two groups and defined as follows: employees who were relocated and employees whose employment contract was terminated. The results show that the disability category and long-time sick leave exert the greatest influence on the employer's decision on the selection of workers. Workers with work-related disability have lower odds to be relocated to a new workplace (OR=0.5; 95% CI 0.2 to 1.1) and higher odds to be dismissed (OR=6.51; 95% CI 3.33 to 12.72). The workers with a history of a long-time sick leave also have lower odds to be relocated (OR=0.31; 95% CI 0.11 to 0.88) and higher odds to be dismissed (OR=4.32; 95% CI 2.08 to 8.96). Indicators of health which were accessible to the employer actually exerted influence on the employer's decision-making, which could show a direct form of health selection.

Asymmetric supernova explosions and the origin of binary pulsars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutantyo, W.

1978-01-01

The author investigates the effect of asymmetric supernova explosions on the orbital parameters of binary systems with a compact component. Such explosions are related to the origin of binary pulsars. The degree of asymmetry of the explosion is represented by the kick velocity gained by the exploding star due to the asymmetric mass ejection. The required kick velocity to produce the observed parameters of the binary pulsar PSR 1913 + 16 should be larger than approximately 80 km s -1 if the mass of the exploding star is larger than approximately 4 solar masses. The mean survival probability of the binary system ( ) is examined for various degrees of asymmetry in the explosion. The rare occurrence of a binary pulsar does not neccessarily imply that such a probability is low since not all pulsars have originated in a binary system. Assuming the birth rate of pulsars by Taylor and Manchester (1977), it is derived that would be as high as 0.25. Such values of can be obtained if the mass of the exploding stars is, in general, not large (< approximately 10 solar masses). (Auth.)

Experimental investigation on the energy deposition and morphology of the electrical explosion of copper wire in vacuum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Zongqian; Shi, Yuanjie; Wang, Kun; Jia, Shenli

2016-01-01

This paper presents the experimental results of the electrical explosion of copper wires in vacuum using negative nanosecond-pulsed current with magnitude of 1–2 kA. The 20 μm-diameter copper wires with different lengths are exploded with three different current rates. A laser probe is applied to construct the shadowgraphy and interferometry diagnostics to investigate the distribution and morphology of the exploding product. The interference phase shift is reconstructed from the interferogram, by which the atomic density distribution is calculated. Experimental results show that there exist two voltage breakdown modes depending on the amount of the specific energy deposition. For the strong-shunting mode, shunting breakdown occurs, leading to the short-circuit-like current waveform. For the weak-shunting mode with less specific energy deposition, the plasma generated during the voltage breakdown is not enough to form a conductive plasma channel, resulting in overdamped declining current waveform. The influence of the wire length and current rate on the characteristics of the exploding wires is also analyzed.

Experimental investigation on the energy deposition and morphology of the electrical explosion of copper wire in vacuum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shi, Zongqian; Shi, Yuanjie; Wang, Kun; Jia, Shenli [State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Shanxi 710049 (China)

2016-03-15

This paper presents the experimental results of the electrical explosion of copper wires in vacuum using negative nanosecond-pulsed current with magnitude of 1–2 kA. The 20 μm-diameter copper wires with different lengths are exploded with three different current rates. A laser probe is applied to construct the shadowgraphy and interferometry diagnostics to investigate the distribution and morphology of the exploding product. The interference phase shift is reconstructed from the interferogram, by which the atomic density distribution is calculated. Experimental results show that there exist two voltage breakdown modes depending on the amount of the specific energy deposition. For the strong-shunting mode, shunting breakdown occurs, leading to the short-circuit-like current waveform. For the weak-shunting mode with less specific energy deposition, the plasma generated during the voltage breakdown is not enough to form a conductive plasma channel, resulting in overdamped declining current waveform. The influence of the wire length and current rate on the characteristics of the exploding wires is also analyzed.

Production of D-lactic acid from sugarcane bagasse using steam-explosion

Science.gov (United States)

Sasaki, Chizuru; Okumura, Ryosuke; Asakawa, Ai; Asada, Chikako; Nakamura, Yoshitoshi

2012-03-01

This study investigated the production of D-lactic acid from unutilized sugarcane bagasse using steam explosion pretreatment. The optimal steam pressure for a steaming time of 5 min was determined. By enzymatic saccharification using Meicellase, the highest recovery of glucose from raw bagasse, 73.7%, was obtained at a steam pressure of 20 atm. For residue washed with water after steam explosion, the glucose recovery increased up to 94.9% at a steam pressure of 20 atm. These results showed that washing with water is effective in removing enzymatic reaction inhibitors. After steam pretreatment (steam pressure of 20 atm), D-lactic acid was produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii NBRC 3534 from the enzymatic hydrolyzate of steam-exploded bagasse and washed residue. The conversion rate of D-lactic acid obtained from the initial glucose concentration was 66.6% for the hydrolyzate derived from steam-exploded bagasse and 90.0% for that derived from the washed residue after steam explosion. These results also demonstrated that the hydrolyzate of steam-exploded bagasse (without washing with water) contains fermentation inhibitors and washing with water can remove them.

Production of D-lactic acid from sugarcane bagasse using steam-explosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Chizuru; Okumura, Ryosuke; Asakawa, Ai; Asada, Chikako; Nakamura, Yoshitoshi

2012-01-01

This study investigated the production of D-lactic acid from unutilized sugarcane bagasse using steam explosion pretreatment. The optimal steam pressure for a steaming time of 5 min was determined. By enzymatic saccharification using Meicellase, the highest recovery of glucose from raw bagasse, 73.7%, was obtained at a steam pressure of 20 atm. For residue washed with water after steam explosion, the glucose recovery increased up to 94.9% at a steam pressure of 20 atm. These results showed that washing with water is effective in removing enzymatic reaction inhibitors. After steam pretreatment (steam pressure of 20 atm), D-lactic acid was produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii NBRC 3534 from the enzymatic hydrolyzate of steam-exploded bagasse and washed residue. The conversion rate of D-lactic acid obtained from the initial glucose concentration was 66.6% for the hydrolyzate derived from steam-exploded bagasse and 90.0% for that derived from the washed residue after steam explosion. These results also demonstrated that the hydrolyzate of steam-exploded bagasse (without washing with water) contains fermentation inhibitors and washing with water can remove them.

Note-Making in Social Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, Robert W.

1985-01-01

Note-making is one excellent method for helping students retain important points made by the teacher. Techniques that elementary and secondary social studies teacher can use to teach note-making skills are described. (RM)

IN GHANA: MAKING PUBLICuPRIVATE

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2004-12-02

Dec 2, 2004 ... and the manager of public utilities gains comparative adVantages in capturing ... managerial decision—making,and makes evaluation and monitoring .... tion, since in theory the private company should be concerned about.

Command Decision-Making: Experience Counts

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wolgast, Kelly A

2005-01-01

Decision-making is the mainstay of military leadership and command. Due to the changed nature of the current military environment, military commanders can no longer rely solely on the traditional Military Decision-making Process (MDMP...

Decision making on fitness landscapes

Science.gov (United States)

Arthur, R.; Sibani, P.

2017-04-01

We discuss fitness landscapes and how they can be modified to account for co-evolution. We are interested in using the landscape as a way to model rational decision making in a toy economic system. We develop a model very similar to the Tangled Nature Model of Christensen et al. that we call the Tangled Decision Model. This is a natural setting for our discussion of co-evolutionary fitness landscapes. We use a Monte Carlo step to simulate decision making and investigate two different decision making procedures.

Decision Making on Fitness Landscapes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arthur, Rudy; Sibani, Paolo

2017-01-01

We discuss fitness landscapes and how they can be modified to account for co-evolution. We are interested in using the landscape as a way to model rational decision making in a toy economic system. We develop a model very similar to the Tangled Nature Model of Christensen et. al. that we call...... the Tangled Decision Model. This is a natural setting for our discussion of co-evolutionary fitness landscapes. We use a Monte Carlo step to simulate decision making and investigate two different decision making procedures....

Shared decision-making and patient autonomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandman, Lars; Munthe, Christian

2009-01-01

In patient-centred care, shared decision-making is advocated as the preferred form of medical decision-making. Shared decision-making is supported with reference to patient autonomy without abandoning the patient or giving up the possibility of influencing how the patient is benefited. It is, however, not transparent how shared decision-making is related to autonomy and, in effect, what support autonomy can give shared decision-making. In the article, different forms of shared decision-making are analysed in relation to five different aspects of autonomy: (1) self-realisation; (2) preference satisfaction; (3) self-direction; (4) binary autonomy of the person; (5) gradual autonomy of the person. It is argued that both individually and jointly these aspects will support the models called shared rational deliberative patient choice and joint decision as the preferred versions from an autonomy perspective. Acknowledging that both of these models may fail, the professionally driven best interest compromise model is held out as a satisfactory second-best choice.

Make

CERN Document Server

Frauenfelder, Mark

2012-01-01

The first magazine devoted entirely to do-it-yourself technology projects presents its 29th quarterly edition for people who like to tweak, disassemble, recreate, and invent cool new uses for technology. MAKE Volume 29 takes bio-hacking to a new level. Get introduced to DIY tracking devices before they hit the consumer electronics marketplace. Learn how to build an EKG machine to study your heartbeat, and put together a DIY bio lab to study athletic motion using consumer grade hardware.

Introduction of making of Micom robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Sang Beom

1991-01-01

This book introduces micro robot like what is micro robot? mouse and cat, writing of plan of making, and tools for making, micom cat and mechanical cat, making of mechanical cat, sensor of CAT-3, software of CAT-3, motor and drive circuit of CAT-3, computer mouse of general system,, world of micro mouse, introduction of MICHI, sensor of MICHI, development of software like monitor function and communication program, related things of MICHI, advice for making of MICHI and arrangement of parts and program.

Rough multiple objective decision making

CERN Document Server

Xu, Jiuping

2011-01-01

Rough Set TheoryBasic concepts and properties of rough sets Rough Membership Rough Intervals Rough FunctionApplications of Rough SetsMultiple Objective Rough Decision Making Reverse Logistics Problem with Rough Interval Parameters MODM based Rough Approximation for Feasible RegionEVRMCCRMDCRM Reverse Logistics Network Design Problem of Suji Renewable Resource MarketBilevel Multiple Objective Rough Decision Making Hierarchical Supply Chain Planning Problem with Rough Interval Parameters Bilevel Decision Making ModelBL-EVRM BL-CCRMBL-DCRMApplication to Supply Chain Planning of Mianyang Co., LtdStochastic Multiple Objective Rough Decision Multi-Objective Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling UnderRough Random EnvironmentRandom Variable Stochastic EVRM Stochastic CCRM Stochastic DCRM Multi-Objective rc-PSP/mM/Ro-Ra for Longtan Hydropower StationFuzzy Multiple Objective Rough Decision Making Allocation Problem under Fuzzy Environment Fuzzy Variable Fu-EVRM Fu-CCRM Fu-DCRM Earth-Rock Work Allocation Problem.

Modelling decision-making by pilots

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick, Nicholas J. M.

1993-01-01

Our scientific goal is to understand the process of human decision-making. Specifically, a model of human decision-making in piloting modern commercial aircraft which prescribes optimal behavior, and against which we can measure human sub-optimality is sought. This model should help us understand such diverse aspects of piloting as strategic decision-making, and the implicit decisions involved in attention allocation. Our engineering goal is to provide design specifications for (1) better computer-based decision-aids, and (2) better training programs for the human pilot (or human decision-maker, DM).

Imagine-making disciples in youth ministry … that will make disciples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malan Nel

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Discipling youth may be one of the ‘missing links’ in developing missional thinking and missional local churches. This is even more so where churches suffer from a very obvious estrangement among generations. This article draws on the most recent literature on developing missional churches. The departure point is the argument of a the New Testament scholar, who refers to the description of Matthew 28:16–20 as the manifesto of the church – a manifesto that lies on the same level of value as the Shema of Israel: ‘Listen, o Israel, the Lord our God is the only One.‘ This manifesto wants to tell us how new and differently we have to think on how people come into the body and how people will stay in the body. Picking up on three of my theological premises this article will work with a research question: What kind of church will make disciples in youth ministry? It will also work towards theological suggestions on how to make disciples in youth ministry in such a way that young disciples will make disciples.

Serotonin and decision making processes.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Homberg, J.R.

2012-01-01

Serotonin (5-HT) is an important player in decision making. Serotonergic antidepressant, anxiolytic and antipsychotic drugs are extensively used in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by impaired decision making, and exert both beneficial and harmful effects in patients.

