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Sample records for method significantly improves

  1. Significant improvement in the thermal annealing process of optical resonators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salzenstein, Patrice; Zarubin, Mikhail

    2017-05-01

    Thermal annealing performed during process improves the quality of the roughness of optical resonators reducing stresses at the periphery of their surface thus allowing higher Q-factors. After a preliminary realization, the design of the oven and the electronic method were significantly improved thanks to nichrome resistant alloy wires and chopped basalt fibers for thermal isolation during the annealing process. Q-factors can then be improved.

  2. [Improvement of Phi bodies stain and its clinical significance].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Xu-Bo; Lu, Xing-Guo; Yan, Li-Juan; Xiao, Xi-Bin; Wu, Dong; Xu, Gen-Bo; Zhang, Xiao-Hong; Zhao, Xiao-Ying

    2009-02-01

    The aim of this study was to improve the dyeing method of hydroperoxidase (HPO), to analyze the morphologic features of Phi bodies and to evaluate the clinical application of this method. 128 bone marrow or peripheral blood smears from patients with myeloid and lymphoid malignancies were stained by improved HPO staining. The Phi bodies were observed with detection rate of Phi bodies in different leukemias. 69 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) specimens were chosen randomly, the positive rate and the number of Phi bodies between the improved HPO and POX stain based on the same substrate of 3, 3'diaminobenzidine were compared. The results showed that the shape of bundle-like Phi bodies was variable, long or short. while the nubbly Phi bodies often presented oval and smooth. Club-like Phi bodies were found in M(3). The detection rates of bundle-like Phi bodies in AML M(1)-M(5) were 42.9% (6/14), 83.3% (15/18), 92.0% (23/25), 52.3% (11/21), 33.3% (5/15) respectively, and those of nubbly Phi bodies were 28.6% (4/14), 66.7% (12/18), 11.1% (3/25), 33.3% (7/21), 20.0% (3/15) respectively. The detection rate of bundle-like Phi bodies in M(3) was significantly higher than that in (M(1) + M(2)) or (M(4) + M(5)) groups. The detection rate of nubbly Phi bodies in (M(1) + M(2)) group was higher than that in M(3) group. In conclusion, after improvement of staining method, the HPO stain becomes simple, the detection rate of Phi bodies is higher than that by the previous method, the positive granules are more obvious, and the results become stable. This improved method plays an important role in differentiating AML from ALL, subtyping AML, and evaluating the therapeutic results.

  3. Improved power performance assessment methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Frandsen, S; Antoniou, I; Dahlberg, J A [and others

    1999-03-01

    The uncertainty of presently-used methods for retrospective assessment of the productive capacity of wind farms is unacceptably large. The possibilities of improving the accuracy have been investigated and are reported. A method is presented that includes an extended power curve and site calibration. In addition, blockage effects with respect to reference wind speed measurements are analysed. It is found that significant accuracy improvements are possible by the introduction of more input variables such as turbulence and wind shear, in addition to mean wind speed and air density. Also, the testing of several or all machines in the wind farm - instead of only one or two - may provide a better estimate of the average performance. (au)

  4. A facile template method to synthesize significantly improved LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 using corn stalk as a bio-template

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Guiyang; Kong, Xin; Sun, Hongyan; Wang, Baosen; Yi, Zhongzhou; Wang, Quanbiao

    2014-01-01

    In order to simplify the template method for the synthesis of cathode materials for lithium ion batteries, a facile template method using plant stalks as bio-templates has been introduced. Based on this method, LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 spinel with a significantly improved electrochemical performance has been synthesized using corn stalk as a template. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared pectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) have been used to investigate the phase composition and micro-morphologies of the products. Charge-discharge measurements in lithium cells, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) have been used to study the electrochemical performance of the products. The results indicate that the templated product exhibits higher crystallinity than that of non-templated product. Both of the templated product and the non-templated product are combination of the ordered space group P4 3 32 and the disordered Fd-3 m. The specific BET surface area of the templated product is about twice larger than that of the non-templated product. Moreover, the electrochemical performances of the templated product including specific capacity, cycling stability and rate capability are significantly improved as compared with the non-templated product, due to its higher crystallinity, larger Li + diffusion coefficient and lower charge transfer resistance

  5. Improved radionuclide bone imaging agent injection needle withdrawal method can improve image quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin Yongmei; Wang Laihao; Zhao Lihua; Guo Xiaogang; Kong Qingfeng

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the improvement of radionuclide bone imaging agent injection needle withdrawal method on whole body bone scan image quality. Methods: Elbow vein injection syringe needle directly into the bone imaging agent in the routine group of 117 cases, with a cotton swab needle injection method for the rapid pull out the needle puncture point pressing, pressing moment. Improvement of 117 cases of needle injection method to put two needles into the skin swabs and blood vessels, pull out the needle while pressing two or more entry point 5min. After 2 hours underwent whole body bone SPECT imaging plane. Results: The conventional group at the injection site imaging agents uptake rate was 16.24%, improved group was 2.56%. Conclusion: The modified bone imaging agent injection needle withdrawal method, injection-site imaging agent uptake were significantly decreased whole body bone imaging can improve image quality. (authors)

  6. Room for improvement? Leadership, innovation culture and uptake of quality improvement methods in general practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apekey, Tanefa A; McSorley, Gerry; Tilling, Michelle; Siriwardena, A Niroshan

    2011-04-01

    Leadership and innovation are currently seen as essential elements for the development and maintenance of high-quality care. Little is known about the relationship between leadership and culture of innovation and the extent to which quality improvement methods are used in general practice. This study aimed to assess the relationship between leadership behaviour, culture of innovation and adoption of quality improvement methods in general practice. Self-administered postal questionnaires were sent to general practitioner quality improvement leads in one county in the UK between June and December 2007. The questionnaire consisted of background information, a 12-item scale to assess leadership behaviour, a seven-dimension self-rating scale for culture of innovation and questions on current use of quality improvement tools and techniques. Sixty-three completed questionnaires (62%) were returned. Leadership behaviours were not commonly reported. Most practices reported a positive culture of innovation, featuring relationship most strongly, followed by targets and information but rated lower on other dimensions of rewards, risk and resources. There was a significant positive correlation between leadership behaviour and the culture of innovation (r = 0.57; P improvement methods were not adopted by most participating practices. Leadership behaviours were infrequently reported and this was associated with a limited culture of innovation in participating general practices. There was little use of quality improvement methods beyond clinical and significant event audit. Practices need support to enhance leadership skills, encourage innovation and develop quality improvement skills if improvements in health care are to accelerate. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  7. Improved radioanalytical methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erickson, M.D.; Aldstadt, J.H.; Alvarado, J.S.; Crain, J.S.; Orlandini, K.A.; Smith, L.L.

    1995-01-01

    Methods for the chemical characterization of the environment are being developed under a multitask project for the Analytical Services Division (EM-263) within the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management. This project focuses on improvement of radioanalytical methods with an emphasis on faster and cheaper routine methods. We have developed improved methods, for separation of environmental levels of technetium-99 and strontium-89/90, radium, and actinides from soil and water; and for separation of actinides from soil and water matrix interferences. Among the novel separation techniques being used are element- and class-specific resins and membranes. (The 3M Corporation is commercializing Empore trademark membranes under a cooperative research and development agreement [CRADA] initiated under this project). We have also developed methods for simultaneous detection of multiple isotopes using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The ICP-MS method requires less rigorous chemical separations than traditional radiochemical analyses because of its mass-selective mode of detection. Actinides and their progeny have been isolated and concentrated from a variety of natural water matrices by using automated batch separation incorporating selective resins prior to ICP-MS analyses. In addition, improvements in detection limits, sample volume, and time of analysis were obtained by using other sample introduction techniques, such as ultrasonic nebulization and electrothermal vaporization. Integration and automation of the separation methods with the ICP-MS methodology by using flow injection analysis is underway, with an objective of automating methods to achieve more reproducible results, reduce labor costs, cut analysis time, and minimize secondary waste generation through miniaturization of the process

  8. Omega-3 fatty acid therapy dose-dependently and significantly decreased triglycerides and improved flow-mediated dilation, however, did not significantly improve insulin sensitivity in patients with hypertriglyceridemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Pyung Chun; Koh, Kwang Kon; Sakuma, Ichiro; Lim, Soo; Lee, Yonghee; Lee, Seungik; Lee, Kyounghoon; Han, Seung Hwan; Shin, Eak Kyun

    2014-10-20

    Experimental studies demonstrate that higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) improves insulin sensitivity, however, we reported that n-3 FA 2g therapy, most commonly used dosage did not significantly improve insulin sensitivity despite reducing triglycerides by 21% in patients. Therefore, we investigated the effects of different dosages of n-3 FA in patients with hypertriglyceridemia. This was a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study. Age, sex, and body mass index were matched among groups. All patients were recommended to maintain a low fat diet. Forty-four patients (about 18 had metabolic syndrome/type 2 diabetes mellitus) in each group were given placebo, n-3 FA 1 (O1), 2 (O2), or 4 g (O4), respectively daily for 2 months. n-3 FA therapy dose-dependently and significantly decreased triglycerides and triglycerides/HDL cholesterol and improved flow-mediated dilation, compared with placebo (by ANOVA). However, each n-3 FA therapy did not significantly decrease high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fibrinogen, compared with placebo. O1 significantly increased insulin levels and decreased insulin sensitivity (determined by QUICKI) and O2 significantly decreased plasma adiponectin levels relative to baseline measurements. Of note, when compared with placebo, each n-3 FA therapy did not significantly change insulin, glucose, adiponectin, glycated hemoglobin levels and insulin sensitivity (by ANOVA). We observed similar results in a subgroup of patients with the metabolic syndrome. n-3 FA therapy dose-dependently and significantly decreased triglycerides and improved flow-mediated dilation. Nonetheless, n-3 FA therapy did not significantly improve acute-phase reactants and insulin sensitivity in patients with hypertriglyceridemia, regardless of dosages. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  9. Are students' impressions of improved learning through active learning methods reflected by improved test scores?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Everly, Marcee C

    2013-02-01

    To report the transformation from lecture to more active learning methods in a maternity nursing course and to evaluate whether student perception of improved learning through active-learning methods is supported by improved test scores. The process of transforming a course into an active-learning model of teaching is described. A voluntary mid-semester survey for student acceptance of the new teaching method was conducted. Course examination results, from both a standardized exam and a cumulative final exam, among students who received lecture in the classroom and students who had active learning activities in the classroom were compared. Active learning activities were very acceptable to students. The majority of students reported learning more from having active-learning activities in the classroom rather than lecture-only and this belief was supported by improved test scores. Students who had active learning activities in the classroom scored significantly higher on a standardized assessment test than students who received lecture only. The findings support the use of student reflection to evaluate the effectiveness of active-learning methods and help validate the use of student reflection of improved learning in other research projects. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Determination of significance in Ecological Impact Assessment: Past change, current practice and future improvements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Briggs, Sam; Hudson, Malcolm D., E-mail: mdh@soton.ac.uk

    2013-01-15

    Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) is an important tool for conservation and achieving sustainable development. 'Significant' impacts are those which disturb or alter the environment to a measurable degree. Significance is a crucial part of EcIA, our understanding of the concept in practice is vital if it is to be effective as a tool. This study employed three methods to assess how the determination of significance has changed through time, what current practice is, and what would lead to future improvements. Three data streams were collected: interviews with expert stakeholders, a review of 30 Environmental Statements and a broad-scale survey of the United Kingdom Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) members. The approach taken in the determination of significance has become more standardised and subjectivity has become constrained through a transparent framework. This has largely been driven by a set of guidelines produced by IEEM in 2006. The significance of impacts is now more clearly justified and the accuracy with which it is determined has improved. However, there are limitations to accuracy and effectiveness of the determination of significance. These are the quality of baseline survey data, our scientific understanding of ecological processes and the lack of monitoring and feedback of results. These in turn are restricted by the limited resources available in consultancies. The most notable recommendations for future practice are the implementation of monitoring and the publication of feedback, the creation of a central database for baseline survey data and the streamlining of guidance. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The assessment of significance has changed markedly through time. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The IEEM guidelines have driven a standardisation of practice. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Currently limited by quality of baseline data and scientific understanding. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Monitoring

  11. Improved Stereo Matching With Boosting Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shiny B

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract This paper presents an approach based on classification for improving the accuracy of stereo matching methods. We propose this method for occlusion handling. This work employs classification of pixels for finding the erroneous disparity values. Due to the wide applications of disparity map in 3D television medical imaging etc the accuracy of disparity map has high significance. An initial disparity map is obtained using local or global stereo matching methods from the input stereo image pair. The various features for classification are computed from the input stereo image pair and the obtained disparity map. Then the computed feature vector is used for classification of pixels by using GentleBoost as the classification method. The erroneous disparity values in the disparity map found by classification are corrected through a completion stage or filling stage. A performance evaluation of stereo matching using AdaBoostM1 RUSBoost Neural networks and GentleBoost is performed.

  12. Significant Improvement of Catalytic Efficiencies in Ionic Liquids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Choong Eui; Yoon, Mi Young; Choi, Doo Seong

    2005-01-01

    The use of ionic liquids as reaction media can confer many advantages upon catalytic reactions over reactions in organic solvents. In ionic liquids, catalysts having polar or ionic character can easily be immobilized without additional structural modification and thus the ionic solutions containing the catalyst can easily be separated from the reagents and reaction products, and then, be reused. More interestingly, switching from an organic solvent to an ionic liquid often results in a significant improvement in catalytic performance (e.g., rate acceleration, (enantio)selectivity improvement and an increase in catalyst stability). In this review, some recent interesting results which can nicely demonstrate these positive 'ionic liquid effect' on catalysis are discussed

  13. Training directionally selective motion pathways can significantly improve reading efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawton, Teri

    2004-06-01

    This study examined whether perceptual learning at early levels of visual processing would facilitate learning at higher levels of processing. This was examined by determining whether training the motion pathways by practicing leftright movement discrimination, as found previously, would improve the reading skills of inefficient readers significantly more than another computer game, a word discrimination game, or the reading program offered by the school. This controlled validation study found that practicing left-right movement discrimination 5-10 minutes twice a week (rapidly) for 15 weeks doubled reading fluency, and significantly improved all reading skills by more than one grade level, whereas inefficient readers in the control groups barely improved on these reading skills. In contrast to previous studies of perceptual learning, these experiments show that perceptual learning of direction discrimination significantly improved reading skills determined at higher levels of cognitive processing, thereby being generalized to a new task. The deficits in reading performance and attentional focus experienced by the person who struggles when reading are suggested to result from an information overload, resulting from timing deficits in the direction-selectivity network proposed by Russell De Valois et al. (2000), that following practice on direction discrimination goes away. This study found that practicing direction discrimination rapidly transitions the inefficient 7-year-old reader to an efficient reader.

  14. Factors Related to Significant Improvement of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rates in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Receiving Telbivudine Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Te-Fu Lin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim. The improvement of estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs in chronic hepatitis B (CHB patients receiving telbivudine therapy is well known. The aim of this study was to clarify the kinetics of eGFRs and to identify the significant factors related to the improvement of eGFRs in telbivudine-treated CHB patients in a real-world setting. Methods. Serial eGFRs were calculated every 3 months using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI equation. The patients were classified as CKD-1, -2, or -3 according to a baseline eGFR of ≥90, 60–89, or <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. A significant improvement of eGFR was defined as a more than 10% increase from the baseline. Results. A total of 129 patients were enrolled, of whom 36% had significantly improved eGFRs. According to a multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (DM (p=0.028 and CKD-3 (p=0.043 were both significantly related to such improvement. The rates of significant improvement of eGFR were about 73% and 77% in patients with DM and CKD-3, respectively. Conclusions. Telbivudine is an alternative drug of choice for the treatment of hepatitis B patients for whom renal safety is a concern, especially patients with DM and CKD-3.

  15. Integration of biomimicry and nanotechnology for significantly improved detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myung, Ja Hye; Park, Sin-Jung; Wang, Andrew Z; Hong, Seungpyo

    2017-12-13

    Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have received a great deal of scientific and clinical attention as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of many types of cancer. Given their potential significance in clinics, a variety of detection methods, utilizing the recent advances in nanotechnology and microfluidics, have been introduced in an effort of achieving clinically significant detection of CTCs. However, effective detection and isolation of CTCs still remain a tremendous challenge due to their extreme rarity and phenotypic heterogeneity. Among many approaches that are currently under development, this review paper focuses on a unique, promising approach that takes advantages of naturally occurring processes achievable through application of nanotechnology to realize significant improvement in sensitivity and specificity of CTC capture. We provide an overview of successful outcome of this biomimetic CTC capture system in detection of tumor cells from in vitro, in vivo, and clinical pilot studies. We also emphasize the clinical impact of CTCs as biomarkers in cancer diagnosis and predictive prognosis, which provides a cost-effective, minimally invasive method that potentially replaces or supplements existing methods such as imaging technologies and solid tissue biopsy. In addition, their potential prognostic values as treatment guidelines and that ultimately help to realize personalized therapy are discussed. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Deep Learning Methods for Improved Decoding of Linear Codes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nachmani, Eliya; Marciano, Elad; Lugosch, Loren; Gross, Warren J.; Burshtein, David; Be'ery, Yair

    2018-02-01

    The problem of low complexity, close to optimal, channel decoding of linear codes with short to moderate block length is considered. It is shown that deep learning methods can be used to improve a standard belief propagation decoder, despite the large example space. Similar improvements are obtained for the min-sum algorithm. It is also shown that tying the parameters of the decoders across iterations, so as to form a recurrent neural network architecture, can be implemented with comparable results. The advantage is that significantly less parameters are required. We also introduce a recurrent neural decoder architecture based on the method of successive relaxation. Improvements over standard belief propagation are also observed on sparser Tanner graph representations of the codes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the neural belief propagation decoder can be used to improve the performance, or alternatively reduce the computational complexity, of a close to optimal decoder of short BCH codes.

  17. Significant improvement of optical traps by tuning standard water immersion objectives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reihani, S Nader S; Mir, Shahid A; Richardson, Andrew C; Oddershede, Lene B

    2011-01-01

    Focused infrared lasers are widely used for micromanipulation and visualization of biological specimens. An inherent practical problem is that off-the-shelf commercial microscope objectives are designed for use with visible and not infrared wavelengths. Less aberration is introduced by water immersion objectives than by oil immersion ones, however, even water immersion objectives induce significant aberration. We present a simple method to reduce the spherical aberration induced by water immersion objectives, namely by tuning the correction collar of the objective to a value that is ∼ 10% lower than the physical thickness of the coverslip. This results in marked improvements in optical trapping strengths of up to 100% laterally and 600% axially from a standard microscope objective designed for use in the visible range. The results are generally valid for any water immersion objective with any numerical aperture

  18. Statistical methods for quality improvement

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ryan, Thomas P

    2011-01-01

    ...."-TechnometricsThis new edition continues to provide the most current, proven statistical methods for quality control and quality improvementThe use of quantitative methods offers numerous benefits...

  19. Significant improvements in stability and reproducibility of atomic-scale atomic force microscopy in liquid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akrami, S M R; Nakayachi, H; Fukuma, T; Watanabe-Nakayama, T; Asakawa, H

    2014-01-01

    Recent advancement of dynamic-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) for liquid-environment applications enabled atomic-scale studies on various interfacial phenomena. However, instabilities and poor reproducibility of the measurements often prevent systematic studies. To solve this problem, we have investigated the effect of various tip treatment methods for atomic-scale imaging and force measurements in liquid. The tested methods include Si coating, Ar plasma, Ar sputtering and UV/O 3 cleaning. We found that all the methods provide significant improvements in both the imaging and force measurements in spite of the tip transfer through the air. Among the methods, we found that the Si coating provides the best stability and reproducibility in the measurements. To understand the origin of the fouling resistance of the cleaned tip surface and the difference between the cleaning methods, we have investigated the tip surface properties by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. The results show that the contaminations adsorbed on the tip during the tip transfer through the air should desorb from the surface when it is immersed in aqueous solution due to the enhanced hydrophilicity by the tip treatments. The tip surface prepared by the Si coating is oxidized when it is immersed in aqueous solution. This creates local spots where stable hydration structures are formed. For the other methods, there is no active mechanism to create such local hydration sites. Thus, the hydration structure formed under the tip apex is not necessarily stable. These results reveal the desirable tip properties for atomic-scale AFM measurements in liquid, which should serve as a guideline for further improvements of the tip treatment methods. (paper)

  20. Inhaler Reminders Significantly Improve Asthma Patients' Use of Controller Medications

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... controller medications Share | Inhaler reminders significantly improve asthma patients’ use of controller medications Published Online: July 22, ... the burden and risk of asthma, but many patients do not use them regularly. This poor adherence ...

  1. Communication: Proper treatment of classically forbidden electronic transitions significantly improves detailed balance in surface hopping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sifain, Andrew E. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0485 (United States); Wang, Linjun [Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Prezhdo, Oleg V. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0485 (United States); Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1062 (United States)

    2016-06-07

    Surface hopping is the most popular method for nonadiabatic molecular dynamics. Many have reported that it does not rigorously attain detailed balance at thermal equilibrium, but does so approximately. We show that convergence to the Boltzmann populations is significantly improved when the nuclear velocity is reversed after a classically forbidden hop. The proposed prescription significantly reduces the total number of classically forbidden hops encountered along a trajectory, suggesting that some randomization in nuclear velocity is needed when classically forbidden hops constitute a large fraction of attempted hops. Our results are verified computationally using two- and three-level quantum subsystems, coupled to a classical bath undergoing Langevin dynamics.

  2. Continuous improvement methods in the nuclear industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heising, Carolyn D.

    1995-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to investigate management methods for improved safety in the nuclear power industry. Process improvement management, methods of business process reengineering, total quality management, and continued process improvement (KAIZEN) are explored. The anticipated advantages of extensive use of improved process oriented management methods in the nuclear industry are increased effectiveness and efficiency in virtually all tasks of plant operation and maintenance. Important spin off include increased plant safety and economy. (author). 6 refs., 1 fig

  3. Carotid endarterectomy significantly improves postoperative laryngeal sensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammer, Georg Philipp; Tomazic, Peter Valentin; Vasicek, Sarah; Graupp, Matthias; Gugatschka, Markus; Baumann, Anneliese; Konstantiniuk, Peter; Koter, Stephan Herwig

    2016-11-01

    Iatrogenic injury of the vagus nerve or its branches during carotid endarterectomy (CEA) can result in globus sensation, dysphagia, and even vocal fold immobility. Knowledge of morphologic and functional laryngopharyngeal outcomes after CEA is poor. The present study was performed to determine potential iatrogenic damage to the laryngeal innervation after CEA. An area of particular interest was the supraglottic sensory threshold, which was examined by Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing With Sensory Testing (FEESST; Pentax Medical Company, Montvale, NJ), a validated and safe method for the determination of the motor and sensory components of swallowing. FEESST was used preoperatively in 32 patients scheduled to undergo CEA and twice postoperatively to examine the motor and sensory components of swallowing. In this endolaryngeal examination, laryngopharyngeal sensory thresholds (in mm Hg) were defined as normal at 6.0 mm Hg APP, with a value >10.0 mm Hg APP indicating abolished laryngeal adductor reflex. Acoustic voice parameters were also analyzed for further functional changes of the larynx. The mean ± standard deviation preoperative FEESST measures showed no significant differences (P = .065) between the operated-on side (6.73 ± 1.73 mm Hg) and the opposite side (5.83 ± 1.68 mm Hg). At 2 days postoperatively, the threshold increased (P = .001) to 7.62 ± 1.98 mm Hg on the operated-on side. A laryngopharyngeal mucosal hematoma on the operated side was endoscopically detectable in eight patients (30.8%); in these patients, we found a markedly elevated (P = .021) measure of 9.50 ± 0.93 mm Hg. On the opposite (nonoperated-on) side of the laryngopharynx, the thresholds remained at the same level as preoperatively over all assessments (P >.05), whereas the differences between the operated and nonoperated-on sides and the hematoma and nonhematoma groups were highly significant (P = .004 and P = .001, respectively). Surprisingly, the

  4. Current lipid extraction methods are significantly enhanced adding a water treatment step in Chlorella protothecoides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Xiaojie; Zhao, Xinhe; Turcotte, François; Deschênes, Jean-Sébastien; Tremblay, Réjean; Jolicoeur, Mario

    2017-02-11

    helps the subsequent release of intracellular lipids in the second extraction step, thus improving the global lipids extraction yield. In addition, the water treatment positively modifies the intracellular lipid class ratios of the final extract, in which TAG ratio is significantly increased without changes in the fatty acids composition. The novel method thus provides an efficient way to improve lipid extraction yield of existing methods, as well as selectively favoring TAG, a lipid of the upmost interest for biodiesel production.

  5. Thermosensitive Hydrogel Mask Significantly Improves Skin Moisture and Skin Tone; Bilateral Clinical Trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Quattrone

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective: A temperature-sensitive state-changing hydrogel mask was used in this study. Once it comes into contact with the skin and reaches the body temperature, it uniformly and quickly releases the active compounds, which possess moisturizing, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties. Methods: An open label clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of the test product on skin hydration, skin tone and skin ageing. Subjects applied the product to one side of their face and underwent Corneometer® and Chromameter measurements, Visual assessment of facial skin ageing and facial photography. All assessments and Self-Perception Questionnaires (SPQ were performed at baseline, after the first application of the test product and after four applications. Results: After a single treatment we observed an increase in skin moisturisation, an improvement of skin tone/luminosity and a reduction in signs of ageing, all statistically significant. After four applications a further improvement in all measured parameters was recorded. These results were confirmed by the subjects’ own perceptions, as reported in the SPQ both after one and four applications. Conclusion: The hydrogel mask tested in this study is very effective in improving skin hydration, skin radiance and luminosity, in encouraging an even skin tone and in reducing skin pigmentation.

  6. Bedtime Blood Pressure Chronotherapy Significantly Improves Hypertension Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hermida, Ramón C; Ayala, Diana E; Fernández, José R; Mojón, Artemio; Crespo, Juan J; Ríos, María T; Smolensky, Michael H

    2017-10-01

    Consistent evidence of numerous studies substantiates the asleep blood pressure (BP) mean derived from ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) is both an independent and a stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk than are daytime clinic BP measurements or the ABPM-determined awake or 24-hour BP means. Hence, cost-effective adequate control of sleep-time BP is of marked clinical relevance. Ingestion time, according to circadian rhythms, of hypertension medications of 6 different classes and their combinations significantly improves BP control, particularly sleep-time BP, and reduces adverse effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. National Emergency Preparedness and Response: Improving for Incidents of National Significance

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Clayton, Christopher M

    2006-01-01

    The national emergency management system has need of significant improvement in its contingency planning and early consolidation of effort and coordination between federal, state, and local agencies...

  8. Improvement of spatial discretization error on the semi-analytic nodal method using the scattered source subtraction method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Akio; Tatsumi, Masahiro

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, the scattered source subtraction (SSS) method is newly proposed to improve the spatial discretization error of the semi-analytic nodal method with the flat-source approximation. In the SSS method, the scattered source is subtracted from both side of the diffusion or the transport equation to make spatial variation of the source term to be small. The same neutron balance equation is still used in the SSS method. Since the SSS method just modifies coefficients of node coupling equations (those used in evaluation for the response of partial currents), its implementation is easy. Validity of the present method is verified through test calculations that are carried out in PWR multi-assemblies configurations. The calculation results show that the SSS method can significantly improve the spatial discretization error. Since the SSS method does not have any negative impact on execution time, convergence behavior and memory requirement, it will be useful to reduce the spatial discretization error of the semi-analytic nodal method with the flat-source approximation. (author)

  9. Improvement of human reliability analysis method for PRA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanji, Junichi; Fujimoto, Haruo

    2013-09-01

    It is required to refine human reliability analysis (HRA) method by, for example, incorporating consideration for the cognitive process of operator into the evaluation of diagnosis errors and decision-making errors, as a part of the development and improvement of methods used in probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs). JNES has been developed a HRA method based on ATHENA which is suitable to handle the structured relationship among diagnosis errors, decision-making errors and operator cognition process. This report summarizes outcomes obtained from the improvement of HRA method, in which enhancement to evaluate how the plant degraded condition affects operator cognitive process and to evaluate human error probabilities (HEPs) which correspond to the contents of operator tasks is made. In addition, this report describes the results of case studies on the representative accident sequences to investigate the applicability of HRA method developed. HEPs of the same accident sequences are also estimated using THERP method, which is most popularly used HRA method, and comparisons of the results obtained using these two methods are made to depict the differences of these methods and issues to be solved. Important conclusions obtained are as follows: (1) Improvement of HRA method using operator cognitive action model. Clarification of factors to be considered in the evaluation of human errors, incorporation of degraded plant safety condition into HRA and investigation of HEPs which are affected by the contents of operator tasks were made to improve the HRA method which can integrate operator cognitive action model into ATHENA method. In addition, the detail of procedures of the improved method was delineated in the form of flowchart. (2) Case studies and comparison with the results evaluated by THERP method. Four operator actions modeled in the PRAs of representative BWR5 and 4-loop PWR plants were selected and evaluated as case studies. These cases were also evaluated using

  10. Application of improved AHP method to radiation protection optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Chuan; Zhang Jianguo; Yu Lei

    2014-01-01

    Aimed at the deficiency of traditional AHP method, a hierarchy model for optimum project selection of radiation protection was established with the improved AHP method. The result of comparison between the improved AHP method and the traditional AHP method shows that the improved AHP method can reduce personal judgment subjectivity, and its calculation process is compact and reasonable. The improved AHP method can provide scientific basis for radiation protection optimization. (authors)

  11. Improving the Service with the Servqual Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Midor, Katarzyna; Kučera, Marian

    2018-03-01

    At the time when economy is growing, there is strong competition in the market, and customers have increasingly higher expectations as regards quality of service and products. Under such conditions, organizations need to improve. One of the areas of improvement for an organization is to research the level of customer satisfaction. The article presents results of customer satisfaction surveys conducted by the Servqual method in a pharmaceutical service company. Use of this method allowed to improve the services provided by that pharmaceutical wholesaler, identify areas that need to be improved as soon as possible in order to improve the level of service provided.

  12. THE FLUORBOARD A STATISTICALLY BASED DASHBOARD METHOD FOR IMPROVING SAFETY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    PREVETTE, S.S.

    2005-01-01

    The FluorBoard is a statistically based dashboard method for improving safety. Fluor Hanford has achieved significant safety improvements--including more than a 80% reduction in OSHA cases per 200,000 hours, during its work at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site in Washington state. The massive project on the former nuclear materials production site is considered one of the largest environmental cleanup projects in the world. Fluor Hanford's safety improvements were achieved by a committed partnering of workers, managers, and statistical methodology. Safety achievements at the site have been due to a systematic approach to safety. This includes excellent cooperation between the field workers, the safety professionals, and management through OSHA Voluntary Protection Program principles. Fluor corporate values are centered around safety, and safety excellence is important for every manager in every project. In addition, Fluor Hanford has utilized a rigorous approach to using its safety statistics, based upon Dr. Shewhart's control charts, and Dr. Deming's management and quality methods

  13. The improved design method of shear strength of reinforced concrete beams without transverse reinforcement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vegera Pavlo

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In this article, results of experimental testing of reinforced concrete beams without transverse shear reinforcement are given. Three prototypes for improved testing methods were tested. The testing variable parameter was the shear span to the effective depth ratio. In the result of the tests we noticed that bearing capacity of RC beams is increased with the decreasing shear span to the effective depth ratio. The design method according to current codes was applied to test samples and it showed a significant discrepancy results. Than we proposed the improved design method using the adjusted value of shear strength of concrete CRd,c. The results obtained by the improved design method showed satisfactory reproducibility.

  14. E2F5 status significantly improves malignancy diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer

    KAUST Repository

    Kothandaraman, Narasimhan

    2010-02-24

    Background: Ovarian epithelial cancer (OEC) usually presents in the later stages of the disease. Factors, especially those associated with cell-cycle genes, affecting the genesis and tumour progression for ovarian cancer are largely unknown. We hypothesized that over-expressed transcription factors (TFs), as well as those that are driving the expression of the OEC over-expressed genes, could be the key for OEC genesis and potentially useful tissue and serum markers for malignancy associated with OEC.Methods: Using a combination of computational (selection of candidate TF markers and malignancy prediction) and experimental approaches (tissue microarray and western blotting on patient samples) we identified and evaluated E2F5 transcription factor involved in cell proliferation, as a promising candidate regulatory target in early stage disease. Our hypothesis was supported by our tissue array experiments that showed E2F5 expression only in OEC samples but not in normal and benign tissues, and by significantly positively biased expression in serum samples done using western blotting studies.Results: Analysis of clinical cases shows that of the E2F5 status is characteristic for a different population group than one covered by CA125, a conventional OEC biomarker. E2F5 used in different combinations with CA125 for distinguishing malignant cyst from benign cyst shows that the presence of CA125 or E2F5 increases sensitivity of OEC detection to 97.9% (an increase from 87.5% if only CA125 is used) and, more importantly, the presence of both CA125 and E2F5 increases specificity of OEC to 72.5% (an increase from 55% if only CA125 is used). This significantly improved accuracy suggests possibility of an improved diagnostics of OEC. Furthermore, detection of malignancy status in 86 cases (38 benign, 48 early and late OEC) shows that the use of E2F5 status in combination with other clinical characteristics allows for an improved detection of malignant cases with sensitivity

  15. Improved Cole parameter extraction based on the least absolute deviation method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Yuxiang; Ni, Wenwen; Sun, Qiang; Wen, He; Teng, Zhaosheng

    2013-01-01

    The Cole function is widely used in bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) applications. Fitting the measured BIS data onto the model and then extracting the Cole parameters (R 0 , R ∞ , α and τ) is a common practice. Accurate extraction of the Cole parameters from the measured BIS data has great significance for evaluating the physiological or pathological status of biological tissue. The traditional least-squares (LS)-based curve fitting method for Cole parameter extraction is often sensitive to noise or outliers and becomes non-robust. This paper proposes an improved Cole parameter extraction based on the least absolute deviation (LAD) method. Comprehensive simulation experiments are carried out and the performances of the LAD method are compared with those of the LS method under the conditions of outliers, random noises and both disturbances. The proposed LAD method exhibits much better robustness under all circumstances, which demonstrates that the LAD method is deserving as an improved alternative to the LS method for Cole parameter extraction for its robustness to outliers and noises. (paper)

  16. A improved tidal method without water level

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, xiaowen

    2017-04-01

    Now most tide are obtained use water Level and pressure type water gage, but it is difficult to install them and reading is in low accuracy in this method . In view of above-mentioned facts, In order to improve tide accuracy, A improved method is introduced.sea level is obtained in given time using high-precision GNSS buoy combined instantaneous position from pressure gage. two steps are as following, (1) the GNSS time service is used as the source of synchronization reference in tidal measurement; (2) centimeter-level sea surface positions are obtained in real time using difference GNSS The improved method used in seafloor topography survey,in 145 cross points, 95% meet the requirements of the Hydrographic survey specification. It is effective method to obtain higher accuracy tide.

  17. A new metric method-improved structural holes researches on software networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Bo; Zhao, Hai; Cai, Wei; Li, Dazhou; Li, Hui

    2013-03-01

    The scale software systems quickly increase with the rapid development of software technologies. Hence, how to understand, measure, manage and control software structure is a great challenge for software engineering. there are also many researches on software networks metrics: C&K, MOOD, McCabe and etc, the aim of this paper is to propose a new and better method to metric software networks. The metric method structural holes are firstly introduced to in this paper, which can not directly be applied as a result of modular characteristics on software network. Hence, structural holes is redefined in this paper and improved, calculation process and results are described in detail. The results shows that the new method can better reflect bridge role of vertexes on software network and there is a significant correlation between degree and improved structural holes. At last, a hydropower simulation system is taken as an example to show validity of the new metric method.

  18. Improved quasi-static nodal green's function method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Junli; Jing Xingqing; Hu Dapu

    1997-01-01

    Improved Quasi-Static Green's Function Method (IQS/NGFM) is presented, as an new kinetic method. To solve the three-dimensional transient problem, improved Quasi-Static Method is adopted to deal with the temporal problem, which will increase the time step as long as possible so as to decrease the number of times of space calculation. The time step of IQS/NGFM can be increased to 5∼10 times longer than that of Full Implicit Differential Method. In spatial calculation, the NGFM is used to get the distribution of shape function, and it's spatial mesh can be nearly 20 times larger than that of Definite Differential Method. So the IQS/NGFM is considered as an efficient kinetic method

  19. An improved front tracking method for the Euler equations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Witteveen, J.A.S.; Koren, B.; Bakker, P.G.

    2007-01-01

    An improved front tracking method for hyperbolic conservation laws is presented. The improved method accurately resolves discontinuities as well as continuous phenomena. The method is based on an improved front interaction model for a physically more accurate modeling of the Euler equations, as

  20. Improved image alignment method in application to X-ray images and biological images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ching-Wei; Chen, Hsiang-Chou

    2013-08-01

    Alignment of medical images is a vital component of a large number of applications throughout the clinical track of events; not only within clinical diagnostic settings, but prominently so in the area of planning, consummation and evaluation of surgical and radiotherapeutical procedures. However, image registration of medical images is challenging because of variations on data appearance, imaging artifacts and complex data deformation problems. Hence, the aim of this study is to develop a robust image alignment method for medical images. An improved image registration method is proposed, and the method is evaluated with two types of medical data, including biological microscopic tissue images and dental X-ray images and compared with five state-of-the-art image registration techniques. The experimental results show that the presented method consistently performs well on both types of medical images, achieving 88.44 and 88.93% averaged registration accuracies for biological tissue images and X-ray images, respectively, and outperforms the benchmark methods. Based on the Tukey's honestly significant difference test and Fisher's least square difference test tests, the presented method performs significantly better than all existing methods (P ≤ 0.001) for tissue image alignment, and for the X-ray image registration, the proposed method performs significantly better than the two benchmark b-spline approaches (P < 0.001). The software implementation of the presented method and the data used in this study are made publicly available for scientific communities to use (http://www-o.ntust.edu.tw/∼cweiwang/ImprovedImageRegistration/). cweiwang@mail.ntust.edu.tw.

  1. Significance and challenges of stereoselectivity assessing methods in drug metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhuowei Shen

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Stereoselectivity in drug metabolism can not only influence the pharmacological activities, tolerability, safety, and bioavailability of drugs directly, but also cause different kinds of drug–drug interactions. Thus, assessing stereoselectivity in drug metabolism is of great significance for pharmaceutical research and development (R&D and rational use in clinic. Although there are various methods available for assessing stereoselectivity in drug metabolism, many of them have shortcomings. The indirect method of chromatographic methods can only be applicable to specific samples with functional groups to be derivatized or form complex with a chiral selector, while the direct method achieved by chiral stationary phases (CSPs is expensive. As a detector of chromatographic methods, mass spectrometry (MS is highly sensitive and specific, whereas the matrix interference is still a challenge to overcome. In addition, the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR and immunoassay in chiral analysis are worth noting. This review presents several typical examples of drug stereoselective metabolism and provides a literature-based evaluation on current chiral analytical techniques to show the significance and challenges of stereoselectivity assessing methods in drug metabolism.

  2. An Improved Method for Determination of Cyanide Content in Bitter Almond Oil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jia; Liu, Lei; Li, Mengjun; Yu, Xiuzhu; Zhang, Rui

    2018-01-01

    An improved colorimetric method for determination of cyanide content in bitter almond oil was developed. The optimal determination parameters were as follows: volume ratio of hydrochloric acid to bitter almond oil (v/v), 1.5:1; holding time for hydrolysis, 120 min; and volume ratio of distillation solution to bitter almond oil (v/v), 8:1. Analytical results showed that the relative standard deviations (SDs) of determinations were less than 10%, which satisfies the test requirements. The results of high-performance liquid chromatography and measurements exhibited a significant correlation (R = 0.9888, SD = 0.2015). Therefore, the improved colorimetric method can be used to determine cyanide content in bitter almond oil.

  3. An Improved Iterative Fitting Method to Estimate Nocturnal Residual Layer Height

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Wang

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The planetary boundary layer (PBL is an atmospheric region near the Earth’s surface. It is significant for weather forecasting and for the study of air quality and climate. In this study, the top of nocturnal residual layers—which are what remain of the daytime mixing layer—are estimated by an elastic backscatter Lidar in Wuhan (30.5°N, 114.4°E, a city in Central China. The ideal profile fitting method is widely applied to determine the nocturnal residual layer height (RLH from Lidar data. However, the method is seriously affected by an optical thick layer. Thus, we propose an improved iterative fitting method to eliminate the optical thick layer effect on RLH detection using Lidar. Two typical case studies observed by elastic Lidar are presented to demonstrate the theory and advantage of the proposed method. Results of case analysis indicate that the improved method is more practical and precise than profile-fitting, gradient, and wavelet covariance transform method in terms of nocturnal RLH evaluation under low cloud conditions. Long-term observations of RLH performed with ideal profile fitting and improved methods were carried out in Wuhan from 28 May 2011 to 17 June 2016. Comparisons of Lidar-derived RLHs with the two types of methods verify that the improved solution is practical. Statistical analysis of a six-year Lidar signal was conducted to reveal the monthly average values of nocturnal RLH in Wuhan. A clear RLH monthly cycle with a maximum mean height of about 1.8 km above ground level was observed in August, and a minimum height of about 0.7 km was observed in January. The variation in monthly mean RLH displays an obvious quarterly dependence, which coincides with the annual variation in local surface temperature.

  4. The Box-and-Dot Method: A Simple Strategy for Counting Significant Figures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephenson, W. Kirk

    2009-01-01

    A visual method for counting significant digits is presented. This easy-to-learn (and easy-to-teach) method, designated the box-and-dot method, uses the device of "boxing" significant figures based on two simple rules, then counting the number of digits in the boxes. (Contains 4 notes.)

  5. A Least Squares Collocation Method for Accuracy Improvement of Mobile LiDAR Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qingzhou Mao

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available In environments that are hostile to Global Navigation Satellites Systems (GNSS, the precision achieved by a mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR system (MLS can deteriorate into the sub-meter or even the meter range due to errors in the positioning and orientation system (POS. This paper proposes a novel least squares collocation (LSC-based method to improve the accuracy of the MLS in these hostile environments. Through a thorough consideration of the characteristics of POS errors, the proposed LSC-based method effectively corrects these errors using LiDAR control points, thereby improving the accuracy of the MLS. This method is also applied to the calibration of misalignment between the laser scanner and the POS. Several datasets from different scenarios have been adopted in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results from experiments indicate that this method would represent a significant improvement in terms of the accuracy of the MLS in environments that are essentially hostile to GNSS and is also effective regarding the calibration of misalignment.

  6. Significance evaluation in factor graphs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Tobias; Hobolth, Asger; Jensen, Jens Ledet

    2017-01-01

    in genomics and the multiple-testing issues accompanying them, accurate significance evaluation is of great importance. We here address the problem of evaluating statistical significance of observations from factor graph models. Results Two novel numerical approximations for evaluation of statistical...... significance are presented. First a method using importance sampling. Second a saddlepoint approximation based method. We develop algorithms to efficiently compute the approximations and compare them to naive sampling and the normal approximation. The individual merits of the methods are analysed both from....... Conclusions The applicability of saddlepoint approximation and importance sampling is demonstrated on known models in the factor graph framework. Using the two methods we can substantially improve computational cost without compromising accuracy. This contribution allows analyses of large datasets...

  7. An efficient optimization method to improve the measuring accuracy of oxygen saturation by using triangular wave optical signal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Gang; Yu, Yue; Zhang, Cui; Lin, Ling

    2017-09-01

    The oxygen saturation is one of the important parameters to evaluate human health. This paper presents an efficient optimization method that can improve the accuracy of oxygen saturation measurement, which employs an optical frequency division triangular wave signal as the excitation signal to obtain dynamic spectrum and calculate oxygen saturation. In comparison to the traditional method measured RMSE (root mean square error) of SpO2 which is 0.1705, this proposed method significantly reduced the measured RMSE which is 0.0965. It is notable that the accuracy of oxygen saturation measurement has been improved significantly. The method can simplify the circuit and bring down the demand of elements. Furthermore, it has a great reference value on improving the signal to noise ratio of other physiological signals.

  8. A method for the estimation of the significance of cross-correlations in unevenly sampled red-noise time series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Max-Moerbeck, W.; Richards, J. L.; Hovatta, T.; Pavlidou, V.; Pearson, T. J.; Readhead, A. C. S.

    2014-11-01

    We present a practical implementation of a Monte Carlo method to estimate the significance of cross-correlations in unevenly sampled time series of data, whose statistical properties are modelled with a simple power-law power spectral density. This implementation builds on published methods; we introduce a number of improvements in the normalization of the cross-correlation function estimate and a bootstrap method for estimating the significance of the cross-correlations. A closely related matter is the estimation of a model for the light curves, which is critical for the significance estimates. We present a graphical and quantitative demonstration that uses simulations to show how common it is to get high cross-correlations for unrelated light curves with steep power spectral densities. This demonstration highlights the dangers of interpreting them as signs of a physical connection. We show that by using interpolation and the Hanning sampling window function we are able to reduce the effects of red-noise leakage and to recover steep simple power-law power spectral densities. We also introduce the use of a Neyman construction for the estimation of the errors in the power-law index of the power spectral density. This method provides a consistent way to estimate the significance of cross-correlations in unevenly sampled time series of data.

  9. Reliable B cell epitope predictions: impacts of method development and improved benchmarking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kringelum, Jens Vindahl; Lundegaard, Claus; Lund, Ole

    2012-01-01

    biomedical applications such as; rational vaccine design, development of disease diagnostics and immunotherapeutics. However, experimental mapping of epitopes is resource intensive making in silico methods an appealing complementary approach. To date, the reported performance of methods for in silico mapping...... evaluation data set improved from 0.712 to 0.727. Our results thus demonstrate that given proper benchmark definitions, B-cell epitope prediction methods achieve highly significant predictive performances suggesting these tools to be a powerful asset in rational epitope discovery. The updated version...

  10. The improved oval forceps suture-guiding method for minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yang; Lin, Lixiang; Lin, Chuanlu; Weng, Qihao; Hong, Jianjun

    2018-06-01

    To discuss the effect and advantage of the improved oval forceps suture-guiding method combined with anchor nail in the treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture. A retrospective research was performed on 35 cases of acute Achilles tendon rupture treated with the improved oval forceps suture-guiding method from January 2013 to October 2016. Instead of the Achillon device, we perform the Achillon technique with the use of simple oval forceps, combined with absorbable anchor nail, percutaneously to repair the acute Achilles tendon rupture. All patients were followed up for at least 12 months (range, 12-19 months), and all the patients underwent successful repair of their acute Achilles tendon rupture using the improved oval forceps suture-guiding method without any major intra- or postoperative complications. All the patients returned to work with pre-injury levels of activity at a mean of 12.51 ± 0.76 weeks. Mean AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scores improved from 63.95 (range, 51-78) preoperatively to 98.59 (range, 91-100) at last follow-up. This was statistically significant difference (P anchor nail, the improved technique has better repair capacity and expands the operation indication of oval forceps method. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Statistical and numerical methods to improve the transient divided bar method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bording, Thue Sylvester; Nielsen, S.B.; Balling, N.

    The divided bar method is a commonly used method to measure thermal conductivity of rock samples in laboratory. We present improvements to this method that allows for simultaneous measurements of both thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity. The divided bar setup is run in a transient mode...

  12. Combining gene prediction methods to improve metagenomic gene annotation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosen Gail L

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Traditional gene annotation methods rely on characteristics that may not be available in short reads generated from next generation technology, resulting in suboptimal performance for metagenomic (environmental samples. Therefore, in recent years, new programs have been developed that optimize performance on short reads. In this work, we benchmark three metagenomic gene prediction programs and combine their predictions to improve metagenomic read gene annotation. Results We not only analyze the programs' performance at different read-lengths like similar studies, but also separate different types of reads, including intra- and intergenic regions, for analysis. The main deficiencies are in the algorithms' ability to predict non-coding regions and gene edges, resulting in more false-positives and false-negatives than desired. In fact, the specificities of the algorithms are notably worse than the sensitivities. By combining the programs' predictions, we show significant improvement in specificity at minimal cost to sensitivity, resulting in 4% improvement in accuracy for 100 bp reads with ~1% improvement in accuracy for 200 bp reads and above. To correctly annotate the start and stop of the genes, we find that a consensus of all the predictors performs best for shorter read lengths while a unanimous agreement is better for longer read lengths, boosting annotation accuracy by 1-8%. We also demonstrate use of the classifier combinations on a real dataset. Conclusions To optimize the performance for both prediction and annotation accuracies, we conclude that the consensus of all methods (or a majority vote is the best for reads 400 bp and shorter, while using the intersection of GeneMark and Orphelia predictions is the best for reads 500 bp and longer. We demonstrate that most methods predict over 80% coding (including partially coding reads on a real human gut sample sequenced by Illumina technology.

  13. Improved methods for high resolution electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taylor, J.R.

    1987-04-01

    Existing methods of making support films for high resolution transmission electron microscopy are investigated and novel methods are developed. Existing methods of fabricating fenestrated, metal reinforced specimen supports (microgrids) are evaluated for their potential to reduce beam induced movement of monolamellar crystals of C/sub 44/H/sub 90/ paraffin supported on thin carbon films. Improved methods of producing hydrophobic carbon films by vacuum evaporation, and improved methods of depositing well ordered monolamellar paraffin crystals on carbon films are developed. A novel technique for vacuum evaporation of metals is described which is used to reinforce microgrids. A technique is also developed to bond thin carbon films to microgrids with a polymer bonding agent. Unique biochemical methods are described to accomplish site specific covalent modification of membrane proteins. Protocols are given which covalently convert the carboxy terminus of papain cleaved bacteriorhodopsin to a free thiol. 53 refs., 19 figs., 1 tab.

  14. Radiotherapy is associated with significant improvement in local and regional control in Merkel cell carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Susan H; Haydu, Lauren E; Goh, Robin Yeong Hong; Fogarty, Gerald B

    2012-01-01

    Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare tumour of skin. This study is a retrospective audit of patients with MCC from St Vincent’s and Mater Hospital, Sydney, Australia. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of radiotherapy (RT) on the local and regional control of MCC lesions and survival of patients with MCC. The data bases in anatomical pathology, RT and surgery. We searched for patients having a diagnosis of MCC between 1996 and 2007. Patient, tumour and treatment characteristics were collected and analysed. Univariate survival analysis of categorical variables was conducted with the Kaplan-Meier method together with the Log-Rank test for statistical significance. Continuous variables were assessed using the Cox regression method. Multivariate analysis was performed for significant univariate results. Sixty seven patients were found. Sixty two who were stage I-III and were treated with radical intent were analysed. 68% were male. The median age was 74 years. Forty-two cases (68%) were stage I or II, and 20 cases (32%) were stage III. For the subset of 42 stage I and II patients, those that had RT to their primary site had a 2-year local recurrence free survival of 89% compared with 36% for patients not receiving RT (p<0.001). The cumulative 2-year regional recurrence free survival for patients having adjuvant regional RT was 84% compared with 43% for patients not receiving this treatment (p<0.001). Immune status at initial surgery was a significant predictor for OS and MCCSS. In a multivariate analysis combining macroscopic size (mm) and immune status at initial surgery, only immune status remained a significant predictor of overall survival (HR=2.096, 95% CI: 1.002-4.385, p=0.049). RT is associated with significant improvement in local and regional control in Merkel cell carcinoma. Immunosuppression is an important factor in overall survival

  15. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR-BASED METHODS FOR GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF TULIPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aurel Popescu

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Although the conventional methods of improvement have changed significantly throughout the last fifty years, additional tools and novel approaches are needed in order to fasten the process of creation new and highly valuable tulip varieties. The genetic base of tulip production can be preserved and widen by an integration of biotechnology tools in conventional breeding. Micropropagation in vitro may produce very fast large numbers of vigorous plants with high quality and free of endogenous pathogens. The in vitro rescue of embryos resulted from interspecific crosses between more or less distant species, chromosome doubling, somaclonal variation, transformation, and marker-aided selection and breeding are just a few of the examples of the applications of biotechnology in tulip improvement. This review provides an overview of the opportunities presented by the integration of plant biotechnology into the tulip improvement efforts.

  16. Passive Methods as a Solution for Improving Indoor Environments

    CERN Document Server

    Orosa, José A

    2012-01-01

    There are many aspects to consider when evaluating or improving an indoor environment; thermal comfort, energy saving, preservation of materials, hygiene and health are all key aspects which can be improved by passive methods of environmental control. Passive Methods as a Solution for Improving Indoor Environments endeavours to fill the lack of analysis in this area by using over ten years of research to illustrate the effects of methods such as thermal inertia and permeable coverings; for example, the use of permeable coverings is a well known passive method, but its effects and ways to improve indoor environments have been rarely analyzed.   Passive Methods as a Solution for Improving Indoor Environments  includes both software simulations and laboratory and field studies. Through these, the main parameters that characterize the behavior of internal coverings are defined. Furthermore, a new procedure is explained in depth which can be used to identify the real expected effects of permeable coverings such ...

  17. Methods improvements incorporated into the SAPHIRE ASP models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sattison, M.B.; Blackman, H.S.; Novack, S.D.

    1995-01-01

    The Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data (AEOD) has sought the assistance of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) to make some significant enhancements to the SAPHIRE-based Accident Sequence Precursor (ASP) models recently developed by the INEL. The challenge of this project is to provide the features of a full-scale PRA within the framework of the simplified ASP models. Some of these features include: (1) uncertainty analysis addressing the standard PRA uncertainties and the uncertainties unique to the ASP models and methods, (2) incorporation and proper quantification of individual human actions and the interaction among human actions, (3) enhanced treatment of common cause failures, and (4) extension of the ASP models to more closely mimic full-scale PRAs (inclusion of more initiators, explicitly modeling support system failures, etc.). This paper provides an overview of the methods being used to make the above improvements

  18. An improvement on LSB+ method

    OpenAIRE

    Qazanfari, Kazem; Ghaemmaghami, Shahrokh

    2017-01-01

    The Least Significant Bit (LSB) substitution is an old and simple data hiding method that could almost effortlessly be implemented in spatial or transform domain over any digital media. This method can be attacked by several steganalysis methods, because it detectably changes statistical and perceptual characteristics of the cover signal. A typical method for steganalysis of the LSB substitution is the histogram attack that attempts to diagnose anomalies in the cover image's histogram. A well...

  19. Electronic monitoring in combination with direct observation as a means to significantly improve hand hygiene compliance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyce, John M

    2017-05-01

    Monitoring hand hygiene compliance among health care personnel (HCP) is an essential element of hand hygiene promotion programs. Observation by trained auditors is considered the gold standard method for establishing hand hygiene compliance rates. Advantages of observational surveys include the unique ability to establish compliance with all of the World Health Organization "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene" initiative Moments and to provide just-in-time coaching. Disadvantages include the resources required for observational surveys, insufficient sample sizes, and nonstandardized methods of conducting observations. Electronic and camera-based systems can monitor hand hygiene performance on all work shifts without a Hawthorne effect and provide significantly more data regarding hand hygiene performance. Disadvantages include the cost of installation, variable accuracy in estimating compliance rates, issues related to acceptance by HCP, insufficient data regarding their cost-effectiveness and influence on health care-related infection rates, and the ability of most systems to monitor only surrogates for Moments 1, 4, and 5. Increasing evidence suggests that monitoring only Moments 1, 4, and 5 provides reasonable estimates of compliance with all 5 Moments. With continued improvement of electronic monitoring systems, combining electronic monitoring with observational methods may provide the best information as part of a multimodal strategy to improve and sustain hand hygiene compliance rates among HCP. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. An Efficient Method for Image and Audio Steganography using Least Significant Bit (LSB) Substitution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chadha, Ankit; Satam, Neha; Sood, Rakshak; Bade, Dattatray

    2013-09-01

    In order to improve the data hiding in all types of multimedia data formats such as image and audio and to make hidden message imperceptible, a novel method for steganography is introduced in this paper. It is based on Least Significant Bit (LSB) manipulation and inclusion of redundant noise as secret key in the message. This method is applied to data hiding in images. For data hiding in audio, Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) both are used. All the results displayed prove to be time-efficient and effective. Also the algorithm is tested for various numbers of bits. For those values of bits, Mean Square Error (MSE) and Peak-Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (PSNR) are calculated and plotted. Experimental results show that the stego-image is visually indistinguishable from the original cover-image when nsteganography process does not reveal presence of any hidden message, thus qualifying the criteria of imperceptible message.

  1. A Mixed-Methods Research Framework for Healthcare Process Improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastian, Nathaniel D; Munoz, David; Ventura, Marta

    2016-01-01

    The healthcare system in the United States is spiraling out of control due to ever-increasing costs without significant improvements in quality, access to care, satisfaction, and efficiency. Efficient workflow is paramount to improving healthcare value while maintaining the utmost standards of patient care and provider satisfaction in high stress environments. This article provides healthcare managers and quality engineers with a practical healthcare process improvement framework to assess, measure and improve clinical workflow processes. The proposed mixed-methods research framework integrates qualitative and quantitative tools to foster the improvement of processes and workflow in a systematic way. The framework consists of three distinct phases: 1) stakeholder analysis, 2a) survey design, 2b) time-motion study, and 3) process improvement. The proposed framework is applied to the pediatric intensive care unit of the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. The implementation of this methodology led to identification and categorization of different workflow tasks and activities into both value-added and non-value added in an effort to provide more valuable and higher quality patient care. Based upon the lessons learned from the case study, the three-phase methodology provides a better, broader, leaner, and holistic assessment of clinical workflow. The proposed framework can be implemented in various healthcare settings to support continuous improvement efforts in which complexity is a daily element that impacts workflow. We proffer a general methodology for process improvement in a healthcare setting, providing decision makers and stakeholders with a useful framework to help their organizations improve efficiency. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  2. Improvements in biamperometric method for remote analysis of uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palamalai, A.; Thankachan, T.S.; Balasubramanian, G.R.

    1979-01-01

    One of the titrimetric methods most suitable for remote operations with Master Slave Manipulators inside hot cells is the biamperometric method. The biamperometric method for the analysis of uranium reported in the literature is found to give rise to a significant bias, especially with low aliquots of uranium and the waste volume is also considerable which is not desirable from the point of view of radioactive waste disposal. In the present method, the bias as well as waste volume are reduced. Also addition of vanadyl sulphate is found necessary to provide a sharp end point in the titration curve. The role of vanadyl sulphate in improving the titration method has been investigated by spectrophotometry and electrometry. A new mechanism for the role of vanadyl sulphate which is in conformity with the observations made in coulometric titration of uranium, is proposed. Interference from deliberate additions of high concentrations of stable species of fission product elements is found negligible. Hence this method is considered highly suitable for remote analysis of uranium in intensely radioactive reprocessing solutions for control purposes, provided radioactivity does not pose new problems. (auth.)

  3. AIR Tools II: algebraic iterative reconstruction methods, improved implementation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Per Christian; Jørgensen, Jakob Sauer

    2017-01-01

    with algebraic iterative methods and their convergence properties. The present software is a much expanded and improved version of the package AIR Tools from 2012, based on a new modular design. In addition to improved performance and memory use, we provide more flexible iterative methods, a column-action method...

  4. Metric-based method of software requirements correctness improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yaremchuk Svitlana

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The work highlights the most important principles of software reliability management (SRM. The SRM concept construes a basis for developing a method of requirements correctness improvement. The method assumes that complicated requirements contain more actual and potential design faults/defects. The method applies a newer metric to evaluate the requirements complexity and double sorting technique evaluating the priority and complexity of a particular requirement. The method enables to improve requirements correctness due to identification of a higher number of defects with restricted resources. Practical application of the proposed method in the course of demands review assured a sensible technical and economic effect.