Decision Making in Adults with ADHD

Science.gov (United States)

Montyla, Timo; Still, Johanna; Gullberg, Stina; Del Missier, Fabio

2012-01-01

Objectives: This study examined decision-making competence in ADHD by using multiple decision tasks with varying demands on analytic versus affective processes. Methods: Adults with ADHD and healthy controls completed two tasks of analytic decision making, as measured by the Adult Decision-Making Competence (A-DMC) battery, and two affective…

Making EDM Electrodes By Stereolithography

Science.gov (United States)

Barlas, Philip A.

1988-01-01

Stereolithography is computer-aided manufacturing technique. Used to make models and molds of electrodes for electrical-discharge machining (EDM). Eliminates intermediate steps in fabrication of plastic model of object used in making EDM electrode to manufacture object or mold for object.

Decision-making: Theory and Practice

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Turpin, SM

2004-01-01

Full Text Available of decision support technology. Much variation was found in people’s personal decision-making styles. However, some central themes emerged, such as the importance of sensitivity to the decision-making context, attention to the presentation of information...

Stakeholder involvement in CSR strategy-making?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trapp, Leila

2014-01-01

A given characteristic of successful corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs is that they reflect stakeholder expectations and preferences for corporate behavior. This study examines the process by which this alignment is sought by CSR managers in the CSR strategy-making process. Through...... listening to others in the strategy-making process rather than directly involving others in decision-making. Also, because non-stakeholders, such as paid-for consultants, are found to be note-worthy influencers in the CSR strategy-making process, it is concluded that the process is not only a stakeholder...

Intergroup conflict and rational decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Tur, Vicente; Peñarroja, Vicente; Serrano, Miguel A; Hidalgo, Vanesa; Moliner, Carolina; Salvador, Alicia; Alacreu-Crespo, Adrián; Gracia, Esther; Molina, Agustín

2014-01-01

The literature has been relatively silent about post-conflict processes. However, understanding the way humans deal with post-conflict situations is a challenge in our societies. With this in mind, we focus the present study on the rationality of cooperative decision making after an intergroup conflict, i.e., the extent to which groups take advantage of post-conflict situations to obtain benefits from collaborating with the other group involved in the conflict. Based on dual-process theories of thinking and affect heuristic, we propose that intergroup conflict hinders the rationality of cooperative decision making. We also hypothesize that this rationality improves when groups are involved in an in-group deliberative discussion. Results of a laboratory experiment support the idea that intergroup conflict -associated with indicators of the activation of negative feelings (negative affect state and heart rate)- has a negative effect on the aforementioned rationality over time and on both group and individual decision making. Although intergroup conflict leads to sub-optimal decision making, rationality improves when groups and individuals subjected to intergroup conflict make decisions after an in-group deliberative discussion. Additionally, the increased rationality of the group decision making after the deliberative discussion is transferred to subsequent individual decision making.

Intergroup Conflict and Rational Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Tur, Vicente; Peñarroja, Vicente; Serrano, Miguel A.; Hidalgo, Vanesa; Moliner, Carolina; Salvador, Alicia; Alacreu-Crespo, Adrián; Gracia, Esther; Molina, Agustín

2014-01-01

The literature has been relatively silent about post-conflict processes. However, understanding the way humans deal with post-conflict situations is a challenge in our societies. With this in mind, we focus the present study on the rationality of cooperative decision making after an intergroup conflict, i.e., the extent to which groups take advantage of post-conflict situations to obtain benefits from collaborating with the other group involved in the conflict. Based on dual-process theories of thinking and affect heuristic, we propose that intergroup conflict hinders the rationality of cooperative decision making. We also hypothesize that this rationality improves when groups are involved in an in-group deliberative discussion. Results of a laboratory experiment support the idea that intergroup conflict –associated with indicators of the activation of negative feelings (negative affect state and heart rate)– has a negative effect on the aforementioned rationality over time and on both group and individual decision making. Although intergroup conflict leads to sub-optimal decision making, rationality improves when groups and individuals subjected to intergroup conflict make decisions after an in-group deliberative discussion. Additionally, the increased rationality of the group decision making after the deliberative discussion is transferred to subsequent individual decision making. PMID:25461384

Intergroup conflict and rational decision making.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vicente Martínez-Tur

Full Text Available The literature has been relatively silent about post-conflict processes. However, understanding the way humans deal with post-conflict situations is a challenge in our societies. With this in mind, we focus the present study on the rationality of cooperative decision making after an intergroup conflict, i.e., the extent to which groups take advantage of post-conflict situations to obtain benefits from collaborating with the other group involved in the conflict. Based on dual-process theories of thinking and affect heuristic, we propose that intergroup conflict hinders the rationality of cooperative decision making. We also hypothesize that this rationality improves when groups are involved in an in-group deliberative discussion. Results of a laboratory experiment support the idea that intergroup conflict -associated with indicators of the activation of negative feelings (negative affect state and heart rate- has a negative effect on the aforementioned rationality over time and on both group and individual decision making. Although intergroup conflict leads to sub-optimal decision making, rationality improves when groups and individuals subjected to intergroup conflict make decisions after an in-group deliberative discussion. Additionally, the increased rationality of the group decision making after the deliberative discussion is transferred to subsequent individual decision making.

How genes make up your mind

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramsøy, Thomas; Skov, Martin

2010-01-01

Neuroeconomics is the multidisciplinary study of value-based decision-making. One of the core topics is how emotions affect decision-making. Developments in economic models of decision-making have been influenced by technological innovations and empirical findings in cognitive neuroscience. Now......, a recent approach in cognitive neuroscience, often referred to as "imaging genetics", promises to make significant contributions to our understanding of both behavioral and neural aspects of value-based decision-making. Recent work has demonstrated the role of neurotransmitter alterations in clinical...... states such as Parkinson's disease, depression and anxiety, and how this may affect decision behavior. However, these insights are limited through their focus on extreme neuropathology, which sheds little light on similar functions in healthy individuals. Here, we present and discuss studies of the role...

Maritime Governance and Policy-Making

CERN Document Server

Roe, Michael

2013-01-01

A close analysis of the framework of existing governance and the existing jurisdictional arrangements for shipping and ports reveals that while policy-making is characterized by national considerations through flags, institutional representation at all jurisdictions and the inviolability of the state, the commercial, financial, legal and operational environment of the sector is almost wholly global. This governance mismatch means that in practice the maritime industry can avoid policies which it dislikes by trading nations off against one another, while enjoying the freedoms and benefits of a globalized economy. A Post-modern interpretation of this globalized society prompts suggestions for change in maritime policy-making so that the governance of the sector better matches more closely the environment in which shipping and ports operate. Maritime Governance and Policy-Making is a controversial commentary on the record of policy-making in the maritime sector and assesses whether the reason for continued polic...

Managerial Decision Making in Traffic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teodor Perić

2003-11-01

Full Text Available Decision-making is defined as a selection of a certain actionamong several alternatives. It is the essence of planning, asin the managerial sense there is no plan until a decision of engagementof resources, reputation and direction of activities ismade. Decision-making is, in fact, only a step in planning, evenwhen it is performed quickly and without special consideration.It is what we all experience every day. It is one of the most fascinatingbiological activities and the subject of frightening implicationsfor the whole human race. Since various techniques improvethe system and the quality of managerial decision-making,they are classified into three assumptions: risk analysis, decision-making trees, and the theory of revealed preference. Allof these are based on the interaction of a certain number of importantvariables out of which many contain the elements ofuncertainty, but maybe also high level of probability.

Rodent models of adaptive decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Izquierdo, Alicia; Belcher, Annabelle M

2012-01-01

Adaptive decision making affords the animal the ability to respond quickly to changes in a dynamic environment: one in which attentional demands, cost or effort to procure the reward, and reward contingencies change frequently. The more flexible the organism is in adapting choice behavior, the more command and success the organism has in navigating its environment. Maladaptive decision making is at the heart of much neuropsychiatric disease, including addiction. Thus, a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie normal, adaptive decision making helps achieve a better understanding of certain diseases that incorporate maladaptive decision making as a core feature. This chapter presents three general domains of methods that the experimenter can manipulate in animal decision-making tasks: attention, effort, and reward contingency. Here, we present detailed methods of rodent tasks frequently employed within these domains: the Attentional Set-Shift Task, Effortful T-maze Task, and Visual Discrimination Reversal Learning. These tasks all recruit regions within the frontal cortex and the striatum, and performance is heavily modulated by the neurotransmitter dopamine, making these assays highly valid measures in the study of psychostimulant addiction.

Adolescent Sexual Decision-Making: An Integrative Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hulton, Linda J.

2001-10-03

PURPOSE: The purpose of this integrative review was to summarize the present literature to identify factors associated with adolescent sexual decision-making. Thirty-eight salient research studies were selected as a basis of this review from the databases of Medline, CINAHL, and Psychinfo using the Cooper methodology. CONCLUSIONS: Two categories of decision-making were identified: 1) The research on factors related to the decisions that adolescents make to become sexually active or to abstain from sexual activity; 2) The research on factors related to contraceptive decision-making. The most consistent findings were that the factors of gender differences, cognitive development, perception of benefits, parental influences, social influences, and sexual knowledge were important variables in the decision-making processes of adolescents. IMPLICATIONS: Practice implications for nursing suggest that clinicians should assess adolescent sexual decision-making in greater detail and address the social and psychological context in which sexual experiences occur. Nurses must be aware of the differences between adolescent and adult decision-making processes and incorporate knowledge of growth and development into intervention strategies. Moreover, to the degree that adolescent sexual decision-making proves to be less than rational, interventions designed to improve competent sexual decision-making are needed.

Advancing in the Career Decision-Making Process: The Role of Coping Strategies and Career Decision-Making Profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Perez, Maya; Gati, Itamar

2017-01-01

We tested the associations among the career decision-making difficulties, the career decision status, and either (a) the career decision-making profiles of 575 young adults, or (b) the coping strategies of 379 young adults. As hypothesized, a more advanced decision status was negatively associated with both career decision-making difficulties…

Making Connections

Science.gov (United States)

Pien, Cheng Lu; Dongsheng, Zhao

2011-01-01

Effective teaching includes enabling learners to make connections within mathematics. It is easy to accord with this statement, but how often is it a reality in the mathematics classroom? This article describes an approach in "connecting equivalent" fractions and whole number operations. The authors illustrate how a teacher can combine a common…

Making yourself indispensable.

Science.gov (United States)

Zenger, John H; Folkman, Joseph R; Edinger, Scott K

2011-10-01

Peter Drucker and other leadership thinkers have long argued that leaders should focus on strengthening their strengths. How should they do that? Improving on a weakness is pretty easy and straight forward: You can make measurable progress by honing and practicing basic techniques. But developing a strength is a different matter, because simply doing more of what you're good at will yield only incremental improvements. If you are strong technically, becoming even more of a technical expert won't make you a dramatically better leader. If, however, you use what the authors call "nonlinear development"--similar to an athlete's cross-training--you can achieve exponential results. Your technical expertise will become more powerful if, for instance, you build on your communication skills, enabling you to explain technical problems both more broadly and more effectively. The authors, all from the leadership development consultancy Zenger Folkman, present a step-by-step process by which developing leaders can identify their strengths (through either a formal or an informal 360-degree evaluation), select appropriate complementary skills (the article identifies up to a dozen for each core strength), and develop those skills to dramatically improve their strengths--making themselves uniquely valuable to their companies.

Considering Risk and Resilience in Decision-Making

Science.gov (United States)

Torres-Pomales, Wilfredo

2015-01-01

This paper examines the concepts of decision-making, risk analysis, uncertainty and resilience analysis. The relation between risk, vulnerability, and resilience is analyzed. The paper describes how complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity are the most critical factors in the definition of the approach and criteria for decision-making. Uncertainty in its various forms is what limits our ability to offer definitive answers to questions about the outcomes of alternatives in a decision-making process. It is shown that, although resilience-informed decision-making would seem fundamentally different from risk-informed decision-making, this is not the case as resilience-analysis can be easily incorporated within existing analytic-deliberative decision-making frameworks.

Decision Making: The Underdeveloped Skill

Science.gov (United States)

Phelps, Robert

1974-01-01

Business educators should give students specific training in a methodology which will enable them to make logical, systematic, and rational decisions. Kepner-Tregoe Analysis (KTA), a decision making model, is described and illustrated with an example of a student buying his first car. (SC)

Biotechnology and Consumer Decision-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Sax, Joanna K

Society is facing major challenges in climate change, health care and overall quality of life. Scientific advances to address these areas continue to grow, with overwhelming evidence that the application of highly tested forms of biotechnology is safe and effective. Despite scientific consensus in these areas, consumers appear reluctant to support their use. Research that helps to understand consumer decision-making and the public’s resistance to biotechnologies such as vaccines, fluoridated water programs and genetically engineered food, will provide great social value. This article is forward-thinking in that it suggests that important research in behavioral decision-making, specifically affect and ambiguity, can be used to help consumers make informed choices about major applications of biotechnology. This article highlights some of the most controversial examples: vaccinations, genetically engineered food, rbST treated dairy cows, fluoridated water, and embryonic stem cell research. In many of these areas, consumers perceive the risks as high, but the experts calculate the risks as low. Four major thematic approaches are proposed to create a roadmap for policymakers to consider for policy design and implementation in controversial areas of biotechnology. This article articulates future directions for studies that implement decision-making research to allow consumers to appropriately assign risk to their options and make informed decisions.

Decision making in urological surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Abboudi, Hamid; Ahmed, Kamran; Normahani, Pasha; Abboudi, May; Kirby, Roger; Challacombe, Ben; Khan, Mohammed Shamim; Dasgupta, Prokar

2012-06-01

Non-technical skills are important behavioural aspects that a urologist must be fully competent at to minimise harm to patients. The majority of surgical errors are now known to be due to errors in judgment and decision making as opposed to the technical aspects of the craft. The authors reviewed the published literature regarding decision-making theory and in practice related to urology as well as the current tools available to assess decision-making skills. Limitations include limited number of studies, and the available studies are of low quality. Decision making is the psychological process of choosing between alternative courses of action. In the surgical environment, this can often be a complex balance of benefit and risk within a variable time frame and dynamic setting. In recent years, the emphasis of new surgical curriculums has shifted towards non-technical surgical skills; however, the assessment tools in place are far from objective, reliable and valid. Surgical simulators and video-assisted questionnaires are useful methods for appraisal of trainees. Well-designed, robust and validated tools need to be implemented in training and assessment of decision-making skills in urology. Patient safety can only be ensured when safe and effective decisions are made.

Making fictions sound real

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langkjær, Birger

2010-01-01

This article examines the role that sound plays in making fictions perceptually real to film audiences, whether these fictions are realist or non-realist in content and narrative form. I will argue that some aspects of film sound practices and the kind of experiences they trigger are related...... to basic rules of human perception, whereas others are more properly explained in relation to how aesthetic devices, including sound, are used to characterise the fiction and thereby make it perceptually real to its audience. Finally, I will argue that not all genres can be defined by a simple taxonomy...... of sounds. Apart from an account of the kinds of sounds that typically appear in a specific genre, a genre analysis of sound may also benefit from a functionalist approach that focuses on how sounds can make both realist and non-realist aspects of genres sound real to audiences....

24 CFR 55.20 - Decision making process.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Decision making process. 55.20 Section 55.20 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT Procedures for Making Determinations on Floodplain Management § 55.20 Decision making process. The decision making...

GROUPS DECISION MAKING WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anca Stan

2008-12-01

Full Text Available In a highly global market, organizations that have the ability to analyze and rapidly respond to the constantly changing marketplace will have the greatest chance of remaining competitive and profitable. Group decision making is the process of arriving at a judgment based upon the feedback of multiple individuals. Due to the importance of the group decision making process, decision making models can be used to establish a systematic means of developing effective group decision making. Once a decision has been made, the members of the group should be willing to accept it and support its implementations.

On the origin of Hawking mini black-holes and the cold early universe

Science.gov (United States)

Canuto, V.

1978-01-01

A simple argument is outlined leading to the result that the mass of mini black holes exploding today is 10 to the 15th power g. A mathematical model is discussed which indicates that the equation of state is greatly softened in the high-density regime and a phase transition may exist, such that any length (particularly very small sizes) will grow with time irrespective of its relation to the size of the particle horizon. It is shown that the effect of spin-2 mesons with respect to the equation of state is to soften the pressure and make it negative. An analytical expression is given for the probability that any particular region in a hot early universe will evolve into a black hole.

Nuclear plants - military hostages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramberg, B.

1986-01-01

Recent events suggest that nuclear reactors could make tempting military or terrorist targets. Despite the care with which most reactors are built, studies document their vulnerability to willful destruction through disruption of coolant mechanisms both inside and outside the containment building. In addition to reactors, such nuclear support facilities as fuel fabrication, reprocessing, and waste storage installations may be attractive military targets. A nuclear bomb which exploded in the vicinity of a reactor could increase its lethal effects by one-third. The implications of this is vulnerability for Middle East stability as well as to other volatile regions. The author suggests several avenues for controlling the dangers: international law, military and civil defense, facility siting, increasing plant safety, and the international management of nuclear energy. 21 references

Manganese: it turns iron into steel (and does so much more)

Science.gov (United States)

Cannon, William F.

2014-01-01

Manganese is a common ferrous metal with atomic weight of 25 and the chemical symbol Mn. It constitutes roughly 0.1 percent of the Earth’s crust, making it the 12th most abundant element. Its early uses were limited largely to pigments and oxidants in chemical processes and experiments, but the significance of manganese to human societies exploded with the development of modern steelmaking technology in the 1860s. U.S consumption of manganese is about 500,000 metric tons each year, predominantly by the steel industry. Because manganese is essential and irreplaceable in steelmaking and its global mining industry is dominated by just a few nations, it is considered one of the most critical mineral commodities for the United States.

Emergency planning knowledge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gheorghe, A.; Vamanu, D.

1996-01-01

This book is an essay in dealing with the risks and consequences of disruptive events in some emblematical enterprises of our time. The striking relevance of the variability factor in emergency management makes it difficult to encompass the entire difficulty in a fully generic, streamlined discourse. That is why, while trying its best to extract generic pieces of wisdom from the varied experience reported in the exploding literature around that deals with the subject, this text would rather focus on a few case histories at hand, that may more eloquently, if implicitly, illustrate authors' stand. The three projects that served the purpose - ETH-NUMERISK, MONITOT.HSK, and ETH-CHEMRISK - are components of a research project in the Swiss academic and educational environment. figs., tabs., refs,

Learning to Teach in the Digital Age: New Materialities and Maker Paradigms in Schools. New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies

Science.gov (United States)

Justice, Sean

2016-01-01

"Learning to Teach in the Digital Age" tells the story of a group of K-12 teachers as they began to connect with digital making and learning pedagogies. Guiding questions at the heart of this qualitative case study asked how teaching practices engaged with and responded to the maker movement and digital making and learning tools and…

Multi-disciplinary decision making in general practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirby, Ann; Murphy, Aileen; Bradley, Colin

2018-04-09

Purpose Internationally, healthcare systems are moving towards delivering care in an integrated manner which advocates a multi-disciplinary approach to decision making. Such an approach is formally encouraged in the management of Atrial Fibrillation patients through the European Society of Cardiology guidelines. Since the emergence of new oral anticoagulants switching between oral anticoagulants (OACs) has become prevalent. This case study considers the role of multi-disciplinary decision making, given the complex nature of the agents. The purpose of this paper is to explore Irish General Practitioners' (GPs) experience of switching between all OACs for Arial Fibrillation (AF) patients; prevalence of multi-disciplinary decision making in OAC switching decisions and seeks to determine the GP characteristics that appear to influence the likelihood of multi-disciplinary decision making. Design/methodology/approach A probit model is used to determine the factors influencing multi-disciplinary decision making and a multinomial logit is used to examine the factors influencing who is involved in the multi-disciplinary decisions. Findings Results reveal that while some multi-disciplinary decision-making is occurring (64 per cent), it is not standard practice despite international guidelines on integrated care. Moreover, there is a lack of patient participation in the decision-making process. Female GPs and GPs who have initiated prescriptions for OACs are more likely to engage in multi-disciplinary decision-making surrounding switching OACs amongst AF patients. GPs with training practices were less likely to engage with cardiac consultants and those in urban areas were more likely to engage with other (non-cardiac) consultants. Originality/value For optimal decision making under uncertainty multi-disciplinary decision-making is needed to make a more informed judgement and to improve treatment decisions and reduce the opportunity cost of making the wrong decision.

Dissolving decision making? : Models and their roles in decision-making processes and policy at large

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zeiss, Ragna; van Egmond, S.

2014-01-01

This article studies the roles three science-based models play in Dutch policy and decision making processes. Key is the interaction between model construction and environment. Their political and scientific environments form contexts that shape the roles of models in policy decision making.

Students’ meaning-making and sense-making of vocational knowledge in Dutch senior secondary vocational education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nienke Bijlsma; Harmen Schaap; Prof.Dr. Elly de Bruijn

2016-01-01

Meaning-making and sense-making are generally assumed to be part of students’ personal vocational knowledge development, since they contribute to both students’ socialisation in a vocation and students’ personalisation of concepts, values and beliefs regarding that vocation. However, how students in

"When does making detailed predictions make predictions worse?": Correction to Kelly and Simmons (2016).

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-01

Reports an error in "When Does Making Detailed Predictions Make Predictions Worse" by Theresa F. Kelly and Joseph P. Simmons ( Journal of Experimental Psychology: General , Advanced Online Publication, Aug 8, 2016, np). In the article, the symbols in Figure 2 were inadvertently altered in production. All versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-37952-001.) In this article, we investigate whether making detailed predictions about an event worsens other predictions of the event. Across 19 experiments, 10,896 participants, and 407,045 predictions about 724 professional sports games, we find that people who made detailed predictions about sporting events (e.g., how many hits each baseball team would get) made worse predictions about more general outcomes (e.g., which team would win). We rule out that this effect is caused by inattention or fatigue, thinking too hard, or a differential reliance on holistic information about the teams. Instead, we find that thinking about game-relevant details before predicting winning teams causes people to give less weight to predictive information, presumably because predicting details makes useless or redundant information more accessible and thus more likely to be incorporated into forecasts. Furthermore, we show that this differential use of information can be used to predict what kinds of events will and will not be susceptible to the negative effect of making detailed predictions. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved

Making Black Bloody Rosella Jam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ili Farhana

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The rosella (or roselle plant originated in West Africa, but has been cultivated throughout Africa, Asia and Australia. Not only can rosella be used to make teas and jams, but every part of the plant is edible; the young leaves can be eaten raw and make great salads. Rosella is a type of hibiscus, and it has a beautiful pink flower. Although the whole plant is edible, it is the calyx (the bright red fruit that is used to make syrups, teas or jams. If you eat it fresh, straight off the stalk, it has a sour taste. Inside the calyx is a round seed pod. If it is left to mature, it will turn brown. When dry it provides the mature seeds for the next planting. At Kebun Setaman Pejeng, our small-scale community arm and learning centre at Bamjar Panglan, Pejeng, on the island of Bali, we harvest rosella to make jam.

Neuroanatomical basis for recognition primed decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Darren

2013-01-01

Effective decision making under time constraints is often overlooked in medical decision making. The recognition primed decision making (RPDM) model was developed by Gary Klein based on previous recognized situations to develop a satisfactory solution to the current problem. Bayes Theorem is the most popular decision making model in medicine but is limited by the need for adequate time to consider all probabilities. Unlike other decision making models, there is a potential neurobiological basis for RPDM. This model has significant implication for health informatics and medical education.

Electroencephalogy (EEG) Feedback in Decision-Making

Science.gov (United States)

2015-08-26

Electroencephalogy ( EEG ) Feedback In Decision- Making The goal of this project is to investigate whether Electroencephalogy ( EEG ) can provide useful...feedback when training rapid decision-making. More specifically, EEG will allow us to provide online feedback about the neural decision processes...Electroencephalogy ( EEG ) Feedback In Decision-Making Report Title The goal of this project is to investigate whether Electroencephalogy ( EEG ) can provide useful

Peran Pbb dalam Menanggulangi Violence Against Women (Vaw) oleh Kelompok Ekstrimis Isis di Negara Konflik Suriah Tahun 2013-2016

OpenAIRE

Adita, Fanny; Fachri, Yuli

2017-01-01

This research describes the role of United Nations to handle violence against women by Islamic State (IS) in Syria Arab Republic conflict that began in 2013. The Islamic State is one of the main actors of the conflict in Syria that makes the conflict worse. The Islamic State is a extremist group that uses sadism violence to establish a state based on khilafah Islamiyah system. Since the conflict began womens in Syrian faced situations that risk their right. IS treats women in Syria with inhum...

Making British cortisone: Glaxo and the development of corticosteroids in Britain in the 1950s-1960s.