  5. Testing statistical significance scores of sequence comparison methods with structure similarity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leunissen Jack AM

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In the past years the Smith-Waterman sequence comparison algorithm has gained popularity due to improved implementations and rapidly increasing computing power. However, the quality and sensitivity of a database search is not only determined by the algorithm but also by the statistical significance testing for an alignment. The e-value is the most commonly used statistical validation method for sequence database searching. The CluSTr database and the Protein World database have been created using an alternative statistical significance test: a Z-score based on Monte-Carlo statistics. Several papers have described the superiority of the Z-score as compared to the e-value, using simulated data. We were interested if this could be validated when applied to existing, evolutionary related protein sequences. Results All experiments are performed on the ASTRAL SCOP database. The Smith-Waterman sequence comparison algorithm with both e-value and Z-score statistics is evaluated, using ROC, CVE and AP measures. The BLAST and FASTA algorithms are used as reference. We find that two out of three Smith-Waterman implementations with e-value are better at predicting structural similarities between proteins than the Smith-Waterman implementation with Z-score. SSEARCH especially has very high scores. Conclusion The compute intensive Z-score does not have a clear advantage over the e-value. The Smith-Waterman implementations give generally better results than their heuristic counterparts. We recommend using the SSEARCH algorithm combined with e-values for pairwise sequence comparisons.

  6. Numerical comparison of improved methods of testing in contingency tables with small frequencies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sugiura, Nariaki; Otake, Masanori

    1968-11-14

    The significance levels of various tests for a general c x k contingency table are usually given by large sample theory. But they are not accurate for the one having small frequencies. In this paper, a numerical evaluation was made to determine how good the approximation of significance level is for various improved tests that have been developed by Nass, Yoshimura, Gart, etc. for c x k contingency table with small frequencies in some of cells. For this purpose we compared the significance levels of the various approximate methods (i) with those of one-sided tail defined in terms of exact probabilities for given marginals in 2 x 2 table; (ii) with those of exact probabilities accumulated in the order of magnitude of Chi/sup 2/ statistic or likelihood ratio (=LR) statistic in 2 x 3 table mentioned by Yates. In 2 x 2 table it is well known that Yates' correction gives satisfactory result for small cell frequencies and the other methods that we have not referred here, can be considered if we devote our attention only to 2 x 2 or 2 x k table. But we are mainly interested in comparing the methods that are applicable to a general c x k table. It appears that such a comparison for the various improved methods in the same example has not been made explicitly, even though these tests are frequently used in biological and medical research. 9 references, 6 figures, 6 tables.

  7. A novel method for improved accuracy of transcription factor binding site prediction

    KAUST Repository

    Khamis, Abdullah M.; Motwalli, Olaa Amin; Oliva, Romina; Jankovic, Boris R.; Medvedeva, Yulia; Ashoor, Haitham; Essack, Magbubah; Gao, Xin; Bajic, Vladimir B.

    2018-01-01

    Identifying transcription factor (TF) binding sites (TFBSs) is important in the computational inference of gene regulation. Widely used computational methods of TFBS prediction based on position weight matrices (PWMs) usually have high false positive rates. Moreover, computational studies of transcription regulation in eukaryotes frequently require numerous PWM models of TFBSs due to a large number of TFs involved. To overcome these problems we developed DRAF, a novel method for TFBS prediction that requires only 14 prediction models for 232 human TFs, while at the same time significantly improves prediction accuracy. DRAF models use more features than PWM models, as they combine information from TFBS sequences and physicochemical properties of TF DNA-binding domains into machine learning models. Evaluation of DRAF on 98 human ChIP-seq datasets shows on average 1.54-, 1.96- and 5.19-fold reduction of false positives at the same sensitivities compared to models from HOCOMOCO, TRANSFAC and DeepBind, respectively. This observation suggests that one can efficiently replace the PWM models for TFBS prediction by a small number of DRAF models that significantly improve prediction accuracy. The DRAF method is implemented in a web tool and in a stand-alone software freely available at http://cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/DRAF.

  8. A novel method for improved accuracy of transcription factor binding site prediction

    KAUST Repository

    Khamis, Abdullah M.

    2018-03-20

    Identifying transcription factor (TF) binding sites (TFBSs) is important in the computational inference of gene regulation. Widely used computational methods of TFBS prediction based on position weight matrices (PWMs) usually have high false positive rates. Moreover, computational studies of transcription regulation in eukaryotes frequently require numerous PWM models of TFBSs due to a large number of TFs involved. To overcome these problems we developed DRAF, a novel method for TFBS prediction that requires only 14 prediction models for 232 human TFs, while at the same time significantly improves prediction accuracy. DRAF models use more features than PWM models, as they combine information from TFBS sequences and physicochemical properties of TF DNA-binding domains into machine learning models. Evaluation of DRAF on 98 human ChIP-seq datasets shows on average 1.54-, 1.96- and 5.19-fold reduction of false positives at the same sensitivities compared to models from HOCOMOCO, TRANSFAC and DeepBind, respectively. This observation suggests that one can efficiently replace the PWM models for TFBS prediction by a small number of DRAF models that significantly improve prediction accuracy. The DRAF method is implemented in a web tool and in a stand-alone software freely available at http://cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/DRAF.

  9. Fundamentals of modern statistical methods substantially improving power and accuracy

    CERN Document Server

    Wilcox, Rand R

    2001-01-01

    Conventional statistical methods have a very serious flaw They routinely miss differences among groups or associations among variables that are detected by more modern techniques - even under very small departures from normality Hundreds of journal articles have described the reasons standard techniques can be unsatisfactory, but simple, intuitive explanations are generally unavailable Improved methods have been derived, but they are far from obvious or intuitive based on the training most researchers receive Situations arise where even highly nonsignificant results become significant when analyzed with more modern methods Without assuming any prior training in statistics, Part I of this book describes basic statistical principles from a point of view that makes their shortcomings intuitive and easy to understand The emphasis is on verbal and graphical descriptions of concepts Part II describes modern methods that address the problems covered in Part I Using data from actual studies, many examples are include...

  10. Improved Savitzky-Golay-method-based fluorescence subtraction algorithm for rapid recovery of Raman spectra.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kun; Zhang, Hongyuan; Wei, Haoyun; Li, Yan

    2014-08-20

    In this paper, we propose an improved subtraction algorithm for rapid recovery of Raman spectra that can substantially reduce the computation time. This algorithm is based on an improved Savitzky-Golay (SG) iterative smoothing method, which involves two key novel approaches: (a) the use of the Gauss-Seidel method and (b) the introduction of a relaxation factor into the iterative procedure. By applying a novel successive relaxation (SG-SR) iterative method to the relaxation factor, additional improvement in the convergence speed over the standard Savitzky-Golay procedure is realized. The proposed improved algorithm (the RIA-SG-SR algorithm), which uses SG-SR-based iteration instead of Savitzky-Golay iteration, has been optimized and validated with a mathematically simulated Raman spectrum, as well as experimentally measured Raman spectra from non-biological and biological samples. The method results in a significant reduction in computing cost while yielding consistent rejection of fluorescence and noise for spectra with low signal-to-fluorescence ratios and varied baselines. In the simulation, RIA-SG-SR achieved 1 order of magnitude improvement in iteration number and 2 orders of magnitude improvement in computation time compared with the range-independent background-subtraction algorithm (RIA). Furthermore the computation time of the experimentally measured raw Raman spectrum processing from skin tissue decreased from 6.72 to 0.094 s. In general, the processing of the SG-SR method can be conducted within dozens of milliseconds, which can provide a real-time procedure in practical situations.

  11. Rehearsal significantly improves immediate and delayed recall on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hessen, Erik

    2011-10-01

    A repeated observation during memory assessment with the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is that patients who spontaneously employ a memory rehearsal strategy by repeating the word list more than once achieve better scores than patients who only repeat the word list once. This observation led to concern about the ability of the standard test procedure of RAVLT and similar tests in eliciting the best possible recall scores. The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that a rehearsal recall strategy of repeating the word list more than once would result in improved scores of recall on the RAVLT. We report on differences in outcome after standard administration and after experimental administration on Immediate and Delayed Recall measures from the RAVLT of 50 patients. The experimental administration resulted in significantly improved scores for all the variables employed. Additionally, it was found that patients who failed effort screening showed significantly poorer improvement on Delayed Recall compared with those who passed the effort screening. The general clear improvement both in raw scores and T-scores demonstrates that recall performance can be significantly influenced by the strategy of the patient or by small variations in instructions by the examiner.

  12. Improving Reference Service: The Case for Using a Continuous Quality Improvement Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aluri, Rao

    1993-01-01

    Discusses the evaluation of library reference service; examines problems with past evaluations, including the lack of long-term planning and a systems perspective; and suggests a method for continuously monitoring and improving reference service using quality improvement tools such as checklists, cause and effect diagrams, Pareto charts, and…

  13. A two-factor method for appraising building renovation and energy efficiency improvement projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinaitis, Vytautas; Kazakevicius, Eduardas; Vitkauskas, Aloyzas

    2007-01-01

    The renovation of residential buildings usually involves a variety of measures aiming at reducing energy and building maintenance bills, increasing safety and market value, and improving comfort and aesthetics. A significant number of project appraisal methods in current use-such as calculations of payback time, net present value, internal rate of return or cost of conserved energy (CCE)-only quantify energy efficiency gains. These approaches are relatively easy to use, but offer a distorted view of complex modernization projects. On the other hand, various methods using multiple criteria take a much wider perspective but are usually time-consuming, based on sometimes uncertain assumptions and require sophisticated tools. A 'two-factor' appraisal method offers a compromise between these two approaches. The main idea of the method is to separate investments into those related to energy efficiency improvements, and those related to building renovation. Costs and benefits of complex measures, which both influence energy consumption and improve building constructions, are separated by using a building rehabilitation coefficient. The CCE is used for the appraisal of energy efficiency investments, while investments in building renovation are appraised using standard tools for the assessment of investments in maintenance, repair and rehabilitation

  14. Unified Health Gamification can significantly improve well-being in corporate environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahrestani, Arash; Van Gorp, Pieter; Le Blanc, Pascale; Greidanus, Fabrizio; de Groot, Kristel; Leermakers, Jelle

    2017-07-01

    There is a multitude of mHealth applications that aim to solve societal health problems by stimulating specific types of physical activities via gamification. However, physical health activities cover just one of the three World Health Organization (WHO) dimensions of health. This paper introduces the novel notion of Unified Health Gamification (UHG), which covers besides physical health also social and cognitive health and well-being. Instead of rewarding activities in the three WHO dimensions using different mHealth competitions, UHG combines the scores for such activities on unified leaderboards and lets people interact in social circles beyond personal interests. This approach is promising in corporate environments since UHG can connect the employees with intrinsic motivation for physical health with those who have quite different interests. In order to evaluate this approach, we realized an app prototype and we evaluated it in two corporate pilot studies. In total, eighteen pilot users participated voluntarily for six weeks. Half of the participants were recruited from an occupational health setting and the other half from a treatment setting. Our results suggest that the UHG principles are worth more investigation: various positive health effects were found based on a validated survey. The mean mental health improved significantly at one pilot location and at the level of individual pilot participants, multiple other effects were found to be significant: among others, significant mental health improvements were found for 28% of the participants. Most participants intended to use the app beyond the pilot, especially if it would be further developed.

  15. Synthesis of research on Biogrout soil improvement method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zsolt KALTENBACHER

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Because of the great rhythm of city developments, there is a great need for a new cost effective method for ground improvement. In this paper, a few chemical improvement technologies and a new biological ground improvement method called Biogrout are discussed. The method, used in the paper for a Sarmatian sand in Transylvania (Feleac locality implies using microorganisms as catalysts in order to induce a microbial carbonate precipitation (MICP to increase the strength and stiffness of cohesionless soils. For this calcium based procedure, the bacteria Sporosarcina Pasteurii (DSMZ 33 is used, while for the treatment solution urea (CO(NH22 and calcium chloride (CaCl2 are used. The study presents the triaxial testing of sand probes treated with Biogrout and the comparison of results obtained with untreated sand probes.

  16. Frameworks for improvement: clinical audit, the plan-do-study-act cycle and significant event audit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillam, Steve; Siriwardena, A Niroshan

    2013-01-01

    This is the first in a series of articles about quality improvement tools and techniques. We explore common frameworks for improvement, including the model for improvement and its application to clinical audit, plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles and significant event analysis (SEA), examining the similarities and differences between these and providing examples of each.

  17. Prioritization of manufacturing sectors in Serbia for energy management improvement – AHP method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jovanović, Bojana; Filipović, Jovan; Bakić, Vukman

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • We used AHP method to prioritize manufacturing sectors in Serbia. • Priorities for energy management improvement according to five criteria. • Rank 1 – “Manufacture of food products”. • Rank 2 – “Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers”. • Rank 3 – “Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products”. - Abstract: Manufacturing, which is destined to play the most significant role in the reindustrialization of Serbia is also one of the largest energy consumers and environmental polluters. In accordance with this, a large number of energy and environment management initiatives have been implemented over the years. In developed countries, these initiatives are at an advanced level, but not in Serbia. A group of manufacturers in Serbia has recognized the significance of the environmental initiatives implementation, but the interest in energy management improvement has remained low. Although these initiatives can be used to achieve cost reduction in industry, not all the manufacturing sectors equally value the importance of energy management improvement. Among all the manufacturing sectors, it is necessary to prioritize those with the potentials for energy management improvement, which can be done using different methods. In this paper, the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method was used to prioritize manufacturing sectors in Serbia in the area of energy management improvement. Using a created AHP questionnaires criteria weights were selected. These questionnaires were completed by the experts from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, providing us with the opportunity to evaluate the Serbian manufacturing sectors based on the real life data. The results of the AHP method, which was used as the prioritization instrument, and their analysis are presented in the paper. As a part of a wider study, aimed at the improvement of the energy management in Serbia, the three manufacturing sectors with the highest

  18. Can We Use Polya’s Method to Improve Students’ Performance in the Statistics Classes?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Indika Wickramasinghe

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, Polya’s problem-solving method is introduced in a statistics class in an effort to enhance students’ performance. Teaching the method was applied to one of the two introductory-level statistics classes taught by the same instructor, and a comparison was made between the performances in the two classes. The results indicate there was a significant improvement of the students’ performance in the class in which Polya’s method was introduced.

  19. A REVIEW OF ORDER PICKING IMPROVEMENT METHODS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johan Oscar Ong

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available As a crucial and one of the most important parts of warehousing, order picking often raises discussion between warehousing professionals, resulting in various studies aiming to analyze how order picking activity can be improved from various perspective. This paper reviews various past researches on order picking improvement, and the various methods those studies analyzed or developed. This literature review is based on twenty research articles on order picking improvement viewed from four different perspectives: Automation (specifically, stock-to-picker system, storage assignment policy, order batching, and order picking sequencing. By reviewing these studies, we try to identify the most prevalent order picking improvement approach to order picking improvement. Keywords: warehousing; stock-to-picker; storage assignment; order batching; order picking sequencing; improvement

  20. An improved calcium chloride method preparation and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Transformation is one of the fundamental and essential molecular cloning techniques. In this paper, we have reported a modified method for preparation and transformation of competent cells. This modified method, improved from a classical protocol, has made some modifications on the concentration of calcium chloride ...

  1. Work system innovation: Designing improvement methods for generative capability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, David; Møller, Niels

    2013-01-01

    This paper explores how a work system’s capability for improvement is influenced by its improvement methods. Based on explorative case study at a Lean manufacturing facility, the methods problem solving and Appreciative Inquiry were compared through in-depth qualitative studies over a 12-month...

  2. Modern methods to improve the accuracy in fast neutron dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baers, B.; Karnani, H.; Seren, T.

    1985-01-01

    In order to improve the quality of fast neutron dose estimates at the reactor pressure vessel (PV) some modern methods are presented. In addition to basic principles, some error reduction procedures are also presented based on the combined use of relative measurements, direct sample taking from the pressure vessel and the use of iron and niobium as dosimeters. The influence of large systematic errors could be significantly reduced by carrying out relative measurements. This report also presents the successful use of niobium as a dosimeter by destructive treatment of PV samples. (author)

  3. An improved potential drop method for measuring and monitoring defects in metallic structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oppermann, W.; Keller, H.P.

    1993-01-01

    In the developed form described the direct current potential drop method is a reliable and relatively accurate procedure for the measuring and surveillance of surface cracks in metallic materials. There are also significant possibilities in practice of surveying cracks on the inaccessible side of the structure. The basis for the improvement in accuracy, in particular for short cracks, is firstly an improved measuring technique and secondly calibration curves determined using an electrolytic tank. Practical experience gained in conventional plants is to date positive. The opportunity exists of benefitting from the advantages that would be brought about by an increased use of the potential drop method in plant surveillance. In nuclear plants specifically this would achieve a reduction in the testing personnel's exposure to radiation. (orig.)

  4. Method to improve commercial bonded SOI material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maris, Humphrey John; Sadana, Devendra Kumar

    2000-07-11

    A method of improving the bonding characteristics of a previously bonded silicon on insulator (SOI) structure is provided. The improvement in the bonding characteristics is achieved in the present invention by, optionally, forming an oxide cap layer on the silicon surface of the bonded SOI structure and then annealing either the uncapped or oxide capped structure in a slightly oxidizing ambient at temperatures greater than 1200.degree. C. Also provided herein is a method for detecting the bonding characteristics of previously bonded SOI structures. According to this aspect of the present invention, a pico-second laser pulse technique is employed to determine the bonding imperfections of previously bonded SOI structures.

  5. Improved parallel solution techniques for the integral transport matrix method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zerr, R. Joseph, E-mail: rjz116@psu.edu [Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States); Azmy, Yousry Y., E-mail: yyazmy@ncsu.edu [Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, Burlington Engineering Laboratories, Raleigh, NC (United States)

    2011-07-01

    Alternative solution strategies to the parallel block Jacobi (PBJ) method for the solution of the global problem with the integral transport matrix method operators have been designed and tested. The most straightforward improvement to the Jacobi iterative method is the Gauss-Seidel alternative. The parallel red-black Gauss-Seidel (PGS) algorithm can improve on the number of iterations and reduce work per iteration by applying an alternating red-black color-set to the subdomains and assigning multiple sub-domains per processor. A parallel GMRES(m) method was implemented as an alternative to stationary iterations. Computational results show that the PGS method can improve on the PBJ method execution time by up to 10´ when eight sub-domains per processor are used. However, compared to traditional source iterations with diffusion synthetic acceleration, it is still approximately an order of magnitude slower. The best-performing cases are optically thick because sub-domains decouple, yielding faster convergence. Further tests revealed that 64 sub-domains per processor was the best performing level of sub-domain division. An acceleration technique that improves the convergence rate would greatly improve the ITMM. The GMRES(m) method with a diagonal block pre conditioner consumes approximately the same time as the PBJ solver but could be improved by an as yet undeveloped, more efficient pre conditioner. (author)

  6. Improved parallel solution techniques for the integral transport matrix method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zerr, R. Joseph; Azmy, Yousry Y.

    2011-01-01

    Alternative solution strategies to the parallel block Jacobi (PBJ) method for the solution of the global problem with the integral transport matrix method operators have been designed and tested. The most straightforward improvement to the Jacobi iterative method is the Gauss-Seidel alternative. The parallel red-black Gauss-Seidel (PGS) algorithm can improve on the number of iterations and reduce work per iteration by applying an alternating red-black color-set to the subdomains and assigning multiple sub-domains per processor. A parallel GMRES(m) method was implemented as an alternative to stationary iterations. Computational results show that the PGS method can improve on the PBJ method execution time by up to 10´ when eight sub-domains per processor are used. However, compared to traditional source iterations with diffusion synthetic acceleration, it is still approximately an order of magnitude slower. The best-performing cases are optically thick because sub-domains decouple, yielding faster convergence. Further tests revealed that 64 sub-domains per processor was the best performing level of sub-domain division. An acceleration technique that improves the convergence rate would greatly improve the ITMM. The GMRES(m) method with a diagonal block pre conditioner consumes approximately the same time as the PBJ solver but could be improved by an as yet undeveloped, more efficient pre conditioner. (author)

  7. An improved partial least-squares regression method for Raman spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Momenpour Tehran Monfared, Ali; Anis, Hanan

    2017-10-01

    It is known that the performance of partial least-squares (PLS) regression analysis can be improved using the backward variable selection method (BVSPLS). In this paper, we further improve the BVSPLS based on a novel selection mechanism. The proposed method is based on sorting the weighted regression coefficients, and then the importance of each variable of the sorted list is evaluated using root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) criterion in each iteration step. Our Improved BVSPLS (IBVSPLS) method has been applied to leukemia and heparin data sets and led to an improvement in limit of detection of Raman biosensing ranged from 10% to 43% compared to PLS. Our IBVSPLS was also compared to the jack-knifing (simpler) and Genetic Algorithm (more complex) methods. Our method was consistently better than the jack-knifing method and showed either a similar or a better performance compared to the genetic algorithm.

  8. Improvement of numerical analysis method for FBR core characteristics. 3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takeda, Toshikazu; Yamamoto, Toshihisa; Kitada, Takanori; Katagi, Yousuke

    1998-03-01

    As the improvement of numerical analysis method for FBR core characteristics, studies on several topics have been conducted; multiband method, Monte Carlo perturbation and nodal transport method. This report is composed of the following three parts. Part 1: Improvement of Reaction Rate Calculation Method in the Blanket Region Based on the Multiband Method; A method was developed for precise evaluation of the reaction rate distribution in the blanket region using the multiband method. With the 3-band parameters obtained from the ordinary fitting method, major reaction rates such as U-238 capture, U-235 fission, Pu-239 fission and U-238 fission rate distributions were analyzed. Part 2: Improvement of Estimation Method for Reactivity Based on Monte-Carlo Perturbation Theory; Perturbation theory based on Monte-Carlo perturbation theory have been investigated and introduced into the calculational code. The Monte-Carlo perturbation code was applied to MONJU core and the calculational results were compared to the reference. Part 3: Improvement of Nodal Transport Calculation for Hexagonal Geometry; A method to evaluate the intra-subassembly power distribution from the nodal averaged neutron flux and surface fluxes at the node boundaries, was developed based on the transport theory. (J.P.N.)

  9. Informed consent recall and comprehension in orthodontics: traditional vs improved readability and processability methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Edith Y; Fields, Henry W; Kiyak, Asuman; Beck, F Michael; Firestone, Allen R

    2009-10-01

    Low general and health literacy in the United States means informed consent documents are not well understood by most adults. Methods to improve recall and comprehension of informed consent have not been tested in orthodontics. The purposes of this study were to evaluate (1) recall and comprehension among patients and parents by using the American Association of Orthodontists' (AAO) informed consent form and new forms incorporating improved readability and processability; (2) the association between reading ability, anxiety, and sociodemographic variables and recall and comprehension; and (3) how various domains (treatment, risk, and responsibility) of information are affected by the forms. Three treatment groups (30 patient-parent pairs in each) received an orthodontic case presentation and either the AAO form, an improved readability form (MIC), or an improved readability and processability (pairing audio and visual cues) form (MIC + SS). Structured interviews were transcribed and coded to evaluate recall and comprehension. Significant relationships among patient-related variables and recall and comprehension explained little of the variance. The MIC + SS form significantly improved patient recall and parent recall and comprehension. Recall was better than comprehension, and parents performed better than patients. The MIC + SS form significantly improved patient treatment comprehension and risk recall and parent treatment recall and comprehension. Patients and parents both overestimated their understanding of the materials. Improving the readability of consent materials made little difference, but combining improved readability and processability benefited both patients' recall and parents' recall and comprehension compared with the AAO form.

  10. Improvement of Tone's method with two-term rational approximation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Akio; Endo, Tomohiro; Chiba, Go

    2011-01-01

    An improvement of Tone's method, which is a resonance calculation method based on the equivalence theory, is proposed. In order to increase calculation accuracy, the two-term rational approximation is incorporated for the representation of neutron flux. Furthermore, some theoretical aspects of Tone's method, i.e., its inherent approximation and choice of adequate multigroup cross section for collision probability estimation, are also discussed. The validity of improved Tone's method is confirmed through a verification calculation in an irregular lattice geometry, which represents part of an LWR fuel assembly. The calculation result clarifies the validity of the present method. (author)

  11. Knee Kinematic Improvement After Total Knee Replacement Using a Simplified Quantitative Gait Analysis Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hassan Sarailoo

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of this study was to extract suitable spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters to determine how Total Knee Replacement (TKR alters patients’ knee kinematics during gait, using a rapid and simplified quantitative two-dimensional gait analysis procedure. Methods: Two-dimensional kinematic gait pattern of 10 participants were collected before and after the TKR surgery, using a 60 Hz camcorder in sagittal plane. Then, the kinematic parameters were extracted using the gait data. A student t-test was used to compare the group-average of spatiotemporal and peak kinematic characteristics in the sagittal plane. The knee condition was also evaluated using the Oxford Knee Score (OKS Questionnaire to ensure thateach subject was placed in the right group. Results: The results showed a significant improvement in knee flexion during stance and swing phases after TKR surgery. The walking speed was increased as a result of stride length and cadence improvement, but this increment was not statistically significant. Both post-TKR and control groups showed an increment in spatiotemporal and peak kinematic characteristics between comfortable and fast walking speeds. Discussion: The objective kinematic parameters extracted from 2D gait data were able to show significant improvements of the knee joint after TKR surgery. The patients with TKR surgery were also able to improve their knee kinematics during fast walking speed equal to the control group. These results provide a good insight into the capabilities of the presented method to evaluate knee functionality before and after TKR surgery and to define a more effective rehabilitation program.

  12. [An Improved Spectral Quaternion Interpolation Method of Diffusion Tensor Imaging].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yonghong; Gao, Shangce; Hao, Xiaofei

    2016-04-01

    Diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)is a rapid development technology in recent years of magnetic resonance imaging.The diffusion tensor interpolation is a very important procedure in DTI image processing.The traditional spectral quaternion interpolation method revises the direction of the interpolation tensor and can preserve tensors anisotropy,but the method does not revise the size of tensors.The present study puts forward an improved spectral quaternion interpolation method on the basis of traditional spectral quaternion interpolation.Firstly,we decomposed diffusion tensors with the direction of tensors being represented by quaternion.Then we revised the size and direction of the tensor respectively according to different situations.Finally,we acquired the tensor of interpolation point by calculating the weighted average.We compared the improved method with the spectral quaternion method and the Log-Euclidean method by the simulation data and the real data.The results showed that the improved method could not only keep the monotonicity of the fractional anisotropy(FA)and the determinant of tensors,but also preserve the tensor anisotropy at the same time.In conclusion,the improved method provides a kind of important interpolation method for diffusion tensor image processing.

  13. Significance tests in mutagen screening: another method considering historical control frequencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Traut, H.

    1983-01-01

    Recently a method has been devised for testing the significance of the difference between a mutation frequency observed after chemical treatment or iradiation and the historical ('stable') control frequency. Another test is proposed serving the same purpose. Both methods are applied to several examples (experimental frequency versus historical control frequency). The results (P values) obtained agree well. (author)

  14. Analyzing and improving a chaotic encryption method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Xiaogang; Hu Hanping; Zhang Baoliang

    2004-01-01

    To resist the return map attack [Phys. Rev. Lett. 74 (1995) 1970] presented by Perez and Cerdeira, Shouliang Bu and Bing-Hong Wang proposed a simple method to improve the security of the chaotic encryption by modulating the chaotic carrier with an appropriately chosen scalar signal in [Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 19 (2004) 919]. They maintained that this modulating strategy not only preserved all appropriate information required for synchronizing chaotic systems but also destroyed the possibility of the phase space reconstruction of the sender dynamics such as a return map. However, a critical defect does exist in this scheme. This paper gives a zero-point autocorrelation method, which can recover the parameters of the scalar signal from the modulated signal. Consequently, the messages will be extracted from the demodulated chaotic carrier by using return map. Based on such a fact, an improved scheme is presented to obtain higher security, and the numerical simulation indicates the improvement of the synchronizing performance as well

  15. An improved method for piezoelectric characterization of polymers for energy harvesting applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gusarova, E.; Gusarov, B.; Zakharov, D.; Bousquet, M.; Viala, B.; Cugat, O.; Delamare, J.; Gimeno, L.

    2013-12-01

    This work presents an improved method for measuring the direct piezoelectric voltage and energy of flexible polymers. Well-controlled stress is applied with a four-point bending system and voltage is measured in real open-circuit conditions. The presented method separates the piezoelectric part from the measurement part by introducing a mechanical switch, allowing instantaneous post-deformation discharge measurements. Oscilloscope and contact-less electrostatic voltmeter are compared. Direct piezoelectric measurements under open-circuit conditions have been performed on commercial PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) and its copolymers. Significant differences to data sheet values (close-circuit conditions) are reported and commented.

  16. Method of improving the performance of lenses for use in thermal infrared

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDowell, M. W.; Klee, H. W.

    1980-10-01

    A method is described whereby the field performance of an all-germanium triplet, as used for imaging radiation in the 8 to 13 micron waveband, can be improved. The principle of the method, which could also be used to improve the performance of achromatic triplets or aspherized doublets, involves the use of a field flattener lens which replaces the germanium window of the detector. The curvature of this lens can be optimized to minimize field curvature, which together with chromatic aberration is one of the most serious residuals of thermal imaging systems with relative apertures of around f/0.7. It is also shown that for such relative apertures, and for typical fields of less than 15 degrees, at 100 mm focal length, the location of the aperture stop is not a significant design parameter. This arises as a result of the intrinsic optical properties of germanium.

  17. A Training Method to Improve Police Use of Force Decision Making

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Judith P. Andersen

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Police safety and use of force decisions during critical incidents are an ongoing source of concern for both police practitioners and the public. Prior research in the area of police performance reveals that psychological and physiological stress responses during critical incidents can shape the outcome of the incident, either positively or negatively. The goal of this study was to test a training method to improve use of force decision making among police. This randomized controlled pilot study consisted of training officers to apply techniques to enhance psychological and physiological control during stressful critical incidents. Of a pool of 80 police officers, potential participants were invited based on equivalent age, years of experience, physiological characteristics (i.e., body mass index [BMI] and cardiovascular reactivity, and expertise. Results revealed that the intervention group displayed significantly better physiological control, situational awareness, and overall performance, and made a greater number of correct use of force decisions than officers in the control group (all ps < .01. The relevant improvements in use of force decision-making found in this pilot study indicate that this training method warrants further investigation. Improved use of force decision making directly translates into potential lifesaving decisions for police and the civilians they are working with.

  18. Improved Cell Culture Method for Growing Contracting Skeletal Muscle Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marquette, Michele L.; Sognier, Marguerite A.

    2013-01-01

    An improved method for culturing immature muscle cells (myoblasts) into a mature skeletal muscle overcomes some of the notable limitations of prior culture methods. The development of the method is a major advance in tissue engineering in that, for the first time, a cell-based model spontaneously fuses and differentiates into masses of highly aligned, contracting myotubes. This method enables (1) the construction of improved two-dimensional (monolayer) skeletal muscle test beds; (2) development of contracting three-dimensional tissue models; and (3) improved transplantable tissues for biomedical and regenerative medicine applications. With adaptation, this method also offers potential application for production of other tissue types (i.e., bone and cardiac) from corresponding precursor cells.

  19. Training Methods to Improve Evidence-Based Medicine Skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filiz Ozyigit

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Evidence based medicine (EBM is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. It is estimated that only 15% of medical interventions is evidence-based. Increasing demand, new technological developments, malpractice legislations, a very speed increase in knowledge and knowledge sources push the physicians forward for EBM, but at the same time increase load of physicians by giving them the responsibility to improve their skills. Clinical maneuvers are needed more, as the number of clinical trials and observational studies increase. However, many of the physicians, who are in front row of patient care do not use this increasing evidence. There are several examples related to different training methods in order to improve skills of physicians for evidence based practice. There are many training methods to improve EBM skills and these trainings might be given during medical school, during residency or as continuous trainings to the actual practitioners in the field. It is important to discuss these different training methods in our country as well and encourage dissemination of feasible and effective methods. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2010; 9(3.000: 245-254

  20. Assessing Clinical Significance: Does it Matter which Method we Use?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atkins, David C.; Bedics, Jamie D.; Mcglinchey, Joseph B.; Beauchaine, Theodore P.

    2005-01-01

    Measures of clinical significance are frequently used to evaluate client change during therapy. Several alternatives to the original method devised by N. S. Jacobson, W. C. Follette, & D. Revenstorf (1984) have been proposed, each purporting to increase accuracy. However, researchers have had little systematic guidance in choosing among…

  1. An Improved Method of Training Overcomplete Dictionary Pair

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhuozheng Wang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Training overcomplete dictionary pair is a critical step of the mainstream superresolution methods. For the high time complexity and susceptible to corruption characteristics of training dictionary, an improved method based on lifting wavelet transform and robust principal component analysis is reported. The high-frequency components of example images are estimated through wavelet coefficients of 3-tier lifting wavelet transform decomposition. Sparse coefficients are similar in multiframe images. Accordingly, the inexact augmented Lagrange multiplier method is employed to achieve robust principal component analysis in the process of imposing global constraints. Experiments reveal that the new algorithm not only reduces the time complexity preserving the clarity but also improves the robustness for the corrupted example images.

  2. Novel edge treatment method for improving the transmission reconstruction quality in Tomographic Gamma Scanning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Miaomiao; Guo, Zhirong; Liu, Haifeng; Li, Qinghua

    2018-05-01

    Tomographic Gamma Scanning (TGS) is a method used for the nondestructive assay of radioactive wastes. In TGS, the actual irregular edge voxels are regarded as regular cubic voxels in the traditional treatment method. In this study, in order to improve the performance of TGS, a novel edge treatment method is proposed that considers the actual shapes of these voxels. The two different edge voxel treatment methods were compared by computing the pixel-level relative errors and normalized mean square errors (NMSEs) between the reconstructed transmission images and the ideal images. Both methods were coupled with two different interative algorithms comprising Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (ART) with a non-negativity constraint and Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (MLEM). The results demonstrated that the traditional method for edge voxel treatment can introduce significant error and that the real irregular edge voxel treatment method can improve the performance of TGS by obtaining better transmission reconstruction images. With the real irregular edge voxel treatment method, MLEM algorithm and ART algorithm can be comparable when assaying homogenous matrices, but MLEM algorithm is superior to ART algorithm when assaying heterogeneous matrices. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Increasing recruitment rates in an inpatient clinical research study using quality improvement methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sauers, Hadley S; Beck, Andrew F; Kahn, Robert S; Simmons, Jeffrey M

    2014-11-01

    One important benefit of successful patient recruitment is increased generalizability of findings. We sought to optimize enrollment of children admitted with asthma as part of a population-based, prospective, observational cohort study with the goal of enrolling at least 60% of all eligible and staffed patients. Quality improvement methods were used to improve cohort recruitment. Weekly meetings with study staff and study leadership were held to plan and discuss how to maximize recruitment rates. Significant initial variability in recruitment success prompted the team to use small-scale tests of change to increase recruitment numbers. A number of tests were trialed, focusing primarily on reducing patient refusals and improving recruitment process efficiency. Recruitment rates were calculated by dividing eligible by enrolled patients and displayed using annotated Shewhart control charts. Control charts were used to illustrate week-to-week variability while also enabling differentiation of common-cause and special-cause variation. The study enrolled 774 patients, representing 54% of all eligible and 59% of those eligible for whom staff were available to enroll. Our mean weekly recruitment rate increased from 55% during the first 3 months of the study to a statistically significant sustained rate of 61%. This was sustained given numerous obstacles, such as departing and hiring of staff and adding a second recruitment location. Implementing quality improvement methods within a larger research study led to an increase in the rate of recruitment as well as the stability in recruitment rates from week-to-week. Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  4. Neuro-Linguistic Programming: Improving Rapport between Track/Cross Country Coaches and Significant Others

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helm, David Jay

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the background information and the components of N.L.P., being eye movements, use of predicates, and posturing, as they apply to improving rapport and empathy between track/cross country coaches and their significant others in the arena of competition to help alleviate the inherent stressors.

  5. Clustering and training set selection methods for improving the accuracy of quantitative laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, Ryan B.; Bell, James F.; Wiens, Roger C.; Morris, Richard V.; Clegg, Samuel M.

    2012-01-01

    We investigated five clustering and training set selection methods to improve the accuracy of quantitative chemical analysis of geologic samples by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) using partial least squares (PLS) regression. The LIBS spectra were previously acquired for 195 rock slabs and 31 pressed powder geostandards under 7 Torr CO 2 at a stand-off distance of 7 m at 17 mJ per pulse to simulate the operational conditions of the ChemCam LIBS instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover. The clustering and training set selection methods, which do not require prior knowledge of the chemical composition of the test-set samples, are based on grouping similar spectra and selecting appropriate training spectra for the partial least squares (PLS2) model. These methods were: (1) hierarchical clustering of the full set of training spectra and selection of a subset for use in training; (2) k-means clustering of all spectra and generation of PLS2 models based on the training samples within each cluster; (3) iterative use of PLS2 to predict sample composition and k-means clustering of the predicted compositions to subdivide the groups of spectra; (4) soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) classification of spectra, and generation of PLS2 models based on the training samples within each class; (5) use of Bayesian information criteria (BIC) to determine an optimal number of clusters and generation of PLS2 models based on the training samples within each cluster. The iterative method and the k-means method using 5 clusters showed the best performance, improving the absolute quadrature root mean squared error (RMSE) by ∼ 3 wt.%. The statistical significance of these improvements was ∼ 85%. Our results show that although clustering methods can modestly improve results, a large and diverse training set is the most reliable way to improve the accuracy of quantitative LIBS. In particular, additional sulfate standards and specifically

  6. The SGLT2 Inhibitor Dapagliflozin Significantly Improves the Peripheral Microvascular Endothelial Function in Patients with Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugiyama, Seigo; Jinnouchi, Hideaki; Kurinami, Noboru; Hieshima, Kunio; Yoshida, Akira; Jinnouchi, Katsunori; Nishimura, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Tomoko; Miyamoto, Fumio; Kajiwara, Keizo; Jinnouchi, Tomio

    2018-03-30

    Objective Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce cardiovascular events and decrease the body fat mass in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We examined whether or not the SGLT2-inhibitor dapagliflozin can improve the endothelial function associated with a reduction in abdominal fat mass. Methods We prospectively recruited patients with uncontrolled (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] >7.0%) T2DM who were not being treated by SGLT2 inhibitors. Patients were treated with add-on dapagliflozin (5 mg/day) or non-SGLT2 inhibitor medicines for 6 months to improve their HbA1c. We measured the peripheral microvascular endothelial function as assessed by reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) and calculated the natural logarithmic transformed value of the RH-PAT index (LnRHI). We then investigated changes in the LnRHI and abdominal fat area using computed tomography (CT). Results The subjects were 54 patients with uncontrolled T2DM (72.2% men) with a mean HbA1c of 8.1%. The HbA1c was significantly decreased in both groups, with no significant difference between the groups. Dapagliflozin treatment, but not non-SGLT2 inhibitor treatment, significantly increased the LnRHI. The changes in the LnRHI were significantly greater in the dapagliflozin group than in the non-SGLT2 inhibitor group. Dapagliflozin treatment, but not non-SGLT2 inhibitor treatment, significantly decreased the abdominal visceral fat area, subcutaneous fat area (SFA), and total fat area (TFA) as assessed by CT and significantly increased the plasma adiponectin levels. The percentage changes in the LnRHI were significantly correlated with changes in the SFA, TFA, systolic blood pressure, and adiponectin. Conclusion Add-on treatment with dapagliflozin significantly improves the glycemic control and endothelial function associated with a reduction in the abdominal fat mass in patients with uncontrolled T2DM.

  7. The Ability of Different Imputation Methods to Preserve the Significant Genes and Pathways in Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Aghdam

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Deciphering important genes and pathways from incomplete gene expression data could facilitate a better understanding of cancer. Different imputation methods can be applied to estimate the missing values. In our study, we evaluated various imputation methods for their performance in preserving significant genes and pathways. In the first step, 5% genes are considered in random for two types of ignorable and non-ignorable missingness mechanisms with various missing rates. Next, 10 well-known imputation methods were applied to the complete datasets. The significance analysis of microarrays (SAM method was applied to detect the significant genes in rectal and lung cancers to showcase the utility of imputation approaches in preserving significant genes. To determine the impact of different imputation methods on the identification of important genes, the chi-squared test was used to compare the proportions of overlaps between significant genes detected from original data and those detected from the imputed datasets. Additionally, the significant genes are tested for their enrichment in important pathways, using the ConsensusPathDB. Our results showed that almost all the significant genes and pathways of the original dataset can be detected in all imputed datasets, indicating that there is no significant difference in the performance of various imputation methods tested. The source code and selected datasets are available on http://profiles.bs.ipm.ir/softwares/imputation_methods/.

  8. Significantly improving nuclear resonance fluorescence non-destructive assay by using the integral resonance transmission method and photofission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Angell, Christopher T.; Hayakawa, Takehito; Shizuma, Toshiyuki; Hajima, Ryoichi

    2013-01-01

    Non-destructive assay (NDA) of 239 Pu in spent nuclear fuel or melted fuel using a γ-ray beam is possible using self absorption and the integral resonance transmission method. The method uses nuclear resonance absorption where resonances in 239 Pu remove photons from the beam, and the selective absorption is detected by measuring the decrease in scattering in a witness target placed in the beam after the fuel, consisting of the isotope of interest, namely 239 Pu. The method is isotope specific, and can use photofission or scattered γ-rays to assay the 239 Pu. It overcomes several problems related to NDA of melted fuel, including the radioactivity of the fuel, and the unknown composition and geometry. This talk will explain the general method, and how photofission can be used to assay specific isotopes, and present example calculations. (author)

  9. An Improved Pansharpening Method for Misaligned Panchromatic and Multispectral Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hui; Jing, Linhai; Tang, Yunwei; Ding, Haifeng

    2018-02-11

    Numerous pansharpening methods were proposed in recent decades for fusing low-spatial-resolution multispectral (MS) images with high-spatial-resolution (HSR) panchromatic (PAN) bands to produce fused HSR MS images, which are widely used in various remote sensing tasks. The effect of misregistration between MS and PAN bands on quality of fused products has gained much attention in recent years. An improved method for misaligned MS and PAN imagery is proposed, through two improvements made on a previously published method named RMI (reduce misalignment impact). The performance of the proposed method was assessed by comparing with some outstanding fusion methods, such as adaptive Gram-Schmidt and generalized Laplacian pyramid. Experimental results show that the improved version can reduce spectral distortions of fused dark pixels and sharpen boundaries between different image objects, as well as obtain similar quality indexes with the original RMI method. In addition, the proposed method was evaluated with respect to its sensitivity to misalignments between MS and PAN bands. It is certified that the proposed method is more robust to misalignments between MS and PAN bands than the other methods.

  10. High-precision solution to the moving load problem using an improved spectral element method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Shu-Rui; Wu, Zhi-Jing; Lu, Nian-Li

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, the spectral element method (SEM) is improved to solve the moving load problem. In this method, a structure with uniform geometry and material properties is considered as a spectral element, which means that the element number and the degree of freedom can be reduced significantly. Based on the variational method and the Laplace transform theory, the spectral stiffness matrix and the equivalent nodal force of the beam-column element are established. The static Green function is employed to deduce the improved function. The proposed method is applied to two typical engineering practices—the one-span bridge and the horizontal jib of the tower crane. The results have revealed the following. First, the new method can yield extremely high-precision results of the dynamic deflection, the bending moment and the shear force in the moving load problem. In most cases, the relative errors are smaller than 1%. Second, by comparing with the finite element method, one can obtain the highly accurate results using the improved SEM with smaller element numbers. Moreover, the method can be widely used for statically determinate as well as statically indeterminate structures. Third, the dynamic deflection of the twin-lift jib decreases with the increase in the moving load speed, whereas the curvature of the deflection increases. Finally, the dynamic deflection, the bending moment and the shear force of the jib will all increase as the magnitude of the moving load increases.

  11. Combining sequence-based prediction methods and circular dichroism and infrared spectroscopic data to improve protein secondary structure determinations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lees Jonathan G

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A number of sequence-based methods exist for protein secondary structure prediction. Protein secondary structures can also be determined experimentally from circular dichroism, and infrared spectroscopic data using empirical analysis methods. It has been proposed that comparable accuracy can be obtained from sequence-based predictions as from these biophysical measurements. Here we have examined the secondary structure determination accuracies of sequence prediction methods with the empirically determined values from the spectroscopic data on datasets of proteins for which both crystal structures and spectroscopic data are available. Results In this study we show that the sequence prediction methods have accuracies nearly comparable to those of spectroscopic methods. However, we also demonstrate that combining the spectroscopic and sequences techniques produces significant overall improvements in secondary structure determinations. In addition, combining the extra information content available from synchrotron radiation circular dichroism data with sequence methods also shows improvements. Conclusion Combining sequence prediction with experimentally determined spectroscopic methods for protein secondary structure content significantly enhances the accuracy of the overall results obtained.

  12. Development and Validation of Improved Method for Fingerprint ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To develop and validate an improved method by capillary zone electrophoresis with photodiode array detection for the fingerprint analysis of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (Rhizoma Chuanxiong). Methods: The optimum high performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) conditions were 30 mM borax containing 5 ...

  13. Improvement of the facial evenness of leave-on skincare products by a modified application method in Chinese women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Y; Wang, X; Fan, G

    2015-04-01

    To understand the habits of Chinese women applying leave-on skincare products (LOSCP) and to improve female facial evenness of anti-ageing cosmetics through modifying facial skincare smear ways. A questionnaire on the method of applying LOSCP was distributed to 60 women with habit of using LOSCP. Their facial images before and after applying LOSCP were taken, and their positioning and grey value were used to analyse the effects of different applying methods on the uniformity of facial LOSCP. LOSCP including anti-ageing cosmetics have been widely used among Chinese women for a long time. However, some women do not concern how to properly apply LOSCP. In our survey, the main focal points of the face are forehead, malar region, cheek, mouth corners and chin when they looking into the mirror, and mouth corners and inner canthus are often overlooked when applying cosmetic products. The image analysis found that after applying the LOSCP, the greyscale of the forehead, glabella, malar region, upper lip region and jaw changed significantly whereas that of canthus, mouth corners and lateral cheek region was not significantly different. Applying an improved smear method (11-point method)could significantly increase the grey values of various facial areas. The way of Chinese women applying LOSCP may result in facial unevenness of skin products. By improving facial skincare smear method, one can make the products even in all facial areas, thereby ensuring the efficacy of anti-ageing cosmetics. Thus, further improvement and education regarding skincare is required. © 2014 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

  14. Improved methods for operating public transportation services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-01

    In this joint project, West Virginia University and the University of Maryland collaborated in developing improved methods for analyzing and managing public transportation services. Transit travel time data were collected using GPS tracking services ...

  15. Significance of MPEG-7 textural features for improved mass detection in mammography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eltonsy, Nevine H; Tourassi, Georgia D; Fadeev, Aleksey; Elmaghraby, Adel S

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to investigate the significance of MPEG-7 textural features for improving the detection of masses in screening mammograms. The detection scheme was originally based on morphological directional neighborhood features extracted from mammographic regions of interest (ROIs). Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) was performed to evaluate the performance of each set of features independently and merged into a back-propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) using the leave-one-out sampling scheme (LOOSS). The study was based on a database of 668 mammographic ROIs (340 depicting cancer regions and 328 depicting normal parenchyma). Overall, the ROC area index of the BPANN using the directional morphological features was Az=0.85+/-0.01. The MPEG-7 edge histogram descriptor-based BPNN showed an ROC area index of Az=0.71+/-0.01 while homogeneous textural descriptors using 30 and 120 channels helped the BPNN achieve similar ROC area indexes of Az=0.882+/-0.02 and Az=0.877+/-0.01 respectively. After merging the MPEG-7 homogeneous textural features with the directional neighborhood features the performance of the BPANN increased providing an ROC area index of Az=0.91+/-0.01. MPEG-7 homogeneous textural descriptor significantly improved the morphology-based detection scheme.

  16. Topography and Data Mining Based Methods for Improving Satellite Precipitation in Mountainous Areas of China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ting Xia

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Topography is a significant factor influencing the spatial distribution of precipitation. This study developed a new methodology to evaluate and calibrate the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA products by merging geographic and topographic information. In the proposed method, firstly, the consistency rule was introduced to evaluate the fitness of satellite rainfall with measurements on the grids with and without ground gauges. Secondly, in order to improve the consistency rate of satellite rainfall, genetic programming was introduced to mine the relationship between the gauge rainfall and location, elevation and TMPA rainfall. The proof experiment and analysis for the mean annual satellite precipitation from 2001–2012, 3B43 (V7 of TMPA rainfall product, was carried out in eight mountainous areas of China. The result shows that the proposed method is significant and efficient both for the assessment and improvement of satellite precipitation. It is found that the satellite rainfall consistency rates in the gauged and ungauged grids are different in the study area. In addition, the mined correlation of location-elevation-TMPA rainfall can noticeably improve the satellite precipitation, both in the context of the new criterion of the consistency rate and the existing criteria such as Bias and RMSD. The proposed method is also efficient for correcting the monthly and mean monthly rainfall of 3B43 and 3B42RT.

  17. Factoring local sequence composition in motif significance analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Patrick; Keich, Uri

    2008-01-01

    We recently introduced a biologically realistic and reliable significance analysis of the output of a popular class of motif finders. In this paper we further improve our significance analysis by incorporating local base composition information. Relying on realistic biological data simulation, as well as on FDR analysis applied to real data, we show that our method is significantly better than the increasingly popular practice of using the normal approximation to estimate the significance of a finder's output. Finally we turn to leveraging our reliable significance analysis to improve the actual motif finding task. Specifically, endowing a variant of the Gibbs Sampler with our improved significance analysis we demonstrate that de novo finders can perform better than has been perceived. Significantly, our new variant outperforms all the finders reviewed in a recently published comprehensive analysis of the Harbison genome-wide binding location data. Interestingly, many of these finders incorporate additional information such as nucleosome positioning and the significance of binding data.

  18. Histone deacetylase inhibitor significantly improved the cloning efficiency of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yongye; Tang, Xiaochun; Xie, Wanhua; Zhou, Yan; Li, Dong; Yao, Chaogang; Zhou, Yang; Zhu, Jianguo; Lai, Liangxue; Ouyang, Hongsheng; Pang, Daxin

    2011-12-01

    Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase inbibitor, has been shown to generate inducible pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from mouse and human fibroblasts with a significant higher efficiency. Because successful cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) undergoes a full reprogramming process in which the epigenetic state of a differentiated donor nuclear is converted into an embryonic totipotent state, we speculated that VPA would be useful in promoting cloning efficiency. Therefore, in the present study, we examined whether VPA can promote the developmental competence of SCNT embryos by improving the reprogramming state of donor nucleus. Here we report that 1 mM VPA for 14 to 16 h following activation significantly increased the rate of blastocyst formation of porcine SCNT embryos constructed from Landrace fetal fibroblast cells compared to the control (31.8 vs. 11.4%). However, we found that the acetylation level of Histone H3 lysine 14 and Histone H4 lysine 5 and expression level of Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4 was not significantly changed between VPA-treated and -untreated groups at the blastocyst stage. The SCNT embryos were transferred to 38 surrogates, and the cloning efficiency in the treated group was significantly improved compared with the control group. Taken together, we have demonstrated that VPA can improve both in vitro and in vivo development competence of porcine SCNT embryos.

  19. The Ability of Different Imputation Methods to Preserve the Significant Genes and Pathways in Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aghdam, Rosa; Baghfalaki, Taban; Khosravi, Pegah; Saberi Ansari, Elnaz

    2017-12-01

    Deciphering important genes and pathways from incomplete gene expression data could facilitate a better understanding of cancer. Different imputation methods can be applied to estimate the missing values. In our study, we evaluated various imputation methods for their performance in preserving significant genes and pathways. In the first step, 5% genes are considered in random for two types of ignorable and non-ignorable missingness mechanisms with various missing rates. Next, 10 well-known imputation methods were applied to the complete datasets. The significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) method was applied to detect the significant genes in rectal and lung cancers to showcase the utility of imputation approaches in preserving significant genes. To determine the impact of different imputation methods on the identification of important genes, the chi-squared test was used to compare the proportions of overlaps between significant genes detected from original data and those detected from the imputed datasets. Additionally, the significant genes are tested for their enrichment in important pathways, using the ConsensusPathDB. Our results showed that almost all the significant genes and pathways of the original dataset can be detected in all imputed datasets, indicating that there is no significant difference in the performance of various imputation methods tested. The source code and selected datasets are available on http://profiles.bs.ipm.ir/softwares/imputation_methods/. Copyright © 2017. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Ceramic Composite Intermediate Temperature Stress-Rupture Properties Improved Significantly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morscher, Gregory N.; Hurst, Janet B.

    2002-01-01

    Silicon carbide (SiC) composites are considered to be potential materials for future aircraft engine parts such as combustor liners. It is envisioned that on the hot side (inner surface) of the combustor liner, composites will have to withstand temperatures in excess of 1200 C for thousands of hours in oxidizing environments. This is a severe condition; however, an equally severe, if not more detrimental, condition exists on the cold side (outer surface) of the combustor liner. Here, the temperatures are expected to be on the order of 800 to 1000 C under high tensile stress because of thermal gradients and attachment of the combustor liner to the engine frame (the hot side will be under compressive stress, a less severe stress-state for ceramics). Since these composites are not oxides, they oxidize. The worst form of oxidation for strength reduction occurs at these intermediate temperatures, where the boron nitride (BN) interphase oxidizes first, which causes the formation of a glass layer that strongly bonds the fibers to the matrix. When the fibers strongly bond to the matrix or to one another, the composite loses toughness and strength and becomes brittle. To increase the intermediate temperature stress-rupture properties, researchers must modify the BN interphase. With the support of the Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) Program, significant improvements were made as state-of-the-art SiC/SiC composites were developed during the Enabling Propulsion Materials (EPM) program. Three approaches were found to improve the intermediate-temperature stress-rupture properties: fiber-spreading, high-temperature silicon- (Si) doped boron nitride (BN), and outside-debonding BN.

  1. Codon Optimization Significantly Improves the Expression Level of α-Amylase Gene from Bacillus licheniformis in Pichia pastoris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian-Rong Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available α-Amylase as an important industrial enzyme has been widely used in starch processing, detergent, and paper industries. To improve expression efficiency of recombinant α-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis (B. licheniformis, the α-amylase gene from B. licheniformis was optimized according to the codon usage of Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris and expressed in P. pastoris. Totally, the codons encoding 305 amino acids were optimized in which a total of 328 nucleotides were changed and the G+C content was increased from 47.6 to 49.2%. The recombinants were cultured in 96-deep-well microplates and screened by a new plate assay method. Compared with the wild-type gene, the optimized gene is expressed at a significantly higher level in P. pastoris after methanol induction for 168 h in 5- and 50-L bioreactor with the maximum activity of 8100 and 11000 U/mL, which was 2.31- and 2.62-fold higher than that by wild-type gene. The improved expression level makes the enzyme a good candidate for α-amylase production in industrial use.

  2. V-amylose structural characteristics, methods of preparation, significance, and potential applications

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Obiro, WC

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available , and postprandial hyperglycaemia in diabetics. Various aspects of V-amylose structure, methods of preparation, factors that affect its formation, and the significance and potential applications of the V-amylose complexes are reviewed....

  3. Optimized distributed systems achieve significant performance improvement on sorted merging of massive VCF files.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xiaobo; Gao, Jingjing; Jin, Peng; Eng, Celeste; Burchard, Esteban G; Beaty, Terri H; Ruczinski, Ingo; Mathias, Rasika A; Barnes, Kathleen; Wang, Fusheng; Qin, Zhaohui S

    2018-06-01

    Sorted merging of genomic data is a common data operation necessary in many sequencing-based studies. It involves sorting and merging genomic data from different subjects by their genomic locations. In particular, merging a large number of variant call format (VCF) files is frequently required in large-scale whole-genome sequencing or whole-exome sequencing projects. Traditional single-machine based methods become increasingly inefficient when processing large numbers of files due to the excessive computation time and Input/Output bottleneck. Distributed systems and more recent cloud-based systems offer an attractive solution. However, carefully designed and optimized workflow patterns and execution plans (schemas) are required to take full advantage of the increased computing power while overcoming bottlenecks to achieve high performance. In this study, we custom-design optimized schemas for three Apache big data platforms, Hadoop (MapReduce), HBase, and Spark, to perform sorted merging of a large number of VCF files. These schemas all adopt the divide-and-conquer strategy to split the merging job into sequential phases/stages consisting of subtasks that are conquered in an ordered, parallel, and bottleneck-free way. In two illustrating examples, we test the performance of our schemas on merging multiple VCF files into either a single TPED or a single VCF file, which are benchmarked with the traditional single/parallel multiway-merge methods, message passing interface (MPI)-based high-performance computing (HPC) implementation, and the popular VCFTools. Our experiments suggest all three schemas either deliver a significant improvement in efficiency or render much better strong and weak scalabilities over traditional methods. Our findings provide generalized scalable schemas for performing sorted merging on genetics and genomics data using these Apache distributed systems.

  4. Determining the significance of associations between two series of discrete events : bootstrap methods /

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Niehof, Jonathan T.; Morley, Steven K.

    2012-01-01

    We review and develop techniques to determine associations between series of discrete events. The bootstrap, a nonparametric statistical method, allows the determination of the significance of associations with minimal assumptions about the underlying processes. We find the key requirement for this method: one of the series must be widely spaced in time to guarantee the theoretical applicability of the bootstrap. If this condition is met, the calculated significance passes a reasonableness test. We conclude with some potential future extensions and caveats on the applicability of these methods. The techniques presented have been implemented in a Python-based software toolkit.

  5. An improved dynamic test method for solar collectors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kong, Weiqiang; Wang, Zhifeng; Fan, Jianhua

    2012-01-01

    A comprehensive improvement of the mathematical model for the so called transfer function method is presented in this study. This improved transfer function method can estimate the traditional solar collector parameters such as zero loss coefficient and heat loss coefficient. Two new collector...... parameters t and mfCf are obtained. t is a time scale parameter which can indicate the heat transfer ability of the solar collector. mfCf can be used to calculate the fluid volume content in the solar collector or to validate the regression process by comparing it to the physical fluid volume content...... for the second-order differential term with 6–9min as the best averaging time interval. The measured and predicted collector power output of the solar collector are compared during a test of 13days continuously both for the ITF method and the QDT method. The maximum and averaging error is 53.87W/m2 and 5.22W/m2...

  6. [An improved low spectral distortion PCA fusion method].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Shi; Zhang, Ai-Wu; Li, Han-Lun; Hu, Shao-Xing; Meng, Xian-Gang; Sun, Wei-Dong

    2013-10-01

    Aiming at the spectral distortion produced in PCA fusion process, the present paper proposes an improved low spectral distortion PCA fusion method. This method uses NCUT (normalized cut) image segmentation algorithm to make a complex hyperspectral remote sensing image into multiple sub-images for increasing the separability of samples, which can weaken the spectral distortions of traditional PCA fusion; Pixels similarity weighting matrix and masks were produced by using graph theory and clustering theory. These masks are used to cut the hyperspectral image and high-resolution image into some sub-region objects. All corresponding sub-region objects between the hyperspectral image and high-resolution image are fused by using PCA method, and all sub-regional integration results are spliced together to produce a new image. In the experiment, Hyperion hyperspectral data and Rapid Eye data were used. And the experiment result shows that the proposed method has the same ability to enhance spatial resolution and greater ability to improve spectral fidelity performance.