Science.gov (United States)

Quirke, Viviane

2005-12-01

Following the announcement in 1949 in the USA that cortisone offered rheumatoid arthritis sufferers effective treatment for their crippling disease, the Ministry of Health came under considerable pressure from the medical profession and the public to make cortisone available in Britain. The Ministry, therefore, urged British companies to start manufacturing cortisone. Among the several pharmaceutical firms responding to the Ministry's request, Glaxo's expertise in the field of vitamins gave them a head start. This paper describes the varied and flexible strategy that enabled Glaxo to maintain this head start, and the scientific and technical capabilities which the company subsequently built up, enabling them to dominate the market for corticosteroids in Britain. Among the drugs to emerge out of the Glaxo project to manufacture cortisone, which began in 1950 and later became a wider R&D programme on steroids, was the topical steroid Betnovate, launched in 1963, which remains a best-seller today. However, although it led to successful new products, Glaxo's programme had limitations. The paper identifies a missed opportunity, in the shape of the biosynthetic route to steroid drugs, often considered as a milestone in the development of the new biotechnology. Whether or not this missed opportunity proved costly to the company is uncertain. However, it illustrates the role of technological path-dependence, and the importance of the integration between different scientific disciplines, in this case chemistry and biology, in pharmaceutical innovation.

Structural features of dilute acid, steam exploded, and alkali pretreated mustard stalk and their impact on enzymatic hydrolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kapoor, Manali; Raj, Tirath; Vijayaraj, M; Chopra, Anju; Gupta, Ravi P; Tuli, Deepak K; Kumar, Ravindra

2015-06-25

To overcome the recalcitrant nature of biomass several pretreatment methodologies have been explored to make it amenable to enzymatic hydrolysis. These methodologies alter cell wall structure primarily by removing/altering hemicelluloses and lignin. In this work, alkali, dilute acid, steam explosion pretreatment are systematically studied for mustard stalk. To assess the structural variability after pretreatment, chemical analysis, surface area, crystallinity index, accessibility of cellulose, FT-IR and thermal analysis are conducted. Although the extent of enzymatic hydrolysis varies upon the methodologies used, nevertheless, cellulose conversion increases from adsorption capacity. However, no such relationship is observed for xylose yield. Mass balance of the process is also studied. Dilute acid pretreatment is the best methodology in terms of maximum sugar yield at lower enzyme loading. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toward a Psychology of Surrogate Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Tunney, Richard J; Ziegler, Fenja V

2015-11-01

In everyday life, many of the decisions that we make are made on behalf of other people. A growing body of research suggests that we often, but not always, make different decisions on behalf of other people than the other person would choose. This is problematic in the practical case of legally designated surrogate decision makers, who may not meet the substituted judgment standard. Here, we review evidence from studies of surrogate decision making and examine the extent to which surrogate decision making accurately predicts the recipient's wishes, or if it is an incomplete or distorted application of the surrogate's own decision-making processes. We find no existing domain-general model of surrogate decision making. We propose a framework by which surrogate decision making can be assessed and a novel domain-general theory as a unifying explanatory concept for surrogate decisions. © The Author(s) 2015.

Decision-making in the adolescent brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne; Robbins, Trevor W

2012-09-01

Adolescence is characterized by making risky decisions. Early lesion and neuroimaging studies in adults pointed to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and related structures as having a key role in decision-making. More recent studies have fractionated decision-making processes into its various components, including the representation of value, response selection (including inter-temporal choice and cognitive control), associative learning, and affective and social aspects. These different aspects of decision-making have been the focus of investigation in recent studies of the adolescent brain. Evidence points to a dissociation between the relatively slow, linear development of impulse control and response inhibition during adolescence versus the nonlinear development of the reward system, which is often hyper-responsive to rewards in adolescence. This suggests that decision-making in adolescence may be particularly modulated by emotion and social factors, for example, when adolescents are with peers or in other affective ('hot') contexts.

2000 Years of Grazing History and the Making of the Cretan Mountain Landscape, Greece.

Science.gov (United States)

Jouffroy-Bapicot, Isabelle; Vannière, Boris; Iglesias, Virginia; Debret, Maxime; Delarras, Jean-François

2016-01-01

Understanding the processes that led to the recent evolution of Mediterranean landscapes is a challenging question that can be addressed with paleoecological data. Located in the White Mountains of Crete, Asi Gonia peat bog constitutes an exceptional 2000-years-long sedimentary archive of environmental change. In this study, we document the making of the White Mountains landscape and assess human impact on ecosystem trajectories. The paleoenvironmental reconstruction is based on high-resolution analyses of sediment, pollen, dung fungal spores and charcoal obtained from a 6-m core collected from the bog. Multiproxy analyses and a robust chronological control have shed light on anthropogenic and natural processes that have driven ecological changes, giving rise to the present-day Mediterranean ecosystem. Our results suggest that sediment accumulation began during the transition from the Hellenistic to the Roman period, likely due to watershed management. The evolution of the peat bog as well as vegetation dynamics in the surrounding area were linked to past climate changes but were driven by human activities, among which breeding was of great importance. Charcoal analysis reveals that fire was largely used for the construction and maintenance of sylvo-agropastoral areas. Pollen data allow the identification of three main vegetation assemblages: 1) evergreen oak forest (before ca. 850 AD), 2) heather maquis (ca. 850 to 1870 AD), 3) phrygana/steppe landscape. Rapid changes between phases in vegetation development are associated with tipping-points in ecosystem dynamics resulting from anthropogenic impact. The modern ecosystem did not get established until the 20th century, and it is characterized by biodiversity loss along with a dramatic drying of the peat bog.

2000 Years of Grazing History and the Making of the Cretan Mountain Landscape, Greece.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabelle Jouffroy-Bapicot

Full Text Available Understanding the processes that led to the recent evolution of Mediterranean landscapes is a challenging question that can be addressed with paleoecological data. Located in the White Mountains of Crete, Asi Gonia peat bog constitutes an exceptional 2000-years-long sedimentary archive of environmental change. In this study, we document the making of the White Mountains landscape and assess human impact on ecosystem trajectories. The paleoenvironmental reconstruction is based on high-resolution analyses of sediment, pollen, dung fungal spores and charcoal obtained from a 6-m core collected from the bog. Multiproxy analyses and a robust chronological control have shed light on anthropogenic and natural processes that have driven ecological changes, giving rise to the present-day Mediterranean ecosystem. Our results suggest that sediment accumulation began during the transition from the Hellenistic to the Roman period, likely due to watershed management. The evolution of the peat bog as well as vegetation dynamics in the surrounding area were linked to past climate changes but were driven by human activities, among which breeding was of great importance. Charcoal analysis reveals that fire was largely used for the construction and maintenance of sylvo-agropastoral areas. Pollen data allow the identification of three main vegetation assemblages: 1 evergreen oak forest (before ca. 850 AD, 2 heather maquis (ca. 850 to 1870 AD, 3 phrygana/steppe landscape. Rapid changes between phases in vegetation development are associated with tipping-points in ecosystem dynamics resulting from anthropogenic impact. The modern ecosystem did not get established until the 20th century, and it is characterized by biodiversity loss along with a dramatic drying of the peat bog.

A qualitative study on community pharmacists' decision-making process when making a diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinopoulou, Vassiliki; Summerfield, Paul; Rutter, Paul

2017-12-01

Self-care policies are increasingly directing patients to seek advice from community pharmacists. This means pharmacists need to have sound diagnostic decision-making skills to enable them to recognise a variety of conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the process by which pharmacists manage patient signs and symptoms and to explore their use of decision-making for diagnostic purposes. Data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with community pharmacists working in England, between August 2013 and November 2014. Pharmacists were asked to share their experiences on how they performed patient consultations, and more specifically how they would approach a hypothetical headache scenario. As part of the interview, their sources of knowledge and experience were also explored. Framework analysis was used to identify themes and subthemes. Eight interviews were conducted with pharmacists who had a wide range of working practice, from 1 year through to 40 years of experience. The pharmacists' main motivations during consultations were product selection and risk minimisation. Their questioning approach and decision-making relied heavily on mnemonic methods. This led to poor quality information gathering-although pharmacists acknowledged they needed to "delve deeper" but were often unable to articulate how or why. Some pharmacists exhibited elements of clinical reasoning in their consultations, but this seemed, mostly, to be unconscious and subsequently applied inappropriately. Overall, pharmacists exhibited poor decision-making ability, and often decisions were based on personal belief and experiences rather than evidence. Community pharmacists relied heavily on mnemonic methods to manage patients' signs and symptoms with diagnosis-based decision-making being seldom employed. These findings suggest practicing pharmacists should receive more diagnostic training. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[Cognitive errors in diagnostic decision making].

Science.gov (United States)

Gäbler, Martin

2017-10-01

Approximately 10-15% of our diagnostic decisions are faulty and may lead to unfavorable and dangerous outcomes, which could be avoided. These diagnostic errors are mainly caused by cognitive biases in the diagnostic reasoning process.Our medical diagnostic decision-making is based on intuitive "System 1" and analytical "System 2" diagnostic decision-making and can be deviated by unconscious cognitive biases.These deviations can be positively influenced on a systemic and an individual level. For the individual, metacognition (internal withdrawal from the decision-making process) and debiasing strategies, such as verification, falsification and rule out worst-case scenarios, can lead to improved diagnostic decisions making.

Moral and Ethical Decision Making: Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

2005-08-08

exploration and elaboration of both rational and intuitive decision making processes. In addition, emotions may also play an important role in...More specifically, it suggests that both rational and intuitive decision making processes are likely to play an important role in ethical decision ...and military literature related to ethical decision making more generally. Specifically, it suggests that both rational and intuitive decision making

Modeling Human Elements of Decision-Making

Science.gov (United States)

2002-06-01

include factors such as personality, emotion , and level of expertise, which vary from individual to individual. The process of decision - making during... rational choice theories such as utility theory, to more descriptive psychological models that focus more on the process of decision - making ...descriptive nature, they provide a more realistic representation of human decision - making than the rationally based models. However these models do

Understanding Optimal Decision-making in Wargaming

OpenAIRE

Nesbitt, P; Kennedy, Q; Alt, JK; Fricker, RD; Whitaker, L; Yang, J; Appleget, JA; Huston, J; Patton, S

2013-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. This research aims to gain insight into optimal wargaming decision-making mechanisms using neurophysiological measures by investigating whether brain activation and visual scan patterns predict attention, perception, and/or decision-making errors through human-in-the-loop wargaming simulation experiments. We investigate whether brain activity and visual scan patterns can explain optimal wargaming decision making and its devel...

Can Physics Make Us Free?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tuomas K. Pernu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A thoroughly physical view on reality and our common sense view on agency and free will seem to be in a direct conflict with each other: if everything that happens is determined by prior physical events, so too are all our actions and conscious decisions; you have no choice but to do what you are destined to do. Although this way of thinking has intuitive appeal, and a long history, it has recently began to gain critical attention. A number of arguments have been raised in defense of the idea that our will could be genuinely free even if the universe is governed by deterministic laws of physics. Determinism and free will have been argued to be compatible before, of course, but these recent arguments seem to take a new step in that they are relying on a more profound and concrete view on the central elements of the issue, the fundamental laws of physics and the nature of causal explanation in particular. The basic idea of this approach is reviewed in here, and it is shown how a careful analysis of physics and causal explanation can indeed enhance our understanding of the issue. Although it cannot be concluded that the problem of free will would now be completely solved (or dissolved, it is clear that these recent developments can bring significant advancement to the debate.

Multinational Corporate Strategy-making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Torben Juul; Andersson, Ulf

2017-01-01

from corporate headquarters. The model considers local subsidiary actions of both operational and strategic nature and we argue that it may be futile to distinguish between these effects as incremental operational responses can cumulate into more substantial changes over time with dimensions...... the complementary effects of central planning and decentralized decision-making. We present and synthesize these rather field specific perspectives and try to synthesize insights from both fields in an adaptive strategy-making model including the effects of autonomous subsidiary initiatives and intended mandates...

Catalogue of Workforce Information Sources: Decision Making Assistance for Regional Economic Development. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration

Science.gov (United States)

US Department of Labor, 2009

2009-01-01

In early 2006, The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) began an initiative called Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) to help regions create competitive conditions, integrate economic and workforce development activities, and demonstrate that talent development can successfully…

Students' Meaning-Making and Sense-Making of Vocational Knowledge in Dutch Senior Secondary Vocational Education

Science.gov (United States)

Bijlsma, Nienke; Schaap, Harmen; de Bruijn, Elly

2016-01-01

Meaning-making and sense-making are generally assumed to be part of students' personal vocational knowledge development, since they contribute to both students' socialisation in a vocation and students' personalisation of concepts, values and beliefs regarding that vocation. However, how students in vocational education acquire meaning and make…

Distributed Cognition in Cancer Treatment Decision Making: An Application of the DECIDE Decision-Making Styles Typology.