  7. Transplantation of N-Acetyl Aspartyl-Glutamate Synthetase-Activated Neural Stem Cells after Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury Significantly Improves Neurological Recovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingfeng Li

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Neural stem cells (NSCs hold considerable potential as a therapeutic tool for repair of the damaged nervous system. In the current study, we examined whether transplanted N-acetyl aspartyl-glutamate synthetase (NAAGS-activated NSCs (NAAGS/NSCs further improve neurological recovery following traumatic brain injury (TBI in Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: Animals received TBI and stereotactic injection of NSCs, NAAGS/NSCs or phosphate buffered saline without cells (control into the injured cortex. NAAGS protein expression was detected through western blot analysis. Dialysate NAAG levels were analyzed with radioimmunoassay. Cell apoptosis was detected via TUNEL staining. The expression levels of specific pro-inflammatory cytokines were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Groups with transplanted NSCs and NAAGS/NSCs displayed significant recovery of the motor behavior, compared to the control group. At 14 and 21 days post-transplantation, the motor behavior in NAAGS/NSC group was significantly improved than that in NSC group (pConclusion: Our results collectively demonstrate that NAAGS/NSCs provide a more powerful autoplastic therapy for the injured nervous system.

  8. New significance test methods for Fourier analysis of geophysical time series

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Zhang

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available When one applies the discrete Fourier transform to analyze finite-length time series, discontinuities at the data boundaries will distort its Fourier power spectrum. In this paper, based on a rigid statistics framework, we present a new significance test method which can extract the intrinsic feature of a geophysical time series very well. We show the difference in significance level compared with traditional Fourier tests by analyzing the Arctic Oscillation (AO and the Nino3.4 time series. In the AO, we find significant peaks at about 2.8, 4.3, and 5.7 yr periods and in Nino3.4 at about 12 yr period in tests against red noise. These peaks are not significant in traditional tests.

  9. Extrapeural locating method: significance in CT-guided transthoracic pulmonary biopsy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Guangjian; Wang Rengui; Liu Jianxin; Sun Jingtao

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of extrapleural locating method in CT-guided transthoracic pulmonary biopsy to prevent or reduce the size of peumothorax. Methods: One hundred and fifteen cases of CT-guided transthoracic pulmonary biopsy with the pulmonary lesions not in direct contact with the pleura were selected. Of 115 cases, 46 were performed with extrapleural locating method (EPL) and 69 cases with lesion edge locating method (LEL). Taking the maximum distance between the partial and visceral pleura (MPVD) measured on the CT image after the procedure as the index of the volume of pneumothorax. The incidence and volume of pneumothorax of both groups were compared and statistically analysed with R x C Chi-Square test. The retention time of the biopsy needle in the lung parenchyma of the two group was documented and the average time was calculated in each group. Results: The incidence of pneumothorax was 45.7% (21/46), median 0.4 cm with EPL group, and 66.7% (46/69) and median 0.3cm with LEL group. When the distance between the lesion and pleura was equal or smaller than 2 cm (≤2cm), the incidence of pneumothorax was 39.4% (13/33) with EPL group and 73.2% (30/41) with LEL group, and the difference of incidence and volume of the pneumothorax between two groups was statistically significant(χ 2 =9.981, P=0.019). When the distance was larger than 2 cm (>2 cm), the incidence and volume of pneumothorax between two groups were not significant statistically. The average retention time of the biopsy needle in the lung parenchyma was (7.2 ± 1.8) s with EPL group and (58.3 ± 11.6) s with LEL group. Conclusion: The extrapleural locating method can reduce effectively the retention time of the biopsy needle in the lung parenchyma and the incidence and volume of pneumothorax in CT-guided transthoracic pulmonary biopsy. (authors)

  10. Improved method for calculating neoclassical transport coefficients in the banana regime

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taguchi, M., E-mail: taguchi.masayoshi@nihon-u.ac.jp [College of Industrial Technology, Nihon University, Narashino 275-8576 (Japan)

    2014-05-15

    The conventional neoclassical moment method in the banana regime is improved by increasing the accuracy of approximation to the linearized Fokker-Planck collision operator. This improved method is formulated for a multiple ion plasma in general tokamak equilibria. The explicit computation in a model magnetic field shows that the neoclassical transport coefficients can be accurately calculated in the full range of aspect ratio by the improved method. The some neoclassical transport coefficients for the intermediate aspect ratio are found to appreciably deviate from those obtained by the conventional moment method. The differences between the transport coefficients with these two methods are up to about 20%.

  11. Methods improvements incorporated into the SAPHIRE ASP models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sattison, M.B.; Blackman, H.S.; Novack, S.D.; Smith, C.L.; Rasmuson, D.M.

    1994-01-01

    The Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data (AEOD) has sought the assistance of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) to make some significant enhancements to the SAPHIRE-based Accident Sequence Precursor (ASP) models recently developed by the INEL. The challenge of this project is to provide the features of a full-scale PRA within the framework of the simplified ASP models. Some of these features include: (1) uncertainty analysis addressing the standard PRA uncertainties and the uncertainties unique to the ASP models and methodology, (2) incorporation and proper quantification of individual human actions and the interaction among human actions, (3) enhanced treatment of common cause failures, and (4) extension of the ASP models to more closely mimic full-scale PRAs (inclusion of more initiators, explicitly modeling support system failures, etc.). This paper provides an overview of the methods being used to make the above improvements

  12. New or improved computational methods and advanced reactor design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakagawa, Masayuki; Takeda, Toshikazu; Ushio, Tadashi

    1997-01-01

    Nuclear computational method has been studied continuously up to date, as a fundamental technology supporting the nuclear development. At present, research on computational method according to new theory and the calculating method thought to be difficult to practise are also continued actively to find new development due to splendid improvement of features of computer. In Japan, many light water type reactors are now in operations, new computational methods are induced for nuclear design, and a lot of efforts are concentrated for intending to more improvement of economics and safety. In this paper, some new research results on the nuclear computational methods and their application to nuclear design of the reactor were described for introducing recent trend of the nuclear design of the reactor. 1) Advancement of the computational method, 2) Reactor core design and management of the light water reactor, and 3) Nuclear design of the fast reactor. (G.K.)

  13. Clustering and training set selection methods for improving the accuracy of quantitative laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anderson, Ryan B., E-mail: randerson@astro.cornell.edu [Cornell University Department of Astronomy, 406 Space Sciences Building, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Bell, James F., E-mail: Jim.Bell@asu.edu [Arizona State University School of Earth and Space Exploration, Bldg.: INTDS-A, Room: 115B, Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Wiens, Roger C., E-mail: rwiens@lanl.gov [Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663 MS J565, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Morris, Richard V., E-mail: richard.v.morris@nasa.gov [NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058 (United States); Clegg, Samuel M., E-mail: sclegg@lanl.gov [Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663 MS J565, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

    2012-04-15

    We investigated five clustering and training set selection methods to improve the accuracy of quantitative chemical analysis of geologic samples by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) using partial least squares (PLS) regression. The LIBS spectra were previously acquired for 195 rock slabs and 31 pressed powder geostandards under 7 Torr CO{sub 2} at a stand-off distance of 7 m at 17 mJ per pulse to simulate the operational conditions of the ChemCam LIBS instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover. The clustering and training set selection methods, which do not require prior knowledge of the chemical composition of the test-set samples, are based on grouping similar spectra and selecting appropriate training spectra for the partial least squares (PLS2) model. These methods were: (1) hierarchical clustering of the full set of training spectra and selection of a subset for use in training; (2) k-means clustering of all spectra and generation of PLS2 models based on the training samples within each cluster; (3) iterative use of PLS2 to predict sample composition and k-means clustering of the predicted compositions to subdivide the groups of spectra; (4) soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) classification of spectra, and generation of PLS2 models based on the training samples within each class; (5) use of Bayesian information criteria (BIC) to determine an optimal number of clusters and generation of PLS2 models based on the training samples within each cluster. The iterative method and the k-means method using 5 clusters showed the best performance, improving the absolute quadrature root mean squared error (RMSE) by {approx} 3 wt.%. The statistical significance of these improvements was {approx} 85%. Our results show that although clustering methods can modestly improve results, a large and diverse training set is the most reliable way to improve the accuracy of quantitative LIBS. In particular, additional sulfate standards and

  14. A comparison of published methods of calculation of defect significance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ingham, T.; Harrison, R.P.

    1982-01-01

    This paper presents some of the results obtained in a round-robin calculational exercise organised by the OECD Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI). The exercise was initiated to examine practical aspects of using documented elastic-plastic fracture mechanics methods to calculate defect significance. The extent to which the objectives of the exercise were met is illustrated using solutions to 'standard' problems produced by UKAEA and CEGB using the methods given in ASME XI, Appendix A, BSI PD6493, and the CEGB R/H/R6 Document. Differences in critical or tolerable defect size defined using these procedures are examined in terms of their different treatments and reasons for discrepancies are discussed. (author)

  15. Improved GLR method to instrument failure detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Hak Yeoung; Chang, Soon Heung

    1985-01-01

    The generalized likehood radio(GLR) method performs statistical tests on the innovations sequence of a Kalman-Buchy filter state estimator for system failure detection and its identification. However, the major drawback of the convensional GLR is to hypothesize particular failure type in each case. In this paper, a method to solve this drawback is proposed. The improved GLR method is applied to a PWR pressurizer and gives successful results in detection and identification of any failure. Furthmore, some benefit on the processing time per each cycle of failure detection and its identification can be accompanied. (Author)

  16. Improved verification methods for OVI security ink

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coombs, Paul G.; Markantes, Tom

    2000-04-01

    Together, OVP Security Pigment in OVI Security Ink, provide an excellent method of overt banknote protection. The effective use of overt security feature requires an educated public. The rapid rise in computer-generated counterfeits indicates that consumers are not as educate das to banknote security features as they should be. To counter the education issue, new methodologies have been developed to improve the validation of banknotes using the OVI ink feature itself. One of the new methods takes advantage of the overt nature of the product's optically variable effect. Another method utilizes the unique optical interference characteristics provided by the OVP platelets.

  17. Socio-economic comparison between traditional and improved cultivation methods in agroforestry systems, East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyes, Teija; Quiroz, Roberto; Msikula, Shija

    2005-11-01

    The East Usambara Mountains, recognized as one of the 25 most important biodiversity hot spots in the world, have a high degree of species diversity and endemism that is threatened by increasing human pressure on resources. Traditional slash and burn cultivation in the area is no longer sustainable. However, it is possible to maintain land productivity, decrease land degradation, and improve rural people's livelihood by ameliorating cultivation methods. Improved agroforestry seems to be a very convincing and suitable method for buffer zones of conservation areas. Farmers could receive a reasonable net income from their farm with little investment in terms of time, capital, and labor. By increasing the diversity and production of already existing cultivations, the pressure on natural forests can be diminished. The present study shows a significant gap between traditional cultivation methods and improved agroforestry systems in socio-economic terms. Improved agroforestry systems provide approximately double income per capita in comparison to traditional methods. More intensified cash crop cultivation in the highlands of the East Usambara also results in double income compared to that in the lowlands. However, people are sensitive to risks of changing farming practices. Encouraging farmers to apply better land management and practice sustainable cultivation of cash crops in combination with multipurpose trees would be relevant in improving their economic situation in the relatively short term. The markets of most cash crops are already available. Improved agroforestry methods could ameliorate the living conditions of the local population and protect the natural reserves from human disturbance.

  18. The challenges of ESRD care in developing economies: sub-Saharan African opportunities for significant improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bamgboye, Ebun Ladipo

    Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. This, along with other noncommunicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and heart diseases, poses a double burden on a region that is still struggling to cope with the scourge of communicable diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and more recently Ebola. Causes of CKD in the region are predominantly glomerulonephritis and hypertension, although type 2 diabetes is also becoming a significant cause as is the retroviral disease. Patients are generally younger than in the developed world, and there is a significant male preponderance. Most patients are managed by hemodialysis, with peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplantation being available in only few countries in the region. Government funding and support for dialysis is often unavailable, and when available, often with restrictions. There is a dearth of trained manpower to treat the disease, and many countries have a limited number of units, which are often ill-equipped to deal adequately with the number of patients who require end-stage renal disease (ESRD) care in the region. Although there has been a significant improvement when compared with the situation, even as recently as 10 years ago, there is also the potential for further improvement, which would significantly improve the outcomes in patients with ESRD in the region. The information in this review was obtained from a combination of renal registry reports (published and unpublished), published articles, responses to a questionnaire sent to nephrologists prior to the World Congress of Nephrology (WCN) in Cape Town, and from nephrologists attending the WCN in Cape Town (March 13 - 17, 2015).

  19. IMPROVEMENT OF METHODS FOR HYDROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND MODIFICATION OF STANDARD TOOLS FOR SAMPLE COLLECTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. M. Aligadjiev

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. The paper discusses the improvement of methods of hydrobiological studies by modifying tools for plankton and benthic samples collecting. Methods. In order to improve the standard methods of hydro-biological research, we have developed tools for sampling zooplankton and benthic environment of the Caspian Sea. Results. Long-term practice of selecting hydrobiological samples in the Caspian Sea shows that it is required to complete the modernization of the sampling tools used to collect hydrobiological material. With the introduction of Azov and Black Sea invasive comb jelly named Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz to the Caspian Sea there is a need to collect plankton samples without disturbing its integrity. Tools for collecting benthic fauna do not always give a complete picture of the state of benthic ecosystems because of the lack of visual site selection for sampling. Moreover, while sampling by dredge there is a probable loss of the samples, especially in areas with difficult terrain. Conclusion. We propose to modify a small model of Upstein net (applied in shallow water to collect zooplankton samples with an upper inverted cone that will significantly improve the catchability of the net in theCaspian Sea. Bottom sampler can be improved by installing a video camera for visual inspection of the bottom topography, and use sensors to determine tilt of the dredge and the position of the valves of the bucket. 

  20. Improved methods for the measurement and analysis of stellar magnetic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saar, Steven H.

    1988-01-01

    The paper presents several improved methods for the measurement of magnetic fields on cool stars which take into account simple radiative transfer effects and the exact Zeeman patterns. Using these methods, high-resolution, low-noise data can be fitted with theoretical line profiles to determine the mean magnetic field strength in stellar active regions and a model-dependent fraction of the stellar surface (filling factor) covered by these regions. Random errors in the derived field strength and filling factor are parameterized in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, wavelength, spectral resolution, stellar rotation rate, and the magnetic parameters themselves. Weak line blends, if left uncorrected, can have significant systematic effects on the derived magnetic parameters, and thus several methods are developed to compensate partially for them. The magnetic parameters determined by previous methods likely have systematic errors because of such line blends and because of line saturation effects. Other sources of systematic error are explored in detail. These sources of error currently make it difficult to determine the magnetic parameters of individual stars to better than about + or - 20 percent.

  1. Improved stochastic approximation methods for discretized parabolic partial differential equations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guiaş, Flavius

    2016-12-01

    We present improvements of the stochastic direct simulation method, a known numerical scheme based on Markov jump processes which is used for approximating solutions of ordinary differential equations. This scheme is suited especially for spatial discretizations of evolution partial differential equations (PDEs). By exploiting the full path simulation of the stochastic method, we use this first approximation as a predictor and construct improved approximations by Picard iterations, Runge-Kutta steps, or a combination. This has as consequence an increased order of convergence. We illustrate the features of the improved method at a standard benchmark problem, a reaction-diffusion equation modeling a combustion process in one space dimension (1D) and two space dimensions (2D).

  2. Improved performance of mesostructured perovskite solar cells via an anti-solvent method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Jiabin; Hao, Huiying; Cheng, Feiyu; Li, Jianfeng; Zhang, Haiyu; Dong, Jingjing; Xing, Jie; Liu, Hao; Wu, Jian

    2018-06-01

    One-step solution process is a facile and widely used procedure to prepare organic-inorganic perovskite materials. However, the poor surface morphology of the films attributed to the uncontrollable nucleation and crystal growth in the process is unfavorable to solar cells. In this study, an anti-solvent treatment during the one-step solution process, in which ethyl acetate (EA) was dropped on the sample during spinning the precursor solution containing CH3NH3Cl, was adopted to fabricate perovskite materials and solar cells. It was found that the morphology of the perovskite film was significantly improved due to the rapid nucleation and slow crystal growth process. The modified process enabled us to fabricate the mesoporous solar cell with power conversion efficiency of 14%, showing an improvement of 40% over the efficiency of 9.7% of the device prepared by conventional one-step method. The controlling effect of annealing time on the morphology, crystal structure and transport properties of perovskite layer as well as the performance of device fabricated by the anti-solvent method were investigated and the possible mechanism was discussed.

  3. Survival prediction algorithms miss significant opportunities for improvement if used for case selection in trauma quality improvement programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heim, Catherine; Cole, Elaine; West, Anita; Tai, Nigel; Brohi, Karim

    2016-09-01

    Quality improvement (QI) programs have shown to reduce preventable mortality in trauma care. Detailed review of all trauma deaths is a time and resource consuming process and calculated probability of survival (Ps) has been proposed as audit filter. Review is limited on deaths that were 'expected to survive'. However no Ps-based algorithm has been validated and no study has examined elements of preventability associated with deaths classified as 'expected'. The objective of this study was to examine whether trauma performance review can be streamlined using existing mortality prediction tools without missing important areas for improvement. We conducted a retrospective study of all trauma deaths reviewed by our trauma QI program. Deaths were classified into non-preventable, possibly preventable, probably preventable or preventable. Opportunities for improvement (OPIs) involve failure in the process of care and were classified into clinical and system deviations from standards of care. TRISS and PS were used for calculation of probability of survival. Peer-review charts were reviewed by a single investigator. Over 8 years, 626 patients were included. One third showed elements of preventability and 4% were preventable. Preventability occurred across the entire range of the calculated Ps band. Limiting review to unexpected deaths would have missed over 50% of all preventability issues and a third of preventable deaths. 37% of patients showed opportunities for improvement (OPIs). Neither TRISS nor PS allowed for reliable identification of OPIs and limiting peer-review to patients with unexpected deaths would have missed close to 60% of all issues in care. TRISS and PS fail to identify a significant proportion of avoidable deaths and miss important opportunities for process and system improvement. Based on this, all trauma deaths should be subjected to expert panel review in order to aim at a maximal output of performance improvement programs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier

  4. Improvement of Source Number Estimation Method for Single Channel Signal.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhi Dong

    Full Text Available Source number estimation methods for single channel signal have been investigated and the improvements for each method are suggested in this work. Firstly, the single channel data is converted to multi-channel form by delay process. Then, algorithms used in the array signal processing, such as Gerschgorin's disk estimation (GDE and minimum description length (MDL, are introduced to estimate the source number of the received signal. The previous results have shown that the MDL based on information theoretic criteria (ITC obtains a superior performance than GDE at low SNR. However it has no ability to handle the signals containing colored noise. On the contrary, the GDE method can eliminate the influence of colored noise. Nevertheless, its performance at low SNR is not satisfactory. In order to solve these problems and contradictions, the work makes remarkable improvements on these two methods on account of the above consideration. A diagonal loading technique is employed to ameliorate the MDL method and a jackknife technique is referenced to optimize the data covariance matrix in order to improve the performance of the GDE method. The results of simulation have illustrated that the performance of original methods have been promoted largely.

  5. Application of improved topsis method to comprehensive assessment of radiological environmental quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Dongsheng; Di Yuming; Zhou Chunlin

    2007-01-01

    TOPSIS is a method for multiobjective decision-making, which can be applied to comprehensive assessment of radiological environmental quality. This paper introduces the principle of TOPSIS method and sets up the model of improved TOPSIS method, discusses the application of improved TOPSIS method to comprehensive assessment of radiological environmental quality. This method sufficiently makes use of the information of the optimal matrix. Analysis of practical examples using MATLAB program shows that it is objectively reasonable and feasible to comprehensively assess radiological environmental quality by improved TOPSIS method. This paper also provides the result of optimum number of sites and compares it with optimal index method based on TOPSIS method and traditional method. (authors)

  6. AN EMPIRICAL METHOD FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF RXTE HEXTE SPECTRA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia, Javier A.; Steiner, James F.; McClintock, Jeffrey E. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Grinberg, Victoria [MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, MIT, 70 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Pottschmidt, Katja [Department of Physics and Center for Space Science and Technology, UMBC, Baltimore, MD 21250 (United States); Rothschild, Richard E., E-mail: javier@head.cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: jem@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: jsteiner@mit.edu, E-mail: grinberg@space.mit.edu, E-mail: katja@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov, E-mail: rrothschild@ucsd.edu [Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)

    2016-03-01

    We have developed a correction tool to improve the quality of Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) High Energy X-ray Timing Experiment (HEXTE) spectra by employing the same method we used earlier to improve the quality of RXTE Proportional Counter Array (PCA) spectra. We fit all of the hundreds of HEXTE spectra of the Crab individually to a simple power-law model, some 37 million counts in total for Cluster A and 39 million counts for Cluster B, and we create for each cluster a combined spectrum of residuals. We find that the residual spectrum of Cluster A is free of instrumental artifacts while that of Cluster B contains significant features with amplitudes ∼1%; the most prominent is in the energy range 30–50 keV, which coincides with the iodine K edge. Starting with the residual spectrum for Cluster B, via an iterative procedure we created the calibration tool hexBcorr for correcting any Cluster B spectrum of interest. We demonstrate the efficacy of the tool by applying it to Cluster B spectra of two bright black holes, which contain several million counts apiece. For these spectra, application of the tool significantly improves the goodness of fit, while affecting only slightly the broadband fit parameters. The tool may be important for the study of spectral features, such as cyclotron lines, a topic that is beyond the scope of this paper.

  7. The improved quasi-static method vs the direct method: a case study for CANDU reactor transients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaveh, S.; Koclas, J.; Roy, R.

    1999-01-01

    Among the large number of methods for the transient analysis of nuclear reactors, the improved quasi-static procedure is one of the most widely used. In recent years, substantial increase in both computer speed and memory has motivated a rethinking of the limitations of this method. The overall goal of the present work is a systematic comparison between the improved quasi-static and the direct method (mesh-centered finite difference) for realistic CANDU transient simulations. The emphasis is on the accuracy of the solutions as opposed to the computational speed. Using the computer code NDF, a typical realistic transient of CANDU reactor has been analyzed. In this transient the response of the reactor regulating system to a substantial local perturbation (sudden extraction of the five adjuster rods) has been simulated. It is shown that when updating the detector responses is of major importance, it is better to use a well-optimized direct method rather than the improved quasi-static method. (author)

  8. Improvement of gas entrainment prediction method. Introduction of surface tension effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Kei; Sakai, Takaaki; Ohshima, Hiroyuki; Uchibori, Akihiro; Eguchi, Yuzuru; Monji, Hideaki; Xu, Yongze

    2010-01-01

    A gas entrainment (GE) prediction method has been developed to establish design criteria for the large-scale sodium-cooled fast reactor (JSFR) systems. The prototype of the GE prediction method was already confirmed to give reasonable gas core lengths by simple calculation procedures. However, for simplification, the surface tension effects were neglected. In this paper, the evaluation accuracy of gas core lengths is improved by introducing the surface tension effects into the prototype GE prediction method. First, the mechanical balance between gravitational, centrifugal, and surface tension forces is considered. Then, the shape of a gas core tip is approximated by a quadratic function. Finally, using the approximated gas core shape, the authors determine the gas core length satisfying the mechanical balance. This improved GE prediction method is validated by analyzing the gas core lengths observed in simple experiments. Results show that the analytical gas core lengths calculated by the improved GE prediction method become shorter in comparison to the prototype GE prediction method, and are in good agreement with the experimental data. In addition, the experimental data under different temperature and surfactant concentration conditions are reproduced by the improved GE prediction method. (author)

  9. Improved Method for PD-Quantification in Power Cables

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holbøll, Joachim T.; Villefrance, Rasmus; Henriksen, Mogens

    1999-01-01

    n this paper, a method is described for improved quantification of partial discharges(PD) in power cables. The method is suitable for PD-detection and location systems in the MHz-range, where pulse attenuation and distortion along the cable cannot be neglected. The system transfer function...... was calculated and measured in order to form basis for magnitude calculation after each measurements. --- Limitations and capabilities of the method will be discussed and related to relevant field applications of high frequent PD-measurements. --- Methods for increased signal/noise ratio are easily implemented...

  10. Efficiency improvement of nuclear power plant operation: the significant role of advanced nuclear fuel technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Velde, AA. de; Burtak, F.

    2000-01-01

    In this paper authors deals with nuclear fuel cycle and their economic aspects. At Siemens, the developments focusing on the reduction of fuel cycle costs are currently directed on .further batch average burnup increase, .improvement of fuel reliability, .enlargement of fuel operation margins, .improvement of methods for fuel design and core analysis. These items will be presented in detail in the full paper and illustrated by the global operating experience of Siemens fuel for both PWRs and BWRs. (authors)

  11. A Method for Improving Hotspot Directional Signatures in BRDF Models Used for MODIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiao, Ziti; Schaaf, Crystal B.; Dong, Yadong; Roman, Miguel; Hill, Michael J.; Chen, Jing M.; Wang, Zhuosen; Zhang, Hu; Saenz, Edward; Poudyal, Rajesh; hide

    2016-01-01

    The semi-empirical, kernel-driven, linear RossThick-LiSparseReciprocal (RTLSR) Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model is used to generate the routine MODIS BRDFAlbedo product due to its global applicability and the underlying physics. A challenge of this model in regard to surface reflectance anisotropy effects comes from its underestimation of the directional reflectance signatures near the Sun illumination direction; also known as the hotspot effect. In this study, a method has been developed for improving the ability of the RTLSR model to simulate the magnitude and width of the hotspot effect. The method corrects the volumetric scattering component of the RTLSR model using an exponential approximation of a physical hotspot kernel, which recreates the hotspot magnitude and width using two free parameters (C(sub 1) and C(sub 2), respectively). The approach allows one to reconstruct, with reasonable accuracy, the hotspot effect by adjusting or using the prior values of these two hotspot variables. Our results demonstrate that: (1) significant improvements in capturing hotspot effect can be made to this method by using the inverted hotspot parameters; (2) the reciprocal nature allow this method to be more adaptive for simulating the hotspot height and width with high accuracy, especially in cases where hotspot signatures are available; and (3) while the new approach is consistent with the heritage RTLSR model inversion used to estimate intrinsic narrowband and broadband albedos, it presents some differences for vegetation clumping index (CI) retrievals. With the hotspot-related model parameters determined a priori, this method offers improved performance for various ecological remote sensing applications; including the estimation of canopy structure parameters.

  12. A Lean Six Sigma approach to the improvement of the selenium analysis method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cloete, Bronwyn C; Bester, André

    2012-11-02

    Reliable results represent the pinnacle assessment of quality of an analytical laboratory, and therefore variability is considered to be a critical quality problem associated with the selenium analysis method executed at Western Cape Provincial Veterinary Laboratory (WCPVL). The elimination and control of variability is undoubtedly of significant importance because of the narrow margin of safety between toxic and deficient doses of the trace element for good animal health. A quality methodology known as Lean Six Sigma was believed to present the most feasible solution for overcoming the adverse effect of variation, through steps towards analytical process improvement. Lean Six Sigma represents a form of scientific method type, which is empirical, inductive and deductive, and systematic, which relies on data, and is fact-based. The Lean Six Sigma methodology comprises five macro-phases, namely Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC). Both qualitative and quantitative laboratory data were collected in terms of these phases. Qualitative data were collected by using quality-tools, namely an Ishikawa diagram, a Pareto chart, Kaizen analysis and a Failure Mode Effect analysis tool. Quantitative laboratory data, based on the analytical chemistry test method, were collected through a controlled experiment. The controlled experiment entailed 13 replicated runs of the selenium test method, whereby 11 samples were repetitively analysed, whilst Certified Reference Material (CRM) was also included in 6 of the runs. Laboratory results obtained from the controlled experiment was analysed by using statistical methods, commonly associated with quality validation of chemistry procedures. Analysis of both sets of data yielded an improved selenium analysis method, believed to provide greater reliability of results, in addition to a greatly reduced cycle time and superior control features. Lean Six Sigma may therefore be regarded as a valuable tool in any laboratory, and

  13. A Lean Six Sigma approach to the improvement of the selenium analysis method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bronwyn C. Cloete

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Reliable results represent the pinnacle assessment of quality of an analytical laboratory, and therefore variability is considered to be a critical quality problem associated with the selenium analysis method executed at Western Cape Provincial Veterinary Laboratory (WCPVL. The elimination and control of variability is undoubtedly of significant importance because of the narrow margin of safety between toxic and deficient doses of the trace element for good animal health. A quality methodology known as Lean Six Sigma was believed to present the most feasible solution for overcoming the adverse effect of variation, through steps towards analytical process improvement. Lean Six Sigma represents a form of scientific method type, which is empirical, inductive and deductive, and systematic, which relies on data, and is fact-based. The Lean Six Sigma methodology comprises five macro-phases, namely Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC. Both qualitative and quantitative laboratory data were collected in terms of these phases. Qualitative data were collected by using quality-tools, namely an Ishikawa diagram, a Pareto chart, Kaizen analysis and a Failure Mode Effect analysis tool. Quantitative laboratory data, based on the analytical chemistry test method, were collected through a controlled experiment. The controlled experiment entailed 13 replicated runs of the selenium test method, whereby 11 samples were repetitively analysed, whilst Certified Reference Material (CRM was also included in 6 of the runs. Laboratory results obtained from the controlled experiment was analysed by using statistical methods, commonly associated with quality validation of chemistry procedures. Analysis of both sets of data yielded an improved selenium analysis method, believed to provide greater reliability of results, in addition to a greatly reduced cycle time and superior control features. Lean Six Sigma may therefore be regarded as a valuable tool in any

  14. A Lean Six Sigma approach to the improvement of the selenium analysis method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bronwyn C. Cloete

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Reliable results represent the pinnacle assessment of quality of an analytical laboratory, and therefore variability is considered to be a critical quality problem associated with the selenium analysis method executed at Western Cape Provincial Veterinary Laboratory (WCPVL. The elimination and control of variability is undoubtedly of significant importance because of the narrow margin of safety between toxic and deficient doses of the trace element for good animal health. A quality methodology known as Lean Six Sigma was believed to present the most feasible solution for overcoming the adverse effect of variation, through steps towards analytical process improvement. Lean Six Sigma represents a form of scientific method type, which is empirical, inductive and deductive, and systematic, which relies on data, and is fact-based. The Lean Six Sigma methodology comprises five macro-phases, namely Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC. Both qualitative and quantitative laboratory data were collected in terms of these phases. Qualitative data were collected by using quality-tools, namely an Ishikawa diagram, a Pareto chart, Kaizen analysis and a Failure Mode Effect analysis tool. Quantitative laboratory data, based on the analytical chemistry test method, were collected through a controlled experiment. The controlled experiment entailed 13 replicated runs of the selenium test method, whereby 11 samples were repetitively analysed, whilst Certified Reference Material (CRM was also included in 6 of the runs. Laboratory results obtained from the controlled experiment was analysed by using statistical methods, commonly associated with quality validation of chemistry procedures. Analysis of both sets of data yielded an improved selenium analysis method, believed to provide greater reliability of results, in addition to a greatly reduced cycle time and superior control features. Lean Six Sigma may therefore be regarded as a valuable tool in any

  15. Improved neutron-gamma discrimination for a 3He neutron detector using subspace learning methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, C. L.; Funk, L. L.; Riedel, R. A.; Berry, K. D.

    2017-05-01

    3He gas based neutron Linear-Position-Sensitive Detectors (LPSDs) have been used for many neutron scattering instruments. Traditional Pulse-height Analysis (PHA) for Neutron-Gamma Discrimination (NGD) resulted in the neutron-gamma efficiency ratio (NGD ratio) on the order of 105-106. The NGD ratios of 3He detectors need to be improved for even better scientific results from neutron scattering. Digital Signal Processing (DSP) analyses of waveforms were proposed for obtaining better NGD ratios, based on features extracted from rise-time, pulse amplitude, charge integration, a simplified Wiener filter, and the cross-correlation between individual and template waveforms of neutron and gamma events. Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis (FLDA) and three Multivariate Analyses (MVAs) of the features were performed. The NGD ratios are improved by about 102-103 times compared with the traditional PHA method. Our results indicate the NGD capabilities of 3He tube detectors can be significantly improved with subspace-learning based methods, which may result in a reduced data-collection time and better data quality for further data reduction.

  16. Automating methods to improve precision in Monte-Carlo event generation for particle colliders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gleisberg, Tanju

    2008-01-01

    The subject of this thesis was the development of tools for the automated calculation of exact matrix elements, which are a key for the systematic improvement of precision and confidence for theoretical predictions. Part I of this thesis concentrates on the calculations of cross sections at tree level. A number of extensions have been implemented in the matrix element generator AMEGIC++, namely new interaction models such as effective loop-induced couplings of the Higgs boson with massless gauge bosons, required for a number of channels for the Higgs boson search at LHC and anomalous gauge couplings, parameterizing a number of models beyond th SM. Further a special treatment to deal with complicated decay chains of heavy particles has been constructed. A significant effort went into the implementation of methods to push the limits on particle multiplicities. Two recursive methods have been implemented, the Cachazo-Svrcek-Witten recursion and the colour dressed Berends-Giele recursion. For the latter the new module COMIX has been added to the SHERPA framework. The Monte-Carlo phase space integration techniques have been completely revised, which led to significantly reduced statistical error estimates when calculating cross sections and a greatly improved unweighting efficiency for the event generation. Special integration methods have been developed to cope with the newly accessible final states. The event generation framework SHERPA directly benefits from those new developments, improving the precision and the efficiency. Part II was addressed to the automation of QCD calculations at next-to-leading order. A code has been developed, that, for the first time fully automates the real correction part of a NLO calculation. To calculate the correction for a m-parton process obeying the Catani-Seymour dipole subtraction method the following components are provided: 1. the corresponding m+1-parton tree level matrix elements, 2. a number dipole subtraction terms to remove

  17. Automating methods to improve precision in Monte-Carlo event generation for particle colliders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gleisberg, Tanju

    2008-07-01

    The subject of this thesis was the development of tools for the automated calculation of exact matrix elements, which are a key for the systematic improvement of precision and confidence for theoretical predictions. Part I of this thesis concentrates on the calculations of cross sections at tree level. A number of extensions have been implemented in the matrix element generator AMEGIC++, namely new interaction models such as effective loop-induced couplings of the Higgs boson with massless gauge bosons, required for a number of channels for the Higgs boson search at LHC and anomalous gauge couplings, parameterizing a number of models beyond th SM. Further a special treatment to deal with complicated decay chains of heavy particles has been constructed. A significant effort went into the implementation of methods to push the limits on particle multiplicities. Two recursive methods have been implemented, the Cachazo-Svrcek-Witten recursion and the colour dressed Berends-Giele recursion. For the latter the new module COMIX has been added to the SHERPA framework. The Monte-Carlo phase space integration techniques have been completely revised, which led to significantly reduced statistical error estimates when calculating cross sections and a greatly improved unweighting efficiency for the event generation. Special integration methods have been developed to cope with the newly accessible final states. The event generation framework SHERPA directly benefits from those new developments, improving the precision and the efficiency. Part II was addressed to the automation of QCD calculations at next-to-leading order. A code has been developed, that, for the first time fully automates the real correction part of a NLO calculation. To calculate the correction for a m-parton process obeying the Catani-Seymour dipole subtraction method the following components are provided: 1. the corresponding m+1-parton tree level matrix elements, 2. a number dipole subtraction terms to remove

  18. Recent improvements in check valve monitoring methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haynes, H.D.

    1991-01-01

    In support of the NRC Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program, ORNL has carried out an evaluation of three check valve monitoring methods: acoustic emission, ultrasonic inspection, and magnetic flux signature analysis (MFSA). This work has focussed on determining the capabilities of each method to provide diagnostic information useful in determining check valve aging and service wear effects (degradation) and undesirable operating modes. In addition, as part of the ORNL Advanced Diagnostic Engineering Research and Development Center (ADEC), two novel nonintrusive monitoring methods were developed (external ac- and dc-magnetic monitoring) that provide several improvements over the other methods. None of the examined methods could, by themselves, monitor the instantaneous position and motion of check valve internals and valve leakage; however, the combination of acoustic emission monitoring with one of the other methods provides the means to determine vital check valve operational information. This paper describes the benefits and limitations associated with each method and includes recent laboratory and field test data to illustrate the capabilities of these methods to detect simulated check valve degradation. 3 refs., 22 figs., 4 tabs

  19. Recent improvements in check valve monitoring methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haynes, H.D.

    1990-01-01

    In support of the NRC Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program, ORNL has carried out an evaluation of three check valve monitoring methods: acoustic emission, ultrasonic inspection, and magnetic flux signature analysis (MFSA). This work has focused on determining the capabilities of each method to provide diagnostic information useful in determining check valve aging and service wear effects (degradation) and undesirable operating modes. In addition, as part of the ORNL Advanced Diagnostic Engineering Research and Development Center (ADEC), two noval nonintrusive monitoring methods were developed (external ac- and dc-magnetic monitoring) that provide several improvements over the other methods. None of the examined methods could, by themselves, monitor the instantaneous position and motion of check valve internals and valve leakage; however, the combination of acoustic emission monitoring with one of the other methods provides the means to determine vital check valve operational information. This paper describes the benefits and limitations associated with each method and includes recent laboratory and field test data to illustrate the capabilities of these methods to detect simulated check valve degradation. 3 refs., 22 figs., 4 tabs

  20. Interpreting Statistical Significance Test Results: A Proposed New "What If" Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kieffer, Kevin M.; Thompson, Bruce

    As the 1994 publication manual of the American Psychological Association emphasized, "p" values are affected by sample size. As a result, it can be helpful to interpret the results of statistical significant tests in a sample size context by conducting so-called "what if" analyses. However, these methods can be inaccurate…

  1. Improvement in PWR automatic optimization reloading methods using genetic algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levine, S.H.; Ivanov, K.; Feltus, M.

    1996-01-01

    The objective of using automatic optimized reloading methods is to provide the Nuclear Engineer with an efficient method for reloading a nuclear reactor which results in superior core configurations that minimize fuel costs. Previous methods developed by Levine et al required a large effort to develop the initial core loading using a priority loading scheme. Subsequent modifications to this core configuration were made using expert rules to produce the final core design. Improvements in this technique have been made by using a genetic algorithm to produce improved core reload designs for PWRs more efficiently (authors)

  2. Improvement in PWR automatic optimization reloading methods using genetic algorithm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Levine, S H; Ivanov, K; Feltus, M [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

    1996-12-01

    The objective of using automatic optimized reloading methods is to provide the Nuclear Engineer with an efficient method for reloading a nuclear reactor which results in superior core configurations that minimize fuel costs. Previous methods developed by Levine et al required a large effort to develop the initial core loading using a priority loading scheme. Subsequent modifications to this core configuration were made using expert rules to produce the final core design. Improvements in this technique have been made by using a genetic algorithm to produce improved core reload designs for PWRs more efficiently (authors).

  3. Security analysis and improvements to the PsychoPass method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brumen, Bostjan; Heričko, Marjan; Rozman, Ivan; Hölbl, Marko

    2013-08-13

    In a recent paper, Pietro Cipresso et al proposed the PsychoPass method, a simple way to create strong passwords that are easy to remember. However, the method has some security issues that need to be addressed. To perform a security analysis on the PsychoPass method and outline the limitations of and possible improvements to the method. We used the brute force analysis and dictionary attack analysis of the PsychoPass method to outline its weaknesses. The first issue with the Psychopass method is that it requires the password reproduction on the same keyboard layout as was used to generate the password. The second issue is a security weakness: although the produced password is 24 characters long, the password is still weak. We elaborate on the weakness and propose a solution that produces strong passwords. The proposed version first requires the use of the SHIFT and ALT-GR keys in combination with other keys, and second, the keys need to be 1-2 distances apart. The proposed improved PsychoPass method yields passwords that can be broken only in hundreds of years based on current computing powers. The proposed PsychoPass method requires 10 keys, as opposed to 20 keys in the original method, for comparable password strength.

  4. An improved ghost-cell immersed boundary method for compressible flow simulations

    KAUST Repository

    Chi, Cheng

    2016-05-20

    This study presents an improved ghost-cell immersed boundary approach to represent a solid body in compressible flow simulations. In contrast to the commonly used approaches, in the present work ghost cells are mirrored through the boundary described using a level-set method to farther image points, incorporating a higher-order extra/interpolation scheme for the ghost cell values. A sensor is introduced to deal with image points near the discontinuities in the flow field. Adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) is used to improve the representation of the geometry efficiently in the Cartesian grid system. The improved ghost-cell method is validated against four test cases: (a) double Mach reflections on a ramp, (b) smooth Prandtl-Meyer expansion flows, (c) supersonic flows in a wind tunnel with a forward-facing step, and (d) supersonic flows over a circular cylinder. It is demonstrated that the improved ghost-cell method can reach the accuracy of second order in L1 norm and higher than first order in L∞ norm. Direct comparisons against the cut-cell method demonstrate that the improved ghost-cell method is almost equally accurate with better efficiency for boundary representation in high-fidelity compressible flow simulations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. An improved loopless mounting method for cryocrystallography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jian-Xun, Qi; Fan, Jiang

    2010-01-01

    Based on a recent loopless mounting method, a simplified loopless and bufferless crystal mounting method is developed for macromolecular crystallography. This simplified crystal mounting system is composed of the following components: a home-made glass capillary, a brass seat for holding the glass capillary, a flow regulator, and a vacuum pump for evacuation. Compared with the currently prevalent loop mounting method, this simplified method has almost the same mounting procedure and thus is compatible with the current automated crystal mounting system. The advantages of this method include higher signal-to-noise ratio, more accurate measurement, more rapid flash cooling, less x-ray absorption and thus less radiation damage to the crystal. This method can be extended to the flash-freeing of a crystal without or with soaking it in a lower concentration of cryoprotectant, thus it may be the best option for data collection in the absence of suitable cryoprotectant. Therefore, it is suggested that this mounting method should be further improved and extensively applied to cryocrystallographic experiments. (general)

  6. An improved loopless mounting method for cryocrystallography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Jian-Xun; Jiang, Fan

    2010-01-01

    Based on a recent loopless mounting method, a simplified loopless and bufferless crystal mounting method is developed for macromolecular crystallography. This simplified crystal mounting system is composed of the following components: a home-made glass capillary, a brass seat for holding the glass capillary, a flow regulator, and a vacuum pump for evacuation. Compared with the currently prevalent loop mounting method, this simplified method has almost the same mounting procedure and thus is compatible with the current automated crystal mounting system. The advantages of this method include higher signal-to-noise ratio, more accurate measurement, more rapid flash cooling, less x-ray absorption and thus less radiation damage to the crystal. This method can be extended to the flash-freeing of a crystal without or with soaking it in a lower concentration of cryoprotectant, thus it may be the best option for data collection in the absence of suitable cryoprotectant. Therefore, it is suggested that this mounting method should be further improved and extensively applied to cryocrystallographic experiments.

  7. Improvement of basal conditions knowledge in Antarctica using data assimilation methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mosbeux, C.; Gillet-Chaulet, F.; Gagliardini, O.

    2017-12-01

    The current global warming seems to have direct consequences on ice-sheet mass loss. Unfortunately, as highlighted in the last IPCC report, current ice-sheets models face several difficulties in assessing the future evolution of the dynamics of ice sheets for the next century. Indeed, projections are still plagued with high uncertainties partially due to the poor representation of occurring physical processes, but also due to the poor initialisation of ice flow models. More specifically, simulations are very sensitive to initial parameters such as the basal friction between ice-sheet and bedrock and the bedrock topography which are still badly known because of a lack of direct observations or large uncertainty on measurements. Improving the knowledge of these two parameters in Greenland and Antarctica is therefore a prerequisite for making reliable projections. Data assimilation methods have been developed in order to overcome this problem such as the Bayesian approach of Pralong and Gudmundsson (2009) or the adjoint method tested by Goldberg and Heimbach (2013) and Perego et al. (2014). The present work is based on two different assimilation algorithms to better constrain both basal drag and bedrock elevation parameters. The first algorithm is entirely based on the adjoint method while the second one uses an iterative method coupling inversion of basal friction based on an adjoint method and through an inversion of bedrock topography using a nudging method. Both algorithms have been implemented in the finite element ice sheet and ice flow model Elmer/Ice and have been tested in a twin experiment showing a clear improvement of both parameters knowledge (Mosbeux et al., 2016). Here, the methods are applied to a real 3D case in East Antarctica and with an ensemble method approach. The application of both algorithms reduces the uncertainty on basal conditions, for instance by providing more details to the basal geometry when compared to usual DEM. Moreover, as in the

  8. Improvement of the GRACE star camera data based on the revision of the combination method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandikova, Tamara; Flury, Jakob

    2014-11-01

    The new release of the sensor and instrument data (Level-1B release 02) of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) had a substantial impact on the improvement of the overall accuracy of the gravity field models. This has implied that improvements on the sensor data level can still significantly contribute to arriving closer to the GRACE baseline accuracy. The recent analysis of the GRACE star camera data (SCA1B RL02) revealed their unexpectedly higher noise. As the star camera (SCA) data are essential for the processing of the K-band ranging data and the accelerometer data, thorough investigation of the data set was needed. We fully reexamined the SCA data processing from Level-1A to Level-1B with focus on the combination method of the data delivered by the two SCA heads. In the first step, we produced and compared our own combined attitude solution by applying two different combination methods on the SCA Level-1A data. The first method introduces the information about the anisotropic accuracy of the star camera measurement in terms of a weighing matrix. This method was applied in the official processing as well. The alternative method merges only the well determined SCA boresight directions. This method was implemented on the GRACE SCA data for the first time. Both methods were expected to provide optimal solution characteristic by the full accuracy about all three axes, which was confirmed. In the second step, we analyzed the differences between the official SCA1B RL02 data generated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and our solution. SCA1B RL02 contains systematically higher noise of about a factor 3-4. The data analysis revealed that the reason is the incorrect implementation of algorithms in the JPL processing routines. After correct implementation of the combination method, significant improvement within the whole spectrum was achieved. Based on these results, the official reprocessing of the SCA data is suggested, as the SCA attitude data

  9. Improved microscopical detection of acid-fast bacilli by the modified bleach method in lymphnode aspirates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annam Vamseedhar

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To improve the smear microscopy for detection of acid-fast bacilli (AFB in fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC of lymph node using the bleach method and also to compare this with cytological diagnosis and the conventional Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN method. Study Design: In 99 consecutive patients with clinical suspicion of tuberculosis (TB presenting with lymphadenopathy, FNACs were performed. Smears from the aspirates were processed for routine cytology and the conventional ZN method. The remaining material in the needle hub and/or the syringe was used for the bleach method. The significance of the bleach method over the conventional ZN method and cytology was analyzed using the χ2 test. Results: Of 99 aspirates, 93 were studied and the remaining six were excluded from the study due to diagnosis of malignancy in 4.04% (4/6 and inadequate aspiration in 2.02% (2/6. Among the 93 aspirates, 33.33% (31/93 were positive for AFB on conventional ZN method, 41.94% (39/93 were indicative of TB on cytology and the smear positivity increased to 63.44% (59/93 on bleach method. Conclusion: The bleach method is simple, inexpensive and potent disinfectant, also limiting the risk of laboratory-acquired infections. The implementation of the bleach method clearly improves microscopic detection and can be a useful contribution to routine cytology.

  10. The energetic significance of cooking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmody, Rachel N; Wrangham, Richard W

    2009-10-01

    While cooking has long been argued to improve the diet, the nature of the improvement has not been well defined. As a result, the evolutionary significance of cooking has variously been proposed as being substantial or relatively trivial. In this paper, we evaluate the hypothesis that an important and consistent effect of cooking food is a rise in its net energy value. The pathways by which cooking influences net energy value differ for starch, protein, and lipid, and we therefore consider plant and animal foods separately. Evidence of compromised physiological performance among individuals on raw diets supports the hypothesis that cooked diets tend to provide energy. Mechanisms contributing to energy being gained from cooking include increased digestibility of starch and protein, reduced costs of digestion for cooked versus raw meat, and reduced energetic costs of detoxification and defence against pathogens. If cooking consistently improves the energetic value of foods through such mechanisms, its evolutionary impact depends partly on the relative energetic benefits of non-thermal processing methods used prior to cooking. We suggest that if non-thermal processing methods such as pounding were used by Lower Palaeolithic Homo, they likely provided an important increase in energy gain over unprocessed raw diets. However, cooking has critical effects not easily achievable by non-thermal processing, including the relatively complete gelatinisation of starch, efficient denaturing of proteins, and killing of food borne pathogens. This means that however sophisticated the non-thermal processing methods were, cooking would have conferred incremental energetic benefits. While much remains to be discovered, we conclude that the adoption of cooking would have led to an important rise in energy availability. For this reason, we predict that cooking had substantial evolutionary significance.

  11. Significant performance improvement obtained in a wireless mesh network using a beamswitching antenna

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Lysko, AA

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available mesh network operated in a fixed 11 Mbps mode. The throughput improvement in multi-hop communication obtained in the presence of an interferer is tenfold, from 0.2 Mbps to 2 Mbps. Index Terms?antenna, smart antenna, wireless mesh network, WMN... efficiency in the communications, and active research and development of new methods and technologies enabling this at the physical layer, including multiple antenna techniques, such as multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and smart antennas...

  12. Collapsed optical fiber: A novel method for improving thermoluminescence response of optical fiber

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mahdiraji, G. Amouzad, E-mail: ghafour@um.edu.my [Integrated Lightwave Research Group, Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Adikan, F.R. Mahamd [Integrated Lightwave Research Group, Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Bradley, D.A. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    2015-05-15

    A new technique is shown to provide improved thermoluminescence (TL) response from optical fibers, based on collapsing down hollow capillary optical fibers (COF) into flat fibers (FF), producing fused inner walls and consequent defects generation. Four different fused silica preform tubes are used to fabricate in-house COFs and FFs, i.e., ultra-pure (F300), relatively pure silica (PS), germanium-doped (Ge), and Ge–Boron-doped (GeB). The optical fibers are then subjected to 6 MeV electron irradiation. While the results show similar TL response from F300-COF and -FF, the TL response of PS-COF is improved by a factor of 6 by collapsing it down to a FF. By doping Ge into the F300 tube, the TL response of the resultant Ge-COF shows an improvement of 3 times over that of F300-COF, while an improvement of a factor of 12 is obtained by producing a Ge-FF. In GeB preform, by collapsing the capillary fiber into a FF, an improvement in TL response of 31 times that of GeB-COF is obtained. TL glow curve analysis shows an additional peak to be generated in the FFs compared to that observed in the COFs. The TL intensity value of the new peak is significantly increased in the doped FFs compared to the undoped FFs. The results suggest that defects generation occurs as a result of the fusing/collapsing technique, providing a TL response from the optical fibers that can substantially improve upon that of existing TL system sensitivities. - Highlights: • A new method for increasing TL response of optical fiber is presented. • By collapsing capillary fiber wall surface, TL response of the fiber increased. • By adding impurity in the collapsing area, TL response significantly improved.

  13. Developing the RIAM method (rapid impact assessment matrix) in the context of impact significance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ijaes, Asko; Kuitunen, Markku T.; Jalava, Kimmo

    2010-01-01

    In this paper the applicability of the RIAM method (rapid impact assessment matrix) is evaluated in the context of impact significance assessment. The methodological issues considered in the study are: 1) to test the possibilities of enlarging the scoring system used in the method, and 2) to compare the significance classifications of RIAM and unaided decision-making to estimate the consistency between these methods. The data used consisted of projects for which funding had been applied for via the European Union's Regional Development Trust in the area of Central Finland. Cases were evaluated with respect to their environmental, social and economic impacts using an assessment panel. The results showed the scoring framework used in RIAM could be modified according to the problem situation at hand, which enhances its application potential. However the changes made in criteria B did not significantly affect the final ratings of the method, which indicates the high importance of criteria A1 (importance) and A2 (magnitude) to the overall results. The significance classes obtained by the two methods diverged notably. In general the ratings given by RIAM tended to be smaller compared to intuitive judgement implying that the RIAM method may be somewhat conservative in character.

  14. An improved intermediate resonance method for heterogeneous media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiovato, O.; Corno, S.; Pasquantonio, F.Di.

    1977-01-01

    A new formulation is described of the Intermediate Resonance method which incorporates the previous developments suitably modified and improved, together with some new contributions. The 'intermediate' character is directly introduced in the integral operator K, allowing a more rigorous deduction of the equations for evaluating the intermediate parameters related to the nuclides involved in the system. There is no limit to the number of internal (admixed in the fuel) and external moderators. The capability to take into account the interference scattering has been extended to heterogeneous systems. The Doppler broadening is described by means of new accurate rational approximations to the broadened line shape psi. Finally the use of energy mean values suitably defined refines the values of the resonance integrals and resonance absorption cross sections. The Intermediate Resonance method so extended and improved, has been coded in a group of FORTRAN routines, which have been inserted as a calculation option in the fast section of the GGC code for the evaluation of multigroup cross sections. A series of calculations has been carried out, using these routines, and comparisons have been made with Monte Carlo and Nordheim's methods. The results obtained show that the Intermediate Resonance method developed in the present work offers considerable advantages over Nordheim's method: better accuracy in evaluating resonance absorption cross sections, and much smaller computing times. (author)

  15. Significant improvement in one-dimensional cursor control using Laplacian electroencephalography over electroencephalography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boudria, Yacine; Feltane, Amal; Besio, Walter

    2014-06-01

    Objective. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) based on electroencephalography (EEG) have been shown to accurately detect mental activities, but the acquisition of high levels of control require extensive user training. Furthermore, EEG has low signal-to-noise ratio and low spatial resolution. The objective of the present study was to compare the accuracy between two types of BCIs during the first recording session. EEG and tripolar concentric ring electrode (TCRE) EEG (tEEG) brain signals were recorded and used to control one-dimensional cursor movements. Approach. Eight human subjects were asked to imagine either ‘left’ or ‘right’ hand movement during one recording session to control the computer cursor using TCRE and disc electrodes. Main results. The obtained results show a significant improvement in accuracies using TCREs (44%-100%) compared to disc electrodes (30%-86%). Significance. This study developed the first tEEG-based BCI system for real-time one-dimensional cursor movements and showed high accuracies with little training.

  16. An Improved Ghost-cell Immersed Boundary Method for Compressible Inviscid Flow Simulations

    KAUST Repository

    Chi, Cheng

    2015-05-01

    This study presents an improved ghost-cell immersed boundary approach to represent a solid body in compressible flow simulations. In contrast to the commonly used approaches, in the present work ghost cells are mirrored through the boundary described using a level-set method to farther image points, incorporating a higher-order extra/interpolation scheme for the ghost cell values. In addition, a shock sensor is in- troduced to deal with image points near the discontinuities in the flow field. Adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) is used to improve the representation of the geometry efficiently. The improved ghost-cell method is validated against five test cases: (a) double Mach reflections on a ramp, (b) supersonic flows in a wind tunnel with a forward- facing step, (c) supersonic flows over a circular cylinder, (d) smooth Prandtl-Meyer expansion flows, and (e) steady shock-induced combustion over a wedge. It is demonstrated that the improved ghost-cell method can reach the accuracy of second order in L1 norm and higher than first order in L∞ norm. Direct comparisons against the cut-cell method demonstrate that the improved ghost-cell method is almost equally accurate with better efficiency for boundary representation in high-fidelity compressible flow simulations. Implementation of the improved ghost-cell method in reacting Euler flows further validates its general applicability for compressible flow simulations.

  17. Behavioral interventions for improving dual-method contraceptive use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopez, Laureen M; Stockton, Laurie L; Chen, Mario; Steiner, Markus J; Gallo, Maria F

    2014-03-30

    Dual-method contraception refers to using condoms as well as another modern method of contraception. The latter (usually non-barrier) method is commonly hormonal (e.g., oral contraceptives) or a non-hormonal intrauterine device. Use of two methods can better prevent pregnancy and the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared to single-method use. Unprotected sex increases risk for disease, disability, and mortality in many areas due to the prevalence and incidence of HIV/STI. Millions of women, especially in lower-resource areas, also have an unmet need for protection against unintended pregnancy. We examined comparative studies of behavioral interventions for improving use of dual methods of contraception. Dual-method use refers to using condoms as well as another modern contraceptive method. Our intent was to identify effective interventions for preventing pregnancy as well as HIV/STI transmission. Through January 2014, we searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, POPLINE, EMBASE, COPAC, and Open Grey. In addition, we searched ClinicalTrials.gov and ICTRP for current trials and trials with relevant data or reports. We examined reference lists of pertinent papers, including review articles, for additional reports. Studies could be either randomized or non-randomized. They examined a behavioral intervention with an educational or counseling component to encourage or improve the use of dual methods, i.e., condoms and another modern contraceptive. The intervention had to address preventing pregnancy as well as the transmission of HIV/STI. The program or service could be targeted to individuals, couples, or communities. The comparison condition could be another behavioral intervention to improve contraceptive use, usual care, other health education, or no intervention.Studies had to report use of dual methods, i.e., condoms plus another modern contraceptive method. We focused on the investigator's assessment of consistent dual-method use or use at

  18. PXD101 significantly improves nuclear reprogramming and the in vitro developmental competence of porcine SCNT embryos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jin, Jun-Xue; Kang, Jin-Dan; Li, Suo; Jin, Long; Zhu, Hai-Ying; Guo, Qing; Gao, Qing-Shan; Yan, Chang-Guo; Yin, Xi-Jun, E-mail: yinxj33@msn.com

    2015-01-02

    Highlights: • First explored that the effects of PXD101 on the development of SCNT embryos in vitro. • 0.5 μM PXD101 treated for 24 h improved the development of porcine SCNT embryos. • Level of AcH3K9 was significantly higher than control group at early stages. - Abstract: In this study, we investigated the effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor PXD101 (belinostat) on the preimplantation development of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos and their expression of the epigenetic markers histone H3 acetylated at lysine 9 (AcH3K9). We compared the in vitro developmental competence of SCNT embryos treated with various concentrations of PXD101 for 24 h. Treatment with 0.5 μM PXD101 significantly increased the proportion of SCNT embryos that reached the blastocyst stage, in comparison to the control group (23.3% vs. 11.5%, P < 0.05). We tested the in vitro developmental competence of SCNT embryos treated with 0.5 μM PXD101 for various amounts of times following activation. Treatment for 24 h significantly improved the development of porcine SCNT embryos, with a significantly higher proportion of embryos reaching the blastocyst stage in comparison to the control group (25.7% vs. 10.6%, P < 0.05). PXD101-treated SCNT embryos were transferred into two surrogate sows, one of whom became pregnant and four fetuses developed. PXD101 treatment significantly increased the fluorescence intensity of immunostaining for AcH3K9 in embryos at the pseudo-pronuclear and 2-cell stages. At these stages, the fluorescence intensities of immunostaining for AcH3K9 were significantly higher in PXD101-treated embryos than in control untreated embryos. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that PXD101 can significantly improve the in vitro and in vivo developmental competence of porcine SCNT embryos and can enhance their nuclear reprogramming.

  19. An On-Chip RBC Deformability Checker Significantly Improves Velocity-Deformation Correlation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chia-Hung Dylan Tsai

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available An on-chip deformability checker is proposed to improve the velocity–deformation correlation for red blood cell (RBC evaluation. RBC deformability has been found related to human diseases, and can be evaluated based on RBC velocity through a microfluidic constriction as in conventional approaches. The correlation between transit velocity and amount of deformation provides statistical information of RBC deformability. However, such correlations are usually only moderate, or even weak, in practical evaluations due to limited range of RBC deformation. To solve this issue, we implemented three constrictions of different width in the proposed checker, so that three different deformation regions can be applied to RBCs. By considering cell responses from the three regions as a whole, we practically extend the range of cell deformation in the evaluation, and could resolve the issue about the limited range of RBC deformation. RBCs from five volunteer subjects were tested using the proposed checker. The results show that the correlation between cell deformation and transit velocity is significantly improved by the proposed deformability checker. The absolute values of the correlation coefficients are increased from an average of 0.54 to 0.92. The effects of cell size, shape and orientation to the evaluation are discussed according to the experimental results. The proposed checker is expected to be useful for RBC evaluation in medical practices.