Science.gov (United States)

Krieger, Janice L; Krok-Schoen, Jessica L; Dailey, Phokeng M; Palmer-Wackerly, Angela L; Schoenberg, Nancy; Paskett, Electra D; Dignan, Mark

2017-07-01

Distributed cognition occurs when cognitive and affective schemas are shared between two or more people during interpersonal discussion. Although extant research focuses on distributed cognition in decision making between health care providers and patients, studies show that caregivers are also highly influential in the treatment decisions of patients. However, there are little empirical data describing how and when families exert influence. The current article addresses this gap by examining decisional support in the context of cancer randomized clinical trial (RCT) decision making. Data are drawn from in-depth interviews with rural, Appalachian cancer patients ( N = 46). Analysis of transcript data yielded empirical support for four distinct models of health decision making. The implications of these findings for developing interventions to improve the quality of treatment decision making and overall well-being are discussed.

Emotional Intelligence and Decision Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A M Kustubayeva

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The results of the experimental research of the connection between the efficiency of decision making and emotional intelligence are presented in the article. The empirical data indicate that the ability to regulate emotion is an important indicator of the efficiency of decision making in the conditions of psychological experiment.

Methods of making textured catalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Werpy, Todd [West Richland, WA; Frye, Jr., John G.; Wang, Yong [Richland, WA; Zacher, Alan H [Kennewick, WA

2010-08-17

A textured catalyst having a hydrothermally-stable support, a metal oxide and a catalyst component is described. Methods of conducting aqueous phase reactions that are catalyzed by a textured catalyst are also described. The invention also provides methods of making textured catalysts and methods of making chemical products using a textured catalyst.

Impaired decision making among morbidly obese adults.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Brogan, Amy

2011-02-01

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) measures affective decision making and has revealed decision making impairments across a wide range of eating disorders. This study aimed to investigate affective decision making in severely obese individuals.

How do small groups make decisions?

OpenAIRE

Chahine, Saad; Cristancho, Sayra; Padgett, Jessica; Lingard, Lorelei

2017-01-01

In the competency-based medical education (CBME) approach, clinical competency committees are responsible for making decisions about trainees? competence. However, we currently lack a?theoretical model for group decision-making to inform this emerging assessment phenomenon. This paper proposes an organizing framework to study and guide the decision-making processes of clinical competency committees. This is an explanatory, non-exhaustive review, tailored to identify relevant theoretical and e...

Uncertainty, Stress and Decision Simulation

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Warwick, Walter

2000-01-01

.... Rather than continue in the tradition of rational choice theories and rule-based expert systems, we took a novel approach to this research and began work on a model of Recognition Primed Decision making (RPD...

Exploding the myths about the fast breeder reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burns, S.

1979-01-01

This paper discusses the facts and figures about the effects of conservation policies, the benefits of the Clinch River Breeder Reactor demonstration plant, the feasibility of nuclear weapons manufacture from reactor-grade plutonium, diversion of plutonium from nuclear plants, radioactive waste disposal, and the toxicity of plutonium. The paper concludes that the U.S. is not proceeding with a high confidence strategy for breeder development because of a variety of false assumptions.

Assessment of Proton Deflectometry for Exploding Wire Experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beg, Farhat Nadeem [University of California San Diego

2013-09-25

This project provides the first demonstration of the application of proton deflectometry for the diagnosis of electromagnetic field topology and current-carrying regions in Z-pinch plasma experiments. Over the course of this project several milestones were achieved. High-energy proton beam generation was demonstrated on the short-pulse high-intensity Leopard laser, (10 Joules in ~350 femtoseconds, and the proton beam generation was shown to be reproducible. Next, protons were used to probe the electromagnetic field structure of short circuit loads in order to benchmark the two numerical codes, the resistive-magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code, Gorgon, and the hybrid particle-in-cell code, LSP for the interpretation of results. Lastly, the proton deflectometry technique was used to map the magnetic field structure of pulsed-power-driven plasma loads including wires and supersonic jets formed with metallic foils. Good agreement between the modeling and experiments has been obtained. The demonstrated technique holds great promise to significantly improve the understanding of current flow and electromagnetic field topology in pulsed power driven high energy density plasmas. Proton probing with a high intensity laser was for the first time implemented in the presence of the harsh debris and x-ray producing z-pinch environment driven by a mega-ampere-scale pulsed-power machine. The intellectual merit of the program was that it investigated strongly driven MHD systems and the influence of magnetic field topology on plasma evolution in pulsed power driven plasmas. The experimental program involved intense field-matter interaction in the generation of the proton probe, as well as the generation of plasma subjected to 1 MegaGauss scale magnetic fields. The computational aspect included two well-documented codes, in combination for the first time to provide accurate interpretation of the experimental results. The broader impact included the support of 2 graduate students, one at UCSD and one at NTF, who were exposed to both the experimental physics work, the MHD and PIC modeling of the system. A first generation college undergraduate student was employed to assist in experiments and data analysis throughout the project. Data resulting from the research program were broadly disseminated by publication in scientific journals, and presentation at international and national conferences and workshops.

Judgment and decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischhoff, Baruch

2010-09-01

The study of judgment and decision making entails three interrelated forms of research: (1) normative analysis, identifying the best courses of action, given decision makers' values; (2) descriptive studies, examining actual behavior in terms comparable to the normative analyses; and (3) prescriptive interventions, helping individuals to make better choices, bridging the gap between the normative ideal and the descriptive reality. The research is grounded in analytical foundations shared by economics, psychology, philosophy, and management science. Those foundations provide a framework for accommodating affective and social factors that shape and complement the cognitive processes of decision making. The decision sciences have grown through applications requiring collaboration with subject matter experts, familiar with the substance of the choices and the opportunities for interventions. Over the past half century, the field has shifted its emphasis from predicting choices, which can be successful without theoretical insight, to understanding the processes shaping them. Those processes are often revealed through biases that suggest non-normative processes. The practical importance of these biases depends on the sensitivity of specific decisions and the support that individuals have in making them. As a result, the field offers no simple summary of individuals' competence as decision makers, but a suite of theories and methods suited to capturing these sensitivities. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Toward an Expanded Definition of Adaptive Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Susan D.

1997-01-01

Uses the lifespan, life-space model to examine the definition of adaptive decision making. Reviews the existing definition of adaptive decision making as "rational" decision making and offers alternate perspectives on decision making with an emphasis on the implications of using the model. Makes suggestions for future theory, research,…

The functional neuroanatomy of decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenbloom, Michael H; Schmahmann, Jeremy D; Price, Bruce H

2012-01-01

Decision-making is a complex executive function that draws on past experience, present goals, and anticipation of outcome, and which is influenced by prevailing and predicted emotional tone and cultural context. Functional imaging investigations and focal lesion studies identify the orbitofrontal, anterior cingulate, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices as critical to decision-making. The authors review the connections of these prefrontal regions with the neocortex, limbic system, basal ganglia, and cerebellum, highlight current ideas regarding the cognitive processes of decision-making that these networks subserve, and present a novel integrated neuroanatomical model for decision-making. Finally, clinical relevance of this circuitry is illustrated through a discussion of frontotemporal dementia, traumatic brain injury, and sociopathy.

Sense-making and Impact Assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyhne, Ivar

The poster integrates knowledge about how we make sense of situations into SEA methodology to strengthen the staging of impact assessments and the process of scoping impacts.......The poster integrates knowledge about how we make sense of situations into SEA methodology to strengthen the staging of impact assessments and the process of scoping impacts....

Decision Making Under Uncertain Categorization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephanie Ying-Fen Chen

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Two experiments investigated how category information is used in decision making under uncertainty and whether the framing of category information influences how it is used. Subjects were presented with vignettes in which the categorization of a critical item was ambiguous and were asked to choose among a set of actions with the goal of attaining the desired outcome for the main character in the story. The normative decision making strategy was to base the decision on all possible categories; however, research on a related topic, category-based induction, has found that people often only consider a single category when making predictions when categorization is uncertain. These experiments found that subjects tend to consider multiple categories when making decisions, but do so both when it is and is not appropriate, suggesting that use of multiple categories is not driven by an understanding of what categories are and are not relevant to the decision. Similarly, although a framing manipulation increased the rate of multiple-category use, it did so in situations in which multiple-category use was and was not appropriate.

Making sense of employer collectivism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ibsen, Christian Lyhne

2016-01-01

This conceptual article argues that preferences of employers for collective action cannot be reduced to rational actors making decisions based on market structures or institutional logics. Both markets and institutions are inherently ambiguous and employers therefore have to settle for plausible...... – rather than accurate – rational strategies among many alternatives through so-called sensemaking. Sensemaking refers to the process by which employers continuously make sense of their competitive environment by building causal stories of competitive advantages. The article therefore tries to provide......, unlike countries in similar situations, for example Finland and Sweden, Danish employers retained a coordinated industry-level bargaining system, which makes it an interesting paradox to study from the vantage point of sensemaking....

A Test Study to Display Buried Anti-Tank Landmines with GPR and Research Soil Characteristics with CRS

Science.gov (United States)

Kadioglu, Selma; Kagan Kadioglu, Yusuf

2014-05-01

An anti-tank mine (AT mine) is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles. Anti-tank mines typically have a much larger explosive charge, and a fuze designed only to be triggered by vehicles or, in some cases, tampering with the mine. There are a lot of AT mine types. In our test study, MK4 and MK5 AT mine types has been used. The Mk 5 was a cylindrical metal cased U.K. anti-tank blast mine that entered service in 1943, during the Second World War. General Specifications of them are 203 mm diameter, 127 mm height, 4.4-5.7 kg weight, 2.05-3.75 kg of TNT explosive content and 350 lbs operating pressure respectively. The aims of the test study were to image anti-tank landmine with GPR method and to analyse the soil characteristics before the mines made explode and after made be exploded and determine changing of the soil characteristics. We realized data measurement on the real 6 unexploded anti-tank landmine buried approximately 15 cm in depth. The mines spaced 3 m were buried in two lines. Space between lines was 1.5 m. We gathered data on the profiles, approximately 7 m, with a Ramac CUII system and 800 MHz shielded antenna. We collected soil samples on the mines, near and around the mines, on the area in village. We collected soil samples before exploding and after exploding mines. We imaged anti-tank landmines on the depth slices of the GPR data and in their interactive transparent 3D subsets successfully. We used polarized microscope and confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS) to identify soil characteristic before and after exploitation. The results presented that GPR method and its 3D imaging were successful to determine AT mines, and there was no important changing on mineralogical and petrographical characterization of the soil before and after exploding processing. This project has been supported by Ankara University under grant no 11B6055002. The study is a contribution to the EU funded COST action TU

Cognitive-emotional decision making (CEDM): a framework of patient medical decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Power, Tara E; Swartzman, Leora C; Robinson, John W

2011-05-01

Assistance for patients faced with medical decisions has largely focussed on the clarification of information and personal values. Our aim is to draw on the decision research describing the role of emotion in combination with health behaviour models to provide a framework for conceptualizing patient decisions. A review of the psychological and medical decision making literature concerned with the role of emotion/affect in decision making and health behaviours. Emotion plays an influential role in decision making. Both current and anticipated emotions play a motivational role in choice. Amalgamating these findings with that of Leventhal's (1970) SRM provide a framework for thinking about the influence of emotion on a patient medical decision. Our framework suggests that a patient must cope with four sets of elements. The first two relate to the need to manage the cognitive and emotional aspects of the health threat. The second set relate to the management of the cognitive and emotional elements of the decision, itself. The framework provides a way for practitioners and researchers to frame thinking about a patient medical decision in order to assist the patient in clarifying decisional priorities. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decision-making based on emotional images.

Science.gov (United States)

Katahira, Kentaro; Fujimura, Tomomi; Okanoya, Kazuo; Okada, Masato

2011-01-01

The emotional outcome of a choice affects subsequent decision making. While the relationship between decision making and emotion has attracted attention, studies on emotion and decision making have been independently developed. In this study, we investigated how the emotional valence of pictures, which was stochastically contingent on participants' choices, influenced subsequent decision making. In contrast to traditional value-based decision-making studies that used money or food as a reward, the "reward value" of the decision outcome, which guided the update of value for each choice, is unknown beforehand. To estimate the reward value of emotional pictures from participants' choice data, we used reinforcement learning models that have successfully been used in previous studies for modeling value-based decision making. Consequently, we found that the estimated reward value was asymmetric between positive and negative pictures. The negative reward value of negative pictures (relative to neutral pictures) was larger in magnitude than the positive reward value of positive pictures. This asymmetry was not observed in valence for an individual picture, which was rated by the participants regarding the emotion experienced upon viewing it. These results suggest that there may be a difference between experienced emotion and the effect of the experienced emotion on subsequent behavior. Our experimental and computational paradigm provides a novel way for quantifying how and what aspects of emotional events affect human behavior. The present study is a first step toward relating a large amount of knowledge in emotion science and in taking computational approaches to value-based decision making.