  20. Improvement Method of Gene Transfer in Kappaphycus Alvarezii

    OpenAIRE

    Triana, St. Hidayah; Alimuddin,; Widyastuti, Utut; Suharsono,; Suryati, Emma; Parenrengi, Andi

    2016-01-01

    Method of foreign gene transfer in red seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii has been reported, however, li-mited number of transgenic F0 (broodstock) was obtained. This study was conducted to improve the method of gene transfer mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens in order to obtain high percentage of K. alvarezii transgenic. Superoxide dismutase gene from Melastoma malabatrichum (MmCu/Zn-SOD) was used as model towards increasing adaptability of K. alvarezii to environmental stress. The treat-ment...

  1. Sub-piexl methods for improving vector quality in echo PIV flow, imaging technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Lili; Wang, Jing; Qian, Ming; Zheng, Hairong

    2009-01-01

    Developments of many cardiovascular problems have been shown to have a close relationship with arterial flow conditions. An ultrasound-based particle image velocimetry technique(Echo PIV) was recently developed to measure multi-component velocity vectors and local shear rates in arteries and opaque fluid flows by identifying and tracking flow tracers (ultrasound contrast microbubbles) within these flow fields. To improve the measurement accuracy, sub-pixel calculation method was adopted in this paper to maximize the ultrasound RF signal and B mode image correlation accuracy and increase the image spatial resolution. This algorithm is employed in processing both computer-generated particle image patterns and the B-mode images of microbubbles in rotating flows obtained by a high frame rate (up to 1000 frames per second) ultrasound imaging system. The results show the correlation of particle patterns and individual flow vector quality are improved and the overall flow mappings are also improved significantly. This would help the Echo PIV system to provide better multi-component velocity accuracy.

  2. Improving Papanicolaou test quality and reducing medical errors by using Toyota production system methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raab, Stephen S; Andrew-Jaja, Carey; Condel, Jennifer L; Dabbs, David J

    2006-01-01

    The objective of the study was to determine whether the Toyota production system process improves Papanicolaou test quality and patient safety. An 8-month nonconcurrent cohort study that included 464 case and 639 control women who had a Papanicolaou test was performed. Office workflow was redesigned using Toyota production system methods by introducing a 1-by-1 continuous flow process. We measured the frequency of Papanicolaou tests without a transformation zone component, follow-up and Bethesda System diagnostic frequency of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance, and diagnostic error frequency. After the intervention, the percentage of Papanicolaou tests lacking a transformation zone component decreased from 9.9% to 4.7% (P = .001). The percentage of Papanicolaou tests with a diagnosis of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance decreased from 7.8% to 3.9% (P = .007). The frequency of error per correlating cytologic-histologic specimen pair decreased from 9.52% to 7.84%. The introduction of the Toyota production system process resulted in improved Papanicolaou test quality.

  3. High-intensity interval training (swimming) significantly improves the adverse metabolism and comorbidities in diet-induced obese mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Motta, Victor F; Aguila, Marcia B; Mandarim-DE-Lacerda, Carlos A

    2016-05-01

    Controlling obesity and other comorbidities in the population is a challenge in modern society. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) combines short periods of high-intensity exercise with long recovery periods or a low-intensity exercise. The aim was to assess the impact of HIIT in the context of diet-induced obesity in the animal model. C57BL/6 mice were fed one of the two diets: standard chow (lean group [LE]) or a high-fat diet (obese group [OB]). After twelve weeks, the animals were divided into non-trained groups (LE-NT and OB-NT) and trained groups (LE-T and OB-T), and began an exercise protocol. For biochemical analysis of inflammatory and lipid profile, we used a colorimetric enzymatic method and an automatic spectrophotometer. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis of the experimental groups with Holm-Sidak post-hoc Test. Two-way ANOVA analyzed the interactions between diet and HIIT protocol. HIIT leads to significant reductions in body mass, blood glucose, glucose tolerance and hepatic lipid profile in T-groups compared to NT-groups. HIIT was able to reduce plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, HIIT improves the insulin immunodensity in the islets, reduces the adiposity and the hepatic steatosis in the T-groups. HIIT improves beta-oxidation and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha and reduces lipogenesis and PPAR-gamma levels in the liver. In skeletal muscle, HIIT improves PPAR-alpha and glucose transporter-4 and reduces PPAR-gamma levels. HIIT leads to attenuate the adverse effects caused by a chronic ingestion of a high-fat diet.

  4. Forms and Methods of Agricultural Sector Innovative Activity Improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aisha S. Ablyaeva

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The article is focused on basic forms and methods to improve the efficiency of innovative activity in the agricultural sector of Ukraine. It was determined that the development of agriculture in Ukraine is affected by a number of factors that must be considered to design innovative models of entrepreneurship development and ways to improve the efficiency of innovative entrepreneurship activity.

  5. TRIZ method application for improving the special vehicles maintenance

    OpenAIRE

    Petrović Saša; Lozanović-Šajić Jasmina; Knežević Tijana; Pavlović Jovan; Ivanov Goran

    2014-01-01

    TRIZ methodology provides an opportunity for improving the classical engineering approach based on personal knowledge and experience. This paper presents the application of TRIZ methods for improving vehicle maintenance where special equipment is installed. A specific problem is the maintenance of the periscopes with heating system. Protective glass panels with heating system are rectangular glass elements. Their purpose is to perform mechanical protection ...

  6. An improved early detection method of type-2 diabetes mellitus using multiple classifier system

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Jia

    2015-01-01

    The specific causes of complex diseases such as Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) have not yet been identified. Nevertheless, many medical science researchers believe that complex diseases are caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Detection of such diseases becomes an issue because it is not free from false presumptions and is accompanied by unpredictable effects. Given the greatly increased amount of data gathered in medical databases, data mining has been used widely in recent years to detect and improve the diagnosis of complex diseases. However, past research showed that no single classifier can be considered optimal for all problems. Therefore, in this paper, we focus on employing multiple classifier systems to improve the accuracy of detection for complex diseases, such as T2DM. We proposed a dynamic weighted voting scheme called multiple factors weighted combination for classifiers\\' decision combination. This method considers not only the local and global accuracy but also the diversity among classifiers and localized generalization error of each classifier. We evaluated our method on two real T2DM data sets and other medical data sets. The favorable results indicated that our proposed method significantly outperforms individual classifiers and other fusion methods.

  7. Improved method of measurement for outer leak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Guang

    2012-01-01

    Pneumatic pipeline is installed for the airborne radioactivity measurement equipment, air tightness and outer leak rate are essential for the testing of the characteristics, both in the national criteria and ISO standards, an improved practical method is available for the measurement of the outer air leak rate based on the engineering experiences for the equipment acceptance and testing procedure. (authors)

  8. Psychological Benefits of Nonpharmacological Methods Aimed for Improving Balance in Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rastislav Šumec

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Parkinson’s disease (PD is a serious condition with a major negative impact on patient’s physical and mental health. Postural instability is one of the cardinal difficulties reported by patients to deal with. Neuroanatomical, animal, and clinical studies on nonparkinsonian and parkinsonian subjects suggest an important correlation between the presence of balance dysfunction and multiple mood disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and apathy. Considering that balance dysfunction is a very common symptom in PD, we can presume that by its management we could positively influence patient’s state of mind too. This review is an analysis of nonpharmacological methods shown to be effective and successful for improving balance in patients suffering from PD. Strategies such as general exercise, robotic assisted training, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Yoga, dance (such as tango or ballet, box, virtual reality-based, or neurofeedback-based techniques and so forth can significantly improve the stability in these patients. Beside this physical outcome, many methods have also shown effect on quality of life, depression level, enjoyment, and motivation to continue in practicing the method independently. The purpose of this review is to provide information about practical and creative methods designed to improve balance in PD and highlight their positive impact on patient’s psychology.

  9. Standard CMMIsm Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPIsm), Version 1.1: Method Definition Document

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    2001-01-01

    The Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI(Service Mark)) is designed to provide benchmark quality ratings relative to Capability Maturity Model(registered) Integration (CMMI(Service Mark)) models...

  10. Improvement of Power Flow Calculation with Optimization Factor Based on Current Injection Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei Wang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an improvement in power flow calculation based on current injection method by introducing optimization factor. In the method proposed by this paper, the PQ buses are represented by current mismatches while the PV buses are represented by power mismatches. It is different from the representations in conventional current injection power flow equations. By using the combined power and current injection mismatches method, the number of the equations required can be decreased to only one for each PV bus. The optimization factor is used to improve the iteration process and to ensure the effectiveness of the improved method proposed when the system is ill-conditioned. To verify the effectiveness of the method, the IEEE test systems are tested by conventional current injection method and the improved method proposed separately. Then the results are compared. The comparisons show that the optimization factor improves the convergence character effectively, especially that when the system is at high loading level and R/X ratio, the iteration number is one or two times less than the conventional current injection method. When the overloading condition of the system is serious, the iteration number in this paper appears 4 times less than the conventional current injection method.

  11. Induction Based Training leads to Highly Significant Improvements of Objective and Subjective Suturing Ability in Junior Doctors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin Garry

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Simulation based training has shown to be of benefit in the education of medical students. However, the impact of induction based clinical simulation on surgical ability of qualified doctors remains unclear.The aim of this study was to establish if a 60 minute teaching session integrated into an Emergency Medicine speciality induction program produces statistically significant improvements in objective and subjective suturing abilities of junior doctors commencing an Emergency Medicine rotation.Methods: The objective suturing abilities of 16 Foundation Year Two doctors were analysed using a validated OSATs scale prior to a novel teaching intervention. The doctors then undertook an intensive hour long workshop receiving one to one feedback before undergoing repeat OSATs assessment.Subjective ability was measured using a 5 point likert scale and self-assessed competency reporting interrupted suturing before and after the intervention. Photographs of wound closure before and after the intervention were recorded for further blinded assessment of impact of intervention. A survey regarding continued ability was repeated at four months following the intervention. The study took place on 7/12/16 during the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Emergency Medicine induction in the Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast. The hospital is a regional level 1 trauma centre that has annual departmental attendances in excess of 200,000.All new junior doctors commencing the Emergency Medicine rotation were invited to partake in the study. All 16 agreed. The group consisted of a mixture of undergraduate and postgraduate medicaldoctors who all had 16 months experience working in a variety of medical or surgical jobs previously.Results: Following the teaching intervention objective and subjective abilities in interrupted suturing showed statistically significant improvement (P>0.005. Self-reporting of competency of independently suturingwounds improved from 50

  12. A new improved method for assessing brain deformation after decompressive craniectomy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim L Fletcher

    Full Text Available Decompressive craniectomy (DC is a surgical intervention used following traumatic brain injury to prevent or alleviate raised intracranial pressure. However the clinical effectiveness of the intervention remains in doubt. The location of the craniectomy (unilateral or bifrontal might be expected to change the brain deformation associated with the operation and hence the clinical outcome. As existing methods for assessing brain deformation have several limitations, we sought to develop and validate a new improved method.Computed tomography (CT scans were taken from 27 patients who underwent DC (17 bifrontal patients and 10 unilateral patients. Pre-operative and post-operative images were processed and registered to determine the change in brain position associated with the operation. The maximum deformation in the herniated brain, the change in volume and estimates of the craniectomy area were determined from the images. Statistical comparison was made using the Pearson's correlation coefficient r and a Welch's two-tailed T-test, with statistical significance reported at the 5% level.There was a reasonable correlation between the volume increase and the maximum brain displacement (r = 0.64, a low correlation between the volume increase and the craniectomy area (r = 0.30 and no correlation between the maximum displacement and the craniectomy area (r = -0.01. The maximum deformation was significantly lower (P  = 0.023 in the bifrontal patients (mean = 22.5 mm compared with the unilateral patients (mean = 29.8 mm. Herniation volume was significantly lower (P = 0.023 in bifrontal (mean = 50.0 ml than unilateral patients (mean = 107.3 ml. Craniectomy area was not significantly different for the two craniectomy locations (P = 0.29.A method has been developed to quantify changes in brain deformation due to decompressive craniectomy from CT images and allow comparison between different craniectomy locations

  13. Evaluating statistical and clinical significance of intervention effects in single-case experimental designs: an SPSS method to analyze univariate data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maric, Marija; de Haan, Else; Hogendoorn, Sanne M; Wolters, Lidewij H; Huizenga, Hilde M

    2015-03-01

    Single-case experimental designs are useful methods in clinical research practice to investigate individual client progress. Their proliferation might have been hampered by methodological challenges such as the difficulty applying existing statistical procedures. In this article, we describe a data-analytic method to analyze univariate (i.e., one symptom) single-case data using the common package SPSS. This method can help the clinical researcher to investigate whether an intervention works as compared with a baseline period or another intervention type, and to determine whether symptom improvement is clinically significant. First, we describe the statistical method in a conceptual way and show how it can be implemented in SPSS. Simulation studies were performed to determine the number of observation points required per intervention phase. Second, to illustrate this method and its implications, we present a case study of an adolescent with anxiety disorders treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques in an outpatient psychotherapy clinic, whose symptoms were regularly assessed before each session. We provide a description of the data analyses and results of this case study. Finally, we discuss the advantages and shortcomings of the proposed method. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. New application of Exp-function method for improved Boussinesq equation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abdou, M.A. [Theoretical Research Group, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, 35516 Mansoura (Egypt); Department of Physics, Faculty of Education for Girls, Science Departments, King Khalid University, Bisha (Saudi Arabia)], E-mail: m_abdou_eg@yahoo.com; Soliman, A.A. [Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Education (AL-Arish) Suez Canal University, AL-Arish 45111 (Egypt); Department of Mathematics, Teacher' s College (Bisha), King Khalid University, Bisha, PO Box 551 (Saudi Arabia)], E-mail: asoliman_99@yahoo.com; El-Basyony, S.T. [Theoretical Research Group, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, 35516 Mansoura (Egypt)

    2007-10-01

    The Exp-function method is used to obtain generalized solitary solutions and periodic solutions for nonlinear evolution equations arising in mathematical physics with the aid of symbolic computation method, namely, the improved Boussinesq equation. The method is straightforward and concise, and its applications is promising for other nonlinear evolution equations in mathematical physics.

  15. Improved methods for the mathematically controlled comparison of biochemical systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schwacke John H

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The method of mathematically controlled comparison provides a structured approach for the comparison of alternative biochemical pathways with respect to selected functional effectiveness measures. Under this approach, alternative implementations of a biochemical pathway are modeled mathematically, forced to be equivalent through the application of selected constraints, and compared with respect to selected functional effectiveness measures. While the method has been applied successfully in a variety of studies, we offer recommendations for improvements to the method that (1 relax requirements for definition of constraints sufficient to remove all degrees of freedom in forming the equivalent alternative, (2 facilitate generalization of the results thus avoiding the need to condition those findings on the selected constraints, and (3 provide additional insights into the effect of selected constraints on the functional effectiveness measures. We present improvements to the method and related statistical models, apply the method to a previously conducted comparison of network regulation in the immune system, and compare our results to those previously reported.

  16. Improved Real-time Denoising Method Based on Lifting Wavelet Transform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Zhaohua

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Signal denoising can not only enhance the signal to noise ratio (SNR but also reduce the effect of noise. In order to satisfy the requirements of real-time signal denoising, an improved semisoft shrinkage real-time denoising method based on lifting wavelet transform was proposed. The moving data window technology realizes the real-time wavelet denoising, which employs wavelet transform based on lifting scheme to reduce computational complexity. Also hyperbolic threshold function and recursive threshold computing can ensure the dynamic characteristics of the system, in addition, it can improve the real-time calculating efficiency as well. The simulation results show that the semisoft shrinkage real-time denoising method has quite a good performance in comparison to the traditional methods, namely soft-thresholding and hard-thresholding. Therefore, this method can solve more practical engineering problems.

  17. Suggestions for an improved HRA method for use in Probabilistic Safety Assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parry, Gareth W.

    1995-01-01

    This paper discusses why an improved Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) approach for use in Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSAs) is needed, and proposes a set of requirements on the improved HRA method. The constraints imposed by the need to embed the approach into the PSA methodology are discussed. One approach to laying the foundation for an improved method, using models from the cognitive psychology and behavioral science disciplines, is outlined

  18. Targeting Heparin to Collagen within Extracellular Matrix Significantly Reduces Thrombogenicity and Improves Endothelialization of Decellularized Tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Bin; Suen, Rachel; Wertheim, Jason A; Ameer, Guillermo A

    2016-12-12

    Thrombosis within small-diameter vascular grafts limits the development of bioartificial, engineered vascular conduits, especially those derived from extracellular matrix (ECM). Here we describe an easy-to-implement strategy to chemically modify vascular ECM by covalently linking a collagen binding peptide (CBP) to heparin to form a heparin derivative (CBP-heparin) that selectively binds a subset of collagens. Modification of ECM with CBP-heparin leads to increased deposition of functional heparin (by ∼7.2-fold measured by glycosaminoglycan composition) and a corresponding reduction in platelet binding (>70%) and whole blood clotting (>80%) onto the ECM. Furthermore, addition of CBP-heparin to the ECM stabilizes long-term endothelial cell attachment to the lumen of ECM-derived vascular conduits, potentially through recruitment of heparin-binding growth factors that ultimately improve the durability of endothelialization in vitro. Overall, our findings provide a simple yet effective method to increase deposition of functional heparin on the surface of ECM-based vascular grafts and thereby minimize thrombogenicity of decellularized tissue, overcoming a significant challenge in tissue engineering of bioartificial vessels and vascularized organs.

  19. Topology optimization using the improved element-free Galerkin method for elasticity*

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Yi; Ma Yong-Qi; Feng Wei; Cheng Yu-Min

    2017-01-01

    The improved element-free Galerkin (IEFG) method of elasticity is used to solve the topology optimization problems. In this method, the improved moving least-squares approximation is used to form the shape function. In a topology optimization process, the entire structure volume is considered as the constraint. From the solid isotropic microstructures with penalization, we select relative node density as a design variable. Then we choose the minimization of compliance to be an objective function, and compute its sensitivity with the adjoint method. The IEFG method in this paper can overcome the disadvantages of the singular matrices that sometimes appear in conventional element-free Galerkin (EFG) method. The central processing unit (CPU) time of each example is given to show that the IEFG method is more efficient than the EFG method under the same precision, and the advantage that the IEFG method does not form singular matrices is also shown. (paper)

  20. Improving the sludge disintegration efficiency of sonication by combining with alkalization and thermal pre-treatment methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Şahinkaya, S; Sevimli, M F; Aygün, A

    2012-01-01

    One of the most serious problems encountered in biological wastewater treatment processes is the production of waste activated sludge (WAS). Sonication, which is an energy-intensive process, is the most powerful sludge pre-treatment method. Due to lack of information about the combined pre-treatment methods of sonication, the combined pre-treatment methods were investigated and it was aimed to improve the disintegration efficiency of sonication by combining sonication with alkalization and thermal pre-treatment methods in this study. The process performances were evaluated based on the quantities of increases in soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD), protein and carbohydrate. The releases of soluble COD, carbohydrate and protein by the combined methods were higher than those by sonication, alkalization and thermal pre-treatment alone. Degrees of sludge disintegration in various options of sonication were in the following descending order: sono-alkalization > sono-thermal pre-treatment > sonication. Therefore, it was determined that combining sonication with alkalization significantly improved the sludge disintegration and decreased the required energy to reach the same yield by sonication. In addition, effects on sludge settleability and dewaterability and kinetic mathematical modelling of pre-treatment performances of these methods were investigated. It was proven that the proposed model accurately predicted the efficiencies of ultrasonic pre-treatment methods.

  1. A Performance Improvement Method for Low-Cost Land Vehicle GPS/MEMS-INS Attitude Determination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Cong

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Global positioning system (GPS technology is well suited for attitude determination. However, in land vehicle application, low-cost single frequency GPS receivers which have low measurement quality are often used, and external factors such as multipath and low satellite visibility in the densely built-up urban environment further degrade the quality of the GPS measurements. Due to the low-quality receivers used and the challenging urban environment, the success rate of the single epoch ambiguity resolution for dynamic attitude determination is usually quite low. In this paper, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS—inertial navigation system (INS-aided ambiguity resolution method is proposed to improve the GPS attitude determination performance, which is particularly suitable for land vehicle attitude determination. First, the INS calculated baseline vector is augmented with the GPS carrier phase and code measurements. This improves the ambiguity dilution of precision (ADOP, resulting in better quality of the unconstrained float solution. Second, the undesirable float solutions caused by large measurement errors are further filtered and replaced using the INS-aided ambiguity function method (AFM. The fixed solutions are then obtained by the constrained least squares ambiguity decorrelation (CLAMBDA algorithm. Finally, the GPS/MEMS-INS integration is realized by the use of a Kalman filter. Theoretical analysis of the ADOP is given and experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method can significantly improve the quality of the float ambiguity solution, leading to high success rate and better accuracy of attitude determination.

  2. A Performance Improvement Method for Low-Cost Land Vehicle GPS/MEMS-INS Attitude Determination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cong, Li; Li, Ercui; Qin, Honglei; Ling, Keck Voon; Xue, Rui

    2015-01-01

    Global positioning system (GPS) technology is well suited for attitude determination. However, in land vehicle application, low-cost single frequency GPS receivers which have low measurement quality are often used, and external factors such as multipath and low satellite visibility in the densely built-up urban environment further degrade the quality of the GPS measurements. Due to the low-quality receivers used and the challenging urban environment, the success rate of the single epoch ambiguity resolution for dynamic attitude determination is usually quite low. In this paper, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)—inertial navigation system (INS)-aided ambiguity resolution method is proposed to improve the GPS attitude determination performance, which is particularly suitable for land vehicle attitude determination. First, the INS calculated baseline vector is augmented with the GPS carrier phase and code measurements. This improves the ambiguity dilution of precision (ADOP), resulting in better quality of the unconstrained float solution. Second, the undesirable float solutions caused by large measurement errors are further filtered and replaced using the INS-aided ambiguity function method (AFM). The fixed solutions are then obtained by the constrained least squares ambiguity decorrelation (CLAMBDA) algorithm. Finally, the GPS/MEMS-INS integration is realized by the use of a Kalman filter. Theoretical analysis of the ADOP is given and experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method can significantly improve the quality of the float ambiguity solution, leading to high success rate and better accuracy of attitude determination. PMID:25760057

  3. Real-Time Pore Pressure Detection: Indicators and Improved Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jincai Zhang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available High uncertainties may exist in the predrill pore pressure prediction in new prospects and deepwater subsalt wells; therefore, real-time pore pressure detection is highly needed to reduce drilling risks. The methods for pore pressure detection (the resistivity, sonic, and corrected d-exponent methods are improved using the depth-dependent normal compaction equations to adapt to the requirements of the real-time monitoring. A new method is proposed to calculate pore pressure from the connection gas or elevated background gas, which can be used for real-time pore pressure detection. The pore pressure detection using the logging-while-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and mud logging data is also implemented and evaluated. Abnormal pore pressure indicators from the well logs, mud logs, and wellbore instability events are identified and analyzed to interpret abnormal pore pressures for guiding real-time drilling decisions. The principles for identifying abnormal pressure indicators are proposed to improve real-time pore pressure monitoring.

  4. Continued SOFC cell and stack technology and improved production methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wandel, M.; Brodersen, K.; Phair, J. (and others)

    2009-05-15

    Within this project significant results are obtained on a number of very diverse areas ranging from development of cell production, metallic creep in interconnect to assembling and test of stacks with foot print larger than 500 cm2. Out of 38 milestones 28 have been fulfilled and 10 have been partly fulfilled. This project has focused on three main areas: 1) The continued cell development and optimization of manufacturing processes aiming at production of large foot-print cells, improving cell performance and development environmentally more benign production methods. 2) Stack technology - especially stacks with large foot print and improving the stack design with respect to flow geometry and gas leakages. 3) Development of stack components with emphasis on sealing (for 2G as well as 3G), interconnect (coat, architecture and creep) and test development. Production of cells with a foot print larger than 500 cm2 is very difficult due to the brittleness of the cells and great effort has been put into this topic. Eight cells were successfully produced making it possible to assemble and test a real stack thereby giving valuable results on the prospects of stacks with large foot print. However, the yield rate is very low and a significant development to increase this yield lies ahead. Several lessons were learned on the stack level regarding 'large foot print' stacks. Modelling studies showed that the width of the cell primarily is limited by production and handling of the cell whereas the length (in the flow direction) is limited by e.g. pressure drop and necessary manifolding. The optimal cell size in the flow direction was calculated to be between approx20 cm and < 30 cm. From an economical point of view the production yield is crucial and stacks with large foot print cell area are only feasible if the cell production yield is significantly enhanced. Co-casting has been pursued as a production technique due to the possibilities in large scale production

  5. Significant improvement of eczema with skin care and food elimination in small children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norrman, Gunilla; Tomicić, Sara; Böttcher, Malin Fagerås; Oldaeus, Göran; Strömberg, Leif; Fälth-magnusson, Karin

    2005-10-01

    To evaluate common methods of investigation and treatment in children younger than 2 y of age with eczema, with or without sensitization to food allergens. One hundred and twenty-three children younger than 2 y of age with eczema and suspected food allergy were included in this prospective study. The children underwent skin-prick test with cow's milk, fresh hen's egg white and wheat. Specific IgE to milk and egg white was analysed. The eczema extent and severity was estimated with SCORAD before and after treatment. Children with a positive skin-prick test were instructed to exclude that food item from their diet. All children were treated with emollients and topical steroids when needed. Sixty-two of the children were skin-prick positive to at least one of the allergens; 62% had mild, 30% moderate and 8% severe eczema at their first visit. After treatment, 90% had mild, 10% moderate and 0% severe eczema. Forty-six per cent of the children had circulating IgE antibodies to milk or egg white. Ten per cent had specific IgE but negative skin-prick test to the same allergen. This subgroup improved their eczema significantly without elimination diet. The conventional treatments for children with eczema, i.e. skin care and food elimination, are effective. The beneficial effect of skin care as the first step should not be neglected, and it may not be necessary to eliminate food allergens to relieve skin symptoms in all food-sensitized children with eczema.

  6. Application of risk analysis and quality control methods for improvement of lead molding process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Gołaś

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to highlight the significance of implication of risk analysis and quality control methods for the improvement of parameters of lead molding process. For this reason, Fault Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA was developed in the conceptual stage of a new product TC-G100-NR. However, the final product was faulty (a complete lack of adhesion of brass insert to leak regardless of the previously defined potential problem and its preventive action. It contributed to the recognition of root causes, corrective actions and change of production parameters. It showed how these methods, level of their organization, systematic and rigorous study affect molding process parameters.

  7. Natalizumab Significantly Improves Cognitive Impairment over Three Years in MS: Pattern of Disability Progression and Preliminary MRI Findings.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flavia Mattioli

    Full Text Available Previous studies reported that Multiple Sclerosis (MS patients treated with natalizumab for one or two years exhibit a significant reduction in relapse rate and in cognitive impairment, but the long term effects on cognitive performance are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of natalizumab on cognitive impairment in a cohort of 24 consecutive patients with relapsing remitting MS treated for 3 years. The neuropsychological tests, as well as relapse number and EDSS, were assessed at baseline and yearly for three years. The impact on cortical atrophy was also considered in a subgroup of them, and are thus to be considered as preliminary. Results showed a significant reduction in the number of impaired neuropsychological tests after three years, a significant decrease in annualized relapse rate at each time points compared to baseline and a stable EDSS. In the neuropsychological assessment, a significant improvement in memory, attention and executive function test scores was detected. Preliminary MRI data show that, while GM volume did not change at 3 years, a significantly greater parahippocampal and prefrontal gray matter density was noticed, the former correlating with neuropsychological improvement in a memory test. This study showed that therapy with Natalizumab is helpful in improving cognitive performance, and is likely to have a protective role on grey matter, over a three years follow-up.

  8. Improved modeling of clinical data with kernel methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daemen, Anneleen; Timmerman, Dirk; Van den Bosch, Thierry; Bottomley, Cecilia; Kirk, Emma; Van Holsbeke, Caroline; Valentin, Lil; Bourne, Tom; De Moor, Bart

    2012-02-01

    Despite the rise of high-throughput technologies, clinical data such as age, gender and medical history guide clinical management for most diseases and examinations. To improve clinical management, available patient information should be fully exploited. This requires appropriate modeling of relevant parameters. When kernel methods are used, traditional kernel functions such as the linear kernel are often applied to the set of clinical parameters. These kernel functions, however, have their disadvantages due to the specific characteristics of clinical data, being a mix of variable types with each variable its own range. We propose a new kernel function specifically adapted to the characteristics of clinical data. The clinical kernel function provides a better representation of patients' similarity by equalizing the influence of all variables and taking into account the range r of the variables. Moreover, it is robust with respect to changes in r. Incorporated in a least squares support vector machine, the new kernel function results in significantly improved diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of therapy response. This is illustrated on four clinical data sets within gynecology, with an average increase in test area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.023, 0.021, 0.122 and 0.019, respectively. Moreover, when combining clinical parameters and expression data in three case studies on breast cancer, results improved overall with use of the new kernel function and when considering both data types in a weighted fashion, with a larger weight assigned to the clinical parameters. The increase in AUC with respect to a standard kernel function and/or unweighted data combination was maximum 0.127, 0.042 and 0.118 for the three case studies. For clinical data consisting of variables of different types, the proposed kernel function--which takes into account the type and range of each variable--has shown to be a better alternative for linear and non-linear classification problems

  9. A new multivariate empirical mode decomposition method for improving the performance of SSVEP-based brain-computer interface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yi-Feng; Atal, Kiran; Xie, Sheng-Quan; Liu, Quan

    2017-08-01

    Objective. Accurate and efficient detection of steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) in electroencephalogram (EEG) is essential for the related brain-computer interface (BCI) applications. Approach. Although the canonical correlation analysis (CCA) has been applied extensively and successfully to SSVEP recognition, the spontaneous EEG activities and artifacts that often occur during data recording can deteriorate the recognition performance. Therefore, it is meaningful to extract a few frequency sub-bands of interest to avoid or reduce the influence of unrelated brain activity and artifacts. This paper presents an improved method to detect the frequency component associated with SSVEP using multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD) and CCA (MEMD-CCA). EEG signals from nine healthy volunteers were recorded to evaluate the performance of the proposed method for SSVEP recognition. Main results. We compared our method with CCA and temporally local multivariate synchronization index (TMSI). The results suggest that the MEMD-CCA achieved significantly higher accuracy in contrast to standard CCA and TMSI. It gave the improvements of 1.34%, 3.11%, 3.33%, 10.45%, 15.78%, 18.45%, 15.00% and 14.22% on average over CCA at time windows from 0.5 s to 5 s and 0.55%, 1.56%, 7.78%, 14.67%, 13.67%, 7.33% and 7.78% over TMSI from 0.75 s to 5 s. The method outperformed the filter-based decomposition (FB), empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and wavelet decomposition (WT) based CCA for SSVEP recognition. Significance. The results demonstrate the ability of our proposed MEMD-CCA to improve the performance of SSVEP-based BCI.

  10. An improved electrokinetic method to consolidate porous materials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Feijoo, Jorge; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.; Nóvoa, X. R.

    2017-01-01

    the consolidation using commercial products have some limitations, such as: (1) low penetrability; (2) no chemical and mineralogical affinity with the material to treat and (3) release of toxic compounds (VOCs), during the solvent evaporation. In the last years, a new consolidation method based on electrokinetic...... the pH of the solutions in contact with the porous material, which can damage it and (2) it is difficult to determine in which area the consolidation takes place. In this study an electrokinetic consolidation method, which has two steps between which the current is reversed, is proposed to solve all...... techniques was developed. This method allows filling some pores by the precipitation of an inorganic compound. As a result the method allows increasing the penetration depth of current consolidation treatments. However, this method needs to be improved since: (1) no special care is taking in controlling...

  11. An improved method for chromosome counting in maize.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kato, A

    1997-09-01

    An improved method for counting chromosomes in maize (Zea mays L.) is presented. Application of cold treatment (5C, 24 hr), heat treatment (42 C, 5 min) and a second cold treatment (5C, 24 hr) to root tips before fixation increased the number of condensed and dispersed countable metaphase chromosome figures. Fixed root tips were prepared by the enzymatic maceration-air drying method and preparations were stained with acetic orcein. Under favorable conditions, one preparation with 50-100 countable chromosome figures could be obtained in diploid maize using this method. Conditions affecting the dispersion of the chromosomes are described. This technique is especially useful for determining the somatic chromosome number in triploid and tetraploid maize lines.

  12. Methods to improve patient recruitment and retention in stroke trials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Berge, Eivind; Stapf, Christian; Al-Shahi Salman, Rustam

    2016-01-01

    Background: The success of randomized-controlled stroke trials is dependent on the recruitment and retention of a sufficient number of patients, but fewer than half of all trials meet their target number of patients. Methods: We performed a search and review of the literature, and conducted...... a survey and workshop among 56 European stroke trialists, to identify barriers, suggest methods to improve recruitment and retention, and make a priority list of interventions that merit further evaluation. Results: The survey and workshop identified a number of barriers to patient recruitment...... and retention, from patients’ incapacity to consent, to handicaps that prevent patients from participation in trial-specific follow-up. Methods to improve recruitment and retention may include simple interventions with individual participants, funding of research networks, and reimbursement of new treatments...

  13. The Role of Need for Contraception in the Evaluation of Interventions to Improve Access to Family-Planning Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leon, Federico R.; Lundgren, Rebecka; Sinai, Irit; Jennings, Victoria

    2011-01-01

    A nonrandomized experiment carried out in Jharkhand, India, shows how the effects of interventions designed to improve access to family-planning methods can be erroneously regarded as trivial when contraceptive use is utilized as dependent variable, ignoring women's need for contraception. Significant effects of the intervention were observed on…

  14. Update and Improve Subsection NH - Alternative Simplified Creep-Fatigue Design Methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asayama, Tai

    2009-01-01

    This report described the results of investigation on Task 10 of DOE/ASME Materials NGNP/Generation IV Project based on a contract between ASME Standards Technology, LLC (ASME ST-LLC) and Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Task 10 is to Update and Improve Subsection NH -- Alternative Simplified Creep-Fatigue Design Methods. Five newly proposed promising creep-fatigue evaluation methods were investigated. Those are (1) modified ductility exhaustion method, (2) strain range separation method, (3) approach for pressure vessel application, (4) hybrid method of time fraction and ductility exhaustion, and (5) simplified model test approach. The outlines of those methods are presented first, and predictability of experimental results of these methods is demonstrated using the creep-fatigue data collected in previous Tasks 3 and 5. All the methods (except the simplified model test approach which is not ready for application) predicted experimental results fairly accurately. On the other hand, predicted creep-fatigue life in long-term regions showed considerable differences among the methodologies. These differences come from the concepts each method is based on. All the new methods investigated in this report have advantages over the currently employed time fraction rule and offer technical insights that should be thought much of in the improvement of creep-fatigue evaluation procedures. The main points of the modified ductility exhaustion method, the strain range separation method, the approach for pressure vessel application and the hybrid method can be reflected in the improvement of the current time fraction rule. The simplified mode test approach would offer a whole new advantage including robustness and simplicity which are definitely attractive but this approach is yet to be validated for implementation at this point. Therefore, this report recommends the following two steps as a course of improvement of NH based on newly proposed creep-fatigue evaluation

  15. Improving lung cancer prognosis assessment by incorporating synthetic minority oversampling technique and score fusion method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Shiju [School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019 (United States); Qian, Wei [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas, El Paso, Texas 79968 and Sino-Dutch Biomedical and Information Engineering School, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Guan, Yubao [Department of Radiology, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182 (China); Zheng, Bin, E-mail: Bin.Zheng-1@ou.edu [School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019 (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: This study aims to investigate the potential to improve lung cancer recurrence risk prediction performance for stage I NSCLS patients by integrating oversampling, feature selection, and score fusion techniques and develop an optimal prediction model. Methods: A dataset involving 94 early stage lung cancer patients was retrospectively assembled, which includes CT images, nine clinical and biological (CB) markers, and outcome of 3-yr disease-free survival (DFS) after surgery. Among the 94 patients, 74 remained DFS and 20 had cancer recurrence. Applying a computer-aided detection scheme, tumors were segmented from the CT images and 35 quantitative image (QI) features were initially computed. Two normalized Gaussian radial basis function network (RBFN) based classifiers were built based on QI features and CB markers separately. To improve prediction performance, the authors applied a synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) and a BestFirst based feature selection method to optimize the classifiers and also tested fusion methods to combine QI and CB based prediction results. Results: Using a leave-one-case-out cross-validation (K-fold cross-validation) method, the computed areas under a receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) were 0.716 ± 0.071 and 0.642 ± 0.061, when using the QI and CB based classifiers, respectively. By fusion of the scores generated by the two classifiers, AUC significantly increased to 0.859 ± 0.052 (p < 0.05) with an overall prediction accuracy of 89.4%. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the feasibility of improving prediction performance by integrating SMOTE, feature selection, and score fusion techniques. Combining QI features and CB markers and performing SMOTE prior to feature selection in classifier training enabled RBFN based classifier to yield improved prediction accuracy.

  16. Improving lung cancer prognosis assessment by incorporating synthetic minority oversampling technique and score fusion method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Shiju; Qian, Wei; Guan, Yubao; Zheng, Bin

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: This study aims to investigate the potential to improve lung cancer recurrence risk prediction performance for stage I NSCLS patients by integrating oversampling, feature selection, and score fusion techniques and develop an optimal prediction model. Methods: A dataset involving 94 early stage lung cancer patients was retrospectively assembled, which includes CT images, nine clinical and biological (CB) markers, and outcome of 3-yr disease-free survival (DFS) after surgery. Among the 94 patients, 74 remained DFS and 20 had cancer recurrence. Applying a computer-aided detection scheme, tumors were segmented from the CT images and 35 quantitative image (QI) features were initially computed. Two normalized Gaussian radial basis function network (RBFN) based classifiers were built based on QI features and CB markers separately. To improve prediction performance, the authors applied a synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) and a BestFirst based feature selection method to optimize the classifiers and also tested fusion methods to combine QI and CB based prediction results. Results: Using a leave-one-case-out cross-validation (K-fold cross-validation) method, the computed areas under a receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) were 0.716 ± 0.071 and 0.642 ± 0.061, when using the QI and CB based classifiers, respectively. By fusion of the scores generated by the two classifiers, AUC significantly increased to 0.859 ± 0.052 (p < 0.05) with an overall prediction accuracy of 89.4%. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the feasibility of improving prediction performance by integrating SMOTE, feature selection, and score fusion techniques. Combining QI features and CB markers and performing SMOTE prior to feature selection in classifier training enabled RBFN based classifier to yield improved prediction accuracy.

  17. Through Their Eyes: Lessons Learned Using Participatory Methods in Health Care Quality Improvement Projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balbale, Salva N; Locatelli, Sara M; LaVela, Sherri L

    2016-08-01

    In this methodological article, we examine participatory methods in depth to demonstrate how these methods can be adopted for quality improvement (QI) projects in health care. We draw on existing literature and our QI initiatives in the Department of Veterans Affairs to discuss the application of photovoice and guided tours in QI efforts. We highlight lessons learned and several benefits of using participatory methods in this area. Using participatory methods, evaluators can engage patients, providers, and other stakeholders as partners to enhance care. Participant involvement helps yield actionable data that can be translated into improved care practices. Use of these methods also helps generate key insights to inform improvements that truly resonate with stakeholders. Using participatory methods is a valuable strategy to harness participant engagement and drive improvements that address individual needs. In applying these innovative methodologies, evaluators can transcend traditional approaches to uniquely support evaluations and improvements in health care. © The Author(s) 2015.

  18. TESTING METHODS FOR MECHANICALLY IMPROVED SOILS: RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Petkovšek

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A possibility of in-situ mechanical improvement for reducing the liquefaction potential of silty sands was investigated by using three different techniques: Vibratory Roller Compaction, Rapid Impact Compaction (RIC and Soil Mixing. Material properties at all test sites were investigated before and after improvement with the laboratory and the in situ tests (CPT, SDMT, DPSH B, static and dynamic load plate test, geohydraulic tests. Correlation between the results obtained by different test methods gave inconclusive answers.

  19. The Architecture Improvement Method: cost management and systematic learning about strategic product architectures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Weerd-Nederhof, Petronella C.; Wouters, Marc; Teuns, Steven J.A.; Hissel, Paul H.

    2007-01-01

    The architecture improvement method (AIM) is a method for multidisciplinary product architecture improvement, addressing uncertainty and complexity and incorporating feedback loops, facilitating trade-off decision making during the architecture creation process. The research reported in this paper

  20. Development of a method of continuous improvement of services using the Business Intelligence tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svetlana V. Kulikova

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to develop a method of continuous improvement of services using the Business Intelligence tools.Materials and methods: the materials are used on the concept of the Deming Cycle, methods and Business Intelligence technologies, Agile methodology and SCRUM.Results: the article considers the problem of continuous improvement of services and offers solutions using methods and technologies of Business Intelligence. In this case, the purpose of this technology is to solve and make the final decision regarding what needs to be improved in the current organization of services. In other words, Business Intelligence helps the product manager to see what is hidden from the “human eye” on the basis of received and processed data. Development of a method based on the concept of the Deming Cycle and Agile methodologies, and SCRUM.The article describes the main stages of development of method based on activity of the enterprise. It is necessary to fully build the Business Intelligence system in the enterprise to identify bottlenecks and justify the need for their elimination and, in general, for continuous improvement of the services. This process is represented in the notation of DFD. The article presents a scheme for the selection of suitable agile methodologies.The proposed concept of the solution of the stated objectives, including methods of identification of problems through Business Intelligence technology, development of the system for troubleshooting and analysis of results of the introduced changes. The technical description of the project is given.Conclusion: following the work of the authors there was formed the concept of the method for the continuous improvement of the services, using the Business Intelligence technology with the specifics of the enterprises, offering SaaS solutions. It was also found that when using this method, the recommended development methodology is SCRUM. The result of this scientific

  1. A Dynamic Hidden Forwarding Path Planning Method Based on Improved Q-Learning in SDN Environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun Chen

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Currently, many methods are available to improve the target network’s security. The vast majority of them cannot obtain an optimal attack path and interdict it dynamically and conveniently. Almost all defense strategies aim to repair known vulnerabilities or limit services in target network to improve security of network. These methods cannot response to the attacks in real-time because sometimes they need to wait for manufacturers releasing corresponding countermeasures to repair vulnerabilities. In this paper, we propose an improved Q-learning algorithm to plan an optimal attack path directly and automatically. Based on this path, we use software-defined network (SDN to adjust routing paths and create hidden forwarding paths dynamically to filter vicious attack requests. Compared to other machine learning algorithms, Q-learning only needs to input the target state to its agents, which can avoid early complex training process. We improve Q-learning algorithm in two aspects. First, a reward function based on the weights of hosts and attack success rates of vulnerabilities is proposed, which can adapt to different network topologies precisely. Second, we remove the actions and merge them into every state that reduces complexity from O(N3 to O(N2. In experiments, after deploying hidden forwarding paths, the security of target network is boosted significantly without having to repair network vulnerabilities immediately.

  2. Imaging of underground karst water channels using an improved multichannel transient Rayleigh wave detecting method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Xuhui; Liu, Lei; Sun, Jinzhong; Li, Gao; Zhou, Fubiao; Xu, Jiemin

    2018-01-01

    Geological and hydrogeological conditions in karst areas are complicated from the viewpoint of engineering. The construction of underground structures in these areas is often disturbed by the gushing of karst water, which may delay the construction schedule, result in economic losses, and even cause heavy casualties. In this paper, an innovative method of multichannel transient Rayleigh wave detecting is proposed by introducing the concept of arrival time difference phase between channels (TDP). Overcoming the restriction of the space-sampling law, the proposed method can extract the phase velocities of different frequency components from only two channels of transient Rayleigh wave recorded on two adjacent detecting points. This feature greatly improves the work efficiency and lateral resolution of transient Rayleigh wave detecting. The improved multichannel transient Rayleigh wave detecting method is applied to the detection of karst caves and fractures in rock mass of the foundation pit of Yan'an Road Station of Guiyang Metro. The imaging of the detecting results clearly reveals the distribution of karst water inflow channels, which provided significant guidance for water plugging and enabled good control over karst water gushing in the foundation pit.

  3. Method of improving the decontaminating efficiency of ruthenium in evaporating treatment of nitric acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kubota, Kanya; Yamana, Hajime; Takeda, Seiichiro.

    1984-01-01

    Purpose: To significantly improve the ruthenium removing efficiency in a nitric acid solution in an acid recovery system for the recovery of nitric acid from nitric acid liquid wastes through evaporating condensation. Method: Upon evaporating treatment of nitric acid solution containing ruthenium by supplying and heating the solution to a nitric acid evaporating device, hydrazine is previously added to the nitric acid solution. Hydrazine and intermediate reaction product of hydrazine such as azide causes a reduction reaction with intermediate reaction product of ruthenium tetraoxide to suppress the oxidation of ruthenium and thereby improve the decontaminating efficiency of ruthenium. The amount of hydrazine to be added is preferably between 20 - 500 mg/l and most suitably between 200 - 2000 mg/l per one liter of the liquid in the evaporating device. (Seki, T.)

  4. Spontaneous Resolution of Long-Standing Macular Detachment due to Optic Disc Pit with Significant Visual Improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parikakis, Efstratios A; Chatziralli, Irini P; Peponis, Vasileios G; Karagiannis, Dimitrios; Stratos, Aimilianos; Tsiotra, Vasileia A; Mitropoulos, Panagiotis G

    2014-01-01

    To report a case of spontaneous resolution of a long-standing serous macular detachment associated with an optic disc pit, leading to significant visual improvement. A 63-year-old female presented with a 6-month history of blurred vision and micropsia in her left eye. Her best-corrected visual acuity was 6/24 in the left eye, and fundoscopy revealed serous macular detachment associated with optic disc pit, which was confirmed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The patient was offered vitrectomy as a treatment alternative, but she preferred to be reviewed conservatively. Three years after initial presentation, neither macular detachment nor subretinal fluid was evident in OCT, while the inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junction line was intact. Her visual acuity was improved from 6/24 to 6/12 in her left eye, remaining stable at the 6-month follow-up after resolution. We present a case of spontaneous resolution of a long-standing macular detachment associated with an optic disc pit with significant visual improvement, postulating that the integrity of the IS/OS junction line may be a prognostic factor for final visual acuity and suggesting OCT as an indicator of visual prognosis and the probable necessity of a surgical management.

  5. Spontaneous Resolution ofLong-Standing Macular Detachment due to Optic Disc Pit with Significant Visual Improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Efstratios A. Parikakis

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To report a case of spontaneous resolution of a long-standing serous macular detachment associated with an optic disc pit, leading to significant visual improvement. Case Presentation: A 63-year-old female presented with a 6-month history of blurred vision and micropsia in her left eye. Her best-corrected visual acuity was 6/24 in the left eye, and fundoscopy revealed serous macular detachment associated with optic disc pit, which was confirmed by optical coherence tomography (OCT. The patient was offered vitrectomy as a treatment alternative, but she preferred to be reviewed conservatively. Three years after initial presentation, neither macular detachment nor subretinal fluid was evident in OCT, while the inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS junction line was intact. Her visual acuity was improved from 6/24 to 6/12 in her left eye, remaining stable at the 6-month follow-up after resolution. Conclusion: We present a case of spontaneous resolution of a long-standing macular detachment associated with an optic disc pit with significant visual improvement, postulating that the integrity of the IS/OS junction line may be a prognostic factor for final visual acuity and suggesting OCT as an indicator of visual prognosis and the probable necessity of a surgical management.

  6. Improvement Methods in NPP's Radiation Emergency Plan: An Administrative Approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Yoon Wook; Yang, He Sun

    2009-01-01

    The Radiation Emergency Plan (REP) can be divided into a technical and an administrative responses. The domestic NPP's REPs are reviewed from the viewpoint of the administrative response and improvement methods are also suggested in this treatise. The fields of the reviews are the composition of the emergency response organizations, the activation criteria of the organizations, the selection of the staffings and the reasonableness of the REP's volume. In addition, the limitations of the current radiation exercises are reviewed and the improvement method of the exercise is presented. It is expected that the suggested recommendations will be helpful in establishing useful REPs and making practical radiation exercises in Korea

  7. Drawing method can improve musculoskeletal anatomy comprehension in medical faculty student.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joewono, Muliani; Karmaya, I Nyoman Mangku; Wirata, Gede; Yuliana; Widianti, I Gusti Ayu; Wardana, I Nyoman Gede

    2018-03-01

    The Chinese philosophy of Confucianism said "What I heard I forgot, what I see, I remember, what I do, I understand." During this time, most of the teaching and learning process relies on viewing and listening modalities only. As a result, much information does not last long in memory as well as the material understanding achieves became less deep. In studying anatomy science, drawing is one of effective important methods because it is an integration of ideas and knowledge of vision thereby increasing comprehension and learning motivation of college students. The purpose of this research is to know the musculoskeletal anatomy comprehension by drawing learning method in Medical Faculty student. This research uses observational analytic design with the cross-sectional design. Total sampling was done to the entire student of Physiotherapy Study Program in 2012, 2013, and 2014, Medical Faculty of Udayana University. The average value of musculoskeletal anatomy of the student in 2012, 2013, and 2014 sequentially are 31.67, 33.57, and 45.00, respectively. Normality test with Shapiro-Wilk and homogeneity with Levene's test showed normal results and homogeneous. One-way ANOVA test between groups showed a significant result that is 11.00 ( P drawing method can improve the musculoskeletal anatomy comprehension in Medical Faculty student.

  8. A Study on the Improvement of Digital Periapical Images using Image Interpolation Methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Nam Kyu; Koh, Kwang Joon

    1998-01-01

    Image resampling is of particular interest in digital radiology. When resampling an image to a new set of coordinate, there appears blocking artifacts and image changes. To enhance image quality, interpolation algorithms have been used. Resampling is used to increase the number of points in an image to improve its appearance for display. The process of interpolation is fitting a continuous function to the discrete points in the digital image. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the seven interpolation functions when image resampling in digital periapical images. The images were obtained by Digora, CDR and scanning of Ektaspeed plus periapical radiograms on the dry skull and human subject. The subjects were exposed to intraoral X-ray machine at 60 kVp and 70 kVp with exposure time varying between 0.01 and 0.50 second. To determine which interpolation method would provide the better image, seven functions were compared ; (1) nearest neighbor (2) linear (3) non-linear (4) facet model (5) cubic convolution (6) cubic spline (7) gray segment expansion. And resampled images were compared in terms of SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) and MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) coefficient value. The obtained results were as follows ; 1. The highest SNR value (75.96 dB) was obtained with cubic convolution method and the lowest SNR value (72.44 dB) was obtained with facet model method among seven interpolation methods. 2. There were significant differences of SNR values among CDR, Digora and film scan (P 0.05). 4. There were significant differences of MTF coefficient values between linear interpolation method and the other six interpolation methods (P<0.05). 5. The speed of computation time was the fastest with nearest neighbor method and the slowest with non-linear method. 6. The better image was obtained with cubic convolution, cubic spline and gray segment method in ROC analysis. 7. The better sharpness of edge was obtained with gray segment expansion method

  9. Numerical study of water diffusion in biological tissues using an improved finite difference method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Junzhong; Does, Mark D; Gore, John C

    2007-01-01

    An improved finite difference (FD) method has been developed in order to calculate the behaviour of the nuclear magnetic resonance signal variations caused by water diffusion in biological tissues more accurately and efficiently. The algorithm converts the conventional image-based finite difference method into a convenient matrix-based approach and includes a revised periodic boundary condition which eliminates the edge effects caused by artificial boundaries in conventional FD methods. Simulated results for some modelled tissues are consistent with analytical solutions for commonly used diffusion-weighted pulse sequences, whereas the improved FD method shows improved efficiency and accuracy. A tightly coupled parallel computing approach was also developed to implement the FD methods to enable large-scale simulations of realistic biological tissues. The potential applications of the improved FD method for understanding diffusion in tissues are also discussed. (note)

  10. Introduction of e-learning in dental radiology reveals significantly improved results in final examination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meckfessel, Sandra; Stühmer, Constantin; Bormann, Kai-Hendrik; Kupka, Thomas; Behrends, Marianne; Matthies, Herbert; Vaske, Bernhard; Stiesch, Meike; Gellrich, Nils-Claudius; Rücker, Martin

    2011-01-01

    Because a traditionally instructed dental radiology lecture course is very time-consuming and labour-intensive, online courseware, including an interactive-learning module, was implemented to support the lectures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of students who have worked with web-based courseware as well as the effect on their results in final examinations. Users (n(3+4)=138) had access to the e-program from any networked computer at any time. Two groups (n(3)=71, n(4)=67) had to pass a final exam after using the e-course. Results were compared with two groups (n(1)=42, n(2)=48) who had studied the same content by attending traditional lectures. In addition a survey of the students was statistically evaluated. Most of the respondents reported a positive attitude towards e-learning and would have appreciated more access to computer-assisted instruction. Two years after initiating the e-course the failure rate in the final examination dropped significantly, from 40% to less than 2%. The very positive response to the e-program and improved test scores demonstrated the effectiveness of our e-course as a learning aid. Interactive modules in step with clinical practice provided learning that is not achieved by traditional teaching methods alone. To what extent staff savings are possible is part of a further study. Copyright © 2010 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. An initiative to improve the management of clinically significant test results in a large health care network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Christopher L; Rothschild, Jeffrey M; Dighe, Anand S; Schiff, Gordon D; Graydon-Baker, Erin; Lenoci-Edwards, Jennifer; Dwyer, Cheryl; Khorasani, Ramin; Gandhi, Tejal K

    2013-11-01

    The failure of providers to communicate and follow up clinically significant test results (CSTR) is an important threat to patient safety. The Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors has endorsed the creation of systems to ensure that results can be received and acknowledged. In 2008 a task force was convened that represented clinicians, laboratories, radiology, patient safety, risk management, and information systems in a large health care network with the goals of providing recommendations and a road map for improvement in the management of CSTR and of implementing this improvement plan during the sub-force sequent five years. In drafting its charter, the task broadened the scope from "critical" results to "clinically significant" ones; clinically significant was defined as any result that requires further clinical action to avoid morbidity or mortality, regardless of the urgency of that action. The task force recommended four key areas for improvement--(1) standardization of policies and definitions, (2) robust identification of the patient's care team, (3) enhanced results management/tracking systems, and (4) centralized quality reporting and metrics. The task force faced many challenges in implementing these recommendations, including disagreements on definitions of CSTR and on who should have responsibility for CSTR, changes to established work flows, limitations of resources and of existing information systems, and definition of metrics. This large-scale effort to improve the communication and follow-up of CSTR in a health care network continues with ongoing work to address implementation challenges, refine policies, prepare for a new clinical information system platform, and identify new ways to measure the extent of this important safety problem.

  12. Concepts of Scenario Methods in Improvement of an Enterprise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edyta Bielinska-Dusza

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose of the study, principal objectives, scope of the investigation, methods employed results and principal conclusion. Uncertainty makes both theoreticians and practicioners face new tasks to fulfil. Enterprises, in order to win the competitive struggle must constantly improve their processes and structures. On the other hand, thinking in the categories of the future becomes really difficult nowadays. This creates particularly convenient conditions to apply scenario methods. In connection with the above, the purpose of this study is to characterize the essence of scenario methods employed in enterprise development. The article addresses the issue of factors conditioning proper selection of methods in the enterprise development process, the principles of scenario planning and the opportunities to apply other techniques and methods in scenario planning.

  13. MO-FG-204-03: Using Edge-Preserving Algorithm for Significantly Improved Image-Domain Material Decomposition in Dual Energy CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, W; Niu, T; Xing, L; Xiong, G; Elmore, K; Min, J; Zhu, J; Wang, L

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To significantly improve dual energy CT (DECT) imaging by establishing a new theoretical framework of image-domain material decomposition with incorporation of edge-preserving techniques. Methods: The proposed algorithm, HYPR-NLM, combines the edge-preserving non-local mean filter (NLM) with the HYPR-LR (Local HighlY constrained backPRojection Reconstruction) framework. Image denoising using HYPR-LR framework depends on the noise level of the composite image which is the average of the different energy images. For DECT, the composite image is the average of high- and low-energy images. To further reduce noise, one may want to increase the window size of the filter of the HYPR-LR, leading resolution degradation. By incorporating the NLM filtering and the HYPR-LR framework, HYPR-NLM reduces the boost material decomposition noise using energy information redundancies as well as the non-local mean. We demonstrate the noise reduction and resolution preservation of the algorithm with both iodine concentration numerical phantom and clinical patient data by comparing the HYPR-NLM algorithm to the direct matrix inversion, HYPR-LR and iterative image-domain material decomposition (Iter-DECT). Results: The results show iterative material decomposition method reduces noise to the lowest level and provides improved DECT images. HYPR-NLM significantly reduces noise while preserving the accuracy of quantitative measurement and resolution. For the iodine concentration numerical phantom, the averaged noise levels are about 2.0, 0.7, 0.2 and 0.4 for direct inversion, HYPR-LR, Iter- DECT and HYPR-NLM, respectively. For the patient data, the noise levels of the water images are about 0.36, 0.16, 0.12 and 0.13 for direct inversion, HYPR-LR, Iter-DECT and HYPR-NLM, respectively. Difference images of both HYPR-LR and Iter-DECT show edge effect, while no significant edge effect is shown for HYPR-NLM, suggesting spatial resolution is well preserved for HYPR-NLM. Conclusion: HYPR

  14. An improvement of the filter diagonalization-based post-processing method applied to finite difference time domain calculations of three-dimensional phononic band structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Su Xiaoxing; Zhang Chuanzeng; Ma Tianxue; Wang Yuesheng

    2012-01-01

    When three-dimensional (3D) phononic band structures are calculated by using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method with a relatively small number of iterations, the results can be effectively improved by post-processing the FDTD time series (FDTD-TS) based on the filter diagonalization method (FDM), instead of the classical fast Fourier transform. In this paper, we propose a way to further improve the performance of the FDM-based post-processing method by introducing a relatively large number of observing points to record the FDTD-TS. To this end, the existing scheme of FDTD-TS preprocessing is modified. With the new preprocessing scheme, the processing efficiency of a single FDTD-TS can be improved significantly, and thus the entire post-processing method can have sufficiently high efficiency even when a relatively large number of observing points are used. The feasibility of the proposed method for improvement is verified by the numerical results.

  15. Costello Syndrome with Severe Nodulocystic Acne: Unexpected Significant Improvement of Acanthosis Nigricans after Oral Isotretinoin Treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leelawadee Sriboonnark

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We report the case of 17-year-old female diagnosed with Costello syndrome. Genetic testing provided a proof with G12S mutation in the HRAS gene since 3 years of age with a presentation of severe nodulocystic acne on her face. After 2 months of oral isotretinoin treatment, improvement in her acne was observed. Interestingly, an unexpected significant improvement of acanthosis nigricans on her neck and dorsum of her hands was found as well. We present this case as a successful treatment option by using oral isotretinoin for the treatment of acanthosis nigricans in Costello syndrome patients.

  16. Improvement in the independence of relaxation method-based particle tracking velocimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia, P; Wang, Y; Zhang, Y

    2013-01-01

    New techniques are developed to improve the independence of relaxation method-based particle tracking velocimetry (RM-PTV). Firstly, Delaunay tessellation (DT) is employed to form clusters of neighboring particles with similar motion in the same frame; and then a bidirectional calculation concept is adopted to improve the way of particle pairing. These new techniques are tested with both self-defined particle images and the particle image velocimetry standard synthetic particle images. The results indicate that the DT method performs well and efficiently in determining the particle clusters, and the particle pairing process is well optimized by the bidirectional calculation concept. With these methods, three computation parameters are eliminated, which makes RM-PTV more autonomous in applications. (paper)

  17. Improvement of dose evaluation method for employees at severe accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onda, Takashi; Yoshida, Yoshitaka; Kudo, Seiichi; Nishimura, Kazuya

    2003-01-01

    It is expected that the selection of access routes for employees who engage in emergency work at a severe accident in a nuclear power plant makes a difference in their radiation dose values. In order to examine how much difference arises in the dose by the selection of the access routes, in the case of a severe accident in a pressurized water reactor plant, we improved the method to obtain the dose for employees and expanded the analyzing system. By the expansion of the system and the improvement of the method, we have realized the followings: (1) in the whole plant area, the dose evaluation is possible, (2) the efficiency of calculation is increased by the reduction of the number of radiation sources, etc, and (3) the function is improved by introduction of the sky shine calculation into the highest floor, etc. The improved system clarifies the followings: (1) the doses change by selected access routes, and this system can give the difference in the doses quantitatively, and (2) in order to suppress the dose, it is effective to choose the most adequate access route for the employees. (author)

  18. Improvement of vector compensation method for vehicle magnetic distortion field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pang, Hongfeng, E-mail: panghongfeng@126.com; Zhang, Qi; Li, Ji; Luo, Shitu; Chen, Dixiang; Pan, Mengchun; Luo, Feilu

    2014-03-15

    Magnetic distortions such as eddy-current field and low frequency magnetic field have not been considered in vector compensation methods. A new compensation method is proposed to suppress these magnetic distortions and improve compensation performance, in which the magnetic distortions related to measurement vectors and time are considered. The experimental system mainly consists of a three-axis fluxgate magnetometer (DM-050), an underwater vehicle and a proton magnetometer, in which the scalar value of magnetic field is obtained with the proton magnetometer and considered to be the true value. Comparing with traditional compensation methods, experimental results show that the magnetic distortions can be further reduced by two times. After compensation, error intensity and RMS error are reduced from 11684.013 nT and 7794.604 nT to 16.219 nT and 5.907 nT respectively. It suggests an effective way to improve the compensation performance of magnetic distortions. - Highlights: • A new vector compensation method is proposed for vehicle magnetic distortion. • The proposed model not only includes magnetometer error but also considers magnetic distortion. • Compensation parameters are computed directly by solving nonlinear equations. • Compared with traditional methods, the proposed method is not related with rotation angle rate. • Error intensity and RMS error can be reduced to 1/2 of the error with traditional methods.

  19. Improvement of vector compensation method for vehicle magnetic distortion field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pang, Hongfeng; Zhang, Qi; Li, Ji; Luo, Shitu; Chen, Dixiang; Pan, Mengchun; Luo, Feilu

    2014-01-01

    Magnetic distortions such as eddy-current field and low frequency magnetic field have not been considered in vector compensation methods. A new compensation method is proposed to suppress these magnetic distortions and improve compensation performance, in which the magnetic distortions related to measurement vectors and time are considered. The experimental system mainly consists of a three-axis fluxgate magnetometer (DM-050), an underwater vehicle and a proton magnetometer, in which the scalar value of magnetic field is obtained with the proton magnetometer and considered to be the true value. Comparing with traditional compensation methods, experimental results show that the magnetic distortions can be further reduced by two times. After compensation, error intensity and RMS error are reduced from 11684.013 nT and 7794.604 nT to 16.219 nT and 5.907 nT respectively. It suggests an effective way to improve the compensation performance of magnetic distortions. - Highlights: • A new vector compensation method is proposed for vehicle magnetic distortion. • The proposed model not only includes magnetometer error but also considers magnetic distortion. • Compensation parameters are computed directly by solving nonlinear equations. • Compared with traditional methods, the proposed method is not related with rotation angle rate. • Error intensity and RMS error can be reduced to 1/2 of the error with traditional methods

  20. Significant improvement of accuracy and precision in the determination of trace rare earths by fluorescence analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ozawa, L.; Hersh, H.N.

    1976-01-01

    Most of the rare earths in yttrium, gadolinium and lanthanum oxides emit characteristic fluorescent line spectra under irradiation with photons, electrons and x rays. The sensitivity and selectivity of the rare earth fluorescences are high enough to determine the trace amounts (0.01 to 100 ppM) of rare earths. The absolute fluorescent intensities of solids, however, are markedly affected by the synthesis procedure, level of contamination and crystal perfection, resulting in poor accuracy and low precision for the method (larger than 50 percent error). Special care in preparation of the samples is required to obtain good accuracy and precision. It is found that the accuracy and precision for the determination of trace (less than 10 ppM) rare earths by fluorescence analysis improved significantly, while still maintaining the sensitivity, when the determination is made by comparing the ratio of the fluorescent intensities of the trace rare earths to that of a deliberately added rare earth as reference. The variation in the absolute fluorescent intensity remains, but is compensated for by measuring the fluorescent line intensity ratio. Consequently, the determination of trace rare earths (with less than 3 percent error) is easily made by a photoluminescence technique in which the rare earths are excited directly by photons. Accuracy is still maintained when the absolute fluorescent intensity is reduced by 50 percent through contamination by Ni, Fe, Mn or Pb (about 100 ppM). Determination accuracy is also improved for fluorescence analysis by electron excitation and x-ray excitation. For some rare earths, however, accuracy by these techniques is reduced because indirect excitation mechanisms are involved. The excitation mechanisms and the interferences between rare earths are also reported

  1. A New Image Encryption Technique Combining Hill Cipher Method, Morse Code and Least Significant Bit Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nofriansyah, Dicky; Defit, Sarjon; Nurcahyo, Gunadi W.; Ganefri, G.; Ridwan, R.; Saleh Ahmar, Ansari; Rahim, Robbi

    2018-01-01

    Cybercrime is one of the most serious threats. Efforts are made to reduce the number of cybercrime is to find new techniques in securing data such as Cryptography, Steganography and Watermarking combination. Cryptography and Steganography is a growing data security science. A combination of Cryptography and Steganography is one effort to improve data integrity. New techniques are used by combining several algorithms, one of which is the incorporation of hill cipher method and Morse code. Morse code is one of the communication codes used in the Scouting field. This code consists of dots and lines. This is a new modern and classic concept to maintain data integrity. The result of the combination of these three methods is expected to generate new algorithms to improve the security of the data, especially images.

  2. Singular characteristic tracking algorithm for improved solution accuracy of the discrete ordinates method with isotropic scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duo, J. I.; Azmy, Y. Y.

    2007-01-01

    A new method, the Singular Characteristics Tracking algorithm, is developed to account for potential non-smoothness across the singular characteristics in the exact solution of the discrete ordinates approximation of the transport equation. Numerical results show improved rate of convergence of the solution to the discrete ordinates equations in two spatial dimensions with isotropic scattering using the proposed methodology. Unlike the standard Weighted Diamond Difference methods, the new algorithm achieves local convergence in the case of discontinuous angular flux along the singular characteristics. The method also significantly reduces the error for problems where the angular flux presents discontinuous spatial derivatives across these lines. For purposes of verifying the results, the Method of Manufactured Solutions is used to generate analytical reference solutions that permit estimating the local error in the numerical solution. (authors)

  3. An improved partial bundle method for linearly constrained minimax problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chunming Tang

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose an improved partial bundle method for solving linearly constrained minimax problems. In order to reduce the number of component function evaluations, we utilize a partial cutting-planes model to substitute for the traditional one. At each iteration, only one quadratic programming subproblem needs to be solved to obtain a new trial point. An improved descent test criterion is introduced to simplify the algorithm. The method produces a sequence of feasible trial points, and ensures that the objective function is monotonically decreasing on the sequence of stability centers. Global convergence of the algorithm is established. Moreover, we utilize the subgradient aggregation strategy to control the size of the bundle and therefore overcome the difficulty of computation and storage. Finally, some preliminary numerical results show that the proposed method is effective.

  4. An entropy-based improved k-top scoring pairs (TSP) method for ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An entropy-based improved k-top scoring pairs (TSP) (Ik-TSP) method was presented in this study for the classification and prediction of human cancers based on gene-expression data. We compared Ik-TSP classifiers with 5 different machine learning methods and the k-TSP method based on 3 different feature selection ...

  5. Can bias correction and statistical downscaling methods improve the skill of seasonal precipitation forecasts?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manzanas, R.; Lucero, A.; Weisheimer, A.; Gutiérrez, J. M.

    2018-02-01

    Statistical downscaling methods are popular post-processing tools which are widely used in many sectors to adapt the coarse-resolution biased outputs from global climate simulations to the regional-to-local scale typically required by users. They range from simple and pragmatic Bias Correction (BC) methods, which directly adjust the model outputs of interest (e.g. precipitation) according to the available local observations, to more complex Perfect Prognosis (PP) ones, which indirectly derive local predictions (e.g. precipitation) from appropriate upper-air large-scale model variables (predictors). Statistical downscaling methods have been extensively used and critically assessed in climate change applications; however, their advantages and limitations in seasonal forecasting are not well understood yet. In particular, a key problem in this context is whether they serve to improve the forecast quality/skill of raw model outputs beyond the adjustment of their systematic biases. In this paper we analyze this issue by applying two state-of-the-art BC and two PP methods to downscale precipitation from a multimodel seasonal hindcast in a challenging tropical region, the Philippines. To properly assess the potential added value beyond the reduction of model biases, we consider two validation scores which are not sensitive to changes in the mean (correlation and reliability categories). Our results show that, whereas BC methods maintain or worsen the skill of the raw model forecasts, PP methods can yield significant skill improvement (worsening) in cases for which the large-scale predictor variables considered are better (worse) predicted by the model than precipitation. For instance, PP methods are found to increase (decrease) model reliability in nearly 40% of the stations considered in boreal summer (autumn). Therefore, the choice of a convenient downscaling approach (either BC or PP) depends on the region and the season.

  6. Improved verification methods for safeguards verifications at enrichment plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebrun, A.; Kane, S. C.; Bourva, L.; Poirier, S.; Loghin, N. E.; Langlands, D.

    2009-01-01

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has initiated a coordinated research and development programme to improve its verification methods and equipment applicable to enrichment plants. The programme entails several individual projects to meet the objectives of the IAEA Safeguards Model Approach for Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plants updated in 2006. Upgrades of verification methods to confirm the absence of HEU (highly enriched uranium) production have been initiated and, in particular, the Cascade Header Enrichment Monitor (CHEM) has been redesigned to reduce its weight and incorporate an electrically cooled germanium detector. Such detectors are also introduced to improve the attended verification of UF 6 cylinders for the verification of the material balance. Data sharing of authenticated operator weighing systems such as accountancy scales and process load cells is also investigated as a cost efficient and an effective safeguards measure combined with unannounced inspections, surveillance and non-destructive assay (NDA) measurement. (authors)

  7. Improved verification methods for safeguards verifications at enrichment plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lebrun, A.; Kane, S. C.; Bourva, L.; Poirier, S.; Loghin, N. E.; Langlands, D. [Department of Safeguards, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagramer Strasse 5, A1400 Vienna (Austria)

    2009-07-01

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has initiated a coordinated research and development programme to improve its verification methods and equipment applicable to enrichment plants. The programme entails several individual projects to meet the objectives of the IAEA Safeguards Model Approach for Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plants updated in 2006. Upgrades of verification methods to confirm the absence of HEU (highly enriched uranium) production have been initiated and, in particular, the Cascade Header Enrichment Monitor (CHEM) has been redesigned to reduce its weight and incorporate an electrically cooled germanium detector. Such detectors are also introduced to improve the attended verification of UF{sub 6} cylinders for the verification of the material balance. Data sharing of authenticated operator weighing systems such as accountancy scales and process load cells is also investigated as a cost efficient and an effective safeguards measure combined with unannounced inspections, surveillance and non-destructive assay (NDA) measurement. (authors)

  8. Visual improvement for bad handwriting based on Monte-Carlo method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Cao; Xiao, Jianguo; Xu, Canhui; Jia, Wenhua

    2014-03-01

    A visual improvement algorithm based on Monte Carlo simulation is proposed in this paper, in order to enhance visual effects for bad handwriting. The whole improvement process is to use well designed typeface so as to optimize bad handwriting image. In this process, a series of linear operators for image transformation are defined for transforming typeface image to approach handwriting image. And specific parameters of linear operators are estimated by Monte Carlo method. Visual improvement experiments illustrate that the proposed algorithm can effectively enhance visual effect for handwriting image as well as maintain the original handwriting features, such as tilt, stroke order and drawing direction etc. The proposed visual improvement algorithm, in this paper, has a huge potential to be applied in tablet computer and Mobile Internet, in order to improve user experience on handwriting.

  9. pEPito: a significantly improved non-viral episomal expression vector for mammalian cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ogris Manfred

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The episomal replication of the prototype vector pEPI-1 depends on a transcription unit starting from the constitutively expressed Cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter (CMV-IEP and directed into a 2000 bp long matrix attachment region sequence (MARS derived from the human β-interferon gene. The original pEPI-1 vector contains two mammalian transcription units and a total of 305 CpG islands, which are located predominantly within the vector elements necessary for bacterial propagation and known to be counterproductive for persistent long-term transgene expression. Results Here, we report the development of a novel vector pEPito, which is derived from the pEPI-1 plasmid replicon but has considerably improved efficacy both in vitro and in vivo. The pEPito vector is significantly reduced in size, contains only one transcription unit and 60% less CpG motives in comparison to pEPI-1. It exhibits major advantages compared to the original pEPI-1 plasmid, including higher transgene expression levels and increased colony-forming efficiencies in vitro, as well as more persistent transgene expression profiles in vivo. The performance of pEPito-based vectors was further improved by replacing the CMV-IEP with the human CMV enhancer/human elongation factor 1 alpha promoter (hCMV/EF1P element that is known to be less affected by epigenetic silencing events. Conclusions The novel vector pEPito can be considered suitable as an improved vector for biotechnological applications in vitro and for non-viral gene delivery in vivo.

  10. An improved method for estimating the frequency correlation function

    KAUST Repository

    Chelli, Ali; Pä tzold, Matthias

    2012-01-01

    For time-invariant frequency-selective channels, the transfer function is a superposition of waves having different propagation delays and path gains. In order to estimate the frequency correlation function (FCF) of such channels, the frequency averaging technique can be utilized. The obtained FCF can be expressed as a sum of auto-terms (ATs) and cross-terms (CTs). The ATs are caused by the autocorrelation of individual path components. The CTs are due to the cross-correlation of different path components. These CTs have no physical meaning and leads to an estimation error. We propose a new estimation method aiming to improve the estimation accuracy of the FCF of a band-limited transfer function. The basic idea behind the proposed method is to introduce a kernel function aiming to reduce the CT effect, while preserving the ATs. In this way, we can improve the estimation of the FCF. The performance of the proposed method and the frequency averaging technique is analyzed using a synthetically generated transfer function. We show that the proposed method is more accurate than the frequency averaging technique. The accurate estimation of the FCF is crucial for the system design. In fact, we can determine the coherence bandwidth from the FCF. The exact knowledge of the coherence bandwidth is beneficial in both the design as well as optimization of frequency interleaving and pilot arrangement schemes. © 2012 IEEE.

  11. An improved method for estimating the frequency correlation function

    KAUST Repository

    Chelli, Ali

    2012-04-01

    For time-invariant frequency-selective channels, the transfer function is a superposition of waves having different propagation delays and path gains. In order to estimate the frequency correlation function (FCF) of such channels, the frequency averaging technique can be utilized. The obtained FCF can be expressed as a sum of auto-terms (ATs) and cross-terms (CTs). The ATs are caused by the autocorrelation of individual path components. The CTs are due to the cross-correlation of different path components. These CTs have no physical meaning and leads to an estimation error. We propose a new estimation method aiming to improve the estimation accuracy of the FCF of a band-limited transfer function. The basic idea behind the proposed method is to introduce a kernel function aiming to reduce the CT effect, while preserving the ATs. In this way, we can improve the estimation of the FCF. The performance of the proposed method and the frequency averaging technique is analyzed using a synthetically generated transfer function. We show that the proposed method is more accurate than the frequency averaging technique. The accurate estimation of the FCF is crucial for the system design. In fact, we can determine the coherence bandwidth from the FCF. The exact knowledge of the coherence bandwidth is beneficial in both the design as well as optimization of frequency interleaving and pilot arrangement schemes. © 2012 IEEE.

  12. Improvement of the Owner Distinction Method for Healing-Type Pet Robots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nambo, Hidetaka; Kimura, Haruhiko; Hara, Mirai; Abe, Koji; Tajima, Takuya

    In order to decrease human stress, Animal Assisted Therapy which applies pets to heal humans is attracted. However, since animals are insanitary and unsafe, it is difficult to practically apply animal pets in hospitals. For the reason, on behalf of animal pets, pet robots have been attracted. Since pet robots would have no problems in sanitation and safety, they are able to be applied as a substitute for animal pets in the therapy. In our previous study where pet robots distinguish their owners like an animal pet, we used a puppet type pet robot which has pressure type touch sensors. However, the accuracy of our method was not sufficient to practical use. In this paper, we propose a method to improve the accuracy of the distinction. The proposed method can be applied for capacitive touch sensors such as installed in AIBO in addition to pressure type touch sensors. Besides, this paper shows performance of the proposed method from experimental results and confirms the proposed method has improved performance of the distinction in the conventional method.

  13. Improved interoceptive awareness in chronic low back pain: a comparison of Back school versus Feldenkrais method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paolucci, Teresa; Zangrando, Federico; Iosa, Marco; De Angelis, Simona; Marzoli, Caterina; Piccinini, Giulia; Saraceni, Vincenzo Maria

    2017-05-01

    To determine the efficacy of the Feldenkrais method for relieving pain in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and the improvement of interoceptive awareness. This study was designed as a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Fifty-three patients with a diagnosis of CLBP for at least 3 months were randomly allocated to the Feldenkrais (mean age 61.21 ± 11.53 years) or Back School group (mean age 60.70 ± 11.72 years). Pain was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), disability was evaluated with the Waddel Disability Index, quality of life was measured with the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), and mind-body interactions were studied using the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Questionnaire (MAIA). Data were collected at baseline, at the end of treatment, and at the 3-month follow-up. The two groups were matched at baseline for all the computed parameters. At the end of treatment (Tend), there were no significant differences between groups regarding chronic pain reduction (p = 0.290); VAS and MAIA-N sub scores correlated at Tend (R = 0.296, p = 0.037). By the Friedman analysis, both groups experienced significant changes in pain (p Back School in CLBP. Implications for rehabilitation The Feldenkrais method is a mind-body therapy that is based on awareness through movement lessons, which are verbally guided explorations of movement that are conducted by a physiotherapist who is experienced and trained in this method. It aims to increase self-awareness, expand a person's repertoire of movements, and to promote increased functioning in contexts in which the entire body cooperates in the execution of movements. Interoceptive awareness, which improves with rehabilitation, has a complex function in the perception of chronic pain and should be investigated further in future research. The efficacy of the Feldenkrais method is comparable with that of BS for nonspecific chronic

  14. Improving reading comprehension through Reciprocal Teaching Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Endang Komariah

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This study is aimed at discovering the benefits of the Reciprocal Teaching Method (RTM in the reading classroom, finding out the achievements of students after four comprehension training sessions of using RTM, and exploring the perceptions of students on the use of RTM. This method uses four comprehension strategies: predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing, to help learners monitor their development of reading comprehension by themselves. Students work in groups of four or five and the members are divided into five roles which are the leader, predictor, clarifier, questioner, and summarizer. The subjects were 24 students from the twelfth grade at a high school in Banda Aceh. Observations, tests, documents and interviews were collected to get the data. The results showed that the students were more active and productive in the reading classroom after RTM sessions and their reading proficiency improved. They learnt how to apply several of the strategies from RTM while reading. The results also showed that they preferred this method for teaching-learning reading compared to the conventional one. Therefore, teachers are suggested to consider using this method for teaching reading that instils the students on how to apply the four comprehension strategies used in reading.

  15. Kaizen method for esophagectomy patients: improved quality control, outcomes, and decreased costs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iannettoni, Mark D; Lynch, William R; Parekh, Kalpaj R; McLaughlin, Kelley A

    2011-04-01

    The majority of costs associated with esophagectomy are related to the initial 3 days of hospital stay requiring intensive care unit stays, ventilator support, and intraoperative time. Additional costs arise from hospital-based services. The major cost increases are related to complications associated with the procedure. We attempted to define these costs and identify expense management by streamlining care through strict adherence to patient care maps, operative standardization, and rapid discharge planning to reduce variability. Utilizing methods of Kaizen philosophy we evaluated all processes related to the entire experience of esophageal resection. This process has taken over 5 years to achieve, with quality and cost being tracked over this time period. Cost analysis included expenses related to intensive care unit, anesthesia, disposables, and hospital services. Quality improvement measures were related to intraoperative complications, in-hospital complications, and postoperative outcomes. The Institutional Review Board approved the use of anonymous data from standard clinical practice because no additional treatment was planned (observational study). Utilizing a continuous process improvement methodology, a 43% reduction in cost per case has been achieved with a significant increase in contribution margin for esophagectomy. The length of stay has been reduced from 14 days to 5. With intraoperative and postoperative standardization the leak rate has dropped from 12% to less than 3% to no leaks in our current Kaizen modification of care in our last 64 patients. Utilizing lean manufacturing techniques and continuous process evaluation we have attempted to eliminate variability, standardized the phases of care resulting in improved outcomes, decreased length of stay, and improved contribution margins. These Kaizen improvements require continuous interventions, strict adherence to care maps, and input from all levels for quality improvements. Copyright © 2011 The

  16. Research on Monte Carlo improved quasi-static method for reactor space-time dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Qi; Wang Kan; Li Shirui; Yu Ganglin

    2013-01-01

    With large time steps, improved quasi-static (IQS) method can improve the calculation speed for reactor dynamic simulations. The Monte Carlo IQS method was proposed in this paper, combining the advantages of both the IQS method and MC method. Thus, the Monte Carlo IQS method is beneficial for solving space-time dynamics problems of new concept reactors. Based on the theory of IQS, Monte Carlo algorithms for calculating adjoint neutron flux, reactor kinetic parameters and shape function were designed and realized. A simple Monte Carlo IQS code and a corresponding diffusion IQS code were developed, which were used for verification of the Monte Carlo IQS method. (authors)

  17. Cryptanalysis of "an improvement over an image encryption method based on total shuffling"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akhavan, A.; Samsudin, A.; Akhshani, A.

    2015-09-01

    In the past two decades, several image encryption algorithms based on chaotic systems had been proposed. Many of the proposed algorithms are meant to improve other chaos based and conventional cryptographic algorithms. Whereas, many of the proposed improvement methods suffer from serious security problems. In this paper, the security of the recently proposed improvement method for a chaos-based image encryption algorithm is analyzed. The results indicate the weakness of the analyzed algorithm against chosen plain-text.

  18. An Improved Algebraic Method for Transit Signal Priority Scheme and Its Impact on Traffic Emission

    OpenAIRE

    Ji, Yanjie; Hu, Bo; Han, Jing; Tang, Dounan

    2014-01-01

    Transit signal priority has a positive effect on improving traffic congestion and reducing transit delay and also has an influence on traffic emission. In this paper, an optimal transit signal priority scheme based on an improved algebraic method was developed and its impact on vehicle emission was evaluated as well. The improved algebraic method was proposed on the basis of classical algebraic method and has improvements in three aspects. First, the calculation rules of split loss are more r...

  19. Method for improving solution flow in solution mining of a mineral

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moore, T.

    1980-01-01

    An improved method for the solution mining of a mineral from a subterranean formation containing same in which an injection and production well are drilled and completed within said formation, leach solution and an oxidant are injected through said injection well into said formation to dissolve said mineral, and said dissolved mineral is recovered via said production well, wherein the improvement comprises pretreating said formation with an acid gas to improve the permeabiltiy thereof

  20. Demonstration of the improved PID method for the accurate temperature control of ADRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shinozaki, K.; Hoshino, A.; Ishisaki, Y.; Mihara, T.

    2006-01-01

    Microcalorimeters require extreme stability (-bar 10μK) of thermal bath at low temperature (∼100mK). We have developed a portable adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) system for ground experiments with TES microcalorimeters, in which we observed residual temperature between aimed and measured values when magnet current was controlled with the standard Proportional, Integral, and Derivative control (PID) method. The difference increases in time as the magnet current decreases. This phenomenon can be explained by the theory of the magnetic cooling, and we have introduced a new functional parameter to improve the PID method. With this improvement, long-term stability of the ADR temperature about 10μK rms is obtained up to the period of ∼15ks down to almost zero magnet current. We briefly describe our ADR system and principle of the improved PID method, showing the temperature control result. It is demonstrated that the controlled time of the aimed temperature can be extended by about 30% longer than the standard PID method in our system. The improved PID method is considered to be of great advantage especially in the range of small magnet current

  1. An improved EMD method for modal identification and a combined static-dynamic method for damage detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jinping; Li, Peizhen; Yang, Youfa; Xu, Dian

    2018-04-01

    Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is a highly adaptable signal processing method. However, the EMD approach has certain drawbacks, including distortions from end effects and mode mixing. In the present study, these two problems are addressed using an end extension method based on the support vector regression machine (SVRM) and a modal decomposition method based on the characteristics of the Hilbert transform. The algorithm includes two steps: using the SVRM, the time series data are extended at both endpoints to reduce the end effects, and then, a modified EMD method using the characteristics of the Hilbert transform is performed on the resulting signal to reduce mode mixing. A new combined static-dynamic method for identifying structural damage is presented. This method combines the static and dynamic information in an equilibrium equation that can be solved using the Moore-Penrose generalized matrix inverse. The combination method uses the differences in displacements of the structure with and without damage and variations in the modal force vector. Tests on a four-story, steel-frame structure were conducted to obtain static and dynamic responses of the structure. The modal parameters are identified using data from the dynamic tests and improved EMD method. The new method is shown to be more accurate and effective than the traditional EMD method. Through tests with a shear-type test frame, the higher performance of the proposed static-dynamic damage detection approach, which can detect both single and multiple damage locations and the degree of the damage, is demonstrated. For structures with multiple damage, the combined approach is more effective than either the static or dynamic method. The proposed EMD method and static-dynamic damage detection method offer improved modal identification and damage detection, respectively, in structures.

  2. Improvement to defect detection by ultrasonic data processing: the DTVG method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francois, D.

    1995-10-01

    The cast elbows of the pipes of the principal primary circuit of French PWR, made of austenitic-ferritic stainless steel, pose problems to control. In order to improve the ultrasonic detection of defects in coarse-grained materials, we propose a method (called DTVG) based on the statistic study of the spatial stability of events contained in temporal signals. At the Beginning, the method was developed during a thesis (G. Corneloup, 1998) to improve the detection of cracks in thin thickness austenitic welds. Here, we propose to adapt the DTVG method and estimate its performances in detection of defects in thick materials representative of cast austenitic-ferritic elbows steels. The first objective of the study is adapting the original treatment applied to the thin thickness austenitic welds for the detection of defects in thick thickness austenitic-ferritic cast steels. The second objective consist of improving the algorithm to take in account the difference between thin and thick material and estimating the performances of the DTVG method in detection in specimen block with artificial defects. This work has led to adapt the original DTVG method to control thick cast austenitic-ferritic specimen (80 mm) under normal and oblique incidence. More, the study has allowed to make the the treatment automatic (automatic research of parameters). The results have shown that the DTVG method is fitted to detect artificial defects in thick cast austenitic-ferritic sample steel. All the defects in the specimen block have been detected without revealing false indication. (author). 4 refs., 4 figs

  3. The patient's safety - For a dynamics of improvement. Nr 3. How to analyze your significant radiation protection events?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-07-01

    The objective of this publication is to present event analysis methods which are the most frequently used by radiotherapy departments. After an indication of key figures concerning radiotherapy patients, sessions and events, the document indicates the objectives and steps of an event analysis. It presents various analysis methods: Ishikawa diagram (or 5M method or causes-effects diagram), the cause tree, the ALARM method (association of litigation and risk management), the ORION method. It proposes a comparison between these five methods, their possibilities, their limits. Good practices are outlined in terms of data acquisition, method choice, event analysis, and improvement actions. The use of the cause tree analysis is commented by members of the Limoges hospital radiotherapy department, and that of the Ishikawa method by a member of the Beauvais hospital

  4. Improved Taguchi method based contract capacity optimization for industrial consumer with self-owned generating units

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Hong-Tzer; Peng, Pai-Chun

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We propose an improved Taguchi method to determine the optimal contract capacities with SOGUs. ► We solve the highly discrete and nonlinear optimization problem for the contract capacities with SOGUs. ► The proposed improved Taguchi method integrates PSO in Taguchi method. ► The customer using the proposed optimization approach may save up to 12.18% of power expenses. ► The improved Taguchi method can also be well applied to the other similar problems. - Abstract: Contract capacity setting for industrial consumer with self-owned generating units (SOGUs) is a highly discrete and nonlinear optimization problem considering expenditure on the electricity from the utility and operation costs of the SOGUs. This paper proposes an improved Taguchi method that combines existing Taguchi method and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to solve this problem. Taguchi method provides fast converging characteristics in searching the optimal solution through quality analysis in orthogonal matrices. The integrated PSO algorithm generates new solutions in the orthogonal matrices based on the searching experiences during the evolution process to further improve the quality of solution. To verify feasibility of the proposed method, the paper uses the real data obtained from a large optoelectronics factory in Taiwan. In comparison with the existing optimization methods, the proposed improved Taguchi method has superior performance as revealed in the numerical results in terms of the convergence process and the quality of solution obtained.

  5. Improved method for solving the neutron transport problem by discretization of space and energy variables

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bosevski, T.

    1971-01-01

    The polynomial interpolation of neutron flux between the chosen space and energy variables enabled transformation of the integral transport equation into a system of linear equations with constant coefficients. Solutions of this system are the needed values of flux for chosen values of space and energy variables. The proposed improved method for solving the neutron transport problem including the mathematical formalism is simple and efficient since the number of needed input data is decreased both in treating the spatial and energy variables. Mathematical method based on this approach gives more stable solutions with significantly decreased probability of numerical errors. Computer code based on the proposed method was used for calculations of one heavy water and one light water reactor cell, and the results were compared to results of other very precise calculations. The proposed method was better concerning convergence rate, decreased computing time and needed computer memory. Discretization of variables enabled direct comparison of theoretical and experimental results

  6. Persufflation Improves Pancreas Preservation When Compared With the Two-Layer Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, W.E.; O'Brien, T.D.; Ferrer-Fabrega, J.; Avgoustiniatos, E.S.; Weegman, B.P.; Anazawa, T.; Matsumoto, S.; Kirchner, V.A.; Rizzari, M.D.; Murtaugh, M.P.; Suszynski, T.M.; Aasheim, T.; Kidder, L.S.; Hammer, B.E.; Stone, S.G.; Tempelman, L.; Sutherland, D.E.R.; Hering, B.J.; Papas, K.K.

    2010-01-01

    Islet transplantation is emerging as a promising treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes. It is important to maximize viable islet yield for each organ due to scarcity of suitable human donor pancreata, high cost, and the high dose of islets required for insulin independence. However, organ transport for 8 hours using the two-layer method (TLM) frequently results in lower islet yields. Since efficient oxygenation of the core of larger organs (eg, pig, human) in TLM has recently come under question, we investigated oxygen persufflation as an alternative way to supply the pancreas with oxygen during preservation. Porcine pancreata were procured from non–heart-beating donors and preserved by either TLM or persufflation for 24 hours and fixed. Biopsies were collected from several regions of the pancreas, sectioned, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and evaluated by a histologist. Persufflated tissues exhibited distended capillaries due to gas perfusion and significantly less autolysis/cell death than regions not exposed to persufflation or tissues exposed to TLM. The histology presented here suggests that after 24 hours of preservation, persufflation dramatically improves tissue health when compared with TLM. These results indicate the potential for persufflation to improve viable islet yields and extend the duration of preservation, allowing more donor organs to be utilized. PMID:20692396

  7. Improved dynamical scaling analysis using the kernel method for nonequilibrium relaxation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Echinaka, Yuki; Ozeki, Yukiyasu

    2016-10-01

    The dynamical scaling analysis for the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in the nonequilibrium relaxation method is improved by the use of Bayesian statistics and the kernel method. This allows data to be fitted to a scaling function without using any parametric model function, which makes the results more reliable and reproducible and enables automatic and faster parameter estimation. Applying this method, the bootstrap method is introduced and a numerical discrimination for the transition type is proposed.

  8. An improved method of continuous LOD based on fractal theory in terrain rendering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Lan; Li, Lijun

    2007-11-01

    With the improvement of computer graphic hardware capability, the algorithm of 3D terrain rendering is going into the hot topic of real-time visualization. In order to solve conflict between the rendering speed and reality of rendering, this paper gives an improved method of terrain rendering which improves the traditional continuous level of detail technique based on fractal theory. This method proposes that the program needn't to operate the memory repeatedly to obtain different resolution terrain model, instead, obtains the fractal characteristic parameters of different region according to the movement of the viewpoint. Experimental results show that the method guarantees the authenticity of landscape, and increases the real-time 3D terrain rendering speed.

  9. Methods tuned on the physical problem. A way to improve numerical codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ixaru, L.Gr.

    2010-01-01

    We consider the problem on how the numerical methods tuned on the physical problem can contribute to the enhancement of the performance of the codes. We illustrate this on two simple cases: solution of time independent one-dimensional Schroedinger equation, and the computation of integrals with oscillatory integrands. In both cases the tuned versions bring a massive gain in accuracy at negligible extra cost. We presented two simple problems where successive levels of tuning enhance significantly the accuracy at negligible extra cost. These problems should be seen as representing only some illustrations on how the codes can be improved but we must also mention that in many cases tuned versions still have to be developed. Just for a suggestion, quadrature formulae which involve the integrand and a number of successive derivatives of this exist, but no formula is available when some of these derivatives are missing, for example when we dispose of y and y'' but not of y'. A direct application will be on the case when the integrand involves the solution of the Schrodinger equation by the method of Numerov. (author)

  10. Improved look-up table method of computer-generated holograms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Hui; Gong, Guanghong; Li, Ni

    2016-11-10

    Heavy computation load and vast memory requirements are major bottlenecks of computer-generated holograms (CGHs), which are promising and challenging in three-dimensional displays. To solve these problems, an improved look-up table (LUT) method suitable for arbitrarily sampled object points is proposed and implemented on a graphics processing unit (GPU) whose reconstructed object quality is consistent with that of the coherent ray-trace (CRT) method. The concept of distance factor is defined, and the distance factors are pre-computed off-line and stored in a look-up table. The results show that while reconstruction quality close to that of the CRT method is obtained, the on-line computation time is dramatically reduced compared with the LUT method on the GPU and the memory usage is lower than that of the novel-LUT considerably. Optical experiments are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  11. A comparative study on methods of improving SCR for ship detection in SAR image

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lang, Haitao; Shi, Hongji; Tao, Yunhong; Ma, Li

    2017-10-01

    Knowledge about ship positions plays a critical role in a wide range of maritime applications. To improve the performance of ship detector in SAR image, an effective strategy is improving the signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR) before conducting detection. In this paper, we present a comparative study on methods of improving SCR, including power-law scaling (PLS), max-mean and max-median filter (MMF1 and MMF2), method of wavelet transform (TWT), traditional SPAN detector, reflection symmetric metric (RSM), scattering mechanism metric (SMM). The ability of SCR improvement to SAR image and ship detection performance associated with cell- averaging CFAR (CA-CFAR) of different methods are evaluated on two real SAR data.

  12. Improvement of image quality using interpolated projection data estimation method in SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takaki, Akihiro; Soma, Tsutomu; Murase, Kenya; Kojima, Akihiro; Asao, Kimie; Kamada, Shinya; Matsumoto, Masanori

    2009-01-01

    General data acquisition for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is performed in 90 or 60 directions, with a coarse pitch of approximately 4-6 deg for a rotation of 360 deg or 180 deg, using a gamma camera. No data between adjacent projections will be sampled under these circumstances. The aim of the study was to develop a method to improve SPECT image quality by generating lacking projection data through interpolation of data obtained with a coarse pitch such as 6 deg. The projection data set at each individual degree in 360 directions was generated by a weighted average interpolation method from the projection data acquired with a coarse sampling angle (interpolated projection data estimation processing method, IPDE method). The IPDE method was applied to the numerical digital phantom data, actual phantom data and clinical brain data with Tc-99m ethyle cysteinate dimer (ECD). All SPECT images were reconstructed by the filtered back-projection method and compared with the original SPECT images. The results confirmed that streak artifacts decreased by apparently increasing a sampling number in SPECT after interpolation and also improved signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of the root mean square uncertainty value. Furthermore, the normalized mean square error values, compared with standard images, had similar ones after interpolation. Moreover, the contrast and concentration ratios increased their effects after interpolation. These results indicate that effective improvement of image quality can be expected with interpolation. Thus, image quality and the ability to depict images can be improved while maintaining the present acquisition time and image quality. In addition, this can be achieved more effectively than at present even if the acquisition time is reduced. (author)

  13. An Improved Method to Measure the Cosmic Curvature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wei, Jun-Jie; Wu, Xue-Feng, E-mail: jjwei@pmo.ac.cn [Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China)

    2017-04-01

    In this paper, we propose an improved model-independent method to constrain the cosmic curvature by combining the most recent Hubble parameter H ( z ) and supernovae Ia (SNe Ia) data. Based on the H ( z ) data, we first use the model-independent smoothing technique, Gaussian processes, to construct a distance modulus μ {sub H} ( z ), which is susceptible to the cosmic curvature parameter Ω{sub k}. In contrary to previous studies, the light-curve-fitting parameters, which account for the distance estimation of SN (μ {sub SN}( z )), are set free to investigate whether Ω {sub k} has a dependence on them. By comparing μ {sub H} ( z ) to μ {sub SN}(z), we put limits on Ω {sub k}. Our results confirm that Ω {sub k} is independent of the SN light-curve parameters. Moreover, we show that the measured Ω {sub k} is in good agreement with zero cosmic curvature, implying that there is no significant deviation from a flat universe at the current observational data level. We also test the influence of different H(z) samples and different Hubble constant H {sub 0} values, finding that different H(z) samples do not have a significant impact on the constraints. However, different H {sub 0} priors can affect the constraints of Ω {sub k} to some degree. The prior of H {sub 0} = 73.24 ± 1.74 km s{sup −1} Mpc{sup −1} gives a value of Ω {sub k}, a little bit above the 1 σ confidence level away from 0, but H{sub 0} = 69.6 ± 0.7 km s{sup −1} Mpc{sup −1} gives it below 1 σ .

  14. Significance of roentgenologic and nuclear medicine methods in diagnosis and operative indications of coronary artery disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Felix, R [Bonn Univ. (F.R. Germany). Radiologische Klinik; Winkler, C [Bonn Univ. (F.R. Germany). Inst. fuer Klinische und Experimentelle Nuklearmedizin; Schaede, A [Bonn Univ. (F.R. Germany). Medizinische Klinik

    1976-03-01

    Significance and technique of roentgenologic and nuclear medicine methods for evaluation of coronary artery disease and myocardial perfusion are presented. Some routinely used methods in nuclear medicine are briefly discussed concerning the evaluation of left ventricular function.

  15. The Effect of Vocal Training Methods on Improving Turkish Accent Defects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aycan, Kivanc; Evren, Gul Fahriye

    2016-01-01

    Problem Statement: Despite analyses of how vocal training methods can correct or improve Turkish-language accent defects, for most voice educators, the most important methods continue to be breathe management control and correct vocalization exercises. We therefore sought to demonstrate the relationship of song lyrics to breathe control, accent…

  16. Applying Process Improvement Methods to Clinical and Translational Research: Conceptual Framework and Case Examples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daudelin, Denise H; Selker, Harry P; Leslie, Laurel K

    2015-12-01

    There is growing appreciation that process improvement holds promise for improving quality and efficiency across the translational research continuum but frameworks for such programs are not often described. The purpose of this paper is to present a framework and case examples of a Research Process Improvement Program implemented at Tufts CTSI. To promote research process improvement, we developed online training seminars, workshops, and in-person consultation models to describe core process improvement principles and methods, demonstrate the use of improvement tools, and illustrate the application of these methods in case examples. We implemented these methods, as well as relational coordination theory, with junior researchers, pilot funding awardees, our CTRC, and CTSI resource and service providers. The program focuses on capacity building to address common process problems and quality gaps that threaten the efficient, timely and successful completion of clinical and translational studies. © 2015 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. IMPROVEMENT OF RECOGNITION QUALITY IN DEEP LEARNING NETWORKS BY SIMULATED ANNEALING METHOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. S. Potapov

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The subject of this research is deep learning methods, in which automatic construction of feature transforms is taken place in tasks of pattern recognition. Multilayer autoencoders have been taken as the considered type of deep learning networks. Autoencoders perform nonlinear feature transform with logistic regression as an upper classification layer. In order to verify the hypothesis of possibility to improve recognition rate by global optimization of parameters for deep learning networks, which are traditionally trained layer-by-layer by gradient descent, a new method has been designed and implemented. The method applies simulated annealing for tuning connection weights of autoencoders while regression layer is simultaneously trained by stochastic gradient descent. Experiments held by means of standard MNIST handwritten digit database have shown the decrease of recognition error rate from 1.1 to 1.5 times in case of the modified method comparing to the traditional method, which is based on local optimization. Thus, overfitting effect doesn’t appear and the possibility to improve learning rate is confirmed in deep learning networks by global optimization methods (in terms of increasing recognition probability. Research results can be applied for improving the probability of pattern recognition in the fields, which require automatic construction of nonlinear feature transforms, in particular, in the image recognition. Keywords: pattern recognition, deep learning, autoencoder, logistic regression, simulated annealing.

  18. Evaluating clean energy alternatives for Jiangsu, China: An improved multi-criteria decision making method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Ling; Zhou, Peng; Newton, Sidney; Fang, Jian-xin; Zhou, De-qun; Zhang, Lu-ping

    2015-01-01

    Promoting the utilization of clean energy has been identified as one potential solution to addressing environmental pollution and achieving sustainable development in many countries around the world. Evaluating clean energy alternatives includes a requirement to balance multiple conflict criteria, including technology, environment, economy and society, all of which are incommensurate and interdependent. Traditional MCDM (multi-criteria decision making) methods, such as the weighted average method, often fail to aggregate such criteria consistently. In this paper, an improved MCDM method based on fuzzy measure and integral is developed and applied to evaluate four primary clean energy options for Jiangsu Province, China. The results confirm that the preferred clean energy option for Jiangsu is solar photovoltaic, followed by wind, biomass and finally nuclear. A sensitivity analysis is also conducted to evaluate the values of clean energy resources for Jiangsu. The ordered weighted average method is also applied to compare the method mentioned above in our empirical study. The results show that the improved MCDM method provides higher discrimination between alternative clean energy alternatives. - Highlights: • Interactions among evaluation criteria of clean energy resources are taken into account. • An improved multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method is proposed based on entropy weight method, fuzzy measure and integral. • Clean energy resources of Jiangsu are evaluated with the improved MCDM method, and their ranks are identified.

  19. Significance of bioleaching method in dissolution of iron and in the quality improvement of non-metallics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iveta Štyriaková

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Simple laboratory bioleaching experiments for the iron removal with heterotrophic bacteria on natural raw materials were conducted to explore a simple cyclic operation for a potential use at the industrial scale. Heterotrophic bacteria of Bacillus spp. growing in the presence of feldspar raw materials are able to dissolve iron. Anaerobic conditions Quickly formed by bacteria enable a simple manipulation with the sample solution. Insoluble Fe(III in the feldspars sample could be enzymatically dissolved as Fe3+ and also reduced to soluble Fe2+ by silicate bacteria of Bacillus spp. This metal was efficiently removed from the feldspars sample as documented by a Fe2O3 decrease (from 0.29 % to 0.12 % after bioleaching in the conical flask and by a Fe2O3 decrease (from 0.29 % to 0.19 % after bioleaching in the percolate column. Bioleaching of Fe was more effective in the conical flask. Iron-bearing minerals can be easily removed by magnetic separation, but ultra fine iron particles are difficult to treat by conventional mineral processing methods. Thus bioleaching is an attractive alternative for effective removal of iron minerals. The removal of iron with the whiteness increase should give a product, which is fit for industrial ceramic applications.

  20. Lipid Replacement Therapy Drink Containing a Glycophospholipid Formulation Rapidly and Significantly Reduces Fatigue While Improving Energy and Mental Clarity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Settineri

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Fatigue is the most common complaint of patients seeking general medical care and is often treated with stimulants. It is also important in various physical activities of relatively healthy men and women, such as sports performance. Recent clinical trials using patients with chronic fatigue have shown the benefit of Lipid Replacement Therapy in restoring mitochondrial electron transport function and reducing moderate to severe chronic fatigue. Methods: Lipid Replacement Therapy was administered for the first time as an all-natural functional food drink (60 ml containing polyunsaturated glycophospholipids but devoid of stimulants or herbs to reduce fatigue. This preliminary study used the Piper Fatigue Survey instrument as well as a supplemental questionnaire to assess the effects of the glycophospholipid drink on fatigue and the acceptability of the test drink in adult men and women. A volunteer group of 29 subjects of mean age 56.2±4.5 years with various fatigue levels were randomly recruited in a clinical health fair setting to participate in an afternoon open label trial on the effects of the test drink. Results: Using the Piper Fatigue instrument overall fatigue among participants was reduced within the 3-hour seminar by a mean of 39.6% (p<0.0001. All of the subcategories of fatigue showed significant reductions. Some subjects responded within 15 minutes, and the majority responded within one hour with increased energy and activity and perceived improvements in cognitive function, mental clarity and focus. The test drink was determined to be quite acceptable in terms of taste and appearance. There were no adverse events from the energy drink during the study.Functional Foods in Health and Disease 2011; 8:245-254Conclusions: The Lipid Replacement Therapy functional food drink appeared to be a safe, acceptable and potentially useful new method to reduce fatigue, sustain energy and improve perceptions of mental function.

  1. Novel driver method to improve ordinary CCD frame rate for high-speed imaging diagnosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luo, Tong-Ding, E-mail: snuohui@126.com; Li, Bin-Kang; Yang, Shao-Hua; Guo, Ming-An; Yan, Ming

    2016-06-21

    The use of ordinary Charge-coupled-Device (CCD) imagers for the analysis of fast physical phenomenon is restricted because of the low-speed performance resulting from their long output times. Even though the form of Intensified-CCD (ICCD), coupled with a gated image intensifier, has extended their use for high speed imaging, the deficiency remains to be solved that ICDD could record only one image in a single shot. This paper presents a novel driver method designed to significantly improve the ordinary interline CCD burst frame rate for high-speed photography. This method is based on the use of vertical registers as storage, so that a small number of additional frames comprised of reduced-spatial-resolution images obtained via a specific sampling operation can be buffered. Hence, the interval time of the received series of images is related to the exposure and vertical transfer times only and, thus, the burst frame rate can be increased significantly. A prototype camera based on this method is designed as part of this study, exhibiting a burst rate of up to 250,000 frames per second (fps) and a capacity to record three continuous images. This device exhibits a speed enhancement of approximately 16,000 times compared with the conventional speed, with a spatial resolution reduction of only 1/4.

  2. Teaching Literacy: Methods for Studying and Improving Library Instruction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meggan Houlihan

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective – The aim of this paper is to evaluate teaching effectiveness in one-shotinformation literacy (IL instruction sessions. The authors used multiple methods,including plus/delta forms, peer evaluations, and instructor feedback surveys, in aneffort to improve student learning, individual teaching skill, and the overall IL programat the American University in Cairo.Methods – Researchers implemented three main evaluation tools to gather data in thisstudy. Librarians collected both quantitative and qualitative data using studentplus/delta surveys, peer evaluation, and faculty feedback in order to draw overallconclusions about the effectiveness of one-shot IL sessions. By designing a multi-methodstudy, and gathering information from students, faculty, and instruction librarians,results represented the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. Results – The data collected using the three evaluation tools provided insight into the needs and perspectives of three stakeholder groups. Individual instructors benefit from the opportunity to improve teaching through informed reflection, and are eager for feedback. Faculty members want their students to have more hands-on experience, but are pleased overall with instruction. Students need less lecturing and more authentic learning opportunities to engage with new knowledge.Conclusion – Including evaluation techniques in overall information literacy assessment plans is valuable, as instruction librarians gain opportunities for self-reflection and improvement, and administrators gather information about teaching skill levels. The authors gathered useful data that informed administrative decision making related to the IL program at the American University in Cairo. The findings discussed in this paper, both practical and theoretical, can help other college and university librarians think critically about their own IL programs, and influence how library instruction sessions might be evaluated and

  3. Improvements in recall and food choices using a graphical method to deliver information of select nutrients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pratt, Nathan S; Ellison, Brenna D; Benjamin, Aaron S; Nakamura, Manabu T

    2016-01-01

    Consumers have difficulty using nutrition information. We hypothesized that graphically delivering information of select nutrients relative to a target would allow individuals to process information in time-constrained settings more effectively than numerical information. Objectives of the study were to determine the efficacy of the graphical method in (1) improving memory of nutrient information and (2) improving consumer purchasing behavior in a restaurant. Values of fiber and protein per calorie were 2-dimensionally plotted alongside a target box. First, a randomized cued recall experiment was conducted (n=63). Recall accuracy of nutrition information improved by up to 43% when shown graphically instead of numerically. Second, the impact of graphical nutrition signposting on diner choices was tested in a cafeteria. Saturated fat and sodium information was also presented using color coding. Nutrient content of meals (n=362) was compared between 3 signposting phases: graphical, nutrition facts panels (NFP), or no nutrition label. Graphical signposting improved nutrient content of purchases in the intended direction, whereas NFP had no effect compared with the baseline. Calories ordered from total meals, entrées, and sides were significantly less during graphical signposting than no-label and NFP periods. For total meal and entrées, protein per calorie purchased was significantly higher and saturated fat significantly lower during graphical signposting than the other phases. Graphical signposting remained a predictor of calories and protein per calorie purchased in regression modeling. These findings demonstrate that graphically presenting nutrition information makes that information more available for decision making and influences behavior change in a realistic setting. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Further improved F-expansion method and new exact solutions of Konopelchenko-Dubrovsky equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Dengshan; Zhang Hongqing

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, with the aid of the symbolic computation we improve the extended F-expansion method in [Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 2004; 22:111] and propose the further improved F-expansion method. Using this method, we have gotten many new exact solutions which we have never seen before within our knowledge of the (2 + 1)-dimensional Konopelchenko-Dubrovsky equation. In addition,the solutions we get are more general than the solutions that the extended F-expansion method gets.The solutions we get include Jacobi elliptic function solutions, soliton-like solutions, trigonometric function solutions and so on. Our method can also apply to other partial differential equations and can also get many new exact solutions

  5. Evaluating methods to improve safeguards training courses of ISCN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okumura, Yukiko; Nakamura, Yo; Kawata, Norio

    2014-01-01

    Although questionnaires were used to receive feedbacks from participants at the end of each training course, Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Nuclear Security (ISCN) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) did not establish a structured evaluation method. To this end, ISCN has started to study on methods to accurately evaluate the courses since April and started to introduce the evaluation method on trial, according to the Donald Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Training Evaluation Model, so as to better develop and conduct more effective courses. This paper will focus on how ISCN has modified the Kirkpatrick's Four-level to adapt to its safeguards training courses. This will then be followed by two particular cases of how the evaluation method functioned for the Additional Protocol training courses held in Malaysia in 2014, and the feedbacks received to improve future training courses. (author)

  6. Significant Improvement in Chronic Persistent Headaches Caused by Small Rathke Cleft Cysts After Transsphenoidal Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukui, Issei; Hayashi, Yasuhiko; Kita, Daisuke; Sasagawa, Yasuo; Oishi, Masahiro; Tachibana, Osamu; Nakada, Mitsutoshi

    2017-03-01

    Rathke cleft cysts (RCC) usually are asymptomatic and can be observed via the use of conservative methods. Some patients with RCCs, however, have severe headaches even if they are small enough to be confined to the sella, and these small RCCs seldom have been discussed. This study presents an investigation into clinical characteristics of small RCCs associated with severe headaches, demonstrating efficacy and safety of endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery (ETSS) to relieve headaches. In this study, 13 patients with small RCCs (maximum diameter HIT-6) score was calculated both pre- and postoperatively to evaluate headache severity. All patients complained of severe headaches, which disturbed their daily life. Most headaches were nonpulsating and localized in the frontal area. Characteristically, 6 patients (46%) experienced severe headaches with sudden onset that continued chronically. HIT-6 score was 64 on average, meaning headaches affected daily life severely. After surgical decompression of the cyst, headache in all of the patients improved dramatically and HIT-6 score decreased significantly to 37, suggesting that headaches were diminished. No newly developed deficiencies of the anterior pituitary lobe function were detected. Postoperative occurrence of diabetes insipidus was found in 2 patients, both of which were transient. No recurring cysts were found. Severe headaches can develop from small RCCs. In the present study, ETSS was performed on such patients effectively and safely to relieve their headaches. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. TRIZ method application for improving the special vehicles maintenance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petrović Saša

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available TRIZ methodology provides an opportunity for improving the classical engineering approach based on personal knowledge and experience. This paper presents the application of TRIZ methods for improving vehicle maintenance where special equipment is installed. A specific problem is the maintenance of the periscopes with heating system. Protective glass panels with heating system are rectangular glass elements. Their purpose is to perform mechanical protection of built-in prisms and provide heating of the prisms. Aging and long-term use leads to failure of these elements. The practice requires solutions in order to extend the lifetime of the system. New solution is evaluated by simulation and experiment.

  8. Carfilzomib significantly improves the progression-free survival of high-risk patients in multiple myeloma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avet-Loiseau, Hervé; Fonseca, Rafael; Siegel, David; Dimopoulos, Meletios A; Špička, Ivan; Masszi, Tamás; Hájek, Roman; Rosiñol, Laura; Goranova-Marinova, Vesselina; Mihaylov, Georgi; Maisnar, Vladimír; Mateos, Maria-Victoria; Wang, Michael; Niesvizky, Ruben; Oriol, Albert; Jakubowiak, Andrzej; Minarik, Jiri; Palumbo, Antonio; Bensinger, William; Kukreti, Vishal; Ben-Yehuda, Dina; Stewart, A Keith; Obreja, Mihaela; Moreau, Philippe

    2016-09-01

    The presence of certain high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities, such as translocations (4;14) and (14;16) and deletion (17p), are known to have a negative impact on survival in multiple myeloma (MM). The phase 3 study ASPIRE (N = 792) demonstrated that progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly improved with carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (KRd), compared with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) in relapsed MM. This preplanned subgroup analysis of ASPIRE was conducted to evaluate KRd vs Rd by baseline cytogenetics according to fluorescence in situ hybridization. Of 417 patients with known cytogenetic risk status, 100 patients (24%) were categorized with high-risk cytogenetics (KRd, n = 48; Rd, n = 52) and 317 (76%) were categorized with standard-risk cytogenetics (KRd, n = 147; Rd, n = 170). For patients with high-risk cytogenetics, treatment with KRd resulted in a median PFS of 23.1 months, a 9-month improvement relative to treatment with Rd. For patients with standard-risk cytogenetics, treatment with KRd led to a 10-month improvement in median PFS vs Rd. The overall response rates for KRd vs Rd were 79.2% vs 59.6% (high-risk cytogenetics) and 91.2% vs 73.5% (standard-risk cytogenetics); approximately fivefold as many patients with high- or standard-risk cytogenetics achieved a complete response or better with KRd vs Rd (29.2% vs 5.8% and 38.1% vs 6.5%, respectively). KRd improved but did not abrogate the poor prognosis associated with high-risk cytogenetics. This regimen had a favorable benefit-risk profile in patients with relapsed MM, irrespective of cytogenetic risk status, and should be considered a standard of care in these patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01080391. © 2016 by The American Society of Hematology.

  9. Method Improving Reading Comprehension In Primary Education Program Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohana

    2018-01-01

    This study aims to determine the influence of reading comprehension skills of English for PGSD students through the application of SQ3R learning method. The type of this research is Pre-Experimental research because it is not yet a real experiment, there are external variables that influence the formation of a dependent variable, this is because there is no control variable and the sample is not chosen randomly. The research design is used is one-group pretest-post-test design involving one group that is an experimental group. In this design, the observation is done twice before and after the experiment. Observations made before the experiment (O1) are called pretests and the post-experimental observation (O2) is called posttest. The difference between O1 and O2 ie O2 - O1 is the effect of the treatment. The results showed that there was an improvement in reading comprehension skills of PGSD students in Class M.4.3 using SQ3R method, and better SQ3R enabling SQ3R to improve English comprehension skills.

  10. Stability and the improved methods of "1"8F-FDG

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Jinming; Li Yungang; Liu Jian; Zhang Xiaojun; Tian Jiahe

    2011-01-01

    To study the stability of "1"8F-FDG with routinely synthesis at high radio-dose and high radioconcentration, "1"8F-FDG was added 0.1% ethanol or repurification by solid-phase extract ion for radiolytic "1"8F-FDG to improve its radiochemical purity (RCP). The results showed that the RCP declined from 99% to 95% within 4 h at 6 TBq/L for room temperature (RT). The radiolysis could be depressed with 0.1% ethanol, the RCP could be over 95% even if the radioactivity concentration was 7.4 TBq/L at RT for 6 h. The repurification method could improve the RCP of "1"8F-FDG from 80% to 99%. Micro PET/ CT imagings of normal rats showed that the vertebra had high uptake with radiolytic "1"8F-FDG because of impurity. There were no radioactivity uptaking in bone with repuification of "1"8F- FDG. It indicated that 0.1% ethanol could be used as stabilizers for "1"8F-FDG to improve the RCP when "1"8F-FDG had high radio-do se and high radioconcentrtion. The radiolytic 18 F-FDG could be repurified by so lid-phase extraction to remove the radio-impurity. The method of added 0.1% thanot could be combined with repurification method to assure the RCP of "1"8F-FDG for over 95% at any given time andradiodose or contcentrayion. (authors)

  11. Excision Hemorrhoidectomy: New Methods to Improve the Outcomes of an Old Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heng

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Context Hemorrhoidal disease is the most common anorectal disorder that requires surgical intervention. Hemorrhoids require treatment when they result in symptoms such as bleeding or prolapse. Surgical intervention is indicated for significant prolapse, and a number of accepted and viable methods are available for treating prolapsing hemorrhoids that do not reduce spontaneously (Grade III and IV. Excision hemorrhoidectomy remains the gold standard treatment for Grade III and IV hemorrhoids despite great interest in alternative procedures such as stapled hemorrhoidopexy and Doppler-guided hemorrhoidal artery ligation with mucopexy. A large body of evidence demonstrates that excision hemorrhoidectomy is an effective, safe, and affordable procedure. Nevertheless, the main drawback of excision hemorrhoidectomy remains its notorious association with significant postoperative pain. Evidence Acquisition A comprehensive literature search was conducted through MEDLINE and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews. Only prospective case-controlled studies, review articles, and meta-analyses were considered. Results Many strategies have been put forward in the literature to address the issue of pain after excision hemorrhoidectomy. These strategies can be broadly categorized into surgical techniques (e.g., LigaSure hemorrhoidectomy and pharmacological adjuncts (e.g., intradermal methylene blue and chemical sphincterotomy with glyceryl trinitrate ointment. In recent years, meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials have been performed to evaluate their effects. Conclusions This article evaluates the evidence behind these strategies and outlines the new methods available to improve the outcomes of an old technique.

  12. Method of extracting significant trouble information of nuclear power plants using probabilistic analysis technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimada, Yoshio; Miyazaki, Takamasa

    2005-01-01

    In order to analyze and evaluate large amounts of trouble information of overseas nuclear power plants, it is necessary to select information that is significant in terms of both safety and reliability. In this research, a method of efficiently and simply classifying degrees of importance of components in terms of safety and reliability while paying attention to root-cause components appearing in the information was developed. Regarding safety, the reactor core damage frequency (CDF), which is used in the probabilistic analysis of a reactor, was used. Regarding reliability, the automatic plant trip probability (APTP), which is used in the probabilistic analysis of automatic reactor trips, was used. These two aspects were reflected in the development of criteria for classifying degrees of importance of components. By applying these criteria, a simple method of extracting significant trouble information of overseas nuclear power plants was developed. (author)

  13. Method for calculating annual energy efficiency improvement of TV sets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varman, M.; Mahlia, T.M.I.; Masjuki, H.H.