Decision making based on emotional images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kentaro eKatahira

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The emotional outcome of a choice affects subsequent decision making. While the relationship between decision making and emotion has attracted attention, studies on emotion and decision making have been independently developed. In this study, we investigated how the emotional valence of pictures, which was stochastically contingent on participants’ choices, influenced subsequent decision making. In contrast to traditional value-based decision-making studies that used money or food as a reward, the reward value of the decision outcome, which guided the update of value for each choice, is unknown beforehand. To estimate the reward value of emotional pictures from participants’ choice data, we used reinforcement learning models that have success- fully been used in previous studies for modeling value-based decision making. Consequently, we found that the estimated reward value was asymmetric between positive and negative pictures. The negative reward value of negative pictures (relative to neutral pictures was larger in magnitude than the positive reward value of positive pictures. This asymmetry was not observed in valence for an individual picture, which was rated by the participants regarding the emotion experienced upon viewing it. These results suggest that there may be a difference between experienced emotion and the effect of the experienced emotion on subsequent behavior. Our experimental and computational paradigm provides a novel way for quantifying how and what aspects of emotional events affect human behavior. The present study is a first step toward relating a large amount of knowledge in emotion science and in taking computational approaches to value-based decision making.

Making Ceramic Cameras

Science.gov (United States)

Squibb, Matt

2009-01-01

This article describes how to make a clay camera. This idea of creating functional cameras from clay allows students to experience ceramics, photography, and painting all in one unit. (Contains 1 resource and 3 online resources.)

Affective Decision Making and the Ellsberg Paradox

OpenAIRE

Anat Bracha; Donald J. Brown

2008-01-01

Affective decision-making is a strategic model of choice under risk and uncertainty where we posit two cognitive processes -- the "rational" and the "emotional" process. Observed choice is the result of equilibrium in this intrapersonal game. As an example, we present applications of affective decision-making in insurance markets, where the risk perceptions of consumers are endogenous. We derive the axiomatic foundation of affective decision making, and show that affective decision making is ...

CTD data of the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program in the North Pacific 100 miles north of Oahu, Hawaii for cruises HOT249-258 during 2013 (NODC Accession 0125647)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The HOT program makes repeated observations of the physics, biology and chemistry at a site approximately 100 km north of Oahu, Hawaii. The program began in 1988....

Thermosalinograph data of the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program in the North Pacific 100 miles north of Oahu, Hawaii for cruises HOT259-268 during 2014 (NCEI Accession 0140225)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The HOT program makes repeated observations of the physics, biology and chemistry at a site approximately 100 km north of Oahu, Hawaii. The program began in 1988....

Strategic Delegation of Environmental Policy Making

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roelfsema, H. [Utrecht University, Utrecht School of Economics, Vredenburg 138, 3511 BG Utrecht (Netherlands)

2004-04-15

A common claim is that nations should cooperate in environmental policy making. However, there is little empirical support that noncooperative decision making results in too low environmental standards and taxes. We develop a theoretical model and show that if the median voter cares sufficiently for the environment, she has an incentive to delegate policy making to a politician that cares more for the environment than she does herself. By doing so, she mitigates the 'race to the bottom' in environmental taxes. In contrast, if environmental policies are determined cooperatively with other countries, the median voter has an incentive to delegate policy making to a politician that cares less for the environment than she does herself, so as to free ride on international environmental agreements.

Decision-Making Autonomy and Subsidiary Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Van Vo, Dut; Beugelsdijk, Sjoerd; de Jong, Gjalt

2013-01-01

This paper investigates how decision-making autonomy affects the possibility and intensity of innovation in subsidiaries of multinational enterprises (MNEs). Subsidiaries are increasingly identified as sources of innovation and as vehicles for cross-border transfer of new competences. The question...... of how much decision-making autonomy subsidiaries should have is a core issue in the management of headquarters-subsidiary relationships. Using two complementary theoretical perspectives, we hypothesize a non-linear relationship between subsidiary’s decision-making autonomy and innovation. We test our...... hypothesis in a multi-country and multiindustry database based on survey evidence of 134 subsidiaries located in five Central and Eastern European countries from 23 home countries. The empirical results provide support for a non-linear U shaped relationship between subsidiary decision-making autonomy...

Decision-making in abnormal radiological situations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pretre, S.

1998-01-01

General problems associated with social impacts of radiology and decision making is discussed, as the main topics of the meeting. The problem of population is discussed living in areas contaminates with radioactive substances resulting from a major accident or from pest practices. This situation needs decision making process for initiating actions like relocation, resettlement or large-scale decontamination. The roles of various participants in this decision making process and in the communication with the public are considered. (R.P.)

Nuclear regulatory decision making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The fundamental objective of all nuclear safety regulatory bodies is to ensure that nuclear utilities operate their plants at all times in an acceptably safe manner. In meeting this objective, the regulatory body should strive to ensure that its regulatory decisions are technically sound, consistent from case to case, and timely. In addition, the regulator must be aware that its decisions and the circumstances surrounding those decisions can affect how its stakeholders, such as government policy makers, the industry it regulates, and the public, view it as an effective and credible regulator. In order to maintain the confidence of those stakeholders, the regulator should make sure that its decisions are transparent, have a clear basis in law and regulations, and are seen by impartial observers to be fair to all parties. Based on the work of a Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) expert group, this report discusses some of the basic principles and criteria that a regulatory body should consider in making decisions and describes the elements of an integrated framework for regulatory decision making. (author)

Merging paradigms: Decision Making, Management, and Cognitive Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Jens

1996-01-01

The paper discusses the trend in paradigms within decision research, drifting from concepts of decision making in terms of normative models of 'rational decision making, through behavioral models in terms of 'biases' - deviations from rational models, toward models of actual decision making...... behavior, such as the SRK concept, naturalistic decision making, and dynamic decision making.In this evolution, concepts such as decision making, management, and behavioral control merge and a concurrent change in concepts underlying design of systems aiming at control of behavior is visible, from...

Stereotype threat affects financial decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Priyanka B; Steele, Claude M

2010-10-01

The research presented in this article provides the first evidence that one's decision making can be influenced by concerns about stereotypes and the devaluation of one's identity. Many studies document gender differences in decision making, and often attribute these differences to innate and stable factors, such as biological and hormonal differences. In three studies, we found that stereotype threat affected decision making and led to gender differences in loss-aversion and risk-aversion behaviors. In Study 1, women subjected to stereotype threat in academic and business settings were more loss averse than both men and women who were not facing the threat of being viewed in light of negative stereotypes. We found no gender differences in loss-aversion behavior in the absence of stereotype threat. In Studies 2a and 2b, we found the same pattern of effects for risk-aversion behavior that we had observed for loss-aversion behavior. In addition, in Study 2b, ego depletion mediated the effects of stereotype threat on women's decision making. These results suggest that individuals' decision making can be influenced by stereotype concerns.

Diagnostics of underwater electrical wire explosion through a time- and space-resolved hard x-ray source.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheftman, D; Shafer, D; Efimov, S; Gruzinsky, K; Gleizer, S; Krasik, Ya E

2012-10-01

A time- and space-resolved hard x-ray source was developed as a diagnostic tool for imaging underwater exploding wires. A ~4 ns width pulse of hard x-rays with energies of up to 100 keV was obtained from the discharge in a vacuum diode consisting of point-shaped tungsten electrodes. To improve contrast and image quality, an external pulsed magnetic field produced by Helmholtz coils was used. High resolution x-ray images of an underwater exploding wire were obtained using a sensitive x-ray CCD detector, and were compared to optical fast framing images. Future developments and application of this diagnostic technique are discussed.

Does future-oriented thinking predict adolescent decision making?

Science.gov (United States)

Eskritt, Michelle; Doucette, Jesslyn; Robitaille, Lori

2014-01-01

A number of theorists, as well as plain common sense, suggest that future-oriented thinking (FOT) should be involved in decision making; therefore, the development of FOT should be related to better quality decision making. FOT and quality of the decision making were measured in adolescents as well as adults in 2 different experiments. Though the results of the first experiment revealed an increase in quality of decision making across adolescence into adulthood, there was no relationship between FOT and decision making. In the second experiment, FOT predicted performance on a more deliberative decision-making task independent of age, but not performance on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Performance on the IGT was instead related to emotion regulation. The study's findings suggest that FOT can be related to reflective decision making but not necessarily decision making that is more intuitive.

Argumentation and Multi-Agent Decision Making

OpenAIRE

Parsons, S.; Jennings, N. R.

1998-01-01

This paper summarises our on-going work on mixed- initiative decision making which extends both classical decision theory and a symbolic theory of decision making based on argumentation to a multi-agent domain.

Keeping brains young with making music.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogenmoser, Lars; Kernbach, Julius; Schlaug, Gottfried; Gaser, Christian

2018-01-01

Music-making is a widespread leisure and professional activity that has garnered interest over the years due to its effect on brain and cognitive development and its potential as a rehabilitative and restorative therapy of brain dysfunctions. We investigated whether music-making has a potential age-protecting effect on the brain. For this, we studied anatomical magnetic resonance images obtained from three matched groups of subjects who differed in their lifetime dose of music-making activities (i.e., professional musicians, amateur musicians, and non-musicians). For each subject, we calculated a so-called BrainAGE score which corresponds to the discrepancy (in years) between chronological age and the "age of the brain", with negative values reflecting an age-decelerating brain and positive values an age-accelerating brain, respectively. The index of "brain age" was estimated using a machine-learning algorithm that was trained in a large independent sample to identify anatomical correlates of brain-aging. Compared to non-musicians, musicians overall had lower BrainAGE scores, with amateur musicians having the lowest scores suggesting that music-making has an age-decelerating effect on the brain. Unlike the amateur musicians, the professional musicians showed a positive correlation between their BrainAGE scores and years of music-making, possibly indicating that engaging more intensely in just one otherwise enriching activity might not be as beneficial than if the activity is one of several that an amateur musician engages in. Intense music-making activities at a professional level could also lead to stress-related interferences and a less enriched environment than that of amateur musicians, possibly somewhat diminishing the otherwise positive effect of music-making.

Ramanujan's Circle

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

IAS Admin

Francis Spring who was then serving as a railway officer. Spring was very much pleased ... to the Chief Accountant. Being pleased with Narayan ... After making arrangements for financial security to Ramanujan, he began to provide intellectual ...

Water-Quality Data for Selected National Park Units, Southern and Central Arizona and West-Central New Mexico, Water Years 2003 and 2004

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Brown, James G

2005-01-01

In 1992 the National Park Service began a Level 1 Water Quality Data Inventory program to make available to park managers the water-resource information with which to best manage each park and plan for the future...

Decision making regarding multifetal reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Maifeld, Michelle; Hahn, Sandra; Titler, Marita G; Mullen, Meredithe

2003-01-01

To identify salient variables that influence decision making regarding multifetal reduction (MFR) and describe their effect on individuals over time. Prospective, exploratory, descriptive design, using qualitative and quantitative methods. Midwestern tertiary care center. A convenience sample of 11 consecutive consenting couples with triplet or higher-order pregnancies who elected to undergo MFR. Semistructured audiotaped telephone interviews at three points: (a) 2 weeks postreduction, (b) 6 weeks postpartum, and (c) 6 months postpartum; a demographic and marital adjustment questionnaire. Themes identified by content analysis and compared via matrix analysis between males and females and at three points in time; trends in marital adjustment. Dominant variables influencing MFR decision making were risks associated with higher-order pregnancies and preservation of infants' and mothers' health. Most participants identified emotional issues, including moral and ethical dilemmas, as the most difficult aspect of reduction. Over time, participants reported feeling more positive about their decision; nonetheless, negative feelings emerged progressively. Risk aversion favored MFR decision making. Yet, both making and living with the decision were emotionally difficult for this sample. Interventions are needed to assist couples with this decision and its consequences.