    2006-01-01

    The popularization of 24 h pay-TV, interactive video games, web-TV, VCD and DVD are poised to have a large impact on overall TV electricity consumption in the Malaysia. Following this increased consumption, energy efficiency standard present a highly effective measure for decreasing electricity consumption in the residential sector. The main problem in setting energy efficiency standard is identifying annual efficiency improvement, due to the lack of time series statistical data available in developing countries. This study attempts to present a method of calculating annual energy efficiency improvement for TV set, which can be used for implementing energy efficiency standard for TV sets in Malaysia and other developing countries. Although the presented result is only an approximation, definitely it is one of the ways of accomplishing energy standard. Furthermore, the method can be used for other appliances without any major modification

  14. Improved artificial bee colony algorithm based gravity matching navigation method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Wei; Zhao, Bo; Zhou, Guang Tao; Wang, Qiu Ying; Yu, Chun Yang

    2014-07-18

    Gravity matching navigation algorithm is one of the key technologies for gravity aided inertial navigation systems. With the development of intelligent algorithms, the powerful search ability of the Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm makes it possible to be applied to the gravity matching navigation field. However, existing search mechanisms of basic ABC algorithms cannot meet the need for high accuracy in gravity aided navigation. Firstly, proper modifications are proposed to improve the performance of the basic ABC algorithm. Secondly, a new search mechanism is presented in this paper which is based on an improved ABC algorithm using external speed information. At last, modified Hausdorff distance is introduced to screen the possible matching results. Both simulations and ocean experiments verify the feasibility of the method, and results show that the matching rate of the method is high enough to obtain a precise matching position.

  15. Method for calculating annual energy efficiency improvement of TV sets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Varman, M. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Mahlia, T.M.I. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)]. E-mail: indra@um.edu.my; Masjuki, H.H. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    2006-10-15

    The popularization of 24 h pay-TV, interactive video games, web-TV, VCD and DVD are poised to have a large impact on overall TV electricity consumption in the Malaysia. Following this increased consumption, energy efficiency standard present a highly effective measure for decreasing electricity consumption in the residential sector. The main problem in setting energy efficiency standard is identifying annual efficiency improvement, due to the lack of time series statistical data available in developing countries. This study attempts to present a method of calculating annual energy efficiency improvement for TV set, which can be used for implementing energy efficiency standard for TV sets in Malaysia and other developing countries. Although the presented result is only an approximation, definitely it is one of the ways of accomplishing energy standard. Furthermore, the method can be used for other appliances without any major modification.

  16. A method for risk-informed safety significance categorization using the analytic hierarchy process and bayesian belief networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ha, Jun Su; Seong, Poong Hyun

    2004-01-01

    A risk-informed safety significance categorization (RISSC) is to categorize structures, systems, or components (SSCs) of a nuclear power plant (NPP) into two or more groups, according to their safety significance using both probabilistic and deterministic insights. In the conventional methods for the RISSC, the SSCs are quantitatively categorized according to their importance measures for the initial categorization. The final decisions (categorizations) of SSCs, however, are qualitatively made by an expert panel through discussions and adjustments of opinions by using the probabilistic insights compiled in the initial categorization process and combining the probabilistic insights with the deterministic insights. Therefore, owing to the qualitative and linear decision-making process, the conventional methods have the demerits as follows: (1) they are very costly in terms of time and labor, (2) it is not easy to reach the final decision, when the opinions of the experts are in conflict and (3) they have an overlapping process due to the linear paradigm (the categorization is performed twice - first, by the engineers who propose the method, and second, by the expert panel). In this work, a method for RISSC using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and bayesian belief networks (BBN) is proposed to overcome the demerits of the conventional methods and to effectively arrive at a final decision (or categorization). By using the AHP and BBN, the expert panel takes part in the early stage of the categorization (that is, the quantification process) and the safety significance based on both probabilistic and deterministic insights is quantified. According to that safety significance, SSCs are quantitatively categorized into three categories such as high safety significant category (Hi), potentially safety significant category (Po), or low safety significant category (Lo). The proposed method was applied to the components such as CC-V073, CV-V530, and SI-V644 in Ulchin Unit

  17. Compression stockings significantly improve hemodynamic performance in post-thrombotic syndrome irrespective of class or length.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lattimer, Christopher R; Azzam, Mustapha; Kalodiki, Evi; Makris, Gregory C; Geroulakos, George

    2013-07-01

    Graduated elastic compression (GEC) stockings have been demonstrated to reduce the morbidity associated with post-thrombotic syndrome. The ideal length or compression strength required to achieve this is speculative and related to physician preference and patient compliance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hemodynamic performance of four different stockings and determine the patient's preference. Thirty-four consecutive patients (40 legs, 34 male) with post-thrombotic syndrome were tested with four different stockings (Mediven plus open toe, Bayreuth, Germany) of their size in random order: class 1 (18-21 mm Hg) and class II (23-32 mm Hg), below-knee (BK) and above-knee thigh-length (AK). The median age, Venous Clinical Severity Score, Venous Segmental Disease Score, and Villalta scale were 62 years (range, 31-81 years), 8 (range, 1-21), 5 (range, 2-10), and 10 (range, 2-22), respectively. The C of C0-6EsAs,d,pPr,o was C0 = 2, C2 = 1, C3 = 3, C4a = 12, C4b = 7, C5 = 12, C6 = 3. Obstruction and reflux was observed on duplex in 47.5% legs, with deep venous reflux alone in 45%. Air plethysmography was used to measure the venous filling index (VFI), venous volume, and time to fill 90% of the venous volume. Direct pressure measurements were obtained while lying and standing using the PicoPress device (Microlab Elettronica, Nicolò, Italy). The pressure sensor was placed underneath the test stocking 5 cm above and 2 cm posterior to the medial malleolus. At the end of the study session, patients stated their preferred stocking based on comfort. The VFI, venous volume, and time to fill 90% of the venous volume improved significantly with all types of stocking versus no compression. In class I, the VFI (mL/s) improved from a median of 4.9 (range, 1.7-16.3) without compression to 3.7 (range, 0-14) BK (24.5%) and 3.6 (range, 0.6-14.5) AK (26.5%). With class II, the corresponding improvement was to 4.0 (range, 0.3-16.2) BK (18.8%) and 3.7 (range, 0.5-14.2) AK (24

  18. An improved method for Multipath Hemispherical Map (MHM) based on Trend Surface Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhiren; Chen, Wen; Dong, Danan; Yu, Chao

    2017-04-01

    Among various approaches developed for detecting the multipath effect in high-accuracy GNSS positioning, Only MHM (Multipath Hemispherical Map) and SF (Sidereal Filtering) can be implemented to real-time GNSS data processing. SF is based on the time repeatability of satellites which just suitable for static environment, while the spatiotemporal repeatability-based MHM is applicable not only for static environment but also for dynamic carriers with static multipath environment such as ships and airplanes, and utilizes much smaller number of parameters than ASF. However, the MHM method also has certain defects. Since the MHM take the mean of residuals from the grid as the filter value, it is more suitable when the multipath regime is medium to low frequency. Now existing research data indicate that the newly advanced Sidereal Filtering (ASF) method perform better with high frequency multipath reduction than MHM by contrast. To solve the above problem and improve MHM's performance on high frequency multipath, we combined binary trend surface analysis method with original MHM model to effectively analyze particular spatial distribution and variation trends of multipath effect. We computed trend surfaces of the residuals within a grid by least-square procedures, and chose the best results through the moderate successive test. The enhanced MHM grid was constructed from a set of coefficients of the fitted equation instead of mean value. According to the analysis of the actual observation, the improved MHM model shows positive effect on high frequency multipath reduction, and significantly reduced the root mean square (RMS) value of the carrier residuals. Keywords: Trend Surface Analysis; Multipath Hemispherical Map; high frequency multipath effect

  19. INTERIM REPORT IMPROVED METHODS FOR INCORPORATING RISK IN DECISION MAKING

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clausen, M. J.; Fraley, D. W.; Denning, R. S.

    1980-08-01

    This paper reports observations and preliminary investigations in the first phase of a research program covering methodologies for making safety-related decisions. The objective has been to gain insight into NRC perceptions of the value of formal decision methods, their possible applications, and how risk is, or may be, incorporated in decision making. The perception of formal decision making techniques, held by various decision makers, and what may be done to improve them, were explored through interviews with NRC staff. An initial survey of decision making methods, an assessment of the applicability of formal methods vis-a-vis the available information, and a review of methods of incorporating risk and uncertainty have also been conducted.

  20. Millisecond photo-thermal process on significant improvement of supercapacitor’s performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Kui; Wang, Jixiao; Wu, Ying; Zhao, Song; Wang, Zhi; Wang, Shichang

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: A high way for charge transfer is created by a millisecond photo-thermal process which could decrease contact resistance among nanomaterials and improve the electrochemical performances. - Highlights: • Improve conductivity among nanomaterials with a millisecond photo-thermal process. • The specific capacitance can increase about 25% with an photo-thermal process. • The circle stability and rate capability can be improved above 10% with photo-thermal process. • Provide a new way that create electron path to improve electrochemical performance. - Abstract: Supercapacitors fabricated with nanomaterials usually have high specific capacitance and excellent performance. However, the small size of nanomaterials renders a considerable limitation of the contact area among nanomaterials, which is harmful to charge carrier transfer. This fact may hinder the development and application of nanomaterials in electrochemical storage systems. Here, a millisecond photo-thermal process was introduced to create a charge carries transfer path to decrease the contact resistance among nanomaterials, and enhance the electrochemical performance of supercapacitors. Polyaniline (PANI) nanowire, as a model nanomaterial, was used to modify electrodes under different photo-thermal process conditions. The modified electrodes were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the results were analysed by equivalent circuit simulation. These results demonstrate that the photo-thermal process can alter the morphology of PANI nanowires, lower the charge transfer resistances and thus improve the performance of electrodes. The specific capacitance increase of the modified electrodes is about 25%. The improvement of the circle stability and rate capability are above 10%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt on research the effect of photo-thermal process on the conductivity

  1. IMPROVEMENT METHOD OF GENE TRANSFER IN Kappaphycus alvarezii

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    St. Hidayah Triana

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Method of foreign gene transfer in red seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii has been reported, however, li-mited number of transgenic F0 (broodstock was obtained. This study was conducted to improve the method of gene transfer mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens in order to obtain high percentage of K. alvarezii transgenic. Superoxide dismutase gene from Melastoma malabatrichum (MmCu/Zn-SOD was used as model towards increasing adaptability of K. alvarezii to environmental stress. The treat-ments were the culture media and recovery duration, and each treatment consisted of three replica-tions. The best method was co-cultivation using liquid media, then recovery was conducted in liquid media for 10 days. That treatment allowed higher transformation percentage (90%, regeneration effi-ciency (90%, putative bud efficiency (100%, number of buds and explants sprouted (100% and transgenic explants (100%. The transgenic explants showed an amplification PCR product of Mm-Cu/Zn-SOD gene fragment, whereas the non-transgenic explants showed no amplification product.  All results revealed that suitable method of transgenesis for K. alvarezii has been developed. Keywords:       Agrobacterium tumefaciens, culture media, Kappaphycus alvarezii, recovery duration, transformation

  2. Thresholds for statistical and clinical significance in systematic reviews with meta-analytic methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jakobsen, Janus Christian; Wetterslev, Jorn; Winkel, Per

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Thresholds for statistical significance when assessing meta-analysis results are being insufficiently demonstrated by traditional 95% confidence intervals and P-values. Assessment of intervention effects in systematic reviews with meta-analysis deserves greater rigour. METHODS......: Methodologies for assessing statistical and clinical significance of intervention effects in systematic reviews were considered. Balancing simplicity and comprehensiveness, an operational procedure was developed, based mainly on The Cochrane Collaboration methodology and the Grading of Recommendations...... Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines. RESULTS: We propose an eight-step procedure for better validation of meta-analytic results in systematic reviews (1) Obtain the 95% confidence intervals and the P-values from both fixed-effect and random-effects meta-analyses and report the most...

  3. Spirulina Supplements Improved the Nutritional Status of Undernourished Children Quickly and Significantly: Experience from Kisantu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Féfé Khuabi Matondo

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. Despite high levels of malnutrition, there is still very little information on the nutritional benefits of Spirulina, a natural alga that provides essential amino acids, rare essential lipids, and numerous minerals and vitamins, to undernourished children in the world. Methods. We carried out a prospective study of 50 children aged between six and 60 months. The intervention group consisted of 16 children who received 10 g of Spirulina daily, as well as the local diet administered by the nutritional centre, and the control group of 34 children who just received the local diet. Both groups of children were assessed on day zero, day 15, and day 30. Results. After treatment, the weight-for-age Z scores and weight-for-height Z scores increased significantly in the intervention group. At day 15, there was a statistically significant difference between the mean corpuscular volume, total proteins, and albumin (p<0.05 in both groups, in favour of the intervention group, and at day 30, this difference extended to all of the studied parameters (p<0.05. Conclusion. This study found that the nutritional status of undernourished children who received Spirulina supplements as well as the local diet administered by the nutritional centre improved quickly and significantly.

  4. An improved segmentation-based HMM learning method for Condition-based Maintenance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, T; Lemeire, J; Cartella, F; Meganck, S

    2012-01-01

    In the domain of condition-based maintenance (CBM), persistence of machine states is a valid assumption. Based on this assumption, we present an improved Hidden Markov Model (HMM) learning algorithm for the assessment of equipment states. By a good estimation of initial parameters, more accurate learning can be achieved than by regular HMM learning methods which start with randomly chosen initial parameters. It is also better in avoiding getting trapped in local maxima. The data is segmented with a change-point analysis method which uses a combination of cumulative sum charts (CUSUM) and bootstrapping techniques. The method determines a confidence level that a state change happens. After the data is segmented, in order to label and combine the segments corresponding to the same states, a clustering technique is used based on a low-pass filter or root mean square (RMS) values of the features. The segments with their labelled hidden state are taken as 'evidence' to estimate the parameters of an HMM. Then, the estimated parameters are served as initial parameters for the traditional Baum-Welch (BW) learning algorithms, which are used to improve the parameters and train the model. Experiments on simulated and real data demonstrate that both performance and convergence speed is improved.

  5. Active Learning with Rationales for Identifying Operationally Significant Anomalies in Aviation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Manali; Das, Kamalika; Bilgic, Mustafa; Matthews, Bryan; Nielsen, David Lynn; Oza, Nikunj C.

    2016-01-01

    A major focus of the commercial aviation community is discovery of unknown safety events in flight operations data. Data-driven unsupervised anomaly detection methods are better at capturing unknown safety events compared to rule-based methods which only look for known violations. However, not all statistical anomalies that are discovered by these unsupervised anomaly detection methods are operationally significant (e.g., represent a safety concern). Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) have to spend significant time reviewing these statistical anomalies individually to identify a few operationally significant ones. In this paper we propose an active learning algorithm that incorporates SME feedback in the form of rationales to build a classifier that can distinguish between uninteresting and operationally significant anomalies. Experimental evaluation on real aviation data shows that our approach improves detection of operationally significant events by as much as 75% compared to the state-of-the-art. The learnt classifier also generalizes well to additional validation data sets.

  6. Improvement of methods for calculation of sound insulation in buildings

    OpenAIRE

    Mašović, Draško B.

    2015-01-01

    The main object of this work are the methods for calculation of sound insulation based on the classical model of sound propagation in buildings and single-number rating of sound insulation. The aim of the work is inspection of the possibilities for improvement of standard methods for quantification and calculation of sound insulation, in order to achieve higher accuracy of the obtained numerical values and their correlation with subjective impression of the acoustic comfort in buildings. Proc...

  7. Low-dose vaporized cannabis significantly improves neuropathic pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilsey, Barth; Marcotte, Thomas; Deutsch, Reena; Gouaux, Ben; Sakai, Staci; Donaghe, Haylee

    2013-02-01

    We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study evaluating the analgesic efficacy of vaporized cannabis in subjects, the majority of whom were experiencing neuropathic pain despite traditional treatment. Thirty-nine patients with central and peripheral neuropathic pain underwent a standardized procedure for inhaling medium-dose (3.53%), low-dose (1.29%), or placebo cannabis with the primary outcome being visual analog scale pain intensity. Psychoactive side effects and neuropsychological performance were also evaluated. Mixed-effects regression models demonstrated an analgesic response to vaporized cannabis. There was no significant difference between the 2 active dose groups' results (P > .7). The number needed to treat (NNT) to achieve 30% pain reduction was 3.2 for placebo versus low-dose, 2.9 for placebo versus medium-dose, and 25 for medium- versus low-dose. As these NNTs are comparable to those of traditional neuropathic pain medications, cannabis has analgesic efficacy with the low dose being as effective a pain reliever as the medium dose. Psychoactive effects were minimal and well tolerated, and neuropsychological effects were of limited duration and readily reversible within 1 to 2 hours. Vaporized cannabis, even at low doses, may present an effective option for patients with treatment-resistant neuropathic pain. The analgesia obtained from a low dose of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (1.29%) in patients, most of whom were experiencing neuropathic pain despite conventional treatments, is a clinically significant outcome. In general, the effect sizes on cognitive testing were consistent with this minimal dose. As a result, one might not anticipate a significant impact on daily functioning. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. Complete Au@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles with enhanced plasmonic absorption enabling significantly improved photocatalysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yiqiang; Sun, Yugang; Zhang, Tao; Chen, Guozhu; Zhang, Fengshou; Liu, Dilong; Cai, Weiping; Li, Yue; Yang, Xianfeng; Li, Cuncheng

    2016-05-01

    Nanostructured ZnO exhibits high chemical stability and unique optical properties, representing a promising candidate among photocatalysts in the field of environmental remediation and solar energy conversion. However, ZnO only absorbs the UV light, which accounts for less than 5% of total solar irradiation, significantly limiting its applications. In this article, we report a facile and efficient approach to overcome the poor wettability between ZnO and Au by carefully modulating the surface charge density on Au nanoparticles (NPs), enabling rapid synthesis of Au@ZnO core-shell NPs at room temperature. The resulting Au@ZnO core-shell NPs exhibit a significantly enhanced plasmonic absorption in the visible range due to the Au NP cores. They also show a significantly improved photocatalytic performance in comparison with their single-component counterparts, i.e., the Au NPs and ZnO NPs. Moreover, the high catalytic activity of the as-synthesized Au@ZnO core-shell NPs can be maintained even after many cycles of photocatalytic reaction. Our results shed light on the fact that the Au@ZnO core-shell NPs represent a promising class of candidates for applications in plasmonics, surface-enhanced spectroscopy, light harvest devices, solar energy conversion, and degradation of organic pollutants.Nanostructured ZnO exhibits high chemical stability and unique optical properties, representing a promising candidate among photocatalysts in the field of environmental remediation and solar energy conversion. However, ZnO only absorbs the UV light, which accounts for less than 5% of total solar irradiation, significantly limiting its applications. In this article, we report a facile and efficient approach to overcome the poor wettability between ZnO and Au by carefully modulating the surface charge density on Au nanoparticles (NPs), enabling rapid synthesis of Au@ZnO core-shell NPs at room temperature. The resulting Au@ZnO core-shell NPs exhibit a significantly enhanced plasmonic

  9. AN IMPROVEMENT ON GEOMETRY-BASED METHODS FOR GENERATION OF NETWORK PATHS FROM POINTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Akbari

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Determining network path is important for different purposes such as determination of road traffic, the average speed of vehicles, and other network analysis. One of the required input data is information about network path. Nevertheless, the data collected by the positioning systems often lead to the discrete points. Conversion of these points to the network path have become one of the challenges which different researchers, presents many ways for solving it. This study aims at investigating geometry-based methods to estimate the network paths from the obtained points and improve an existing point to curve method. To this end, some geometry-based methods have been studied and an improved method has been proposed by applying conditions on the best method after describing and illustrating weaknesses of them.

  10. Improved Quasi-Newton method via PSB update for solving systems of nonlinear equations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mamat, Mustafa; Dauda, M. K.; Waziri, M. Y.; Ahmad, Fadhilah; Mohamad, Fatma Susilawati

    2016-10-01

    The Newton method has some shortcomings which includes computation of the Jacobian matrix which may be difficult or even impossible to compute and solving the Newton system in every iteration. Also, the common setback with some quasi-Newton methods is that they need to compute and store an n × n matrix at each iteration, this is computationally costly for large scale problems. To overcome such drawbacks, an improved Method for solving systems of nonlinear equations via PSB (Powell-Symmetric-Broyden) update is proposed. In the proposed method, the approximate Jacobian inverse Hk of PSB is updated and its efficiency has improved thereby require low memory storage, hence the main aim of this paper. The preliminary numerical results show that the proposed method is practically efficient when applied on some benchmark problems.

  11. An adaptive sampling method for variable-fidelity surrogate models using improved hierarchical kriging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Jiexiang; Zhou, Qi; Jiang, Ping; Shao, Xinyu; Xie, Tingli

    2018-01-01

    Variable-fidelity (VF) modelling methods have been widely used in complex engineering system design to mitigate the computational burden. Building a VF model generally includes two parts: design of experiments and metamodel construction. In this article, an adaptive sampling method based on improved hierarchical kriging (ASM-IHK) is proposed to refine the improved VF model. First, an improved hierarchical kriging model is developed as the metamodel, in which the low-fidelity model is varied through a polynomial response surface function to capture the characteristics of a high-fidelity model. Secondly, to reduce local approximation errors, an active learning strategy based on a sequential sampling method is introduced to make full use of the already required information on the current sampling points and to guide the sampling process of the high-fidelity model. Finally, two numerical examples and the modelling of the aerodynamic coefficient for an aircraft are provided to demonstrate the approximation capability of the proposed approach, as well as three other metamodelling methods and two sequential sampling methods. The results show that ASM-IHK provides a more accurate metamodel at the same simulation cost, which is very important in metamodel-based engineering design problems.

  12. Addition of 2-(ethylamino)acetonitrile group to nitroxoline results in significantly improved anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitrović, Ana; Sosič, Izidor; Kos, Špela; Tratar, Urša Lampreht; Breznik, Barbara; Kranjc, Simona; Mirković, Bojana; Gobec, Stanislav; Lah, Tamara; Serša, Gregor; Kos, Janko

    2017-08-29

    Lysosomal cysteine peptidase cathepsin B, involved in multiple processes associated with tumor progression, is validated as a target for anti-cancer therapy. Nitroxoline, a known antimicrobial agent, is a potent and selective inhibitor of cathepsin B, hence reducing tumor progression in vitro and in vivo . In order to further improve its anti-cancer properties we developed a number of derivatives using structure-based chemical synthesis. Of these, the 7-aminomethylated derivative (compound 17 ) exhibited significantly improved kinetic properties over nitroxoline, inhibiting cathepsin B endopeptidase activity selectively. In the present study, we have evaluated its anti-cancer properties. It was more effective than nitroxoline in reducing tumor cell invasion and migration, as determined in vitro on two-dimensional cell models and tumor spheroids, under either endpoint or real time conditions. Moreover, it exhibited improved action over nitroxoline in impairing tumor growth in vivo in LPB mouse fibrosarcoma tumors in C57Bl/6 mice. Taken together, the addition of a 2-(ethylamino)acetonitrile group to nitroxoline at position 7 significantly improves its pharmacological characteristics and its potential for use as an anti-cancer drug.

  13. An improved hydrometeor detection method for millimeter-wavelength cloud radar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Ge

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available A modified method with a new noise reduction scheme that can reduce the noise distribution to a narrow range is proposed to distinguish clouds and other hydrometeors from noise and recognize more features with weak signal in cloud radar observations. A spatial filter with central weighting, which is widely used in cloud radar hydrometeor detection algorithms, is also applied in our method to examine radar return for significant levels of signals. Square clouds were constructed to test our algorithm and the method used for the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurements Program millimeter-wavelength cloud radar. We also applied both the methods to 6 months of cloud radar observations at the Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University and compared the results. It was found that our method has significant advantages in reducing the rates of both failed negative and false positive hydrometeor identifications in simulated clouds and recognizing clouds with weak signal from our cloud radar observations.

  14. Two improved methods for testing ADC parametric faults by digital input signals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sheng, Xiaoqin; Kerkhoff, Hans G.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, two improved methods are presented extending our previous work. The first one improves the results by adjusting the voltage levels of the input pulse wave stimulus. Compared with the sine wave input stimulus, the four-level pulse wave can detect even more faulty cases with the offset

  15. Research on Improved Control Strategy for STATCOM Based on Virtual Matrix Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Xudong

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Fast and accurate detection of reactive current is the precondition for the realization of static synchronous compensator (STATCOM reactive power compensation and harmonic suppression. Aiming at deviation and delay of the traditional reactive current detection algorithm with phase-locked loop (PLL and low-pass filter (LPF of STATCOM, a novel improved reactive current detection algorithm without PLL is proposed, in which the virtual matrix (VM is built to replace the original PLL, and improved current average value filter is used to realize the function of LPF, so as to improve the real-time performance and robustness of reactive current detection. The realization process of VM detection method is derived in this paper, and improved control strategy for STATCOM is designed based on the VM detection method. Simulation analysis of the proposed detection algorithm and control strategy is conducted in Matlab platform so as to verify the correctness and effectiveness of the control strategy. The VM detection has the advantages of simple structure, fast response and easy for digital realization, which provides reference for the improvement of reactive power compensation precision for STATCOM.

  16. Comparing and improving reconstruction methods for proxies based on compositional data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nolan, C.; Tipton, J.; Booth, R.; Jackson, S. T.; Hooten, M.

    2017-12-01

    Many types of studies in paleoclimatology and paleoecology involve compositional data. Often, these studies aim to use compositional data to reconstruct an environmental variable of interest; the reconstruction is usually done via the development of a transfer function. Transfer functions have been developed using many different methods. Existing methods tend to relate the compositional data and the reconstruction target in very simple ways. Additionally, the results from different methods are rarely compared. Here we seek to address these two issues. First, we introduce a new hierarchical Bayesian multivariate gaussian process model; this model allows for the relationship between each species in the compositional dataset and the environmental variable to be modeled in a way that captures the underlying complexities. Then, we compare this new method to machine learning techniques and commonly used existing methods. The comparisons are based on reconstructing the water table depth history of Caribou Bog (an ombrotrophic Sphagnum peat bog in Old Town, Maine, USA) from a new 7500 year long record of testate amoebae assemblages. The resulting reconstructions from different methods diverge in both their resulting means and uncertainties. In particular, uncertainty tends to be drastically underestimated by some common methods. These results will help to improve inference of water table depth from testate amoebae. Furthermore, this approach can be applied to test and improve inferences of past environmental conditions from a broad array of paleo-proxies based on compositional data

  17. Method of administration of PROMIS scales did not significantly impact score level, reliability, or validity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjorner, Jakob B; Rose, Matthias; Gandek, Barbara

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To test the impact of the method of administration (MOA) on score level, reliability, and validity of scales developed in the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Two nonoverlapping parallel forms each containing eight items from......, no significant mode differences were found and all confidence intervals were within the prespecified minimal important difference of 0.2 standard deviation. Parallel-forms reliabilities were very high (ICC = 0.85-0.93). Only one across-mode ICC was significantly lower than the same-mode ICC. Tests of validity...... questionnaire (PQ), personal digital assistant (PDA), or personal computer (PC) and a second form by PC, in the same administration. Method equivalence was evaluated through analyses of difference scores, intraclass correlations (ICCs), and convergent/discriminant validity. RESULTS: In difference score analyses...

  18. Improving Land Use/Land Cover Classification by Integrating Pixel Unmixing and Decision Tree Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chao Yang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Decision tree classification is one of the most efficient methods for obtaining land use/land cover (LULC information from remotely sensed imageries. However, traditional decision tree classification methods cannot effectively eliminate the influence of mixed pixels. This study aimed to integrate pixel unmixing and decision tree to improve LULC classification by removing mixed pixel influence. The abundance and minimum noise fraction (MNF results that were obtained from mixed pixel decomposition were added to decision tree multi-features using a three-dimensional (3D Terrain model, which was created using an image fusion digital elevation model (DEM, to select training samples (ROIs, and improve ROI separability. A Landsat-8 OLI image of the Yunlong Reservoir Basin in Kunming was used to test this proposed method. Study results showed that the Kappa coefficient and the overall accuracy of integrated pixel unmixing and decision tree method increased by 0.093% and 10%, respectively, as compared with the original decision tree method. This proposed method could effectively eliminate the influence of mixed pixels and improve the accuracy in complex LULC classifications.

  19. A matter of timing: identifying significant multi-dose radiotherapy improvements by numerical simulation and genetic algorithm search.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon D Angus

    Full Text Available Multi-dose radiotherapy protocols (fraction dose and timing currently used in the clinic are the product of human selection based on habit, received wisdom, physician experience and intra-day patient timetabling. However, due to combinatorial considerations, the potential treatment protocol space for a given total dose or treatment length is enormous, even for relatively coarse search; well beyond the capacity of traditional in-vitro methods. In constrast, high fidelity numerical simulation of tumor development is well suited to the challenge. Building on our previous single-dose numerical simulation model of EMT6/Ro spheroids, a multi-dose irradiation response module is added and calibrated to the effective dose arising from 18 independent multi-dose treatment programs available in the experimental literature. With the developed model a constrained, non-linear, search for better performing cadidate protocols is conducted within the vicinity of two benchmarks by genetic algorithm (GA techniques. After evaluating less than 0.01% of the potential benchmark protocol space, candidate protocols were identified by the GA which conferred an average of 9.4% (max benefit 16.5% and 7.1% (13.3% improvement (reduction on tumour cell count compared to the two benchmarks, respectively. Noticing that a convergent phenomenon of the top performing protocols was their temporal synchronicity, a further series of numerical experiments was conducted with periodic time-gap protocols (10 h to 23 h, leading to the discovery that the performance of the GA search candidates could be replicated by 17-18 h periodic candidates. Further dynamic irradiation-response cell-phase analysis revealed that such periodicity cohered with latent EMT6/Ro cell-phase temporal patterning. Taken together, this study provides powerful evidence towards the hypothesis that even simple inter-fraction timing variations for a given fractional dose program may present a facile, and highly cost

  20. A matter of timing: identifying significant multi-dose radiotherapy improvements by numerical simulation and genetic algorithm search.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angus, Simon D; Piotrowska, Monika Joanna

    2014-01-01

    Multi-dose radiotherapy protocols (fraction dose and timing) currently used in the clinic are the product of human selection based on habit, received wisdom, physician experience and intra-day patient timetabling. However, due to combinatorial considerations, the potential treatment protocol space for a given total dose or treatment length is enormous, even for relatively coarse search; well beyond the capacity of traditional in-vitro methods. In constrast, high fidelity numerical simulation of tumor development is well suited to the challenge. Building on our previous single-dose numerical simulation model of EMT6/Ro spheroids, a multi-dose irradiation response module is added and calibrated to the effective dose arising from 18 independent multi-dose treatment programs available in the experimental literature. With the developed model a constrained, non-linear, search for better performing cadidate protocols is conducted within the vicinity of two benchmarks by genetic algorithm (GA) techniques. After evaluating less than 0.01% of the potential benchmark protocol space, candidate protocols were identified by the GA which conferred an average of 9.4% (max benefit 16.5%) and 7.1% (13.3%) improvement (reduction) on tumour cell count compared to the two benchmarks, respectively. Noticing that a convergent phenomenon of the top performing protocols was their temporal synchronicity, a further series of numerical experiments was conducted with periodic time-gap protocols (10 h to 23 h), leading to the discovery that the performance of the GA search candidates could be replicated by 17-18 h periodic candidates. Further dynamic irradiation-response cell-phase analysis revealed that such periodicity cohered with latent EMT6/Ro cell-phase temporal patterning. Taken together, this study provides powerful evidence towards the hypothesis that even simple inter-fraction timing variations for a given fractional dose program may present a facile, and highly cost-effecitive means

  1. Significant survival improvement of patients with recurrent breast cancer in the periods 2001-2008 vs. 1992-2000

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nishimura Sumiko

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It is unclear whether individualized treatments based on biological factors have improved the prognosis of recurrent breast cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the survival improvement of patients with recurrent breast cancer after the introduction of third generation aromatase inhibitors (AIs and trastuzumab. Methods A total of 407 patients who received first diagnosis of recurrent breast cancer and treatment at National Kyushu Cancer Center between 1992 and 2008 were retrospectively evaluated. As AIs and trastuzumab were approved for clinical use in Japan in 2001, the patients were divided into two time cohorts depending on whether the cancer recurred before or after 2001. Cohort A: 170 patients who were diagnosed between 1992 and 2000. Cohort B: 237 patients who were diagnosed between 2001 and 2008. Tumor characteristics, treatments, and outcome were compared. Results Fourteen percent of cohort A and 76% of cohort B received AIs and/or trastuzumab (P Conclusions The prognosis of patients with recurrent breast cancer was improved over time following the introduction of AIs and trastuzumab and the survival improvement was apparent in HR- and/or HER-2-positive tumors.

  2. Improved Fuzzy Art Method for Initializing K-means

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sevinc Ilhan

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The K-means algorithm is quite sensitive to the cluster centers selected initially and can perform different clusterings depending on these initialization conditions. Within the scope of this study, a new method based on the Fuzzy ART algorithm which is called Improved Fuzzy ART (IFART is used in the determination of initial cluster centers. By using IFART, better quality clusters are achieved than Fuzzy ART do and also IFART is as good as Fuzzy ART about capable of fast clustering and capability on large scaled data clustering. Consequently, it is observed that, with the proposed method, the clustering operation is completed in fewer steps, that it is performed in a more stable manner by fixing the initialization points and that it is completed with a smaller error margin compared with the conventional K-means.

  3. Improvement of Accuracy for Background Noise Estimation Method Based on TPE-AE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Itai, Akitoshi; Yasukawa, Hiroshi

    This paper proposes a method of a background noise estimation based on the tensor product expansion with a median and a Monte carlo simulation. We have shown that a tensor product expansion with absolute error method is effective to estimate a background noise, however, a background noise might not be estimated by using conventional method properly. In this paper, it is shown that the estimate accuracy can be improved by using proposed methods.

  4. Method of improving heterogeneous oil reservoir polymer flooding effect by positively-charged gel profile control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ling; Xia, Huifen

    2018-01-01

    The project of polymer flooding has achieved great success in Daqing oilfield, and the main oil reservoir recovery can be improved by more than 15%. But, for some strong oil reservoir heterogeneity carrying out polymer flooding, polymer solution will be inefficient and invalid loop problem in the high permeability layer, then cause the larger polymer volume, and a significant reduction in the polymer flooding efficiency. Aiming at this problem, it is studied the method that improves heterogeneous oil reservoir polymer flooding effect by positively-charged gel profile control. The research results show that the polymer physical and chemical reaction of positively-charged gel with the residual polymer in high permeability layer can generate three-dimensional network of polymer, plugging high permeable layer, and increase injection pressure gradient, then improve the effect of polymer flooding development. Under the condition of the same dosage, positively-charged gel profile control can improve the polymer flooding recovery factor by 2.3∼3.8 percentage points. Under the condition of the same polymer flooding recovery factor increase value, after positively-charged gel profile control, it can reduce the polymer volume by 50 %. Applying mechanism of positively-charged gel profile control technology is feasible, cost savings, simple construction, and no environmental pollution, therefore has good application prospect.

  5. Assessment and Improving Methods of Reliability Indices in Bakhtar Regional Electricity Company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Shahrezaei

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Reliability of a system is the ability of a system to do prospected duties in future and the probability of desirable operation for doing predetermined duties. Power system elements failures data are the main data of reliability assessment in the network. Determining antiseptic parameters is the goal of reliability assessment by using system history data. These parameters help to recognize week points of the system. In other words, the goal of reliability assessment is operation improving and decreasing of the failures and power outages. This paper is developed to assess reliability indices of Bakhtar Regional Electricity Company up to 1393 and the improving methods and their effects on the reliability indices in this network. DIgSILENT Power Factory software is employed for simulation. Simulation results show the positive effect of improving methods in reliability indices of Bakhtar Regional Electricity Company.

  6. Significance of perceptually relevant image decolorization for scene classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viswanathan, Sowmya; Divakaran, Govind; Soman, Kutti Padanyl

    2017-11-01

    Color images contain luminance and chrominance components representing the intensity and color information, respectively. The objective of this paper is to show the significance of incorporating chrominance information to the task of scene classification. An improved color-to-grayscale image conversion algorithm that effectively incorporates chrominance information is proposed using the color-to-gray structure similarity index and singular value decomposition to improve the perceptual quality of the converted grayscale images. The experimental results based on an image quality assessment for image decolorization and its success rate (using the Cadik and COLOR250 datasets) show that the proposed image decolorization technique performs better than eight existing benchmark algorithms for image decolorization. In the second part of the paper, the effectiveness of incorporating the chrominance component for scene classification tasks is demonstrated using a deep belief network-based image classification system developed using dense scale-invariant feature transforms. The amount of chrominance information incorporated into the proposed image decolorization technique is confirmed with the improvement to the overall scene classification accuracy. Moreover, the overall scene classification performance improved by combining the models obtained using the proposed method and conventional decolorization methods.

  7. Improvement in the amine glass platform by bubbling method for a DNA microarray.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jee, Seung Hyun; Kim, Jong Won; Lee, Ji Hyeong; Yoon, Young Soo

    2015-01-01

    A glass platform with high sensitivity for sexually transmitted diseases microarray is described here. An amino-silane-based self-assembled monolayer was coated on the surface of a glass platform using a novel bubbling method. The optimized surface of the glass platform had highly uniform surface modifications using this method, as well as improved hybridization properties with capture probes in the DNA microarray. On the basis of these results, the improved glass platform serves as a highly reliable and optimal material for the DNA microarray. Moreover, in this study, we demonstrated that our glass platform, manufactured by utilizing the bubbling method, had higher uniformity, shorter processing time, lower background signal, and higher spot signal than the platforms manufactured by the general dipping method. The DNA microarray manufactured with a glass platform prepared using bubbling method can be used as a clinical diagnostic tool.

  8. On the Exploitation of Sensitivity Derivatives for Improving Sampling Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Yanzhao; Hussaini, M. Yousuff; Zang, Thomas A.

    2003-01-01

    Many application codes, such as finite-element structural analyses and computational fluid dynamics codes, are capable of producing many sensitivity derivatives at a small fraction of the cost of the underlying analysis. This paper describes a simple variance reduction method that exploits such inexpensive sensitivity derivatives to increase the accuracy of sampling methods. Three examples, including a finite-element structural analysis of an aircraft wing, are provided that illustrate an order of magnitude improvement in accuracy for both Monte Carlo and stratified sampling schemes.

  9. Improved Battery Parameter Estimation Method Considering Operating Scenarios for HEV/EV Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jufeng Yang

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an improved battery parameter estimation method based on typical operating scenarios in hybrid electric vehicles and pure electric vehicles. Compared with the conventional estimation methods, the proposed method takes both the constant-current charging and the dynamic driving scenarios into account, and two separate sets of model parameters are estimated through different parts of the pulse-rest test. The model parameters for the constant-charging scenario are estimated from the data in the pulse-charging periods, while the model parameters for the dynamic driving scenario are estimated from the data in the rest periods, and the length of the fitted dataset is determined by the spectrum analysis of the load current. In addition, the unsaturated phenomenon caused by the long-term resistor-capacitor (RC network is analyzed, and the initial voltage expressions of the RC networks in the fitting functions are improved to ensure a higher model fidelity. Simulation and experiment results validated the feasibility of the developed estimation method.

  10. Improved method for SNR prediction in machine-learning-based test

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sheng, Xiaoqin; Kerkhoff, Hans G.

    2010-01-01

    This paper applies an improved method for testing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of Analogue-to-Digital Converters (ADC). In previous work, a noisy and nonlinear pulse signal is exploited as the input stimulus to obtain the signature results of ADC. By applying a machine-learning-based approach,

  11. CFD and Experimental Studies on Wind Turbines in Complex Terrain by Improved Actuator Disk Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xin; Yan, Shu; Mu, Yanfei; Chen, Xinming; Shi, Shaoping

    2017-05-01

    In this paper, an onshore wind farm in mountainous area of southwest China was investigated through numerical and experimental methods. An improved actuator disk method, taking rotor data (i.e. blade geometry information, attack angle, blade pitch angle) into account, was carried out to investigate the flow characteristic of the wind farm, especially the wake developing behind the wind turbines. Comparing to the classic AD method and the situ measurements, the improved AD shows better agreements with the measurements. The turbine power was automatically predicted in CFD by blade element method, which agreed well with the measurement results. The study proved that the steady CFD simulation with improved actuator disk method was able to evaluate wind resource well and give good balance between computing efficiency and accuracy, in contrary to much more expensive computation methods such as actuator-line/actuator-surface transient model, or less accurate methods such as linear velocity reduction wake model.

  12. A New Method of Improving Transformer Restricted Earth Fault Protection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    KRSTIVOJEVIC, J. P.

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available A new method of avoiding malfunctioning of the transformer restricted earth fault (REF protection is presented. Application of the proposed method would eliminate unnecessary operation of REF protection in the cases of faults outside protected zone of a transformer or a magnetizing inrush accompanied by current transformer (CT saturation. On the basis of laboratory measurements and simulations the paper presents a detailed performance assessment of the proposed method which is based on digital phase comparator. The obtained results show that the new method was stable and precise for all tested faults and that its application would allow making a clear and precise difference between an internal fault and: (i external fault or (ii magnetizing inrush. The proposed method would improve performance of REF protection and reduce probability of maloperation due to CT saturation. The new method is robust and characterized by high speed of operation and high reliability and security.

  13. Improved exact method for the double TSP with multiple stacks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lusby, Richard Martin; Larsen, Jesper

    2011-01-01

    and delivery problems. The results suggest an impressive improvement, and we report, for the first time, optimal solutions to several unsolved instances from the literature containing 18 customers. Instances with 28 customers are also shown to be solvable within a few percent of optimality. © 2011 Wiley...... the first delivery, and the container cannot be repacked once packed. In this paper we improve the previously proposed exact method of Lusby et al. (Int Trans Oper Res 17 (2010), 637–652) through an additional preprocessing technique that uses the longest common subsequence between the respective pickup...

  14. Improving diet recipe and cooking methods attenuates hyperphosphatemia in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, N; Fang, W; Gu, A P; Yuan, J Z; Yang, X X; Lin, A W; Ni, Z H; Qian, J Q

    2015-09-01

    Hyperphosphatemia is an independent predictor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). The study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary intervention on reducing serum phosphate concentration in hyperphosphatemic PD patients. In this single-center clinical trial, 97 prevalent PD patients with serum phosphate concentration ≥ 1.6 mmol/l were allocated to the intervention (n = 48) or control (n = 49) group and followed up for 1 year. In addition to phosphate binder (calcium carbonate) therapy, patients in the intervention group were intensively educated to reduce phosphate-rich food intake and improve cooking methods. While stable in the control group (1.97 ± 0.20 to 1.94 ± 0.35 mmol/l, p > 0.05), the serum phosphate concentration decreased significantly in the intervention group (1.98 ± 0.28 to 1.65 ± 0.33 mmol/l, p = 0.015) concurrently with the drop in dietary phosphate intake (13.03 ± 3.39 to 10.82 ± 3.00 mg/kg ideal body weight/day, p = 0.001). Moreover, after 6 months of intervention, fewer patients needed to use calcium carbonate (from 64.6% to 41.5%, p = 0.029) and the medicine dose reduced significantly (from 2.25 (0, 3.94) to 0 (0, 1.50) g/day, p cooking methods attenuated hyperphosphatemia in PD patients. It suggests that regular assessment of dietary phosphate intake and modification of diet recipe and cooking methods are essential for hyperphosphatemia treatment in PD patients in addition to phosphate binder therapy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. The improved business valuation model for RFID company based on the community mining method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shugang; Yu, Zhaoxu

    2017-01-01

    Nowadays, the appetite for the investment and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in RFID companies is growing rapidly. Although the huge number of papers have addressed the topic of business valuation models based on statistical methods or neural network methods, only a few are dedicated to constructing a general framework for business valuation that improves the performance with network graph (NG) and the corresponding community mining (CM) method. In this study, an NG based business valuation model is proposed, where real options approach (ROA) integrating CM method is designed to predict the company's net profit as well as estimate the company value. Three improvements are made in the proposed valuation model: Firstly, our model figures out the credibility of the node belonging to each community and clusters the network according to the evolutionary Bayesian method. Secondly, the improved bacterial foraging optimization algorithm (IBFOA) is adopted to calculate the optimized Bayesian posterior probability function. Finally, in IBFOA, bi-objective method is used to assess the accuracy of prediction, and these two objectives are combined into one objective function using a new Pareto boundary method. The proposed method returns lower forecasting error than 10 well-known forecasting models on 3 different time interval valuing tasks for the real-life simulation of RFID companies.

  16. Randomized controlled trial of a computer-based module to improve contraceptive method choice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garbers, Samantha; Meserve, Allison; Kottke, Melissa; Hatcher, Robert; Ventura, Alicia; Chiasson, Mary Ann

    2012-10-01

    Unintended pregnancy is common in the United States, and interventions are needed to improve contraceptive use among women at higher risk of unintended pregnancy, including Latinas and women with low educational attainment. A three-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted at two family planning sites serving low-income, predominantly Latina populations. The trial tested the efficacy of a computer-based contraceptive assessment module in increasing the proportion of patients choosing an effective method of contraception (women per year, typical use). Participants were randomized to complete the module and receive tailored health materials, to complete the module and receive generic health materials, or to a control condition. In intent-to-treat analyses adjusted for recruitment site (n=2231), family planning patients who used the module were significantly more likely to choose an effective contraceptive method: 75% among those who received tailored materials [odds ratio (OR)=1.56; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23-1.98] and 78% among those who received generic materials (OR=1.74; 95% CI: 1.35-2.25), compared to 65% among control arm participants. The findings support prior research suggesting that patient-centered interventions can positively influence contraceptive method choice. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Creating Significant Learning Experiences across Disciplines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levine, Laura E.; Fallahi, Carolyn R.; Nicoll-Senft, Joan M.; Tessier, Jack T.; Watson, Cheryl L.; Wood, Rebecca M.

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to use Fink's (2003) taxonomy of significant learning to redesign courses and assess student learning. Significant improvements were found across the semester for students in the six courses, but there were differences in which taxa showed improvement in each course. The meta-analysis showed significant, positive…

  18. Cross accumulative roll bonding—A novel mechanical technique for significant improvement of stir-cast Al/Al2O3 nanocomposite properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ardakani, Mohammad Reza Kamali; Amirkhanlou, Sajjad; Khorsand, Shohreh

    2014-01-01

    Lightweight metal-matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs—metal matrix with nanosized ceramic particles) can be of significance for automobile, aerospace, and numerous other applications. There are some problems in obtaining suitable mechanical properties of MMNCs, including weak bonding between reinforcement and matrix, non-uniformity of reinforcement nanoparticles and high porosity content. In this study, aluminum/alumina nanocomposite was fabricated by stircasting method. Subsequently, cross accumulative roll bonding (CARB) process was used as an effective method for refinement of microstructure and improvement of mechanical properties. The microstructural evolution and the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites during various CARB cycles were examined by the Archimedes method, X-ray defractometer, scanning electron microscopy and tensile testing. The results showed that the microstructure of the nanocomposite after eight cycles of CARB had an excellent distribution of alumina nanoparticles in aluminum matrix without any remarkable porosity. The X-ray diffraction results showed that the crystallite size of the nanocomposite was 71 nm by employing eight cycles of CARB technique. Mechanical experiment also indicated that the ultimate tensile strength and the elongation of the nanocomposite increased as the number of CARB cycles increased. After eight CARB cycles, ultimate tensile strength and the elongation values reached 344 MPa and 6.4%, which were 3.13 and 3.05 times greater than those of as-cast nanocomposites, respectively

  19. Mixed-method tutoring support improves learning outcomes of veterinary students in basic subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Iglesias, María J; Pérez-Martínez, Claudia; Gutiérrez-Martín, César B; Díez-Laiz, Raquel; Sahagún-Prieto, Ana M

    2018-02-01

    Tutoring is a useful tool in the university teaching-learning binomial, although its development is impaired in large classes. Recent improvements in information and communication technologies have made tutoring possible via the Internet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mixed-method academic tutoring in two basic subjects in Veterinary Science studies at the University of León (Spain) to optimize the usefulness of tutoring support in the college environment. This quasi-experimental study was firstly carried out as a pilot study in a small group of tutored students of "Cytology and Histology" (CH) (47/186; 25.3%) and "Veterinary Pharmacology" (VP) (33/141; 23.4%) subjects, and was implemented in a large class of CH the next academic year (150 students) while comparing the results with those obtained in a previous tutorless course (162 students). Tutored students were given access to online questionnaires with electronic feedback on each subject. In addition to traditional tutoring carried out in both tutored and tutorless students, the pilot study included three sessions of face-to-face tutoring in order to monitor the progress of students. Its efficacy was assessed by monitoring students' examination scores and attendance as well as a satisfaction survey. Although the examination attendance rate in the pilot study was not significantly different between tutored and tutorless groups in both subjects, an increase for numerical scores in tutored groups was observed, with a significant higher final score in VP (p = 0.001) and in the CH practice exams (first term, p = 0.009; final, p = 0.023). Good and merit scores were also better in tutored students with significant differences in VP (p = 0.005). Students felt comfortable with the tutoring service (100% in CH; 91.7% in VP). Implementation of this additional support in CH also resulted in a significant increase of attendance at the final exam in tutored courses (87.3% versus 77

  20. Defining and determining the significance of impacts: concepts and methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Christensen, S.W.; Van Winkle, W.; Mattice, J.S.

    1975-01-01

    The term impact is conceptually and mathematically defined to be the difference in the state or value of an ecosystem with versus without the source of impact. Some resulting problems associated with the measurement of impacts based on comparisons of baseline and operational data are discussed briefly. The concept of a significant adverse impact on a biological system is operationally defined in terms of an adverse impact which, according to a proposed decision-tree, justifies rejection of a project or a change in its site, design, or mode of operation. A gradient of increasing difficulty in the prediction of impacts exists as the scope of the assessment is expanded to consider long-term, far-field impacts with respect to higher levels of biological organization (e.g., communities or ecosystems). The analytical methods available for predicting short-term, near-field impacts are discussed. Finally, the role of simulation modeling as an aid to professional judgment in predicting the long-term, far-field consequences of impacts is considered, and illustrated with an example. (U.S.)

  1. Methylphenidate significantly improves declarative memory functioning of adults with ADHD.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verster, J.C.; Bekker, E.M.; Kooij, J.J.; Buitelaar, J.K.; Verbaten, M.N.; Volkerts, E.R.; Olivier, B.

    2010-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Declarative memory deficits are common in untreated adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but limited evidence exists to support improvement after treatment with methylphenidate. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of methylphenidate on memory

  2. An Improved Method for Extraction and Separation of Photosynthetic Pigments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katayama, Nobuyasu; Kanaizuka, Yasuhiro; Sudarmi, Rini; Yokohama, Yasutsugu

    2003-01-01

    The method for extracting and separating hydrophobic photosynthetic pigments proposed by Katayama "et al." ("Japanese Journal of Phycology," 42, 71-77, 1994) has been improved to introduce it to student laboratories at the senior high school level. Silica gel powder was used for removing water from fresh materials prior to…

  3. Improvement on the Performance of Canal Network and Method of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper presents the required improvement on the performance of canal network and method of on-farm water application systems at Tunga-Kawo irrigation scheme, Wushishi, Niger state. The problems of poor delivery of water to the farmland were identified to include erosion of canal embarkment, lack of water ...

  4. Improving of Business Planning Using the Method of Fuzzy Numbers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iryna Kosteteska

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Summarize the experience of using modern methods in the business plan with the application of economic and mathematical modeling. Methodology: Theoretical and methodological basis of the study is the basic principles of economic theory, agricultural economics and scientific research of leading home and foreign scholars on the theory of planning. Originality: This further justifies business planning processes in agriculture from the standpoint of raising economic protection of farmers. The methodology for assessing farm income for planned indicators through the application of fuzzy numbers method in business planning is improved.

  5. Gene set analysis: limitations in popular existing methods and proposed improvements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishra, Pashupati; Törönen, Petri; Leino, Yrjö; Holm, Liisa

    2014-10-01

    Gene set analysis is the analysis of a set of genes that collectively contribute to a biological process. Most popular gene set analysis methods are based on empirical P-value that requires large number of permutations. Despite numerous gene set analysis methods developed in the past decade, the most popular methods still suffer from serious limitations. We present a gene set analysis method (mGSZ) based on Gene Set Z-scoring function (GSZ) and asymptotic P-values. Asymptotic P-value calculation requires fewer permutations, and thus speeds up the gene set analysis process. We compare the GSZ-scoring function with seven popular gene set scoring functions and show that GSZ stands out as the best scoring function. In addition, we show improved performance of the GSA method when the max-mean statistics is replaced by the GSZ scoring function. We demonstrate the importance of both gene and sample permutations by showing the consequences in the absence of one or the other. A comparison of asymptotic and empirical methods of P-value estimation demonstrates a clear advantage of asymptotic P-value over empirical P-value. We show that mGSZ outperforms the state-of-the-art methods based on two different evaluations. We compared mGSZ results with permutation and rotation tests and show that rotation does not improve our asymptotic P-values. We also propose well-known asymptotic distribution models for three of the compared methods. mGSZ is available as R package from cran.r-project.org. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. IMPROVING MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING AND COST CALCULATION IN DAIRY INDUSTRY USING STANDARD COST METHOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bogdănoiu Cristiana-Luminiţa

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to discuss issues related to the improvement of management accounting in the dairy industry by implementing standard cost method. The methods used today do not provide informational satisfaction to managers in order to conduct effectively production activities, which is why we attempted the standard cost method, it responding to the managers needs to obtain the efficiency of production, and all economic entities. The method allows an operative control of how they consume manpower and material resources by pursuing distinct, permanent and complete deviations during the activity and not at the end of the reporting period. Successful implementation of the standard method depends on the accuracy by which standards are developed and promotes consistently anticipated calculation of production costs as well as determination, tracking and controlling deviations from them, leads to increased practical value of accounting information and business improvement.

  7. Is the implementation of quality improvement methods in hospitals subject to the neighbourhood effect?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Tsung-Hsien; Chung, Kuo-Piao

    2014-06-01

    Quality improvement (QI) methods have been fashionable in hospitals for decades. Previous studies have discussed the relationships between the implementation of QI methods and various external and internal factors, but there has been no examination to date of whether the neighbourhood effect influences such implementation. The aim of this study was to use a multilevel model to investigate whether and how the neighbourhood effect influences the implementation of QI methods in the hospital setting in Taiwan. This is a retrospective questionnaire-based survey. All medical centres, regional hospitals and district teaching hospitals in Taiwan. Directors or persons in charge of implementing QI methods in hospitals. None. The breadth and depth of QI method implementation. Seventy-two of the 139 hospitals contacted returned the questionnaire, yielding a 52% response rate. The breadth and depth of QI method implementation increased over the 10-year study period, particularly between 2004 and 2006. The breadth and depth of the QI methods implemented in the participating hospitals were significantly associated with the average breadth and depth of those implemented by their competitors in the same medical area during the previous period. In addition, time was positively associated with the breadth and depth of QI method implementation. In summary, the findings of this study show that hospitals' QI implementation status is influenced by that of their neighbours. Hence, the neighbourhood effect is an important factor in understanding hospital behaviour. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

  8. Improved methods of creep-fatigue life assessment of components

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scholz, Alfred; Berger, Christina [Inst. fuer Werkstoffkunde (IfW), Technische Univ. Darmstadt (Germany)

    2009-07-01

    The improvement of life assessment methods contributes to a reduction of efforts at design and an effective long term operation of high temperature components, reduces technical risk and increases high economical advantages. Creep-fatigue at multi-stage loading, covering cold start, warm start and hot start cycles in typical loading sequences e.g. for medium loaded power plants, was investigated here. At hold times creep and stress relaxation, respectively, lead to an acceleration of crack initiation. Creep fatigue life time can be calculated by a modified damage accumulation rule, which considers the fatigue fraction rule for fatigue damage and the life fraction rule for creep damage. Mean stress effects, internal stress and interaction effects of creep and fatigue are considered. Along with the generation of advanced creep data, fatigue data and creep fatigue data as well scatter band analyses are necessary in order to generate design curves and lower bound properties inclusive. Besides, in order to improve lifing methods the enhancement of modelling activities for deformation and life time are important. For verification purposes, complex experiments at variable creep conditions as well as at creep fatigue interaction under multi-stage loading are of interest. Generally, the development of methods to transfer uniaxial material properties to multiaxial loading situations is a current challenge. For specific design purposes, a constitutive material model is introduced which is implemented as an user subroutine for Finite Element applications due to start-up and shut-down phases of components. Identification of material parameters have been performed by Neural Networks. (orig.)

  9. Comparison between the accuracies of a new discretization method and an improved Fourier method to evaluate heat transfers between soil and atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hechinger, E.; Raffy, M.; Becker, F.

    1982-01-01

    To improve and evaluate the accuracy of Fourier methods for the analysis of the energy exchanges between soil and atmosphere, we have developed first a Fourier method that takes into account the nonneutrality corrections and the time variation of the air temperature and which improves the linearization procedures and, second a new discretization method that does not imply any linearization. The Fourier method, which gives the exact solution of an approximated problem, turns out to have the same order of accuracy as the discretization method, which gives an approximate solution of the exact problem. These methods reproduce the temperatures and fluxes predicted by the Tergra model as well as another set of experimental surface temperatures. In its present form, the Fourier method leads to results that become less accurate (mainly for low wind speeds) under certain conditions, namely, as the amplitude of the daily variation of the air and surface temperatures and their differences increase and as the relative humidities of the air at about 2 m and at the soil surface differ. Nevertheless, the results may be considered as generally satisfactory. Possible improvements of the Fourier model are discussed

  10. A Pragmatic Smoothing Method for Improving the Quality of the Results in Atomic Spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennun, Leonardo

    2017-07-01

    A new smoothing method for the improvement on the identification and quantification of spectral functions based on the previous knowledge of the signals that are expected to be quantified, is presented. These signals are used as weighted coefficients in the smoothing algorithm. This smoothing method was conceived to be applied in atomic and nuclear spectroscopies preferably to these techniques where net counts are proportional to acquisition time, such as particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and other X-ray fluorescence spectroscopic methods, etc. This algorithm, when properly applied, does not distort the form nor the intensity of the signal, so it is well suited for all kind of spectroscopic techniques. This method is extremely effective at reducing high-frequency noise in the signal much more efficient than a single rectangular smooth of the same width. As all of smoothing techniques, the proposed method improves the precision of the results, but in this case we found also a systematic improvement on the accuracy of the results. We still have to evaluate the improvement on the quality of the results when this method is applied over real experimental results. We expect better characterization of the net area quantification of the peaks, and smaller Detection and Quantification Limits. We have applied this method to signals that obey Poisson statistics, but with the same ideas and criteria, it could be applied to time series. In a general case, when this algorithm is applied over experimental results, also it would be required that the sought characteristic functions, required for this weighted smoothing method, should be obtained from a system with strong stability. If the sought signals are not perfectly clean, this method should be carefully applied

  11. Improved Thévenin equivalent methods for real-time voltage stability assessment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Perez, Angel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Østergaard, Jacob

    2016-01-01

    An improved Thévenin equivalent method for real-time voltage stability assessment that uses wide-area information from synchrophasors is proposed. The improvements are a better modeling of the limited synchronous generators, and a processing that anticipates the effect of field current limiters......, before the latter are activated. Several study cases using detailed dynamic simulations of the Nordic test system have been used to assess the performance of the proposed improvements. Their effectiveness is analyzed and, based on the results, their possible application in combination...