Computational Complexity and Human Decision-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Bossaerts, Peter; Murawski, Carsten

2017-12-01

The rationality principle postulates that decision-makers always choose the best action available to them. It underlies most modern theories of decision-making. The principle does not take into account the difficulty of finding the best option. Here, we propose that computational complexity theory (CCT) provides a framework for defining and quantifying the difficulty of decisions. We review evidence showing that human decision-making is affected by computational complexity. Building on this evidence, we argue that most models of decision-making, and metacognition, are intractable from a computational perspective. To be plausible, future theories of decision-making will need to take into account both the resources required for implementing the computations implied by the theory, and the resource constraints imposed on the decision-maker by biology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computer Graphics and Administrative Decision-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Yost, Michael

1984-01-01

Reduction in prices now makes it possible for almost any institution to use computer graphics for administrative decision making and research. Current and potential uses of computer graphics in these two areas are discussed. (JN)

Authentic Montessori: The Teacher Makes the Difference

Science.gov (United States)

Huxel, Alexa C.

2013-01-01

What are the elements that make up authentic Montessori? Is Montessori something concrete or abstract? Are there intangibles that make Montessori what it is? Many classrooms today have Montessori materials and small tables and chairs. Are they authentic Montessori? When examining areas that traditionally make defining authentic Montessori…

Learning to Make Decisions Through Constructive Controversy.

Science.gov (United States)

Tjosvold, Dean

Students must make decisions about their lifestyle, future careers, academic pursuits, and classroom and school issues. Learning to make effective decisions for themselves and for society is an important aspect of competence. They can learn decision making through interacting and solving problems with others. A central ingredient for successful…

Decision Making with Imperfect Decision Makers

CERN Document Server

Guy, Tatiana Valentine; Wolpert, David H

2012-01-01

Prescriptive Bayesian decision making has reached a high level of maturity and is well-supported algorithmically. However, experimental data shows that real decision makers choose such Bayes-optimal decisions surprisingly infrequently, often making decisions that are badly sub-optimal. So prevalent is such imperfect decision-making that it should be accepted as an inherent feature of real decision makers living within interacting societies. To date such societies have been investigated from an economic and gametheoretic perspective, and even to a degree from a physics perspective. However, lit

Research, development and innovation in the electrical energy sector of Brazil: toward a tool for the support of the decision-making process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machado, Fernando Vieira; Salles-Filho, Sergio; Brittes, Jose Juiz Pereira; Corder, Solange Maria; Boer, Denile Cominato [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), SP (Brazil)

2008-07-01

The objective of this article is to present a tool to help in the decision making process for the allocation of resources for research, development and innovation in the electrical energy sector in Brazil. It provides a computerized tool for the management of a portfolio of projects which contains myriads of information of projects of research, development, and innovation financed by companies in the area of the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy in Brazil. This tool permits the collection and analysis of this information with a view to evaluating the direction and progress of investments made in the past five years. The electrical energy sector of Brazil invests hundreds of millions of reals each year in research and development (henceforth 'R and D'). The investment of these resources is required by a set of federal laws. This legal framework is a consequence of the process of the privatization of the sector which began in 1997. The investment of the financial resources in R and D projects is supervised by the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (henceforth 'ANEEL'). It is the responsibility of ANEEL to evaluate and approve proposed R and D projects, and monitor their results, as per the 'Handbook of R and D of the Electrical Energy Sector.' This tool for supporting the decision-making process serves exactly the purpose of helping both ANEEL in the approval of resources under its supervision, as well as helping companies within the electrical energy sector in the management of applied resources. Almost one billion reals (approximately US $500,000,000) were invested in more than 3000 projects from 1998 to 2006. The data base associated with these projects already contains information concerning 1412 projects from 1998 to 2004, permitting significant analyses of the results and impacts of the allocation of resources. (author)

Making sense of shared sense-making in an inquiry-based science classroom: Toward a sociocultural theory of mind

Science.gov (United States)

Ladewski, Barbara G.

Despite considerable exploration of inquiry and reflection in the literatures of science education and teacher education/teacher professional development over the past century, few theoretical or analytical tools exist to characterize these processes within a naturalistic classroom context. In addition, little is known regarding possible developmental trajectories for inquiry or reflection---for teachers or students---as these processes develop within a classroom context over time. In the dissertation, I use a sociocultural lens to explore these issues with an eye to the ways in which teachers and students develop shared sense-making, rather than from the more traditional perspective of individual teacher activity or student learning. The study includes both theoretical and empirical components. Theoretically, I explore the elaborations of sociocultural theory needed to characterize teacher-student shared sense-making as it develops within a classroom context, and, in particular, the role of inquiry and reflection in that sense-making. I develop a sociocultural model of shared sense-making that attempts to represent the dialectic between the individual and the social, through an elaboration of existing sociocultural and psychological constructs, including Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and theory of mind. Using this model as an interpretive framework, I develop a case study that explores teacher-student shared sense-making within a middle-school science classroom across a year of scaffolded introduction to inquiry-based science instruction. The empirical study serves not only as a test case for the theoretical model, but also informs our understanding regarding possible developmental trajectories and important mechanisms supporting and constraining shared sense-making within inquiry-based science classrooms. Theoretical and empirical findings provide support for the idea that perspectival shifts---that is, shifts of point-of-view that alter relationships

Making the case for evidence-based design in healthcare: a descriptive case study of organizational decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Shoemaker, Lorie K; Kazley, Abby Swanson; White, Andrea

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to describe the organizational decision-making process used in the selection of evidence-based design (EBD) concepts, the criteria used to make these decisions, and the extent to which leadership style may have influenced the decision-making process. Five research questions were formulated to frame the direction of this study, including: (1) How did healthcare leaders learn of innovations in design? (2) How did healthcare leaders make decisions in the selection of healthcare design concepts? (3) What criteria did healthcare leaders use in the decision-making process? (4) How did healthcare leaders consider input from the staff in design decisions? and (5) To what extent did the leadership style of administrators affect the outcomes of the decision-making process? Current issues affecting healthcare in the community led the principal investigator's organization to undertake an ambitious facilities expansion project. As part of its planning process, the organization learned of EBD principles that seemingly had a positive impact on patient care and safety and staff working conditions. Although promising, a paucity of empirical research addressed the cost/benefit of incorporating many EBD concepts into one hospital setting, and there was no research that articulated the organizational decision-making process used by healthcare administrators when considering the use of EBD in expansion projects. A mixed-method, descriptive, qualitative, single-case study and quantitative design were used to address the five research questions. The Systems Research Organizing Model provided the theoretical framework. A variety of data collection methods was used, including interviews of key respondents, the review of documentary evidence, and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. A participatory process was used throughout the design decision phases, involving staff at all levels of the organization. The Internet and architects facilitated learning about

Strategic decision making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stokman, Frans N.; Assen, Marcel A.L.M. van; Knoop, Jelle van der; Oosten, Reinier C.H. van

2000-01-01

This paper introduces a methodology for strategic intervention in collective decision making.The methodology is based on (1) a decomposition of the problem into a few main controversial issues, (2) systematic interviews of subject area specialists to obtain a specification of the decision

What Makes Organization?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boll, Karen

This article investigates a segmentation model used by the Danish Tax and Customs Administration to classify businesses’ motivational postures. The article uses two different conceptualizations of performativity to analyze what the model’s segmentations do; Hacking’s idea of making up people...

44 CFR 9.6 - Decision-making process.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Decision-making process. 9.6... HOMELAND SECURITY GENERAL FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION OF WETLANDS § 9.6 Decision-making process... protection decision-making process to be followed by the Agency in applying the Orders to its actions. While...

Clinical decision-making: physicians' preferences and experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

White Martha

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Shared decision-making has been advocated; however there are relatively few studies on physician preferences for, and experiences of, different styles of clinical decision-making as most research has focused on patient preferences and experiences. The objectives of this study were to determine 1 physician preferences for different styles of clinical decision-making; 2 styles of clinical decision-making physicians perceive themselves as practicing; and 3 the congruence between preferred and perceived style. In addition we sought to determine physician perceptions of the availability of time in visits, and their role in encouraging patients to look for health information. Methods Cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of U.S. physicians. Results 1,050 (53% response rate physicians responded to the survey. Of these, 780 (75% preferred to share decision-making with their patients, 142 (14% preferred paternalism, and 118 (11% preferred consumerism. 87% of physicians perceived themselves as practicing their preferred style. Physicians who preferred their patients to play an active role in decision-making were more likely to report encouraging patients to look for information, and to report having enough time in visits. Conclusion Physicians tend to perceive themselves as practicing their preferred role in clinical decision-making. The direction of the association cannot be inferred from these data; however, we suggest that interventions aimed at promoting shared decision-making need to target physicians as well as patients.

The involvement of the striatum in decision making

Science.gov (United States)

Goulet-Kennedy, Julie; Labbe, Sara; Fecteau, Shirley

2016-01-01

Decision making has been extensively studied in the context of economics and from a group perspective, but still little is known on individual decision making. Here we discuss the different cognitive processes involved in decision making and its associated neural substrates. The putative conductors in decision making appear to be the prefrontal cortex and the striatum. Impaired decision-making skills in various clinical populations have been associated with activity in the prefrontal cortex and in the striatum. We highlight the importance of strengthening the degree of integration of both cognitive and neural substrates in order to further our understanding of decision-making skills. In terms of cognitive paradigms, there is a need to improve the ecological value of experimental tasks that assess decision making in various contexts and with rewards; this would help translate laboratory learnings into real-life benefits. In terms of neural substrates, the use of neuroimaging techniques helps characterize the neural networks associated with decision making; more recently, ways to modulate brain activity, such as in the prefrontal cortex and connected regions (eg, striatum), with noninvasive brain stimulation have also shed light on the neural and cognitive substrates of decision making. Together, these cognitive and neural approaches might be useful for patients with impaired decision-making skills. The drive behind this line of work is that decision-making abilities underlie important aspects of wellness, health, security, and financial and social choices in our daily lives. PMID:27069380

Crowding-in: how Indian civil society organizations began mobilizing around climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Ylä-Anttila, Tuomas; Swarnakar, Pradip

2017-06-01

This paper argues that periodic waves of crowding-in to 'hot' issue fields are a recurring feature of how globally networked civil society organizations operate, especially in countries of the Global South. We elaborate on this argument through a study of Indian civil society mobilization around climate change. Five key mechanisms contribute to crowding-in processes: (1) the expansion of discursive opportunities; (2) the event effects of global climate change conferences; (3) the network effects created by expanding global civil society networks; (4) the adoption and innovation of action repertoires; and (5) global pressure effects creating new opportunities for civil society. Our findings contribute to the world society literature, with an account of the social mechanisms through which global institutions and political events affect national civil societies, and to the social movements literature by showing that developments in world society are essential contributors to national mobilization processes. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2017.

Work Began on Contracts for Radioisotope Power Conversion Technology Research and Development

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Wayne A.

2005-01-01

NASA has had a history of successful space flight missions that depended on radioisotope-fueled power systems. These Radioisotope Power Systems (RPSs) converted the heat generated from the decay of radioisotope material into useful electrical power. An RPS is most attractive in applications where photovoltaics are not optimal, such as deep-space applications where the solar flux is too low or extended applications on planets such as Mars where the day/night cycle, settling of dust, and life requirements limit the usefulness of photovoltaics. NASA s Radioisotope Power Conversion Technology (RPCT) Program is developing next-generation power-conversion technologies that will enable future missions that have requirements that cannot be met by the two RPS flight systems currently being developed by the Department of Energy for NASA: the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator and the Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG).

Autonomy and couples' joint decision-making in healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Osamor, Pauline E; Grady, Christine

2018-01-11

Respect for autonomy is a key principle in bioethics. However, respecting autonomy in practice is complex because most people define themselves and make decisions influenced by a complex network of social relationships. The extent to which individual autonomy operates for each partner within the context of decision-making within marital or similar relationships is largely unexplored. This paper explores issues related to decision-making by couples (couples' joint decision-making) for health care and the circumstances under which such a practice should be respected as compatible with autonomous decision-making. We discuss the concept of autonomy as it applies to persons and to actions, human interdependency and gender roles in decision-making, the dynamics and outcomes of couples' joint decision-making, and the ethics of couples' joint decision-making. We believe that the extent to which couples' joint decision-making might be deemed ethically acceptable will vary depending on the context. Given that in many traditional marriages the woman is the less dominant partner, we consider a spectrum of scenarios of couples' joint decision-making about a woman's own health care that move from those that are acceptably autonomous to those that are not consistent with respecting the woman's autonomous decision-making. To the extent that there is evidence that both members of a couple understand a decision, intend it, and that neither completely controls the other, couples' joint decision-making should be viewed as consistent with the principle of respect for the woman's autonomy. At the other end of the spectrum are decisions made by the man without the woman's input, representing domination of one partner by the other. We recommend viewing the dynamics of couples' joint decision-making as existing on a continuum of degrees of autonomy. This continuum-based perspective implies that couples' joint decision-making should not be taken at face value but should be assessed against

Amateur Telescope Making

Science.gov (United States)

Tonkin, Stephen

Many amateur astronomers make their own instruments, either because of financial considerations or because they are just interested. Amateur Telescope Making offers a variety of designs for telescopes, mounts and drives which are suitable for the home-constructor. The designs range from simple to advanced, but all are within the range of a moderately well-equipped home workshop. The book not only tells the reader what he can construct, but also what it is sensible to construct given what time is available commercially. Thus each chapter begins with reasons for undertaking the project, then looks at theoretical consideration before finishing with practical instructions and advice. An indication is given as to the skills required for the various projects. Appendices list reputable sources of (mail order) materials and components. The telescopes and mounts range from "shoestring" (very cheap) instruments to specialist devices that are unavailable commercially.