  12. A fast method for the unit scheduling problem with significant renewable power generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osório, G.J.; Lujano-Rojas, J.M.; Matias, J.C.O.; Catalão, J.P.S.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A model to the scheduling of power systems with significant renewable power generation is provided. • A new methodology that takes information from the analysis of each scenario separately is proposed. • Based on a probabilistic analysis, unit scheduling and corresponding economic dispatch are estimated. • A comparison with others methodologies is in favour of the proposed approach. - Abstract: Optimal operation of power systems with high integration of renewable power sources has become difficult as a consequence of the random nature of some sources like wind energy and photovoltaic energy. Nowadays, this problem is solved using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) approach, which allows considering important statistical characteristics of wind and solar power production such as the correlation between consecutive observations, the diurnal profile of the forecasted power production, and the forecasting error. However, MCS method requires the analysis of a representative amount of trials, which is an intensive calculation task that increases considerably with the number of scenarios considered. In this paper, a model to the scheduling of power systems with significant renewable power generation based on scenario generation/reduction method, which establishes a proportional relationship between the number of scenarios and the computational time required to analyse them, is proposed. The methodology takes information from the analysis of each scenario separately to determine the probabilistic behaviour of each generator at each hour in the scheduling problem. Then, considering a determined significance level, the units to be committed are selected and the load dispatch is determined. The proposed technique was illustrated through a case study and the comparison with stochastic programming approach was carried out, concluding that the proposed methodology can provide an acceptable solution in a reduced computational time

  13. Using the Bootstrap Method for a Statistical Significance Test of Differences between Summary Histograms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Kuan-Man

    2006-01-01

    A new method is proposed to compare statistical differences between summary histograms, which are the histograms summed over a large ensemble of individual histograms. It consists of choosing a distance statistic for measuring the difference between summary histograms and using a bootstrap procedure to calculate the statistical significance level. Bootstrapping is an approach to statistical inference that makes few assumptions about the underlying probability distribution that describes the data. Three distance statistics are compared in this study. They are the Euclidean distance, the Jeffries-Matusita distance and the Kuiper distance. The data used in testing the bootstrap method are satellite measurements of cloud systems called cloud objects. Each cloud object is defined as a contiguous region/patch composed of individual footprints or fields of view. A histogram of measured values over footprints is generated for each parameter of each cloud object and then summary histograms are accumulated over all individual histograms in a given cloud-object size category. The results of statistical hypothesis tests using all three distances as test statistics are generally similar, indicating the validity of the proposed method. The Euclidean distance is determined to be most suitable after comparing the statistical tests of several parameters with distinct probability distributions among three cloud-object size categories. Impacts on the statistical significance levels resulting from differences in the total lengths of satellite footprint data between two size categories are also discussed.

  14. A Novel Technique for Steganography Method Based on Improved Genetic Algorithm Optimization in Spatial Domain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Soleimanpour-moghadam

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper devotes itself to the study of secret message delivery using cover image and introduces a novel steganographic technique based on genetic algorithm to find a near-optimum structure for the pair-wise least-significant-bit (LSB matching scheme. A survey of the related literatures shows that the LSB matching method developed by Mielikainen, employs a binary function to reduce the number of changes of LSB values. This method verifiably reduces the probability of detection and also improves the visual quality of stego images. So, our proposal draws on the Mielikainen's technique to present an enhanced dual-state scoring model, structured upon genetic algorithm which assesses the performance of different orders for LSB matching and searches for a near-optimum solution among all the permutation orders. Experimental results confirm superiority of the new approach compared to the Mielikainen’s pair-wise LSB matching scheme.

  15. Clinical application in the improved method of whirbone axial view X-ray photography and synthetical evaluation of various survey methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma Xiushan; Zou Dehua; Lin Bo; Liu Xiying; Xu Yingjie; Zhang Guoxian; Wang Limin

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To summarize the improved method of photographing axial view of the patella by genuflex at 25 degree angle and evaluate synthetically various measures. Methods: Special projection frame was made to photograph in the study. Thirty normal people were enrolled as controls and 154 patients with fore-knee pain were included in the patient group. The patients were found to be abnormal in the arrangement of the patella by patella axial view photographs. Measures included sulcus angle (SA), congruence angle (CA), lateral shift (LS), later patellofemoral angle (LPFA), patellofemoral index (PFI), and lateral patellar displacement (LPD). Results: The average value of the parameter of two groups respectively are comparison group of SA 137.38 degree, CA -10.73 degree, LS 10.49%, LPFA 13.70 degree, PFI 0.48, LPD 0.45 mm and observation group of: SA 142.38 degree, CA -0.71 degree, LS 19.68%, LPFA 12.12 degree, PFI 1.13, LPD 0.42 mm. There was significant difference between the control group and patients for most measures except LPD (P<0.01). The measures of PFI, CA, LS, LPTA and LPD were sensitive to the disarrangement of the patella, with sensitivity of 71.66%, 63.33%, 56.66%, 21.60%, 16.66% respectively. Conclusions: The method of photographing axial view of the patella by genuflex at 25 degree angle is effective. It increases distinctness of the photographs. Furthermore, the method makes line-drawing more easily and measuring more accurately. (authors)

  16. To improve training methods in an engine room simulator-based training

    OpenAIRE

    Lin, Chingshin

    2016-01-01

    The simulator based training are used widely in both industry and school education to reduce the accidents nowadays. This study aims to suggest the improved training methods to increase the effectiveness of engine room simulator training. The effectiveness of training in engine room will be performance indicators and the self-evaluation by participants. In the first phase of observation, the aim is to find out the possible shortcomings of current training methods based on train...

  17. An Angular Method with Position Control for Block Mesh Squareness Improvement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yao, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Stillman, D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2017-09-19

    We optimize a target function de ned by angular properties with a position control term for a basic stencil with a block-structured mesh, to improve element squareness in 2D and 3D. Comparison with the condition number method shows that besides a similar mesh quality regarding orthogonality can be achieved as the former does, the new method converges faster and provides a more uniform global mesh spacing in our numerical tests.

  18. Dictionary Pruning with Visual Word Significance for Medical Image Retrieval.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Fan; Song, Yang; Cai, Weidong; Hauptmann, Alexander G; Liu, Sidong; Pujol, Sonia; Kikinis, Ron; Fulham, Michael J; Feng, David Dagan; Chen, Mei

    2016-02-12

    Content-based medical image retrieval (CBMIR) is an active research area for disease diagnosis and treatment but it can be problematic given the small visual variations between anatomical structures. We propose a retrieval method based on a bag-of-visual-words (BoVW) to identify discriminative characteristics between different medical images with Pruned Dictionary based on Latent Semantic Topic description. We refer to this as the PD-LST retrieval. Our method has two main components. First, we calculate a topic-word significance value for each visual word given a certain latent topic to evaluate how the word is connected to this latent topic. The latent topics are learnt, based on the relationship between the images and words, and are employed to bridge the gap between low-level visual features and high-level semantics. These latent topics describe the images and words semantically and can thus facilitate more meaningful comparisons between the words. Second, we compute an overall-word significance value to evaluate the significance of a visual word within the entire dictionary. We designed an iterative ranking method to measure overall-word significance by considering the relationship between all latent topics and words. The words with higher values are considered meaningful with more significant discriminative power in differentiating medical images. We evaluated our method on two public medical imaging datasets and it showed improved retrieval accuracy and efficiency.

  19. Five-year results from a prospective multicentre study of percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation demonstrate sustained removal of significant pulmonary regurgitation, improved right ventricular outflow tract obstruction and improved quality of life

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hager, Alfred; Schubert, Stephan; Ewert, Peter

    2017-01-01

    . The EQ-5D quality of life utility index and visual analogue scale scores were both significantly improved six months post PPVI and remained so at five years. CONCLUSIONS: Five-year results following PPVI demonstrate resolved moderate or severe pulmonary regurgitation, improved right ventricular outflow...

  20. Improving Battery Reactor Core Design Using Optimization Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Son, Hyung M.; Suh, Kune Y.

    2011-01-01

    The Battery Omnibus Reactor Integral System (BORIS) is a small modular fast reactor being designed at Seoul National University to satisfy various energy demands, to maintain inherent safety by liquid-metal coolant lead for natural circulation heat transport, and to improve power conversion efficiency with the Modular Optimal Balance Integral System (MOBIS) using the supercritical carbon dioxide as working fluid. This study is focused on developing the Neutronics Optimized Reactor Analysis (NORA) method that can quickly generate conceptual design of a battery reactor core by means of first principle calculations, which is part of the optimization process for reactor assembly design of BORIS

  1. A method for systematic resource allocation for improved nuclear power plant performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doboe, L.; Golay, M.; Todreas, N.; Li, F.

    2000-01-01

    An investigation was made on plant improvement investments in terms of the methods and criteria used in cooperation with the staffs of a group of nuclear power plants, aiming to understand better the methods used within US nuclear power plants for allocating investments. Cost analyses were being used the authors translated the process into a mathematical format. A spectrum of practices, ranging from use of informal power relationship-based processes to format benefit was found among different organizations. Cost-based processes structured to take into account a broad range of decision factors. Factors such as cost results, risk aversion and required uncertainty premiums were included in the treatment. Ultimately, competing investments can be ranked using the method presented in order of their return upon investment at an equivalent level of uncertainty. A method for ranking the attractiveness of nuclear power plant investments is presented which takes into account consistently factors of return upon investment, uncertainty and decision-maker risk aversion. Hopefully its use will result in improved decisions. (M.N.)

  2. Bone marrow-derived cells for cardiovascular cell therapy: an optimized GMP method based on low-density gradient improves cell purity and function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radrizzani, Marina; Lo Cicero, Viviana; Soncin, Sabrina; Bolis, Sara; Sürder, Daniel; Torre, Tiziano; Siclari, Francesco; Moccetti, Tiziano; Vassalli, Giuseppe; Turchetto, Lucia

    2014-09-27

    Cardiovascular cell therapy represents a promising field, with several approaches currently being tested. The advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) for the ongoing METHOD clinical study ("Bone marrow derived cell therapy in the stable phase of chronic ischemic heart disease") consists of fresh mononuclear cells (MNC) isolated from autologous bone marrow (BM) through density gradient centrifugation on standard Ficoll-Paque. Cells are tested for safety (sterility, endotoxin), identity/potency (cell count, CD45/CD34/CD133, viability) and purity (contaminant granulocytes and platelets). BM-MNC were isolated by density gradient centrifugation on Ficoll-Paque. The following process parameters were optimized throughout the study: gradient medium density; gradient centrifugation speed and duration; washing conditions. A new manufacturing method was set up, based on gradient centrifugation on low density Ficoll-Paque, followed by 2 washing steps, of which the second one at low speed. It led to significantly higher removal of contaminant granulocytes and platelets, improving product purity; the frequencies of CD34+ cells, CD133+ cells and functional hematopoietic and mesenchymal precursors were significantly increased. The methodological optimization described here resulted in a significant improvement of ATMP quality, a crucial issue to clinical applications in cardiovascular cell therapy.

  3. An improved microculture method for diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagheh, Abdolsattar; Fakhar, Mahdi; Mesgarian, Fatemeh; Gholami, Shirzad; Ahmadpour, Ehsan

    2014-12-01

    This study evaluated the performance of three diagnostic methods for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Patients who came to the Health Center Laboratory of Gonbad-e-Qabus in Golestan Province, Iran, were enrolled in the study. Skin scraping smear, improved microculture (IMC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed. A total of 303 subjects were recruited, among whom 273 subjects fulfilled the criteria for CL. Sensitivity and specificity were 88.8 % (95 % CI = 84.2-92.2 %) and 100.0 % for smears, 98.4 % (95 % CI = 96.1-99.1 %) and 100.0 % for IMC, both of them 100.0 % for PCR. Although, PCR was relatively more sensitive than the IMC, the high correlation (agreement = 96 %, Kappa = 0.82) between IMC and PCR along with the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, adequate sensitivity and as a needle free method, offers the IMC as a valuable alternative diagnostic method for PCR in diagnosis of CL.

  4. An improved K-means clustering method for cDNA microarray image segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, T N; Li, T J; Shao, G F; Wu, S X

    2015-07-14

    Microarray technology is a powerful tool for human genetic research and other biomedical applications. Numerous improvements to the standard K-means algorithm have been carried out to complete the image segmentation step. However, most of the previous studies classify the image into two clusters. In this paper, we propose a novel K-means algorithm, which first classifies the image into three clusters, and then one of the three clusters is divided as the background region and the other two clusters, as the foreground region. The proposed method was evaluated on six different data sets. The analyses of accuracy, efficiency, expression values, special gene spots, and noise images demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in improving the segmentation quality.

  5. Improved non-dimensional dynamic influence function method based on tow-domain method for vibration analysis of membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SW Kang

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available This article introduces an improved non-dimensional dynamic influence function method using a sub-domain method for efficiently extracting the eigenvalues and mode shapes of concave membranes with arbitrary shapes. The non-dimensional dynamic influence function method (non-dimensional dynamic influence function method, which was developed by the authors in 1999, gives highly accurate eigenvalues for membranes, plates, and acoustic cavities, compared with the finite element method. However, it needs the inefficient procedure of calculating the singularity of a system matrix in the frequency range of interest for extracting eigenvalues and mode shapes. To overcome the inefficient procedure, this article proposes a practical approach to make the system matrix equation of the concave membrane of interest into a form of algebraic eigenvalue problem. It is shown by several case studies that the proposed method has a good convergence characteristics and yields very accurate eigenvalues, compared with an exact method and finite element method (ANSYS.

  6. Combination of blood tests for significant fibrosis and cirrhosis improves the assessment of liver-prognosis in chronic hepatitis C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boursier, J; Brochard, C; Bertrais, S; Michalak, S; Gallois, Y; Fouchard-Hubert, I; Oberti, F; Rousselet, M-C; Calès, P

    2014-07-01

    Recent longitudinal studies have emphasised the prognostic value of noninvasive tests of liver fibrosis and cross-sectional studies have shown their combination significantly improves diagnostic accuracy. To compare the prognostic accuracy of six blood fibrosis tests and liver biopsy, and evaluate if test combination improves the liver-prognosis assessment in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). A total of 373 patients with compensated CHC, liver biopsy (Metavir F) and blood tests targeting fibrosis (APRI, FIB4, Fibrotest, Hepascore, FibroMeter) or cirrhosis (CirrhoMeter) were included. Significant liver-related events (SLRE) and liver-related deaths were recorded during follow-up (started the day of biopsy). During the median follow-up of 9.5 years (3508 person-years), 47 patients had a SLRE and 23 patients died from liver-related causes. For the prediction of first SLRE, most blood tests allowed higher prognostication than Metavir F [Harrell C-index: 0.811 (95% CI: 0.751-0.868)] with a significant increase for FIB4: 0.879 [0.832-0.919] (P = 0.002), FibroMeter: 0.870 [0.812-0.922] (P = 0.005) and APRI: 0.861 [0.813-0.902] (P = 0.039). Multivariate analysis identified FibroMeter, CirrhoMeter and sustained viral response as independent predictors of first SLRE. CirrhoMeter was the only independent predictor of liver-related death. The combination of FibroMeter and CirrhoMeter classifications into a new FM/CM classification improved the liver-prognosis assessment compared to Metavir F staging or single tests by identifying five subgroups of patients with significantly different prognoses. Some blood fibrosis tests are more accurate than liver biopsy for determining liver prognosis in CHC. A new combination of two complementary blood tests, one targeted for fibrosis and the other for cirrhosis, optimises assessment of liver-prognosis. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Efficiency improvement of nuclear power plant operation: the significant role of advanced nuclear fuel technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velde Van de, A.; Burtak, F.

    2001-01-01

    Due to the increased liberalisation of the power markets, nuclear power generation is being exposed to high cost reduction pressure. In this paper we highlight the role of advanced nuclear fuel technologies to reduce the fuel cycle costs and therefore increase the efficiency of nuclear power plant operation. The key factor is a more efficient utilisation of the fuel and present developments at Siemens are consequently directed at (i) further increase of batch average burnup, (ii) improvement of fuel reliability, (iii) enlargement of fuel operation margins and (iv) improvement of methods for fuel design and core analysis. As a result, the nuclear fuel cycle costs for a typical LWR have been reduced during the past decades by about US$ 35 million per year. The estimated impact of further burnup increases on the fuel cycle costs is expected to be an additional saving of US$10 - 15 million per year. Due to the fact that the fuel will operate closer to design limits, a careful approach is required when introducing advanced fuel features in reload quantities. Trust and co-operation between the fuel vendors and the utilities is a prerequisite for the common success. (authors)

  8. Improved olefinic fat suppression in skeletal muscle DTI using a magnitude-based dixon method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burakiewicz, Jedrzej; Hooijmans, Melissa T; Webb, Andrew G; Verschuuren, Jan J G M; Niks, Erik H; Kan, Hermien E

    2018-01-01

    To develop a method of suppressing the multi-resonance fat signal in diffusion-weighted imaging of skeletal muscle. This is particularly important when imaging patients with muscular dystrophies, a group of diseases which cause gradual replacement of muscle tissue by fat. The signal from the olefinic fat peak at 5.3 ppm can significantly confound diffusion-tensor imaging measurements. Dixon olefinic fat suppression (DOFS), a magnitude-based chemical-shift-based method of suppressing the olefinic peak, is proposed. It is verified in vivo by performing diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based quantification in the lower leg of seven healthy volunteers, and compared to two previously described fat-suppression techniques in regions with and without fat contamination. In the region without fat contamination, DOFS produces similar results to existing techniques, whereas in muscle contaminated by subcutaneous fat signal moved due to the chemical shift artefact, it consistently showed significantly higher (P = 0.018) mean diffusivity (MD). Because fat presence lowers MD, this suggests improved fat suppression. DOFS offers superior fat suppression and enhances quantitative measurements in the muscle in the presence of fat. DOFS is an alternative to spectral olefinic fat suppression. Magn Reson Med 79:152-159, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  9. Method and apparatus for improving the alignment of radiographic images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schuller, P.D.; Hatcher, D.C.; Caelli, T.M.; Eggert, F.M.; Yuzyk, J.

    1991-01-01

    This invention relates generally to the field of radiology, and has to do particularly with a method and apparatus for improving the alignment of radiographic images taken at different times of the same tissue structure, so that the images can be sequentially shown in aligned condition, whereby changes in the structure can be noted. (author). 10 figs

  10. Improved CEEMDAN-wavelet transform de-noising method and its application in well logging noise reduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jingxia; Guo, Yinghai; Shen, Yulin; Zhao, Difei; Li, Mi

    2018-06-01

    The use of geophysical logging data to identify lithology is an important groundwork in logging interpretation. Inevitably, noise is mixed in during data collection due to the equipment and other external factors and this will affect the further lithological identification and other logging interpretation. Therefore, to get a more accurate lithological identification it is necessary to adopt de-noising methods. In this study, a new de-noising method, namely improved complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN)-wavelet transform, is proposed, which integrates the superiorities of improved CEEMDAN and wavelet transform. Improved CEEMDAN, an effective self-adaptive multi-scale analysis method, is used to decompose non-stationary signals as the logging data to obtain the intrinsic mode function (IMF) of N different scales and one residual. Moreover, one self-adaptive scale selection method is used to determine the reconstruction scale k. Simultaneously, given the possible frequency aliasing problem between adjacent IMFs, a wavelet transform threshold de-noising method is used to reduce the noise of the (k-1)th IMF. Subsequently, the de-noised logging data are reconstructed by the de-noised (k-1)th IMF and the remaining low-frequency IMFs and the residual. Finally, empirical mode decomposition, improved CEEMDAN, wavelet transform and the proposed method are applied for analysis of the simulation and the actual data. Results show diverse performance of these de-noising methods with regard to accuracy for lithological identification. Compared with the other methods, the proposed method has the best self-adaptability and accuracy in lithological identification.

  11. Methods for slow axis beam quality improvement of high power broad area diode lasers

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, Haiyan; Xiong, Yihan; Jiang, Ching-Long J.; Schmidt, Berthold; Treusch, Georg

    2014-03-01

    For high brightness direct diode laser systems, it is of fundamental importance to improve the slow axis beam quality of the incorporated laser diodes regardless what beam combining technology is applied. To further advance our products in terms of increased brightness at a high power level, we must optimize the slow axis beam quality despite the far field blooming at high current levels. The later is caused predominantly by the built-in index step in combination with the thermal lens effect. Most of the methods for beam quality improvements reported in publications sacrifice the device efficiency and reliable output power. In order to improve the beam quality as well as maintain the efficiency and reliable output power, we investigated methods of influencing local heat generation to reduce the thermal gradient across the slow axis direction, optimizing the built-in index step and discriminating high order modes. Based on our findings, we have combined different methods in our new device design. Subsequently, the beam parameter product (BPP) of a 10% fill factor bar has improved by approximately 30% at 7 W/emitter without efficiency penalty. This technology has enabled fiber coupled high brightness multi-kilowatt direct diode laser systems. In this paper, we will elaborate on the methods used as well as the results achieved.

  12. FLIPPED CLASSROOM LEARNING METHOD TO IMPROVE CARING AND LEARNING OUTCOME IN FIRST YEAR NURSING STUDENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ni Putu Wulan Purnama Sari

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Caring is the essence of nursing profession. Stimulation of caring attitude should start early. Effective teaching methods needed to foster caring attitude and improve learning achievement. This study aimed to explain the effect of applying flipped classroom learning method for improving caring attitude and learning achievement of new student nurses at nursing institutions in Surabaya. Method: This is a pre-experimental study using the one group pretest posttest and posttest only design. Population was all new student nurses on nursing institutions in Surabaya. Inclusion criteria: female, 18-21 years old, majoring in nursing on their own volition and being first choice during students selection process, status were active in the even semester of 2015/2016 academic year. Sample size was 67 selected by total sampling. Variables: 1 independent: application of flipped classroom learning method; 2 dependent: caring attitude, learning achievement. Instruments: teaching plan, assignment descriptions, presence list, assignment assessment rubrics, study materials, questionnaires of caring attitude. Data analysis: paired and one sample t test. Ethical clearance was available. Results: Most respondents were 20 years old (44.8%, graduated from high school in Surabaya (38.8%, living with parents (68.7% in their homes (64.2%. All data were normally distributed. Flipped classroom learning method could improve caring attitude by 4.13%. Flipped classroom learning method was proved to be effective for improving caring attitude (p=0.021 and learning achievement (p=0.000. Conclusion and Recommendation: Flipped classroom was effective for improving caring attitude and learning achievement of new student nurse. It is recommended to use mix-method and larger sample for further study.

  13. Technical improvement and development of automatic detection method for genomic mutation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Kiyomi; Takai, Setsuo; Togashi, Chikako; Itami, Jun

    1999-01-01

    Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) method was improved to estimate the dose of radiation exposure. Cleavage of DNA molecules in lymphocyte was used as the detection parameter and the procedures for preparation of samples suitable for atomic force microscopy and laser microscopy were developed. When ordinal primers on the market were used for PCR, the products were generally too small (about 200 b.p.) for detection by FISH method. Therefore, dATP and biotin-labeled dUTP were linked to its 3'-end by treatment with TdT for 2 hours, resulting that the mean length of PCR products was ca. 1.5 Kb. After hybridization using this prove, signal amplification was carried out according to biotin-avidin detection method. Thus, fluorescent signals on chromosomes could be easily detected. When three primers, D6S105, D6S291 and D6S282 were used as primer, fluorescent signal was detectable at 3 sites on chromatin fiber. These results indicate that this method is available for the analysis of cleavage of chromosomes. However, the backgrounds were much varied depending on the way to wash the preparation after incubation with fluorescent particle to form biotin-avidin binding. Therefore, further improvement of this method was necessary to apply in practice. When chromosomes 13, 14 and 15 from lymphocytes exposed to X-ray were used as test samples, it was demonstrated that radio-sensitivity was variable depending on the contents of R band in each chromosome. (M.N.)

  14. Improvement of correlated sampling Monte Carlo methods for reactivity calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakagawa, Masayuki; Asaoka, Takumi

    1978-01-01

    Two correlated Monte Carlo methods, the similar flight path and the identical flight path methods, have been improved to evaluate up to the second order change of the reactivity perturbation. Secondary fission neutrons produced by neutrons having passed through perturbed regions in both unperturbed and perturbed systems are followed in a way to have a strong correlation between secondary neutrons in both the systems. These techniques are incorporated into the general purpose Monte Carlo code MORSE, so as to be able to estimate also the statistical error of the calculated reactivity change. The control rod worths measured in the FCA V-3 assembly are analyzed with the present techniques, which are shown to predict the measured values within the standard deviations. The identical flight path method has revealed itself more useful than the similar flight path method for the analysis of the control rod worth. (auth.)

  15. Accuracy of the improved quasistatic space-time method checked with experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kugler, G.; Dastur, A.R.

    1976-10-01

    Recent experiments performed at the Savannah River Laboratory have made it possible to check the accuracy of numerical methods developed to simulate space-dependent neutron transients. The experiments were specifically designed to emphasize delayed neutron holdback. The CERBERUS code using the IQS (Improved Quasistatic) method has been developed to provide a practical yet accurate tool for spatial kinetics calculations of CANDU reactors. The code was tested on the Savannah River experiments and excellent agreement was obtained. (author)

  16. Parameter definition using vibration prediction software leads to significant drilling performance improvements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amorim, Dalmo; Hanley, Chris Hanley; Fonseca, Isaac; Santos, Juliana [National Oilwell Varco, Houston TX (United States); Leite, Daltro J.; Borella, Augusto; Gozzi, Danilo [Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PETROBRAS), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2012-07-01

    The understanding and mitigation of downhole vibration has been a heavily researched subject in the oil industry as it results in more expensive drilling operations, as vibrations significantly diminish the amount of effective drilling energy available to the bit and generate forces that can push the bit or the Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) off its concentric axis of rotation, producing high magnitude impacts with the borehole wall. In order to drill ahead, a sufficient amount of energy must be supplied by the rig to overcome the resistance of the drilling system, including the reactive torque of the system, drag forces, fluid pressure losses and energy dissipated by downhole vibrations, then providing the bit with the energy required to fail the rock. If the drill string enters resonant modes of vibration, not only does it decreases the amount of available energy to drill, but increases the potential for catastrophic downhole equipment and drilling bit failures. In this sense, the mitigation of downhole vibrations will result in faster, smoother, and cheaper drilling operations. A software tool using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been developed to provide better understanding of downhole vibration phenomena in drilling environments. The software tool calculates the response of the drilling system at various input conditions, based on the design of the wellbore along with the geometry of the Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) and the drill string. It identifies where undesired levels of resonant vibration will be driven by certain combinations of specific drilling parameters, and also which combinations of drilling parameters will result in lower levels of vibration, so the least shocks, the highest penetration rate and the lowest cost per foot can be achieved. With the growing performance of personal computers, complex software systems modeling the drilling vibrations using FEA has been accessible to a wider audience of field users, further complimenting with real time

  17. An effective method to improve the robustness of small-world networks under attack

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Zheng-Zhen; Xu Wen-Jun; Lin Jia-Ru; Zeng Shang-You

    2014-01-01

    In this study, the robustness of small-world networks to three types of attack is investigated. Global efficiency is introduced as the network coefficient to measure the robustness of a small-world network. The simulation results prove that an increase in rewiring probability or average degree can enhance the robustness of the small-world network under all three types of attack. The effectiveness of simultaneously increasing both rewiring probability and average degree is also studied, and the combined increase is found to significantly improve the robustness of the small-world network. Furthermore, the combined effect of rewiring probability and average degree on network robustness is shown to be several times greater than that of rewiring probability or average degree individually. This means that small-world networks with a relatively high rewiring probability and average degree have advantages both in network communications and in good robustness to attacks. Therefore, simultaneously increasing rewiring probability and average degree is an effective method of constructing realistic networks. Consequently, the proposed method is useful to construct efficient and robust networks in a realistic scenario. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  18. Induction-heating MOCVD reactor with significantly improved heating efficiency and reduced harmful magnetic coupling

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Kuang-Hui; Alotaibi, Hamad S.; Sun, Haiding; Lin, Ronghui; Guo, Wenzhe; Torres-Castanedo, Carlos G.; Liu, Kaikai; Galan, Sergio V.; Li, Xiaohang

    2018-01-01

    In a conventional induction-heating III-nitride metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactor, the induction coil is outside the chamber. Therefore, the magnetic field does not couple with the susceptor well, leading to compromised heating efficiency and harmful coupling with the gas inlet and thus possible overheating. Hence, the gas inlet has to be at a minimum distance away from the susceptor. Because of the elongated flow path, premature reactions can be more severe, particularly between Al- and B-containing precursors and NH3. Here, we propose a structure that can significantly improve the heating efficiency and allow the gas inlet to be closer to the susceptor. Specifically, the induction coil is designed to surround the vertical cylinder of a T-shaped susceptor comprising the cylinder and a top horizontal plate holding the wafer substrate within the reactor. Therefore, the cylinder coupled most magnetic field to serve as the thermal source for the plate. Furthermore, the plate can block and thus significantly reduce the uncoupled magnetic field above the susceptor, thereby allowing the gas inlet to be closer. The results show approximately 140% and 2.6 times increase in the heating and susceptor coupling efficiencies, respectively, as well as a 90% reduction in the harmful magnetic flux on the gas inlet.

  19. Induction-heating MOCVD reactor with significantly improved heating efficiency and reduced harmful magnetic coupling

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Kuang-Hui

    2018-02-23

    In a conventional induction-heating III-nitride metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactor, the induction coil is outside the chamber. Therefore, the magnetic field does not couple with the susceptor well, leading to compromised heating efficiency and harmful coupling with the gas inlet and thus possible overheating. Hence, the gas inlet has to be at a minimum distance away from the susceptor. Because of the elongated flow path, premature reactions can be more severe, particularly between Al- and B-containing precursors and NH3. Here, we propose a structure that can significantly improve the heating efficiency and allow the gas inlet to be closer to the susceptor. Specifically, the induction coil is designed to surround the vertical cylinder of a T-shaped susceptor comprising the cylinder and a top horizontal plate holding the wafer substrate within the reactor. Therefore, the cylinder coupled most magnetic field to serve as the thermal source for the plate. Furthermore, the plate can block and thus significantly reduce the uncoupled magnetic field above the susceptor, thereby allowing the gas inlet to be closer. The results show approximately 140% and 2.6 times increase in the heating and susceptor coupling efficiencies, respectively, as well as a 90% reduction in the harmful magnetic flux on the gas inlet.

  20. Improved Method of Detection Falsification Results the Digital Image in Conditions of Attacks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kobozeva A.A.

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The modern level of information technologies development has led to unheard ease embodiments hitherto unauthorized modifications of digital content. At the moment, very important question is the effective expert examination of authenticity of digital images, video, audio, development of the methods for identification and localization of violations of their integrity using these contents for purposes other than entertainment. Present paper deals with the improvement of the detection method of the cloning results in digital images - one of the most frequently used in the software tools falsification realized in all modern graphics editors. The method is intended for clone detection areas and pre-image in terms of additional disturbing influences in the image after the cloning operation for "masking" of the results, which complicates the search process. The improvement is aimed at reducing the number of "false alarms", when the area of the clone / pre-image detected in the original image or the localization of the identified areas do not correspond to the real clone and pre-image. The proposed improvement, based on analysis of different sizes per-pixel image blocks with the least difference from each other, has made it possible efficient functioning of the method, regardless of the specificity of the analyzed digital image.

  1. An improved principal component analysis based region matching method for fringe direction estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, A.; Quan, C.

    2018-04-01

    The principal component analysis (PCA) and region matching combined method is effective for fringe direction estimation. However, its mask construction algorithm for region matching fails in some circumstances, and the algorithm for conversion of orientation to direction in mask areas is computationally-heavy and non-optimized. We propose an improved PCA based region matching method for the fringe direction estimation, which includes an improved and robust mask construction scheme, and a fast and optimized orientation-direction conversion algorithm for the mask areas. Along with the estimated fringe direction map, filtered fringe pattern by automatic selective reconstruction modification and enhanced fast empirical mode decomposition (ASRm-EFEMD) is used for Hilbert spiral transform (HST) to demodulate the phase. Subsequently, windowed Fourier ridge (WFR) method is used for the refinement of the phase. The robustness and effectiveness of proposed method are demonstrated by both simulated and experimental fringe patterns.

  2. Improved algorithm based on equivalent enthalpy drop method of pressurized water reactor nuclear steam turbine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Hu; Qi Guangcai; Li Shaohua; Li Changjian

    2011-01-01

    Because it is difficulty to accurately determine the extraction steam turbine enthalpy and the exhaust enthalpy, the calculated result from the conventional equivalent enthalpy drop method of PWR nuclear steam turbine is not accurate. This paper presents the improved algorithm on the equivalent enthalpy drop method of PWR nuclear steam turbine to solve this problem and takes the secondary circuit thermal system calculation of 1000 MW PWR as an example. The results show that, comparing with the design value, the error of actual thermal efficiency of the steam turbine cycle obtained by the improved algorithm is within the allowable range. Since the improved method is based on the isentropic expansion process, the extraction steam turbine enthalpy and the exhaust enthalpy can be determined accurately, which is more reasonable and accurate compared to the traditional equivalent enthalpy drop method. (authors)

  3. Statistical methods for improving verification of claims of origin for Italian wines based on stable isotope ratios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dordevic, N.; Wehrens, R.; Postma, G.J.; Buydens, L.M.C.; Camin, F.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► The assessment of claims of origin is of enormous economic importance for DOC and DOCG wines. ► The official method is based on univariate statistical tests of H, C and O isotopic ratios. ► We consider 5220 Italian wine samples collected in the period 2000–2010. ► Multivariate statistical analysis leads to much better specificity and easier detection of false claims of origin. ► In the case of multi-modal data, mixture modelling provides additional improvements. - Abstract: Wine derives its economic value to a large extent from geographical origin, which has a significant impact on the quality of the wine. According to the food legislation, wines can be without geographical origin (table wine) and wines with origin. Wines with origin must have characteristics which are essential due to its region of production and must be produced, processed and prepared, exclusively within that region. The development of fast and reliable analytical methods for the assessment of claims of origin is very important. The current official method is based on the measurement of stable isotope ratios of water and alcohol in wine, which are influenced by climatic factors. The results in this paper are based on 5220 Italian wine samples collected in the period 2000–2010. We evaluate the univariate approach underlying the official method to assess claims of origin and propose several new methods to get better geographical discrimination between samples. It is shown that multivariate methods are superior to univariate approaches in that they show increased sensitivity and specificity. In cases where data are non-normally distributed, an approach based on mixture modelling provides additional improvements.

  4. Improved Expectation Maximization Algorithm for Gaussian Mixed Model Using the Kernel Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohd Izhan Mohd Yusoff

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Fraud activities have contributed to heavy losses suffered by telecommunication companies. In this paper, we attempt to use Gaussian mixed model, which is a probabilistic model normally used in speech recognition to identify fraud calls in the telecommunication industry. We look at several issues encountered when calculating the maximum likelihood estimates of the Gaussian mixed model using an Expectation Maximization algorithm. Firstly, we look at a mechanism for the determination of the initial number of Gaussian components and the choice of the initial values of the algorithm using the kernel method. We show via simulation that the technique improves the performance of the algorithm. Secondly, we developed a procedure for determining the order of the Gaussian mixed model using the log-likelihood function and the Akaike information criteria. Finally, for illustration, we apply the improved algorithm to real telecommunication data. The modified method will pave the way to introduce a comprehensive method for detecting fraud calls in future work.

  5. MO-F-211-01: Methods for Completing Practice Quality Improvement (PQI).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, J; Brown, K; Ibbott, G; Pawlicki, T

    2012-06-01

    Practice Quality Improvement (PQI) is becoming an expected part of routine practice in healthcare as an approach to provide more efficient, effective and high quality care. Additionally, as part of the ABR's Maintenance of Certification (MOC) pathway, medical physicists are now expected to complete a PQI project. This session will describe the history behind and benefits of the ABR's MOC program, provide details of quality improvement methods and how to successfully complete a PQI project. PQI methods include various commonly used engineering and management tools. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle will be presented as one project planning and implementation tool. Other PQI analysis instruments such as flowcharts, Pareto charts, process control charts and fishbone diagrams will also be explained with examples. Cause analysis, solution development and implementation, and post-implementation measurement will be presented. Project identification and definition as well as appropriate measurement tool selection will be offered. Methods to choose key quality metrics (key quality indicators) will also be addressed. Several sample PQI projects and templates available through the AAPM and other organizations will be described. At least three examples of completed PQI projects will be shared. 1. Identify and define a PQI project 2. Identify and select measurement methods/techniques for use with the PQI project 3. Describe example(s) of completed projects. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  6. Advanced Materials Test Methods for Improved Life Prediction of Turbine Engine Components

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Stubbs, Jack

    2000-01-01

    Phase I final report developed under SBIR contract for Topic # AF00-149, "Durability of Turbine Engine Materials/Advanced Material Test Methods for Improved Use Prediction of Turbine Engine Components...

  7. A simple method to improve the spatial uniformity of venetian-blind photomultiplier tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, J.M.F. dos; Veloso, J.F.C.A.; Morgado, R.E.

    1996-01-01

    An improvement in the uniformity of venetian-blind photomultiplier tubes has been achieved by reducing the voltage difference between the first and second dynodes. The method has been applied to a gas proportional scintillation counter (GPSC) instrumented with a venetian-blind photomultiplier (PMT). When exposed to a 20-mm collimated 5.9-keV x-ray beam, an overall improvement in energy resolution for the GPSC/PMT combination from 20% to 11.5% was achieved. An alternative method that reduces the photocathode-to-first-dynode voltage was less effective and resulted in a severe degradation of detector energy resolution

  8. Scaffolded Instruction Improves Student Understanding of the Scientific Method & Experimental Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Costa, Allison R.; Schlueter, Mark A.

    2013-01-01

    Implementation of a guided-inquiry lab in introductory biology classes, along with scaffolded instruction, improved students' understanding of the scientific method, their ability to design an experiment, and their identification of experimental variables. Pre- and postassessments from experimental versus control sections over three semesters…

  9. An adaptive-binning method for generating constant-uncertainty/constant-significance light curves with Fermi-LAT data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lott, B.; Escande, L.; Larsson, S.; Ballet, J.

    2012-01-01

    Here, we present a method enabling the creation of constant-uncertainty/constant-significance light curves with the data of the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT). The adaptive-binning method enables more information to be encapsulated within the light curve than with the fixed-binning method. Although primarily developed for blazar studies, it can be applied to any sources. Furthermore, this method allows the starting and ending times of each interval to be calculated in a simple and quick way during a first step. The reported mean flux and spectral index (assuming the spectrum is a power-law distribution) in the interval are calculated via the standard LAT analysis during a second step. In the absence of major caveats associated with this method Monte-Carlo simulations have been established. We present the performance of this method in determining duty cycles as well as power-density spectra relative to the traditional fixed-binning method.

  10. The role of problem solving method on the improvement of mathematical learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Mokhtari-Hassanabad

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available In history of education, problem solving is one of the important educational goals and teachers or parents have intended that their students have capacity of problem solving. In present research, it is tried that study the problem solving method for mathematical learning. This research is implemented via quasi-experimental method on 49 boy students at high school. The results of Leven test and T-test indicated that problem solving method has more effective on the improvement of mathematical learning than traditional instruction method. Therefore it seems that teachers of mathematics must apply the problem solving method in educational systems till students became self-efficiency in mathematical problem solving.

  11. Impact of regression methods on improved effects of soil structure on soil water retention estimates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Phuong Minh; De Pue, Jan; Le, Khoa Van; Cornelis, Wim

    2015-06-01

    Increasing the accuracy of pedotransfer functions (PTFs), an indirect method for predicting non-readily available soil features such as soil water retention characteristics (SWRC), is of crucial importance for large scale agro-hydrological modeling. Adding significant predictors (i.e., soil structure), and implementing more flexible regression algorithms are among the main strategies of PTFs improvement. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the improved effect of categorical soil structure information on estimating soil-water content at various matric potentials, which has been reported in literature, could be enduringly captured by regression techniques other than the usually applied linear regression. Two data mining techniques, i.e., Support Vector Machines (SVM), and k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN), which have been recently introduced as promising tools for PTF development, were utilized to test if the incorporation of soil structure will improve PTF's accuracy under a context of rather limited training data. The results show that incorporating descriptive soil structure information, i.e., massive, structured and structureless, as grouping criterion can improve the accuracy of PTFs derived by SVM approach in the range of matric potential of -6 to -33 kPa (average RMSE decreased up to 0.005 m3 m-3 after grouping, depending on matric potentials). The improvement was primarily attributed to the outperformance of SVM-PTFs calibrated on structureless soils. No improvement was obtained with kNN technique, at least not in our study in which the data set became limited in size after grouping. Since there is an impact of regression techniques on the improved effect of incorporating qualitative soil structure information, selecting a proper technique will help to maximize the combined influence of flexible regression algorithms and soil structure information on PTF accuracy.

  12. Panorama parking assistant system with improved particle swarm optimization method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Ruzhong; Zhao, Yong; Li, Zhichao; Jiang, Weigang; Wang, Xin'an; Xu, Yong

    2013-10-01

    A panorama parking assistant system (PPAS) for the automotive aftermarket together with a practical improved particle swarm optimization method (IPSO) are proposed in this paper. In the PPAS system, four fisheye cameras are installed in the vehicle with different views, and four channels of video frames captured by the cameras are processed as a 360-deg top-view image around the vehicle. Besides the embedded design of PPAS, the key problem for image distortion correction and mosaicking is the efficiency of parameter optimization in the process of camera calibration. In order to address this problem, an IPSO method is proposed. Compared with other parameter optimization methods, the proposed method allows a certain range of dynamic change for the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters, and can exploit only one reference image to complete all of the optimization; therefore, the efficiency of the whole camera calibration is increased. The PPAS is commercially available, and the IPSO method is a highly practical way to increase the efficiency of the installation and the calibration of PPAS in automobile 4S shops.

  13. An improved polymeric sponge replication method for biomedical porous titanium scaffolds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Chunli; Chen, Hongjie; Zhu, Xiangdong, E-mail: zxd7303@163.com; Xiao, Zhanwen; Zhang, Kai, E-mail: kaizhang@scu.edu.cn; Zhang, Xingdong

    2017-01-01

    Biomedical porous titanium (Ti) scaffolds were fabricated by an improved polymeric sponge replication method. The unique formulations and distinct processing techniques, i.e. a mixture of water and ethanol as solvent, multiple coatings with different viscosities of the Ti slurries and centrifugation for removing the extra slurries were used in the present study. The optimized porous Ti scaffolds had uniform porous structure and completely interconnected macropores (~ 365.1 μm). In addition, two different sizes of micropores (~ 45.4 and ~ 6.2 μm) were also formed in the skeleton of the scaffold. The addition of ethanol to the Ti slurry increased the compressive strength of the scaffold by improving the compactness of the skeleton. A compressive strength of 83.6 ± 4.0 MPa was achieved for a porous Ti scaffold with a porosity of 66.4 ± 1.8%. Our cellular study also revealed that the scaffolds could support the growth and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). - Highlights: • An improved sponge replication method for porous titanium scaffolds was developed. • A mixture of water and ethanol was used to make the titanium slurries. • The scaffolds have high mechanical strength for load-bearing bone repair. • The scaffolds support growth of mesenchymal stem cells.

  14. Bone Mass and Strength are Significantly Improved in Mice Overexpressing Human WNT16 in Osteocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alam, Imranul; Reilly, Austin M; Alkhouli, Mohammed; Gerard-O'Riley, Rita L; Kasipathi, Charishma; Oakes, Dana K; Wright, Weston B; Acton, Dena; McQueen, Amie K; Patel, Bhavmik; Lim, Kyung-Eun; Robling, Alexander G; Econs, Michael J

    2017-04-01

    Recently, we demonstrated that osteoblast-specific overexpression of human WNT16 increased both cortical and trabecular bone mass and structure in mice. To further identify the cell-specific role of Wnt16 in bone homeostasis, we created transgenic (TG) mice overexpressing human WNT16 in osteocytes using Dmp1 promoter (Dmp1-hWNT16 TG) on C57BL/6 (B6) background. We analyzed bone phenotypes and serum bone biomarkers, performed gene expression analysis and measured dynamic bone histomorphometry in Dmp1-hWNT16 TG and wild-type (WT) mice. Compared to WT mice, Dmp1-hWNT16 TG mice exhibited significantly higher whole-body, spine and femoral aBMD, BMC and trabecular (BV/TV, Tb.N, and Tb.Th) and cortical (bone area and thickness) parameters in both male and female at 12 weeks of age. Femur stiffness and ultimate force were also significantly improved in the Dmp1-hWNT16 TG female mice, compared to sex-matched WT littermates. In addition, female Dmp1-hWNT16 TG mice displayed significantly higher MS/BS, MAR and BFR/BS compared to the WT mice. Gene expression analysis demonstrated significantly higher mRNA level of Alp in both male and female Dmp1-hWNT16 TG mice and significantly higher levels of Osteocalcin, Opg and Rankl in the male Dmp1-hWNT16 TG mice in bone tissue compared to sex-matched WT mice. These results indicate that WNT16 plays a critical role for acquisition of both cortical and trabecular bone mass and strength. Strategies designed to use WNT16 as a target for therapeutic interventions will be valuable to treat osteoporosis and other low bone mass conditions.

  15. Development of improved methods for the LWR lattice physics code EPRI-CELL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, M.L.; Wright, R.Q.; Barhen, J.

    1982-07-01

    A number of improvements have been made by ORNL to the lattice physics code EPRI-CELL (E-C) which is widely used by utilities for analysis of power reactors. The code modifications were made mainly in the thermal and epithermal routines and resulted in improved reactor physics approximations and more efficient running times. The improvements in the thermal flux calculation included implementation of a group-dependent rebalance procedure to accelerate the iterative process and a more rigorous calculation of interval-to-interval collision probabilities. The epithermal resonance shielding methods used in the code have been extensively studied to determine its major approximations and to examine the sensitivity of computed results to these approximations. The study has resulted in several improvements in the original methodology

  16. A Method on Dynamic Path Planning for Robotic Manipulator Autonomous Obstacle Avoidance Based on an Improved RRT Algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Kun; Ren, Bingyin

    2018-02-13

    In a future intelligent factory, a robotic manipulator must work efficiently and safely in a Human-Robot collaborative and dynamic unstructured environment. Autonomous path planning is the most important issue which must be resolved first in the process of improving robotic manipulator intelligence. Among the path-planning methods, the Rapidly Exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm based on random sampling has been widely applied in dynamic path planning for a high-dimensional robotic manipulator, especially in a complex environment because of its probability completeness, perfect expansion, and fast exploring speed over other planning methods. However, the existing RRT algorithm has a limitation in path planning for a robotic manipulator in a dynamic unstructured environment. Therefore, an autonomous obstacle avoidance dynamic path-planning method for a robotic manipulator based on an improved RRT algorithm, called Smoothly RRT (S-RRT), is proposed. This method that targets a directional node extends and can increase the sampling speed and efficiency of RRT dramatically. A path optimization strategy based on the maximum curvature constraint is presented to generate a smooth and curved continuous executable path for a robotic manipulator. Finally, the correctness, effectiveness, and practicability of the proposed method are demonstrated and validated via a MATLAB static simulation and a Robot Operating System (ROS) dynamic simulation environment as well as a real autonomous obstacle avoidance experiment in a dynamic unstructured environment for a robotic manipulator. The proposed method not only provides great practical engineering significance for a robotic manipulator's obstacle avoidance in an intelligent factory, but also theoretical reference value for other type of robots' path planning.

  17. Improving Hyperspectral Image Classification Method for Fine Land Use Assessment Application Using Semisupervised Machine Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chunyang Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Study on land use/cover can reflect changing rules of population, economy, agricultural structure adjustment, policy, and traffic and provide better service for the regional economic development and urban evolution. The study on fine land use/cover assessment using hyperspectral image classification is a focal growing area in many fields. Semisupervised learning method which takes a large number of unlabeled samples and minority labeled samples, improving classification and predicting the accuracy effectively, has been a new research direction. In this paper, we proposed improving fine land use/cover assessment based on semisupervised hyperspectral classification method. The test analysis of study area showed that the advantages of semisupervised classification method could improve the high precision overall classification and objective assessment of land use/cover results.

  18. Improved Growth Methods for LaBr3 Scintillation Radiation Detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGregor, Douglas S.

    2011-01-01

    The objective is to develop advanced materials for deployment as high-resolution gamma ray detectors. Both LaBr3 and CeBr3 are advanced scintillation materials, and will be studied in this research. Prototype devices, in collaboration Sandia National Laboratories, will be demonstrated along with recommendations for mass production and deployment. It is anticipated that improved methods of crystal growth will yield larger single crystals of LaBr3 for deployable room-temperature operated gamma radiation spectrometers. The growth methods will be characterized. The LaBr3 and CeBr3 scintillation crystals will be characterized for light yield, spectral resolution, and for hardness.

  19. Process safety improvement-Quality and target zero

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van Scyoc, Karl [Det Norske Veritas (U.S.A.) Inc., DNV Energy Solutions, 16340 Park Ten Place, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77084 (United States)], E-mail: karl.van.scyoc@dnv.com

    2008-11-15

    Process safety practitioners have adopted quality management principles in design of process safety management systems with positive effect, yet achieving safety objectives sometimes remain a distant target. Companies regularly apply tools and methods which have roots in quality and productivity improvement. The 'plan, do, check, act' improvement loop, statistical analysis of incidents (non-conformities), and performance trending popularized by Dr. Deming are now commonly used in the context of process safety. Significant advancements in HSE performance are reported after applying methods viewed as fundamental for quality management. In pursuit of continual process safety improvement, the paper examines various quality improvement methods, and explores how methods intended for product quality can be additionally applied to continual improvement of process safety. Methods such as Kaizen, Poke yoke, and TRIZ, while long established for quality improvement, are quite unfamiliar in the process safety arena. These methods are discussed for application in improving both process safety leadership and field work team performance. Practical ways to advance process safety, based on the methods, are given.

  20. Process safety improvement-Quality and target zero

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Scyoc, Karl

    2008-01-01

    Process safety practitioners have adopted quality management principles in design of process safety management systems with positive effect, yet achieving safety objectives sometimes remain a distant target. Companies regularly apply tools and methods which have roots in quality and productivity improvement. The 'plan, do, check, act' improvement loop, statistical analysis of incidents (non-conformities), and performance trending popularized by Dr. Deming are now commonly used in the context of process safety. Significant advancements in HSE performance are reported after applying methods viewed as fundamental for quality management. In pursuit of continual process safety improvement, the paper examines various quality improvement methods, and explores how methods intended for product quality can be additionally applied to continual improvement of process safety. Methods such as Kaizen, Poke yoke, and TRIZ, while long established for quality improvement, are quite unfamiliar in the process safety arena. These methods are discussed for application in improving both process safety leadership and field work team performance. Practical ways to advance process safety, based on the methods, are given

  1. Process safety improvement--quality and target zero.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Scyoc, Karl

    2008-11-15

    Process safety practitioners have adopted quality management principles in design of process safety management systems with positive effect, yet achieving safety objectives sometimes remain a distant target. Companies regularly apply tools and methods which have roots in quality and productivity improvement. The "plan, do, check, act" improvement loop, statistical analysis of incidents (non-conformities), and performance trending popularized by Dr. Deming are now commonly used in the context of process safety. Significant advancements in HSE performance are reported after applying methods viewed as fundamental for quality management. In pursuit of continual process safety improvement, the paper examines various quality improvement methods, and explores how methods intended for product quality can be additionally applied to continual improvement of process safety. Methods such as Kaizen, Poke yoke, and TRIZ, while long established for quality improvement, are quite unfamiliar in the process safety arena. These methods are discussed for application in improving both process safety leadership and field work team performance. Practical ways to advance process safety, based on the methods, are given.

  2. [Analysis of thickening polysaccharides by the improved diethyldithioacetal derivatization method].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akiyama, Takumi; Yamazaki, Takeshi; Tanamoto, Kenichi

    2011-01-01

    The identification test for thickening polysaccharides containing neutral saccharides and uronic acids was investigated by GC analysis of constituent monosaccharides. The reported method, in which monosaccharides were converted to diethyldithioacetal derivatives with ethanethiol followed by trimethylsilylation, was improved in terms of operability and reproducibility of GC/MS analysis. The suitability of the improved diethyldithioacetal derivatization method was determined for seven thickening polysaccharides, i.e., carob bean gum, guar gum, karaya gum, gum arabic, gum ghatti, tragacanth gum and peach gum. The samples were acid-hydrolyzed to form monosaccharides. The hydrolysates were derivatized and analyzed with GC/FID. Each sugar derivative was detected as a single peak and was well separated from others on the chromatograms. The amounts of constituent monosaccharides in thickening polysaccharides were successfully estimated. Seven polysaccharides were distinguished from each other on the basis of constituent monosaccharides. Further examination of the time period of hydrolysis of polysaccharides using peach gum showed that the optimal times were not the same for all monosaccharides. A longer time was needed to hydrolyze glucuronic acid than neutral saccharides. The findings suggest that hydrolysis time may sometimes affect the analytical results on composition of constituent monosaccharides in polysaccharides.

  3. Waste Minimization Improvements Achieved Through Six Sigma Analysis Result In Significant Cost Savings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mousseau, Jeffrey D.; Jansen, John R.; Janke, David H.; Plowman, Catherine M.

    2003-01-01

    Improved waste minimization practices at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) are leading to a 15% reduction in the generation of hazardous and radioactive waste. Bechtel, BWXT Idaho, LLC (BBWI), the prime management and operations contractor at the INEEL, applied the Six Sigma improvement process to the INEEL Waste Minimization Program to review existing processes and define opportunities for improvement. Our Six Sigma analysis team: composed of an executive champion, process owner, a black belt and yellow belt, and technical and business team members used this statistical based process approach to analyze work processes and produced ten recommendations for improvement. Recommendations ranged from waste generator financial accountability for newly generated waste to enhanced employee recognition programs for waste minimization efforts. These improvements have now been implemented to reduce waste generation rates and are producing positive results

  4. Large-scale binding ligand prediction by improved patch-based method Patch-Surfer2.0.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Xiaolei; Xiong, Yi; Kihara, Daisuke

    2015-03-01

    Ligand binding is a key aspect of the function of many proteins. Thus, binding ligand prediction provides important insight in understanding the biological function of proteins. Binding ligand prediction is also useful for drug design and examining potential drug side effects. We present a computational method named Patch-Surfer2.0, which predicts binding ligands for a protein pocket. By representing and comparing pockets at the level of small local surface patches that characterize physicochemical properties of the local regions, the method can identify binding pockets of the same ligand even if they do not share globally similar shapes. Properties of local patches are represented by an efficient mathematical representation, 3D Zernike Descriptor. Patch-Surfer2.0 has significant technical improvements over our previous prototype, which includes a new feature that captures approximate patch position with a geodesic distance histogram. Moreover, we constructed a large comprehensive database of ligand binding pockets that will be searched against by a query. The benchmark shows better performance of Patch-Surfer2.0 over existing methods. http://kiharalab.org/patchsurfer2.0/ CONTACT: dkihara@purdue.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. The role of mixed methods in improved cookstove research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanistreet, Debbi; Hyseni, Lirije; Bashin, Michelle; Sadumah, Ibrahim; Pope, Daniel; Sage, Michael; Bruce, Nigel

    2015-01-01

    The challenge of promoting access to clean and efficient household energy for cooking and heating is a critical issue facing low- and middle-income countries today. Along with clean fuels, improved cookstoves (ICSs) continue to play an important part in efforts to reduce the 4 million annual premature deaths attributed to household air pollution. Although a range of ICSs are available, there is little empirical evidence on appropriate behavior change approaches to inform adoption and sustained used at scale. Specifically, evaluations using either quantitative or qualitative methods provide an incomplete picture of the challenges in facilitating ICS adoption. This article examines how studies that use the strengths of both these approaches can offer important insights into behavior change in relation to ICS uptake and scale-up. Epistemological approaches, study design frameworks, methods of data collection, analytical approaches, and issues of validity and reliability in the context of mixed methods ICS research are examined, and the article presents an example study design from an evaluation study in Kenya incorporating a nested approach and a convergent case oriented design. The authors discuss the benefits and methodological challenges of mixed-methods approaches in the context of researching behavior change and ICS use recognizing that such methods represent relatively uncharted territory. The authors propose that more published examples are needed to provide frameworks for other researchers seeking to apply mixed methods in this context and suggest a comprehensive research agenda is required that incorporates integrated mixed-methods approaches, to provide best evidence for future scale-up.

  6. The necessity of improvement for the current LWR fuel assembly homogenization method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Chuntao; Huang Hao; Zhang Shaohong

    2007-01-01

    When the modern LWR core analysis method is used to do core nuclear design and in-core fuel management calculation, how to accurately obtain the fuel assembly homogenized parameters is a crucial issue. In this paper, taking the NEA C5G7-MOX benchmark problem as a severe test problem, which involves low-enriched uranium assemblies interspersed with MOX assemblies, we have re-examined the applicability of the two major assumptions of the modern equivalence theory for fuel assembly homoge- nization, i.e. the isolated assembly spatial spectrum assumption and the condensed two- group representation assumption. Numerical results have demonstrated that for LWR cores with strong spectrum interaction, both of these two assumptions are no longer applicable and the improvement for the homogenization method is necessary, the current two-group representation should be improved by the multigroup representation and the current reflective assembly boundary condition should be improved by the 'real' assembly boundary condition. This is a research project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (10605016). (authors)

  7. The development of a novel cooking method (alternate roasting with its own fat) for chicken to improve nutritional value.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, J H; Park, H G; Kim, J H; Jung, H; Kim, J K; Oh, S S; Shin, D H; Lim, E J; Kim, Y J

    2008-05-01

    The goal of this study was to develop a novel cooking method for fried meat products, to improve their nutritional value, and to provide superior taste and texture. We used the fat derived from each individual meat source during radiant heat roasting (alternate roasting with its own fat: AROF) without deep-fat frying (DFF), first without any air flow and subsequently with an exposure to air flow. We then compared these roasted chicken samples to breaded fried chicken samples that were deep-fat fried in 3 types of fat: soybean oil (SB), partially hydrogenated soybean oil (PSB), and lard. The final fat contents of both the skin and lean parts of the AROF samples of chicken were less than half of those of the DFF groups. The total trans-fatty acids (TFA) contents were significantly lower in the AROF samples compared to the DFF samples. The cholesterol levels of the samples did not show any significant differences among the tested groups, except for the sample fried in lard, which was significantly higher. Moreover, the sensory evaluation results showed that the crispy texture of the AROF samples was not significantly different from that of the DFF samples (P chicken and other meat products and improve their nutritional value.