Making Heat Visible

Science.gov (United States)

Goodhew, Julie; Pahl, Sabine; Auburn, Tim; Goodhew, Steve

2015-01-01

Householders play a role in energy conservation through the decisions they make about purchases and installations such as insulation, and through their habitual behavior. The present U.K. study investigated the effect of thermal imaging technology on energy conservation, by measuring the behavioral effect after householders viewed images of heat escaping from or cold air entering their homes. In Study 1 (n = 43), householders who received a thermal image reduced their energy use at a 1-year follow-up, whereas householders who received a carbon footprint audit and a non-intervention control demonstrated no change. In Study 2 (n = 87), householders were nearly 5 times more likely to install draught proofing measures after seeing a thermal image. The effect was especially pronounced for actions that addressed an issue visible in the images. Findings indicate that using thermal imaging to make heat loss visible can promote energy conservation. PMID:26635418

Embodiment and sense-making in autism

Science.gov (United States)

De Jaegher, Hanne

2013-01-01

In this article, I sketch an enactive account of autism. For the enactive approach to cognition, embodiment, experience, and social interaction are fundamental to understanding mind and subjectivity. Enaction defines cognition as sense-making: the way cognitive agents meaningfully connect with their world, based on their needs and goals as self-organizing, self-maintaining, embodied agents. In the social realm, the interactive coordination of embodied sense-making activities with others lets us participate in each other's sense-making (social understanding = participatory sense-making). The enactive approach provides new concepts to overcome the problems of traditional functionalist accounts of autism, which can only give a piecemeal and disintegrated view because they consider cognition, communication, and perception separately, do not take embodied into account, and are methodologically individualistic. Applying the concepts of enaction to autism, I show: How embodiment and sense-making connect, i.e., how autistic particularities of moving, perceiving, and emoting relate to how people with autism make sense of their world. For instance, restricted interests or preference for detail will have certain sensorimotor correlates, as well as specific meaning for autistic people.That reduced flexibility in interactional coordination correlates with difficulties in participatory sense-making. At the same time, seemingly irrelevant “autistic behaviors” can be quite attuned to the interactive context. I illustrate this complexity in the case of echolalia. An enactive account of autism starts from the embodiment, experience, and social interactions of autistic people. Enaction brings together the sensorimotor, cognitive, social, experiential, and affective aspects of autism in a coherent framework based on a complex non-linear multi-causality. This foundation allows to build new bridges between autistic people and their often non-autistic context, and to improve quality

Embodiment and sense-making in autism.

Science.gov (United States)

De Jaegher, Hanne

2013-01-01

In this article, I sketch an enactive account of autism. For the enactive approach to cognition, embodiment, experience, and social interaction are fundamental to understanding mind and subjectivity. Enaction defines cognition as sense-making: the way cognitive agents meaningfully connect with their world, based on their needs and goals as self-organizing, self-maintaining, embodied agents. In the social realm, the interactive coordination of embodied sense-making activities with others lets us participate in each other's sense-making (social understanding = participatory sense-making). The enactive approach provides new concepts to overcome the problems of traditional functionalist accounts of autism, which can only give a piecemeal and disintegrated view because they consider cognition, communication, and perception separately, do not take embodied into account, and are methodologically individualistic. Applying the concepts of enaction to autism, I show: How embodiment and sense-making connect, i.e., how autistic particularities of moving, perceiving, and emoting relate to how people with autism make sense of their world. For instance, restricted interests or preference for detail will have certain sensorimotor correlates, as well as specific meaning for autistic people.That reduced flexibility in interactional coordination correlates with difficulties in participatory sense-making. At the same time, seemingly irrelevant "autistic behaviors" can be quite attuned to the interactive context. I illustrate this complexity in the case of echolalia. An enactive account of autism starts from the embodiment, experience, and social interactions of autistic people. Enaction brings together the sensorimotor, cognitive, social, experiential, and affective aspects of autism in a coherent framework based on a complex non-linear multi-causality. This foundation allows to build new bridges between autistic people and their often non-autistic context, and to improve quality of

Goal-Directed Decision Making with Spiking Neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Friedrich, Johannes; Lengyel, Máté

2016-02-03

Behavioral and neuroscientific data on reward-based decision making point to a fundamental distinction between habitual and goal-directed action selection. The formation of habits, which requires simple updating of cached values, has been studied in great detail, and the reward prediction error theory of dopamine function has enjoyed prominent success in accounting for its neural bases. In contrast, the neural circuit mechanisms of goal-directed decision making, requiring extended iterative computations to estimate values online, are still unknown. Here we present a spiking neural network that provably solves the difficult online value estimation problem underlying goal-directed decision making in a near-optimal way and reproduces behavioral as well as neurophysiological experimental data on tasks ranging from simple binary choice to sequential decision making. Our model uses local plasticity rules to learn the synaptic weights of a simple neural network to achieve optimal performance and solves one-step decision-making tasks, commonly considered in neuroeconomics, as well as more challenging sequential decision-making tasks within 1 s. These decision times, and their parametric dependence on task parameters, as well as the final choice probabilities match behavioral data, whereas the evolution of neural activities in the network closely mimics neural responses recorded in frontal cortices during the execution of such tasks. Our theory provides a principled framework to understand the neural underpinning of goal-directed decision making and makes novel predictions for sequential decision-making tasks with multiple rewards. Goal-directed actions requiring prospective planning pervade decision making, but their circuit-level mechanisms remain elusive. We show how a model circuit of biologically realistic spiking neurons can solve this computationally challenging problem in a novel way. The synaptic weights of our network can be learned using local plasticity rules

Emotion, decision-making and the brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Luke J; Sanfey, Alan G

2008-01-01

Initial explorations in the burgeoning field of neuroeconomics have highlighted evidence supporting a potential dissociation between a fast automatic system and a slow deliberative controlled system. Growing research in the role of emotion in decision-making has attempted to draw parallels to the automatic system. This chapter will discuss a theoretical framework for understanding the role of emotion in decision-making and evidence supporting the underlying neural substrates. This chapter applies a conceptual framework to understanding the role of emotion in decision-making, and emphasizes a distinction between expected and immediate emotions. Expected emotions refer to anticipated emotional states associated with a given decision that are never actually experienced. Immediate emotions, however, are experienced at the time of decision, and either can occur in response to a particular decision or merely as a result of a transitory fluctuation. This chapter will review research from the neuroeconomics literature that supports a neural dissociation between these two classes of emotion and also discuss a few interpretive caveats. Several lines of research including regret, uncertainty, social decision-making, and moral decision-making have yielded evidence consistent with our formulization--expected and immediate emotions may invoke dissociable neural systems. This chapter provides a more specific conceptualization of the mediating role of emotions in the decision-making process, which has important implications for understanding the interacting neural systems underlying the interface between emotion and cognition--a topic of immediate value to anyone investigating topics within the context of social-cognitive-affective-neuroscience.

Emilio Segre: nuclear pioneer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steiner, Herbert

2005-02-01

On the centenary of his birth, Emilio Segre is remembered for his discovery of the antiproton and several chemical elements, not to mention his knack of bringing physics to life. 'Suddenly the whole landscape was inundated by an extremely bright light that looked, and was, much brighter than sunlight at noon. In fact, in a very small fraction of a second, that light, at our distance from the explosion, could cause worse sunburn than exposure for a whole day on a sunny beach. At the moment of the explosion, the thought passed through my mind that maybe the atmosphere was catching fire, causing the end of the world, although I knew that that possibility had been carefully considered and ruled out.' This is how Emilio Segre described the birth of the atomic age on 15 July 1945. He and Enrico Fermi were lying next to each other on the ground, wearing dark glasses, 10 miles from ground zero when the first atomic bomb exploded. Segre could not recall what they said to each other at the time, but he remembered that Fermi got up almost immediately and began dropping small scraps of paper to estimate the intensity of the explosion by measuring how far the scraps were moved by the shock wave. (U.K.)

Resolution of the Hanford site ferrocyanide safety issue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cash, R.J.; Lilga, M.A.; Babad, H.

1997-01-01

The Ferrocyanide Safety Issue at the Hanford Site was officially resolved in December 1996. This paper summarizes the key activities that led to final resolution of this safety hazard, a process that began in 1990 after it and other safety concerns were identified for the underground high-level waste storage tanks at the Hanford Site. At the time little was known about ferrocyanide-nitrate/nitrite reactions and their potential to cause offsite releases of radioactivity. The ferrocyanide hazard was a perceived problem, but it took six years of intense studies and analyses of tank samples to prove that the problem no longer exists. The issue revolved around the fact that ferrocyanide and nitrate mixtures can be made to explode violently if concentrated, dry, and heated to temperatures of at least 250 degrees C. The studies conducted over the last six years have shown that the combined effects of temperature, radiation, and pH during 40 or more years of storage have destroyed almost all of the ferrocyanide originally added to tanks. This was shown in laboratory experiments using simulant wastes and confirmed by actual samples taken from the ferrocyanide tanks. The tank waste sludges are now too dilute to support a sustained exothermic reaction, even if dried out and heated to high temperatures. 2 tabs., 18 refs

Decision-making in diabetes mellitus type 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Rustad, James K; Musselman, Dominique L; Skyler, Jay S; Matheson, Della; Delamater, Alan; Kenyon, Norma S; Cáceda, Ricardo; Nemeroff, Charles B

2013-01-01

Decreased treatment adherence in patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 (type 1 DM) may reflect impairments in decision-making and underlying associated deficits in working memory and executive functioning. Other factors, including comorbid major depression, may also interfere with decision-making. The authors sought to review the clinically relevant characteristics of decision-making in type 1 DM by surveying the literature on decision-making by patients with type 1 DM. Deficiencies in decision-making in patients with type 1 DM or their caregivers contribute to treatment nonadherence and poorer metabolic control. Animal models of type 1 DM reveal deficits in hippocampal-dependent memory tasks, which are reversible with insulin. Neurocognitive studies of patients with type 1 DM reveal lowered performance on ability to apply knowledge to solve problems in a new situation and acquired scholarly knowledge, psychomotor efficiency, cognitive flexibility, visual perception, speed of information-processing, and sustained attention. Other factors that might contribute to poor decision-making in patients with type 1 DM, include "hypoglycemia unawareness" and comorbid major depression (given its increased prevalence in type 1 DM). Future studies utilizing novel treatment strategies to help patients with type 1 DM make better decisions about their disease may improve their glycemic control and quality of life, while minimizing the impact of end-organ disease.

Assessment Can Support Reasoning and Sense Making

Science.gov (United States)

Suurtam, Christine

2012-01-01

"Reasoning and sense making should occur in every classroom every day," states "Focus in High School Mathematics: Reasoning and Sense Making" (NCTM 2009, p. 5). As this book suggests, reasoning can take many forms, including explorations and conjectures as well as explanations and justifications of student thinking. Sense making, on the other…

North Korean Leadership Dynamics and Decision-making under Kim Jong-un: A First Year Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-01

Kim Jong-un’s ’Sick’ Aunt Resurfaces,” Chosun Ilbo Online, 27 July 2013. Kim has a reported history of alcoholism and depression , which was...exacer- bated in the mid-2000s with her marital problems and the death of her daughter, Jang Kum-song, who committed suicide in 2006. Some reports claim...the Party and state apparatus. She was born in 1974, and, when in her teens , began work in Kim Il-sung’s Presidential Office. She moved over to the

Logical Reasoning and Decision Making

OpenAIRE

Ong, D; Khaddaj, Souheil; Bashroush, Rabih

2011-01-01

Most intelligent systems have some form of \\ud decision making mechanisms built into their \\ud organisations. These normally include a logical \\ud reasoning element into their design. This paper reviews \\ud and compares the different logical reasoning strategies, \\ud and tries to address the accuracy and precision of \\ud decision making by formulating a tolerance to \\ud imprecision view which can be used in conjunction with \\ud the various reasoning strategies.