  8. An improved UHPLC-UV method for separation and quantification of carotenoids in vegetable crops.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maurer, Megan M; Mein, Jonathan R; Chaudhuri, Swapan K; Constant, Howard L

    2014-12-15

    Carotenoid identification and quantitation is critical for the development of improved nutrition plant varieties. Industrial analysis of carotenoids is typically carried out on multiple crops with potentially thousands of samples per crop, placing critical needs on speed and broad utility of the analytical methods. Current chromatographic methods for carotenoid analysis have had limited industrial application due to their low throughput, requiring up to 60 min for complete separation of all compounds. We have developed an improved UHPLC-UV method that resolves all major carotenoids found in broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica), carrot (Daucus carota), corn (Zea mays), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). The chromatographic method is completed in 13.5 min allowing for the resolution of the 11 carotenoids of interest, including the structural isomers lutein/zeaxanthin and α-/β-carotene. Additional minor carotenoids have also been separated and identified with this method, demonstrating the utility of this method across major commercial food crops. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Error analysis and system improvements in phase-stepping methods for photoelasticity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wenyan Ji

    1997-11-01

    In the past automated photoelasticity has been demonstrated to be one of the most efficient technique for determining the complete state of stress in a 3-D component. However, the measurement accuracy, which depends on many aspects of both the theoretical foundations and experimental procedures, has not been studied properly. The objective of this thesis is to reveal the intrinsic properties of the errors, provide methods for reducing them and finally improve the system accuracy. A general formulation for a polariscope with all the optical elements in an arbitrary orientation was deduced using the method of Mueller Matrices. The deduction of this formulation indicates an inherent connectivity among the optical elements and gives a knowledge of the errors. In addition, this formulation also shows a common foundation among the photoelastic techniques, consequently, these techniques share many common error sources. The phase-stepping system proposed by Patterson and Wang was used as an exemplar to analyse the errors and provide the proposed improvements. This system can be divided into four parts according to their function, namely the optical system, light source, image acquisition equipment and image analysis software. All the possible error sources were investigated separately and the methods for reducing the influence of the errors and improving the system accuracy are presented. To identify the contribution of each possible error to the final system output, a model was used to simulate the errors and analyse their consequences. Therefore the contribution to the results from different error sources can be estimated quantitatively and finally the accuracy of the systems can be improved. For a conventional polariscope, the system accuracy can be as high as 99.23% for the fringe order and the error less than 5 degrees for the isoclinic angle. The PSIOS system is limited to the low fringe orders. For a fringe order of less than 1.5, the accuracy is 94.60% for fringe

  10. Improved perovskite phototransistor prepared using multi-step annealing method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Mingxuan; Zhang, Yating; Yu, Yu; Yao, Jianquan

    2018-02-01

    Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites with good intrinsic physical properties have received substantial interest for solar cell and optoelectronic applications. However, perovskite film always suffers from a low carrier mobility due to its structural imperfection including sharp grain boundaries and pinholes, restricting their device performance and application potential. Here we demonstrate a straightforward strategy based on multi-step annealing process to improve the performance of perovskite photodetector. Annealing temperature and duration greatly affects the surface morphology and optoelectrical properties of perovskites which determines the device property of phototransistor. The perovskite films treated with multi-step annealing method tend to form highly uniform, well-crystallized and high surface coverage perovskite film, which exhibit stronger ultraviolet-visible absorption and photoluminescence spectrum compare to the perovskites prepared by conventional one-step annealing process. The field-effect mobilities of perovskite photodetector treated by one-step direct annealing method shows mobility as 0.121 (0.062) cm2V-1s-1 for holes (electrons), which increases to 1.01 (0.54) cm2V-1s-1 for that treated with muti-step slow annealing method. Moreover, the perovskite phototransistors exhibit a fast photoresponse speed of 78 μs. In general, this work focuses on the influence of annealing methods on perovskite phototransistor, instead of obtains best parameters of it. These findings prove that Multi-step annealing methods is feasible to prepared high performance based photodetector.

  11. Fabrication of CoZn alloy nanowire arrays: Significant improvement in magnetic properties by annealing process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koohbor, M.; Soltanian, S.; Najafi, M.; Servati, P.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Increasing the Zn concentration changes the structure of NWs from hcp to amorphous. ► Increasing the Zn concentration significantly reduces the Hc value of NWs. ► Magnetic properties of CoZn NWs can be significantly enhanced by appropriate annealing. ► The pH of electrolyte has no significant effect on the properties of the NW arrays. ► Deposition frequency has considerable effects on the magnetic properties of NWs. - Abstract: Highly ordered arrays of Co 1−x Zn x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.74) nanowires (NWs) with diameters of ∼35 nm and high length-to-diameter ratios (up to 150) were fabricated by co-electrodeposition of Co and Zn into pores of anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) templates. The Co and Zn contents of the NWs were adjusted by varying the ratio of Zn and Co ion concentrations in the electrolyte. The effect of the Zn content, electrodeposition conditions (frequency and pH) and annealing on the structural and magnetic properties (e.g., coercivity (Hc) and squareness (Sq)) of NW arrays were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and alternating gradient force magnetometer (AGFM). XRD patterns reveal that an increase in the concentration of Zn ions of the electrolyte forces the hcp crystal structure of Co NWs to change into an amorphous phase, resulting in a significant reduction in Hc. It was found that the magnetic properties of NWs can be significantly improved by appropriate annealing process. The highest values for Hc (2050 Oe) and Sq (0.98) were obtained for NWs electrodeposited using 0.95/0.05 Co:Zn concentrations at 200 Hz and annealed at 575 °C. While the pH of electrolyte is found to have no significant effect on the structural and magnetic properties of the NW arrays, the electrodeposition frequency has considerable effects on the magnetic properties of the NW arrays. The changes in magnetic property of NWs are rooted in a competition between shape anisotropy and

  12. Convert a low-cost sensor to a colorimeter using an improved regression method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yifeng

    2008-01-01

    Closed loop color calibration is a process to maintain consistent color reproduction for color printers. To perform closed loop color calibration, a pre-designed color target should be printed, and automatically measured by a color measuring instrument. A low cost sensor has been embedded to the printer to perform the color measurement. A series of sensor calibration and color conversion methods have been developed. The purpose is to get accurate colorimetric measurement from the data measured by the low cost sensor. In order to get high accuracy colorimetric measurement, we need carefully calibrate the sensor, and minimize all possible errors during the color conversion. After comparing several classical color conversion methods, a regression based color conversion method has been selected. The regression is a powerful method to estimate the color conversion functions. But the main difficulty to use this method is to find an appropriate function to describe the relationship between the input and the output data. In this paper, we propose to use 1D pre-linearization tables to improve the linearity between the input sensor measuring data and the output colorimetric data. Using this method, we can increase the accuracy of the regression method, so as to improve the accuracy of the color conversion.

  13. An improved method for isolating viruses from asymptomatic carrier fish

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amend, Donald F.; Pietsch, John P.

    1972-01-01

    This paper describes a method using elevated levels of penicillin, streptomycin, and nystatin instead of filters to control bacteria and mold contaminants in specimens processed for virus isolation. Filters were shown to significantly reduce the virus concentration. Virus and tissue cultures were not affected by this procedure. In field tests nearly three times more specimens were positive for virus with this method than with the widely used filter technique. Moreover, the cost of materials was less. This method is recommended for inspection and certification purposes.

  14. A Method for Improving Galactic Cepheid Reddenings and Distances

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Madore, Barry F. [The Observatories Carnegie Institution for Science 813 Santa Barbara St., Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Freedman, Wendy L.; Moak, Sandy, E-mail: barry.f.madore@gmail.com, E-mail: sandymoak@gmail.com, E-mail: wfreedman@uchicago.edu [Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States)

    2017-06-10

    We present a new photometric method by which improved high-precision reddenings and true distance moduli can be determined to individual Galactic Cepheids once distance measurements are available. We illustrate that the relative positioning of stars in the Cepheid period–luminosity (PL) relation (Leavitt law) is preserved as a function of wavelength. This information then provides a powerful constraint for determining reddenings to individual Cepheids, as well as their distances. As a first step, we apply this method to the 59 Cepheids in the compilation of Fouqué et al. Updated reddenings, distance moduli (or parallaxes), and absolute magnitudes in seven (optical through near-infrared) bands are given. From these intrinsic quantities, multiwavelength PL and color–color relations are derived. We find that the V -band period–luminosity–color relation has an rms scatter of only 0.06 mag, so that individual Cepheid distances can be measured to 3%, compared with dispersions of 6 to 13% for the one-parameter K through B PL relations, respectively. This method will be especially useful in conjunction with the new accurate parallax sample upcoming from Gaia .

  15. An improved method of preparation of nanoparticular metal oxide catalysts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2014-01-01

    The present invention concerns an improved method of preparation of nanoparticular vanadium oxide/anatase titania catalysts having a narrow particle size distribution. In particular, the invention concerns preparation of nanoparticular vanadium oxide/anatase titania catalyst precursors comprising...... combustible crystallization seeds upon which the catalyst metal oxide is coprecipitated with the carrier metal oxide, which crystallization seeds are removed by combustion in a final calcining step....

  16. Demonstration of improved seismic source inversion method of tele-seismic body wave

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yagi, Y.; Okuwaki, R.

    2017-12-01

    Seismic rupture inversion of tele-seismic body wave has been widely applied to studies of large earthquakes. In general, tele-seismic body wave contains information of overall rupture process of large earthquake, while the tele-seismic body wave is inappropriate for analyzing a detailed rupture process of M6 7 class earthquake. Recently, the quality and quantity of tele-seismic data and the inversion method has been greatly improved. Improved data and method enable us to study a detailed rupture process of M6 7 class earthquake even if we use only tele-seismic body wave. In this study, we demonstrate the ability of the improved data and method through analyses of the 2016 Rieti, Italy earthquake (Mw 6.2) and the 2016 Kumamoto, Japan earthquake (Mw 7.0) that have been well investigated by using the InSAR data set and the field observations. We assumed the rupture occurring on a single fault plane model inferred from the moment tensor solutions and the aftershock distribution. We constructed spatiotemporal discretized slip-rate functions with patches arranged as closely as possible. We performed inversions using several fault models and found that the spatiotemporal location of large slip-rate area was robust. In the 2016 Kumamoto, Japan earthquake, the slip-rate distribution shows that the rupture propagated to southwest during the first 5 s. At 5 s after the origin time, the main rupture started to propagate toward northeast. First episode and second episode correspond to rupture propagation along the Hinagu fault and the Futagawa fault, respectively. In the 2016 Rieti, Italy earthquake, the slip-rate distribution shows that the rupture propagated to up-dip direction during the first 2 s, and then rupture propagated toward northwest. From both analyses, we propose that the spatiotemporal slip-rate distribution estimated by improved inversion method of tele-seismic body wave has enough information to study a detailed rupture process of M6 7 class earthquake.

  17. Improved Kalman Filter Method for Measurement Noise Reduction in Multi Sensor RFID Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min Chul Kim

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Recently, the range of available Radio Frequency Identification (RFID tags has been widened to include smart RFID tags which can monitor their varying surroundings. One of the most important factors for better performance of smart RFID system is accurate measurement from various sensors. In the multi-sensing environment, some noisy signals are obtained because of the changing surroundings. We propose in this paper an improved Kalman filter method to reduce noise and obtain correct data. Performance of Kalman filter is determined by a measurement and system noise covariance which are usually called the R and Q variables in the Kalman filter algorithm. Choosing a correct R and Q variable is one of the most important design factors for better performance of the Kalman filter. For this reason, we proposed an improved Kalman filter to advance an ability of noise reduction of the Kalman filter. The measurement noise covariance was only considered because the system architecture is simple and can be adjusted by the neural network. With this method, more accurate data can be obtained with smart RFID tags. In a simulation the proposed improved Kalman filter has 40.1%, 60.4% and 87.5% less Mean Squared Error (MSE than the conventional Kalman filter method for a temperature sensor, humidity sensor and oxygen sensor, respectively. The performance of the proposed method was also verified with some experiments.

  18. Improved Kalman filter method for measurement noise reduction in multi sensor RFID systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eom, Ki Hwan; Lee, Seung Joon; Kyung, Yeo Sun; Lee, Chang Won; Kim, Min Chul; Jung, Kyung Kwon

    2011-01-01

    Recently, the range of available radio frequency identification (RFID) tags has been widened to include smart RFID tags which can monitor their varying surroundings. One of the most important factors for better performance of smart RFID system is accurate measurement from various sensors. In the multi-sensing environment, some noisy signals are obtained because of the changing surroundings. We propose in this paper an improved Kalman filter method to reduce noise and obtain correct data. Performance of Kalman filter is determined by a measurement and system noise covariance which are usually called the R and Q variables in the Kalman filter algorithm. Choosing a correct R and Q variable is one of the most important design factors for better performance of the Kalman filter. For this reason, we proposed an improved Kalman filter to advance an ability of noise reduction of the Kalman filter. The measurement noise covariance was only considered because the system architecture is simple and can be adjusted by the neural network. With this method, more accurate data can be obtained with smart RFID tags. In a simulation the proposed improved Kalman filter has 40.1%, 60.4% and 87.5% less mean squared error (MSE) than the conventional Kalman filter method for a temperature sensor, humidity sensor and oxygen sensor, respectively. The performance of the proposed method was also verified with some experiments.

  19. Validation of Modifications to the ANSR(®) Listeria Method for Improved Ease of Use and Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caballero, Oscar; Alles, Susan; Le, Quynh-Nhi; Gray, R Lucas; Hosking, Edan; Pinkava, Lisa; Norton, Paul; Tolan, Jerry; Mozola, Mark; Rice, Jennifer; Chen, Yi; Odumeru, Joseph; Ryser, Elliot

    2016-01-01

    A study was conducted to validate minor reagent formulation, enrichment, and procedural changes to the ANSR(®) Listeria method, Performance-Tested Method(SM) 101202. In order to improve ease of use and diminish risk of amplicon contamination, the lyophilized reagent components were reformulated for increased solubility, thus eliminating the need to mix by pipetting. In the alternative procedure, an aliquot of the lysate is added to lyophilized ANSR reagents, immediately capped, and briefly mixed by vortexing. When three foods (hot dogs, Mexican-style cheese, and cantaloupe) and sponge samples taken from a stainless steel surface were tested, significant differences in performance between the ANSR and U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual or U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook reference culture procedures were seen with hot dogs and Mexican-style cheese after 16 h enrichment, with the reference methods producing more positive results. After 24 h enrichment, however, there were no significant differences in method performance for any of the four matrixes tested. Robustness testing was also conducted, with variations to lysis buffer volume, lysis time, and sample volume having no demonstrable effect on assay results. Accelerated stability testing was carried out over a 10-week period and showed no diminishment in assay performance. A second phase of the study examined performance of the ANSR assay following enrichment in a new medium, LESS Plus broth, designed for use with all food and environmental sample types. With the alternative LESS Plus broth, there were no significant differences in performance between the ANSR method and the reference culture procedures for any of the matrixes tested after either 16 or 24 h enrichment, although 24 h enrichment is recommended for hot dogs due to higher sensitivity. Results of inclusivity and exclusivity testing using LESS Plus broth

  20. Microalbuminuria: It's Significance, risk factors and methods of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Alasia Datonye

    Male gender Hypertension. High salt (and protein ) ... gender and high salt intake are also to be associated with a .... method has advantages and disadvantages, and the choice depends .... single voided urine samples to estimate quantitative proteinuria. .... in an Urban and Periurban School, Port Harcourt , Rivers. State.

  1. Use of nondestructive evaluation methods to improve power plant availability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, R.M.

    1985-01-01

    On an ever-increasing basis, utilities are relying on nondestructive evaluation (NDE) as a management and planning tool. In addition to the conventional ASME Code and Technical Specification-required examinations, progressive utilities are utilizing NDE sampling programs to monitor existing conditions and search for potential situations affecting plant safety and reliability. Improved NDE detection and sizing procedures give management personnel the accurate information needed to make the ''go/no go'' decisions on repair programs which can significantly affect plant availability. As the burden of regulatory-imposed inspection requirements increases, plant personnel are increasingly cognizant that NDE is a significant factor in their plant's outage schedule. Whether an outage is scheduled or forced, NDE becomes part of each plant's program to assure the safety and reliability of its critical components. Knowledge and planning of NDE application is important because of the time expended in examination performance and subsequent data evaluation. Managers who are knowledgeable in NDE application can effectively improve plant availability by scheduling NDE as an integral part of their maintenance programs. Examination results can then be used in making decisions directly affecting availability

  2. An improved brine shrimp larvae lethality microwell test method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yi; Mu, Jun; Han, Jinyuan; Gu, Xiaojie

    2012-01-01

    This article described an improved brine shrimp larvae lethality microwell test method. A simply designed connecting vessel with alternative photoperiod was used to culture and collect high yield of active Artemia parthenogenetica nauplii for brine shrimp larvae lethality microwell test. Using this method, pure A. parthenogenetica nauplii suspension was easily cultured and harvested with high density about 100-150 larvae per milliliter and the natural mortality was reduced to near zero by elimination of unnecessary artificial disturbance. And its sensitivity was validated by determination of LC(50)-24 h of different reference toxicants including five antitumor agents, two pesticides, three organic pollutants, and four heavy metals salts, most of which exhibited LC(50)-24 h between 0.07 and 58.43 mg/L except for bleomycin and mitomycin C with LC(50)-24 h over 300 mg/L.

  3. Beyond Measurement and Reward: Methods of Motivating Quality Improvement and Accountability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berenson, Robert A; Rice, Thomas

    2015-12-01

    The article examines public policies designed to improve quality and accountability that do not rely on financial incentives and public reporting of provider performance. Payment policy should help temper the current "more is better" attitude of physicians and provider organizations. Incentive neutrality would better support health professionals' intrinsic motivation to act in their patients' best interests to improve overall quality than would pay-for-performance plans targeted to specific areas of clinical care. Public policy can support clinicians' intrinsic motivation through approaches that support systematic feedback to clinicians and provide concrete opportunities to collaborate to improve care. Some programs administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including Partnership for Patients and Conditions of Participation, deserve more attention; they represent available, but largely ignored, approaches to support providers to improve quality and protect beneficiaries against substandard care. Public policies related to quality improvement should focus more on methods of enhancing professional intrinsic motivation, while recognizing the potential role of organizations to actively promote and facilitate that motivation. Actually achieving improvement, however, will require a reexamination of the role played by financial incentives embedded in payments and the unrealistic expectations placed on marginal incentives in pay-for-performance schemes. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  4. New technology in dietary assessment: a review of digital methods in improving food record accuracy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stumbo, Phyllis J

    2013-02-01

    Methods for conducting dietary assessment in the United States date back to the early twentieth century. Methods of assessment encompassed dietary records, written and spoken dietary recalls, FFQ using pencil and paper and more recently computer and internet applications. Emerging innovations involve camera and mobile telephone technology to capture food and meal images. This paper describes six projects sponsored by the United States National Institutes of Health that use digital methods to improve food records and two mobile phone applications using crowdsourcing. The techniques under development show promise for improving accuracy of food records.

  5. Study on the Application of 6σ Method in Shoemaking Enterprise Quality Improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Ting

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available With the development of science as well as technology and the influx of shoemaking companies abroad, our traditional shoemaking enterprises face greater pressure to survive, and product quality problems are in urgent need of improvement. Aiming at the quality problems of M shoemaking enterprise, DMAIC method is used to conduct the product quality improvement, and a mathematical statistics software Minitab is used to analyze the data. Moreover, the optimum combination of the key influencing factors is determined by orthogonal experiment design as well as a set of specific quality improvement plans are put forward. Finally, the production process capability of M enterprise is improved, the product bonding strength is enhanced, customer satisfaction is improved, and the thoughts of product quality improvement and reference are provided for domestic traditional shoemaking enterprises.

  6. An improved design method of a tuned mass damper for an in-service footbridge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Weixing; Wang, Liangkun; Lu, Zheng

    2018-03-01

    Tuned mass damper (TMD) has a wide range of applications in the vibration control of footbridges. However, the traditional engineering design method may lead to a mistuned TMD. In this paper, an improved TMD design method based on the model updating is proposed. Firstly, the original finite element model (FEM) is studied and the natural characteristics of the in-service or newly built footbridge is identified by field test, and then the original FEM is updated. TMD is designed according to the new updated FEM, and it is optimized according to the simulation on vibration control effects. Finally, the installation and field measurement of TMD are carried out. The improved design method can be applied to both in-service and newly built footbridges. This paper illustrates the improved design method with an engineering example. The frequency identification results of field test and original FEM show that there is a relatively large difference between them. The TMD designed according to the updated FEM has better vibration control effect than the TMD designed according to the original FEM. The site test results show that TMD has good effect on controlling human-induced vibrations.

  7. Significant Improvement of Organic Thin-Film Transistor Mobility Utilizing an Organic Heterojunction Buffer Layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan Feng; Qian Xian-Rui; Huang Li-Zhen; Wang Hai-Bo; Yan Dong-Hang

    2011-01-01

    High-mobility vanadyl phthalocyanine (VOPc)/5,5‴-bis(4-fluorophenyl)-2,2':5',2″:5″,2‴-quaterthiophene (F2-P4T) thin-film transistors are demonstrated by employing a copper hexadecafluorophthalocyanine (F 16 CuPc)/copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) heterojunction unit, which are fabricated at different substrate temperatures, as a buffer layer. The highest mobility of 4.08cm 2 /Vs is achieved using a F 16 CuPc/CuPc organic heterojunction buffer layer fabricated at high substrate temperature. Compared with the random small grain-like morphology of the room-temperature buffer layer, the high-temperature organic heterojunction presents a large-sized fiber-like film morphology, resulting in an enhanced conductivity. Thus the contact resistance of the transistor is significantly reduced and an obvious improvement in device mobility is obtained. (cross-disciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  8. Synthesis of porous graphene powder through improved Hummers' method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Siddhant; Bonageri, Shrilakshmi; Achar, Siddarth Krishnaraja; Menon, Atul; Basavaraja R., J.

    2018-05-01

    Graphene due to its high specific surface area is considered to be a potential adsorbent for air and water purification systems. In this study, graphene was synthesized using the recently developed Improved Hummers' method to achieve a high oxidation rate and thermal treatment of the synthesized graphene was done to increase its pore size and make it more capable for applications in purification systems. Graphite flakes were oxidized to obtain graphene oxide which was then reduced to obtain graphene. The synthesized graphene was then thermally treated at 200 °C for two hours in a muffle furnace to improve its surface properties. The characterization results of graphene oxide and graphene show the presence of many impurities which is inferred to be the result of contaminated water used in the experimentation. The analysis of the characterization results also shows that the thermally treated graphene has more spacing and voids when compared to graphene which makes it a better suit for adsorption of gases such as carbon dioxide.

  9. Edge detection of optical subaperture image based on improved differential box-counting method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yi; Hui, Mei; Liu, Ming; Dong, Liquan; Kong, Lingqin; Zhao, Yuejin

    2018-01-01

    Optical synthetic aperture imaging technology is an effective approach to improve imaging resolution. Compared with monolithic mirror system, the image of optical synthetic aperture system is often more complex at the edge, and as a result of the existence of gap between segments, which makes stitching becomes a difficult problem. So it is necessary to extract the edge of subaperture image for achieving effective stitching. Fractal dimension as a measure feature can describe image surface texture characteristics, which provides a new approach for edge detection. In our research, an improved differential box-counting method is used to calculate fractal dimension of image, then the obtained fractal dimension is mapped to grayscale image to detect edges. Compared with original differential box-counting method, this method has two improvements as follows: by modifying the box-counting mechanism, a box with a fixed height is replaced by a box with adaptive height, which solves the problem of over-counting the number of boxes covering image intensity surface; an image reconstruction method based on super-resolution convolutional neural network is used to enlarge small size image, which can solve the problem that fractal dimension can't be calculated accurately under the small size image, and this method may well maintain scale invariability of fractal dimension. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively eliminate noise and has a lower false detection rate compared with the traditional edge detection algorithms. In addition, this algorithm can maintain the integrity and continuity of image edge in the case of retaining important edge information.

  10. Statistical methods for improving verification of claims of origin for Italian wines based on stable isotope ratios

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dordevic, N.; Wehrens, R. [IASMA Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, via Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all' Adige (Italy); Postma, G.J.; Buydens, L.M.C. [Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Analytical Chemistry, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen (Netherlands); Camin, F., E-mail: federica.camin@fmach.it [IASMA Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, via Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all' Adige (Italy)

    2012-12-13

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The assessment of claims of origin is of enormous economic importance for DOC and DOCG wines. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The official method is based on univariate statistical tests of H, C and O isotopic ratios. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We consider 5220 Italian wine samples collected in the period 2000-2010. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Multivariate statistical analysis leads to much better specificity and easier detection of false claims of origin. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer In the case of multi-modal data, mixture modelling provides additional improvements. - Abstract: Wine derives its economic value to a large extent from geographical origin, which has a significant impact on the quality of the wine. According to the food legislation, wines can be without geographical origin (table wine) and wines with origin. Wines with origin must have characteristics which are essential due to its region of production and must be produced, processed and prepared, exclusively within that region. The development of fast and reliable analytical methods for the assessment of claims of origin is very important. The current official method is based on the measurement of stable isotope ratios of water and alcohol in wine, which are influenced by climatic factors. The results in this paper are based on 5220 Italian wine samples collected in the period 2000-2010. We evaluate the univariate approach underlying the official method to assess claims of origin and propose several new methods to get better geographical discrimination between samples. It is shown that multivariate methods are superior to univariate approaches in that they show increased sensitivity and specificity. In cases where data are non-normally distributed, an approach based on mixture modelling provides additional improvements.

  11. Knowledge Reuse Method to Improve the Learning of Interference-Preventive Allocation Policies in Multi-Car Elevators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdivielso Chian, Alex; Miyamoto, Toshiyuki

    In this letter, we introduce a knowledge reuse method to improve the performance of a learning algorithm developed to prevent interference in multi-car elevators. This method enables the algorithm to use its previously acquired experience in new learning processes. The simulation results confirm the improvement achieved in the algorithm's performance.

  12. An improved method for estimating capillary pressure from 3D microtomography images and its application to the study of disconnected nonwetting phase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tianyi; Schlüter, Steffen; Dragila, Maria Ines; Wildenschild, Dorthe

    2018-04-01

    We present an improved method for estimating interfacial curvatures from x-ray computed microtomography (CMT) data that significantly advances the potential for this tool to unravel the mechanisms and phenomena associated with multi-phase fluid motion in porous media. CMT data, used to analyze the spatial distribution and capillary pressure-saturation (Pc-S) relationships of liquid phases, requires accurate estimates of interfacial curvature. Our improved method for curvature estimation combines selective interface modification and distance weighting approaches. It was verified against synthetic (analytical computer-generated) and real image data sets, demonstrating a vast improvement over previous methods. Using this new tool on a previously published data set (multiphase flow) yielded important new insights regarding the pressure state of the disconnected nonwetting phase during drainage and imbibition. The trapped and disconnected non-wetting phase delimits its own hysteretic Pc-S curve that inhabits the space within the main hysteretic Pc-S loop of the connected wetting phase. Data suggests that the pressure of the disconnected, non-wetting phase is strongly modified by the pore geometry rather than solely by the bulk liquid phase that surrounds it.

  13. Numerical integration methods and layout improvements in the context of dynamic RNA visualization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shabash, Boris; Wiese, Kay C

    2017-05-30

    RNA visualization software tools have traditionally presented a static visualization of RNA molecules with limited ability for users to interact with the resulting image once it is complete. Only a few tools allowed for dynamic structures. One such tool is jViz.RNA. Currently, jViz.RNA employs a unique method for the creation of the RNA molecule layout by mapping the RNA nucleotides into vertexes in a graph, which we call the detailed graph, and then utilizes a Newtonian mechanics inspired system of forces to calculate a layout for the RNA molecule. The work presented here focuses on improvements to jViz.RNA that allow the drawing of RNA secondary structures according to common drawing conventions, as well as dramatic run-time performance improvements. This is done first by presenting an alternative method for mapping the RNA molecule into a graph, which we call the compressed graph, and then employing advanced numerical integration methods for the compressed graph representation. Comparing the compressed graph and detailed graph implementations, we find that the compressed graph produces results more consistent with RNA drawing conventions. However, we also find that employing the compressed graph method requires a more sophisticated initial layout to produce visualizations that would require minimal user interference. Comparing the two numerical integration methods demonstrates the higher stability of the Backward Euler method, and its resulting ability to handle much larger time steps, a high priority feature for any software which entails user interaction. The work in this manuscript presents the preferred use of compressed graphs to detailed ones, as well as the advantages of employing the Backward Euler method over the Forward Euler method. These improvements produce more stable as well as visually aesthetic representations of the RNA secondary structures. The results presented demonstrate that both the compressed graph representation, as well as the Backward

  14. A method for improving global pyranometer measurements by modeling responsivity functions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lester, A. [Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063 (United States); Myers, D.R. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401 (United States)

    2006-03-15

    Accurate global solar radiation measurements are crucial to climate change research and the development of solar energy technologies. Pyranometers produce an electrical signal proportional to global irradiance. The signal-to-irradiance ratio is the responsivity (RS) of the instrument (RS=signal/irradiance=microvolts/(W/m{sup 2})). Most engineering measurements are made using a constant RS. It is known that RS varies with day of year, zenith angle, and net infrared radiation. This study proposes a method to find an RS function to model a pyranometer's changing RS. Using a reference irradiance calculated from direct and diffuse instruments, we found instantaneous RS for two global pyranometers over 31 sunny days in a two-year period. We performed successive independent regressions of the error between the constant and instantaneous RS with respect to zenith angle, day of year, and net infrared to obtain an RS function. An alternative method replaced the infrared regression with an independently developed technique to account for thermal offset. Results show improved uncertainties with the function method than with the single-calibration value. Lower uncertainties also occur using a black-and-white (8-48), rather than all-black (PSP), shaded pyranometer as the diffuse reference instrument. We conclude that the function method is extremely effective in reducing uncertainty in the irradiance measurements for global PSP pyranometers if they are calibrated at the deployment site. Furthermore, it was found that the function method accounts for the pyranometer's thermal offset, rendering further corrections unnecessary. The improvements in irradiance data achieved in this study will serve to increase the accuracy of solar energy assessments and atmospheric research. (author)

  15. Improved method of generating bit reversed numbers for calculating fast fourier transform

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Suresh, T.

    Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is an important tool required for signal processing in defence applications. This paper reports an improved method for generating bit reversed numbers needed in calculating FFT using radix-2. The refined algorithm takes...

  16. Improved stove programs need robust methods to estimate carbon offsets

    OpenAIRE

    Johnson, Michael; Edwards, Rufus; Masera, Omar

    2010-01-01

    Current standard methods result in significant discrepancies in carbon offset accounting compared to approaches based on representative community based subsamples, which provide more realistic assessments at reasonable cost. Perhaps more critically, neither of the currently approved methods incorporates uncertainties inherent in estimates of emission factors or non-renewable fuel usage (fNRB). Since emission factors and fNRB contribute 25% and 47%, respectively, to the overall uncertainty in ...

  17. Assessment of modern spectral analysis methods to improve wavenumber resolution of F-K spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shirley, T.E.; Laster, S.J.; Meek, R.A.

    1987-01-01

    The improvement in wavenumber spectra obtained by using high resolution spectral estimators is examined. Three modern spectral estimators were tested, namely the Autoregressive/Maximum Entropy (AR/ME) method, the Extended Prony method, and an eigenstructure method. They were combined with the conventional Fourier method by first transforming each trace with a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). A high resolution spectral estimator was applied to the resulting complex spatial sequence for each frequency. The collection of wavenumber spectra thus computed comprises a hybrid f-k spectrum with high wavenumber resolution and less spectral ringing. Synthetic and real data records containing 25 traces were analyzed by using the hybrid f-k method. The results show an FFT-AR/ME f-k spectrum has noticeably better wavenumber resolution and more spectral dynamic range than conventional spectra when the number of channels is small. The observed improvement suggests the hybrid technique is potentially valuable in seismic data analysis

  18. Improvement in the amine glass platform by bubbling method for a DNA microarray

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jee SH

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Seung Hyun Jee,1 Jong Won Kim,2 Ji Hyeong Lee,2 Young Soo Yoon11Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea; 2Genomics Clinical Research Institute, LabGenomics Co., Ltd., Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of KoreaAbstract: A glass platform with high sensitivity for sexually transmitted diseases microarray is described here. An amino-silane-based self-assembled monolayer was coated on the surface of a glass platform using a novel bubbling method. The optimized surface of the glass platform had highly uniform surface modifications using this method, as well as improved hybridization properties with capture probes in the DNA microarray. On the basis of these results, the improved glass platform serves as a highly reliable and optimal material for the DNA microarray. Moreover, in this study, we demonstrated that our glass platform, manufactured by utilizing the bubbling method, had higher uniformity, shorter processing time, lower background signal, and higher spot signal than the platforms manufactured by the general dipping method. The DNA microarray manufactured with a glass platform prepared using bubbling method can be used as a clinical diagnostic tool. Keywords: DNA microarray, glass platform, bubbling method, self-assambled monolayer

  19. Technology-based self-care methods of improving antiretroviral adherence: a systematic review.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parya Saberi

    Full Text Available As HIV infection has shifted to a chronic condition, self-care practices have emerged as an important topic for HIV-positive individuals in maintaining an optimal level of health. Self-care refers to activities that patients undertake to maintain and improve health, such as strategies to achieve and maintain high levels of antiretroviral adherence.Technology-based methods are increasingly used to enhance antiretroviral adherence; therefore, we systematically reviewed the literature to examine technology-based self-care methods that HIV-positive individuals utilize to improve adherence. Seven electronic databases were searched from 1/1/1980 through 12/31/2010. We included quantitative and qualitative studies. Among quantitative studies, the primary outcomes included ARV adherence, viral load, and CD4+ cell count and secondary outcomes consisted of quality of life, adverse effects, and feasibility/acceptability data. For qualitative/descriptive studies, interview themes, reports of use, and perceptions of use were summarized. Thirty-six publications were included (24 quantitative and 12 qualitative/descriptive. Studies with exclusive utilization of medication reminder devices demonstrated less evidence of enhancing adherence in comparison to multi-component methods.This systematic review offers support for self-care technology-based approaches that may result in improved antiretroviral adherence. There was a clear pattern of results that favored individually-tailored, multi-function technologies, which allowed for periodic communication with health care providers rather than sole reliance on electronic reminder devices.

  20. Improvement in or relating to methods and apparatus for refuelling nuclear reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shumyakin, E.P.; Sabir-de-Ribas, K.I.; Druzhinsky, I.A.; Kondratiev, P.V.; Andreichikov, B.I.; Slepov, L.M.; Borisjuk, E.V.; Smirnov, A.M.

    1977-01-01

    This invention relates to improvements in the methods and in the apparatus used for refuelling liquid metal cooled fast reactors and in particular to systems for cooling the fuel assemblies as they are removed from the reactor. (UK)

  1. Analysis and Assessment of Environmental Load of Vending Machines by a LCA Method, and Eco-Improvement Effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, Yukio; Sadamichi, Yucho; Maruyama, Naoki; Kato, Seizo

    These days the environmental impact due to vending machines'(VM) diffusion has greatly been discussed. This paper describes the numerical evaluation of the environmental impact by using the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) scheme and then proposes eco-improvements' strategy toward environmentally conscious products(ECP). A new objective and universal consolidated method for the LCA-evaluation, so-called LCA-NETS(Numerical Eco-load Standardization ) developed by the authors is applied to the present issue. As a result, the environmental loads at the 5years' operation and the material procurement stages are found to dominate others over the life cycle. Further eco-improvement is realized by following the order of the LCA-NETS magnitude; namely, energy saving, materials reducing, parts' re-using, and replacing with low environmental load material. Above all, parts' re-using is specially recommendable for significant reduction of the environmental loads toward ECP.

  2. Improving Hip-Worn Accelerometer Estimates of Sitting Using Machine Learning Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerr, Jacqueline; Carlson, Jordan; Godbole, Suneeta; Cadmus-Bertram, Lisa; Bellettiere, John; Hartman, Sheri

    2018-02-13

    To improve estimates of sitting time from hip worn accelerometers used in large cohort studies by employing machine learning methods developed on free living activPAL data. Thirty breast cancer survivors concurrently wore a hip worn accelerometer and a thigh worn activPAL for 7 days. A random forest classifier, trained on the activPAL data, was employed to detect sitting, standing and sit-stand transitions in 5 second windows in the hip worn accelerometer. The classifier estimates were compared to the standard accelerometer cut point and significant differences across different bout lengths were investigated using mixed effect models. Overall, the algorithm predicted the postures with moderate accuracy (stepping 77%, standing 63%, sitting 67%, sit to stand 52% and stand to sit 51%). Daily level analyses indicated that errors in transition estimates were only occurring during sitting bouts of 2 minutes or less. The standard cut point was significantly different from the activPAL across all bout lengths, overestimating short bouts and underestimating long bouts. This is among the first algorithms for sitting and standing for hip worn accelerometer data to be trained from entirely free living activPAL data. The new algorithm detected prolonged sitting which has been shown to be most detrimental to health. Further validation and training in larger cohorts is warranted.This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CCBY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

  3. Forecasting space weather: Can new econometric methods improve accuracy?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reikard, Gordon

    2011-06-01

    Space weather forecasts are currently used in areas ranging from navigation and communication to electric power system operations. The relevant forecast horizons can range from as little as 24 h to several days. This paper analyzes the predictability of two major space weather measures using new time series methods, many of them derived from econometrics. The data sets are the A p geomagnetic index and the solar radio flux at 10.7 cm. The methods tested include nonlinear regressions, neural networks, frequency domain algorithms, GARCH models (which utilize the residual variance), state transition models, and models that combine elements of several techniques. While combined models are complex, they can be programmed using modern statistical software. The data frequency is daily, and forecasting experiments are run over horizons ranging from 1 to 7 days. Two major conclusions stand out. First, the frequency domain method forecasts the A p index more accurately than any time domain model, including both regressions and neural networks. This finding is very robust, and holds for all forecast horizons. Combining the frequency domain method with other techniques yields a further small improvement in accuracy. Second, the neural network forecasts the solar flux more accurately than any other method, although at short horizons (2 days or less) the regression and net yield similar results. The neural net does best when it includes measures of the long-term component in the data.

  4. Prediction method of long-term reliability in improving residual stresses by means of surface finishing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sera, Takehiko; Hirano, Shinro; Chigusa, Naoki; Okano, Shigetaka; Saida, Kazuyoshi; Mochizuki, Masahito; Nishimoto, Kazutoshi

    2012-01-01

    Surface finishing methods, such as Water Jet Peening (WJP), have been applied to welds in some major components of nuclear power plants as a counter measure to Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking (PWSCC). In addition, the methods of surface finishing (buffing treatment) is being standardized, and thus the buffing treatment has been also recognized as the well-established method of improving stress. On the other hand, the long-term stability of peening techniques has been confirmed by accelerated test. However, the effectiveness of stress improvement by surface treatment is limited to thin layers and the effect of complicated residual stress distribution in the weld metal beneath the surface is not strictly taken into account for long-term stability. This paper, therefore, describes the accelerated tests, which confirmed that the long-term stability of the layer subjected to buffing treatment was equal to that subjected to WJP. The long-term reliability of very thin stress improved layer was also confirmed through a trial evaluation by thermal elastic-plastic creep analysis, even if the effect of complicated residual stress distribution in the weld metal was excessively taken into account. Considering the above findings, an approach is proposed for constructing the prediction method of the long-term reliability of stress improvement by surface finishing. (author)

  5. Significant clinical improvement in radiation-induced lumbosacral poly-radiculopathy by a treatment combining pentoxifylline, tocopherol, and clodronate (Pentoclo)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Delanian, S. [Hop St Louis, Serv Oncol Radiotherapie, APHP, F-75010 Paris, (France); Lefaix, J.L. [CEA-LARIA, CIRIL-GANIL, Caen, (France); Maisonobe, T. [Hop La Pitie Salpetriere, Federat Neurophysiol Clin, APHP, Paris, (France)

    2008-07-01

    Radiation-induced (RI) peripheral neuropathy is a rare and severe delayed complication of radiotherapy that is spontaneously irreversible, with no standard of treatment. We previously developed a successful antioxidant treatment in RI fibrosis and necrosis. Two patients with progressive worsening RI lumbosacral poly-radiculopathy experienced over several years a significant clinical improvement in their neurological sensorimotor symptoms with long-term pentoxifylline-tocopherol-clodronate treatment, and good safety. (authors)

  6. The cumulative effect of small dietary changes may significantly improve nutritional intakes in free-living children and adults

    OpenAIRE

    Bornet , Francis; Paineau , Damien; Beaufils , François; Boulier , Alain; Cassuto , Dominique-Adèle; Chwalow , Judith; Combris , Pierre; Couet , Charles; Jouret , Béatrice; Lafay , Lionel; Laville , Martine; Mahé , Sylvain; Ricour , Claude; Romon , Monique; Simon , Chantal

    2010-01-01

    Abstract Background/Objectives: The ELPAS study was an 8-month randomized controlled dietary modification trial designed to test the hypothesis that family dietary coaching would improve nutritional intakes and weight control in 2026 free-living children and parents (Paineau et al., 2008). It resulted in significant nutritional changes, with beneficial effects on body mass index in adults. In these ancillary analyses, we investigated dietary changes throughout the intervention. ...

  7. A Method for Improving Reliability of Radiation Detection using Deep Learning Framework

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Hojong; Kim, Tae-Ho; Han, Byunghun; Kim, Hyunduk; Kim, Ki-duk

    2017-01-01

    Radiation detection is essential technology for overall field of radiation and nuclear engineering. Previously, technology for radiation detection composes of preparation of the table of the input spectrum to output spectrum in advance, which requires simulation of numerous predicted output spectrum with simulation using parameters modeling the spectrum. In this paper, we propose new technique to improve the performance of radiation detector. The software in the radiation detector has been stagnant for a while with possible intrinsic error of simulation. In the proposed method, to predict the input source using output spectrum measured by radiation detector is performed using deep neural network. With highly complex model, we expect that the complex pattern between data and the label can be captured well. Furthermore, the radiation detector should be calibrated regularly and beforehand. We propose a method to calibrate radiation detector using GAN. We hope that the power of deep learning may also reach to radiation detectors and make huge improvement on the field. Using improved radiation detector, the reliability of detection would be confident, and there are many tasks remaining to solve using deep learning in nuclear engineering society.

  8. Improved ASTM G72 Test Method for Ensuring Adequate Fuel-to-Oxidizer Ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juarez, Alfredo; Harper, Susana Tapia

    2016-01-01

    The ASTM G72/G72M-15 Standard Test Method for Autogenous Ignition Temperature of Liquids and Solids in a High-Pressure Oxygen-Enriched Environment is currently used to evaluate materials for the ignition susceptibility driven by exposure to external heat in an enriched oxygen environment. Testing performed on highly volatile liquids such as cleaning solvents has proven problematic due to inconsistent test results (non-ignitions). Non-ignition results can be misinterpreted as favorable oxygen compatibility, although they are more likely associated with inadequate fuel-to-oxidizer ratios. Forced evaporation during purging and inadequate sample size were identified as two potential causes for inadequate available sample material during testing. In an effort to maintain adequate fuel-to-oxidizer ratios within the reaction vessel during test, several parameters were considered, including sample size, pretest sample chilling, pretest purging, and test pressure. Tests on a variety of solvents exhibiting a range of volatilities are presented in this paper. A proposed improvement to the standard test protocol as a result of this evaluation is also presented. Execution of the final proposed improved test protocol outlines an incremental step method of determining optimal conditions using increased sample sizes while considering test system safety limits. The proposed improved test method increases confidence in results obtained by utilizing the ASTM G72 autogenous ignition temperature test method and can aid in the oxygen compatibility assessment of highly volatile liquids and other conditions that may lead to false non-ignition results.

  9. Accuracy improvement techniques in Precise Point Positioning method using multiple GNSS constellations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasileios Psychas, Dimitrios; Delikaraoglou, Demitris

    2016-04-01

    The future Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including modernized GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou, offer three or more signal carriers for civilian use and much more redundant observables. The additional frequencies can significantly improve the capabilities of the traditional geodetic techniques based on GPS signals at two frequencies, especially with regard to the availability, accuracy, interoperability and integrity of high-precision GNSS applications. Furthermore, highly redundant measurements can allow for robust simultaneous estimation of static or mobile user states including more parameters such as real-time tropospheric biases and more reliable ambiguity resolution estimates. This paper presents an investigation and analysis of accuracy improvement techniques in the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) method using signals from the fully operational (GPS and GLONASS), as well as the emerging (Galileo and BeiDou) GNSS systems. The main aim was to determine the improvement in both the positioning accuracy achieved and the time convergence it takes to achieve geodetic-level (10 cm or less) accuracy. To this end, freely available observation data from the recent Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) of the International GNSS Service, as well as the open source program RTKLIB were used. Following a brief background of the PPP technique and the scope of MGEX, the paper outlines the various observational scenarios that were used in order to test various data processing aspects of PPP solutions with multi-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS systems. Results from the processing of multi-GNSS observation data from selected permanent MGEX stations are presented and useful conclusions and recommendations for further research are drawn. As shown, data fusion from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou systems is becoming increasingly significant nowadays resulting in a position accuracy increase (mostly in the less favorable East direction) and a large reduction of convergence

  10. Nitrite addition to acidified sludge significantly improves digestibility, toxic metal removal, dewaterability and pathogen reduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Fangzhou; Keller, Jürg; Yuan, Zhiguo; Batstone, Damien J.; Freguia, Stefano; Pikaar, Ilje

    2016-12-01

    Sludge management is a major issue for water utilities globally. Poor digestibility and dewaterability are the main factors determining the cost for sludge management, whereas pathogen and toxic metal concentrations limit beneficial reuse. In this study, the effects of low level nitrite addition to acidified sludge to simultaneously enhance digestibility, toxic metal removal, dewaterability and pathogen reduction were investigated. Waste activated sludge (WAS) from a full-scale waste water treatment plant was treated at pH 2 with 10 mg NO2--N/L for 5 h. Biochemical methane potential tests showed an increase in the methane production of 28%, corresponding to an improvement from 247 ± 8 L CH4/kg VS to 317 ± 1 L CH4/kg VS. The enhanced removal of toxic metals further increased the methane production by another 18% to 360 ± 6 L CH4/kg VS (a total increase of 46%). The solids content of dewatered sludge increased from 14.6 ± 1.4% in the control to 18.2 ± 0.8%. A 4-log reduction for both total coliforms and E. coli was achieved. Overall, this study highlights the potential of acidification with low level nitrite addition as an effective and simple method achieving multiple improvements in terms of sludge management.

  11. Method and apparatus for improved melt flow during continuous strip casting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Follstaedt, Donald W.; King, Edward L.; Schneider, Ken C.

    1991-11-12

    The continuous casting of metal strip using the melt overflow process is improved by controlling the weir conditions in the nozzle to provide a more uniform flow of molten metal across the width of the nozzle and reducing the tendency for freezing of metal along the interface with refractory surfaces. A weir design having a sloped rear wall and tapered sidewalls and critical gap controls beneath the weir has resulted in the drastic reduction in edge tearing and a significant improvement in strip uniformity. The floor of the container vessel is preferably sloped and the gap between the nozzle and the rotating substrate is critically controlled. The resulting flow patterns observed with the improved casting process have reduced thermal gradients in the bath, contained surface slag and eliminated undesirable solidification near the discharge area by increasing the flow rates at those points.

  12. Improving metabolic parameters of antipsychotic child treatment (IMPACT) study: rationale, design, and methods

    OpenAIRE

    Reeves, Gloria M; Keeton, Courtney; Correll, Christoph U; Johnson, Jacqueline L; Hamer, Robert M; Sikich, Linmarie; Hazzard, Lindsey; Alderman, Cheryl; Scheer, Abigail; Mabe, Micah; Kapoor, Sandeep; Sheridan, Eva; Borner, Irmgard; Bussell, Kristin; Pirmohamed, Sara

    2013-01-01

    Background Youth with serious mental illness may experience improved psychiatric stability with second generation antipsychotic (SGA) medication treatment, but unfortunately may also experience unhealthy weight gain adverse events. Research on weight loss strategies for youth who require ongoing antipsychotic treatment is quite limited. The purpose of this paper is to present the design, methods, and rationale of the Improving Metabolic Parameters in Antipsychotic Child Treatment (IMPACT) stu...

  13. Development of an improved high resolution mass spectrometry based multi-residue method for veterinary drugs in various food matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaufmann, A; Butcher, P; Maden, K; Walker, S; Widmer, M

    2011-08-26

    Multi-residue methods for veterinary drugs or pesticides in food are increasingly often based on ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Previous available time of flight (TOF) technologies, showing resolutions up to 15,000 full width at half maximum (FWHM), were not sufficiently selective for monitoring low residue concentrations in difficult matrices (e.g. hormones in tissue or antibiotics in honey). The approach proposed in this paper is based on a single stage Orbitrap mass spectrometer operated at 50,000 FWHM. Extracts (liver and kidney) which were produced according to a validated multi-residue method (time of flight detection based) could not be analyzed by Orbitrap because of extensive signal suppression. This required the improvement of established extraction and clean-up procedures. The introduced, more extensive deproteinzation steps and dedicated instrumental settings successfully eliminated these detrimental suppression effects. The reported method, covering more than 100 different veterinary dugs, was validated according to the EU Commission Decision 2002/657/EEC. Validated matrices include muscle, kidney, liver, fish and honey. Significantly better performance parameters (e.g. linearity, reproducibility and detection limits) were obtained when comparing the new method with the older, TOF based method. These improvements are attributed to the higher resolution (50,000 versus 12,000 FWHM) and the superior mass stability of the of the Orbitrap over the previously utilized TOF instrument. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. State of charge estimation of lithium-ion batteries based on an improved parameter identification method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xia, Bizhong; Chen, Chaoren; Tian, Yong; Wang, Mingwang; Sun, Wei; Xu, Zhihui

    2015-01-01

    The SOC (state of charge) is the most important index of the battery management systems. However, it cannot be measured directly with sensors and must be estimated with mathematical techniques. An accurate battery model is crucial to exactly estimate the SOC. In order to improve the model accuracy, this paper presents an improved parameter identification method. Firstly, the concept of polarization depth is proposed based on the analysis of polarization characteristics of the lithium-ion batteries. Then, the nonlinear least square technique is applied to determine the model parameters according to data collected from pulsed discharge experiments. The results show that the proposed method can reduce the model error as compared with the conventional approach. Furthermore, a nonlinear observer presented in the previous work is utilized to verify the validity of the proposed parameter identification method in SOC estimation. Finally, experiments with different levels of discharge current are carried out to investigate the influence of polarization depth on SOC estimation. Experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the SOC estimation accuracy as compared with the conventional approach, especially under the conditions of large discharge current. - Highlights: • The polarization characteristics of lithium-ion batteries are analyzed. • The concept of polarization depth is proposed to improve model accuracy. • A nonlinear least square technique is applied to determine the model parameters. • A nonlinear observer is used as the SOC estimation algorithm. • The validity of the proposed method is verified by experimental results.

  15. Improving local clustering based top-L link prediction methods via asymmetric link clustering information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Zhihao; Lin, Youfang; Zhao, Yiji; Yan, Hongyan

    2018-02-01

    Networks can represent a wide range of complex systems, such as social, biological and technological systems. Link prediction is one of the most important problems in network analysis, and has attracted much research interest recently. Many link prediction methods have been proposed to solve this problem with various techniques. We can note that clustering information plays an important role in solving the link prediction problem. In previous literatures, we find node clustering coefficient appears frequently in many link prediction methods. However, node clustering coefficient is limited to describe the role of a common-neighbor in different local networks, because it cannot distinguish different clustering abilities of a node to different node pairs. In this paper, we shift our focus from nodes to links, and propose the concept of asymmetric link clustering (ALC) coefficient. Further, we improve three node clustering based link prediction methods via the concept of ALC. The experimental results demonstrate that ALC-based methods outperform node clustering based methods, especially achieving remarkable improvements on food web, hamster friendship and Internet networks. Besides, comparing with other methods, the performance of ALC-based methods are very stable in both globalized and personalized top-L link prediction tasks.

  16. Think Pair Share (TPS as Method to Improve Student’s Learning Motivation and Learning Achievement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hetika Hetika

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to find out the application of Think Pair Share (TPS learning method in improving learning motivation and learning achievement in the subject of Introduction to Accounting I of the Accounting Study Program students of Politeknik Harapan Bersama. The Method of data collection in this study used observation method, test method, and documentation method. The research instruments used observation sheet, questionnaire and test question. This research used Class Action Research Design which is an action implementation oriented research, with the aim of improving quality or problem solving in a group by carefully and observing the success rate due to the action. The method of analysis used descriptive qualitative and quantitative analysis method. The results showed that the application of Think Pair Share Learning (TPS Method can improve the Learning Motivation and Achievement. Before the implementation of the action, the obtained score is 67% then in the first cycle increases to 72%, and in the second cycle increasws to 80%. In addition, based on questionnaires distributed to students, it also increases the score of Accounting Learning Motivation where the score in the first cycle of 76% increases to 79%. In addition, in the first cycle, the score of pre test and post test of the students has increased from 68.86 to 76.71 while in the second cycle the score of pre test and post test of students has increased from 79.86 to 84.86.

  17. Improving the speed of AFM by mechatronic design and modern control methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schitter, Georg

    2009-01-01

    In Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) high-performance and high-precision control of the AFM scanner and of the imaging forces is crucial. Particularly at high imaging speeds the dynamic behaviour of the scanner may cause imaging artifacts and limit the maximum imaging rate. This contribution discusses and presents recent improvements in AFM instrumentation for faster imaging by means of mechatronic design and utilizing modern control engineering methods. Combining these improvements enables AFM imaging at more than two orders of magnitudes faster than conventional AFMs. (orig.)

  18. Fabrication of CoZn alloy nanowire arrays: Significant improvement in magnetic properties by annealing process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koohbor, M. [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Soltanian, S., E-mail: s.soltanian@gmail.com [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada); Najafi, M. [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Physics, Hamadan University of Technology, Hamadan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Servati, P. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada)

    2012-01-05

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Increasing the Zn concentration changes the structure of NWs from hcp to amorphous. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Increasing the Zn concentration significantly reduces the Hc value of NWs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Magnetic properties of CoZn NWs can be significantly enhanced by appropriate annealing. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The pH of electrolyte has no significant effect on the properties of the NW arrays. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Deposition frequency has considerable effects on the magnetic properties of NWs. - Abstract: Highly ordered arrays of Co{sub 1-x}Zn{sub x} (0 {<=} x {<=} 0.74) nanowires (NWs) with diameters of {approx}35 nm and high length-to-diameter ratios (up to 150) were fabricated by co-electrodeposition of Co and Zn into pores of anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) templates. The Co and Zn contents of the NWs were adjusted by varying the ratio of Zn and Co ion concentrations in the electrolyte. The effect of the Zn content, electrodeposition conditions (frequency and pH) and annealing on the structural and magnetic properties (e.g., coercivity (Hc) and squareness (Sq)) of NW arrays were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and alternating gradient force magnetometer (AGFM). XRD patterns reveal that an increase in the concentration of Zn ions of the electrolyte forces the hcp crystal structure of Co NWs to change into an amorphous phase, resulting in a significant reduction in Hc. It was found that the magnetic properties of NWs can be significantly improved by appropriate annealing process. The highest values for Hc (2050 Oe) and Sq (0.98) were obtained for NWs electrodeposited using 0.95/0.05 Co:Zn concentrations at 200 Hz and annealed at 575 Degree-Sign C. While the pH of electrolyte is found to have no significant effect on the structural and magnetic properties of the NW arrays, the electrodeposition frequency has considerable effects on

  19. Improved Nissl method to stain formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde-fixed material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Böck, P

    1979-05-15

    Nissl staining of paraffin sections from formaldehyde- or glutaraldehyde-fixed specimens is significantly intensified when sections are kept in a 50% (w/v) aqueous solution of potassium metabisulfite before being stained by a conventional Nissl method.

  20. A pilot randomized controlled trial of the Occupational Goal Intervention method for the improvement of executive functioning in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vizzotto, Adriana D B; Celestino, Diego L; Buchain, Patricia C; Oliveira, Alexandra M; Oliveira, Graça M R; Di Sarno, Elaine S; Napolitano, Isabel C; Elkis, Helio

    2016-11-30

    Schizophrenia is a chronic disabling mental disorder that involves impairments in several cognitive domains, especially in executive functions (EF), as well as impairments in functional performance. This is particularly true in patients with Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia (TRS). The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of the Occupational Goal Intervention (OGI) method for the improvement of EF in patients with TRS. In this randomized, controlled, single-blind pilot study, 25 TRS patients were randomly assigned to attend 30 sessions of either OGI or craft activities (control) over a 15-week period and evaluated by the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) as the primary outcome and the Direct Assessment of Functional Status (DAFS-BR) as well as the Independent Living Skills Survey (ILSS-BR) as secondary outcomes, all adapted for the Brazilian population. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used for monitoring symptom severity. Results showed significant statistical differences, favoring the OGI group in terms of improvement on the BADS, both in subtests (Action Program and Key Search) and the total score. Improvements in EFs were observed by families in various dimensions as measured by different subtests of the ILSS-BR inventory. The OGI group showed no significant results in secondary outcomes (DAFS-BR) except in terms of improvement of communication skills. Although preliminary, our results indicate that the OGI method is efficacious and effective for patients with TRS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. An Improved Unmixing-Based Fusion Method: Potential Application to Remote Monitoring of Inland Waters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yulong Guo

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Although remote sensing technology has been widely used to monitor inland water bodies; the lack of suitable data with high spatial and spectral resolution has severely obstructed its practical development. The objective of this study is to improve the unmixing-based fusion (UBF method to produce fused images that maintain both spectral and spatial information from the original images. Images from Environmental Satellite 1 (HJ1 and Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS were used in this study to validate the method. An improved UBF (IUBF algorithm is established by selecting a proper HJ1-CCD image band for each MERIS band and thereafter applying an unsupervised classification method in each sliding window. Viewing in the visual sense—the radiance and the spectrum—the results show that the improved method effectively yields images with the spatial resolution of the HJ1-CCD image and the spectrum resolution of the MERIS image. When validated using two datasets; the ERGAS index (Relative Dimensionless Global Error indicates that IUBF is more robust than UBF. Finally, the fused data were applied to evaluate the chlorophyll a concentrations (Cchla in Taihu Lake. The result shows that the Cchla map obtained by IUBF fusion captures more detailed information than that of MERIS.

  2. Construct ability Improvement for Nuclear Power Plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Dae Soo; Lee, Jong Rim; Kim, Jong Ku [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1997-12-31

    The purpose of this study was to identify methods for improving the construct ability of nuclear power plants. This study reviewed several references of current construction practices of domestic and overseas nuclear plants in order to identify potential methods for improving construct ability. The identified methods for improving construct ability were then evaluated based on the applicability to domestic nuclear plant construction. The selected methods are expected to reduce the construction period, improve the quality of construction, cost, safety, and productivity. Selection of which methods should be implemented will require further evaluation of construction modifications, design changes, contract revisions. Among construction methods studied, platform construction methods can be applied through construction sequence modification without significant design changes, and Over the Top construction method of the NSSS, automatic welding of RCL pipes, CLP modularization, etc., are considered to be applied after design modification and adjustment of material lead time. (author). 49 refs., figs., tabs.

  3. Improving the spectrophotometric determination of the alkylating activity of anticancer agents: a new insight into the mechanism of the NBP method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dierickx, Karen M E; Journé, Fabrice; Gerbaux, Pascal; Morandini, Renato; Kauffmann, Jean-Michel; Ghanem, Ghanem E

    2009-02-15

    In this paper, the mechanism of the nitrobenzylpyridine (NBP) method to measure the alkylating activity of drugs originally described by Epstein et al. [J. Epstein, R.W. Rosenthal, R.J. Ess, Anal. Chem. 27 (1955) 1435-1439] and modified later by others was revisited using melphalan, m-sarcolysin, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide. Its direct application to determine the activity of these drugs in human serum and aqueous media is described and discussed. This method, based on the formation of a chromophore due to the reaction between the alkylating agent and NBP, was significantly improved by extracting as quickly as possible the reaction product(s) into chloroform before adding alkali to develop the color. This significantly limited the degradation by hydrolysis of the products and enhanced the yield of the end chromophore in the organic phase. The reaction time was optimized by monitoring each compound color development. The best reaction time for each compound was selected and a higher stability of the extracted color over at least 1h was obtained (compared to a couple of minutes in previous studies). Most interestingly, water evaporation due to heating had little or no effect on the linearity of standard curves evaluated in the micromolar concentration range. Both the sensitivity and reproducibility of the method were therefore significantly improved. There appears to be a direct correlation between compound hydrolysis and alkylation activity; the relative reactivity is different among the compounds owing to the rate of (i) production, (ii) the relative proportions and (iii) the hydrolysis of the intermediates. A general mechanism for the nucleophilic competitive substitution is proposed.

  4. Novel method to improve power handling capability for coplanar waveguide high-temperature superconducting filter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Satoh, K; Koizumi, D; Narahashi, S [NTT DoCoMo, Inc., 3-5 Hikari-no-oka, 239-8536 Yokosuka (Japan)

    2006-06-01

    This paper proposes a novel method to improve the power handling capability of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) high-temperature superconducting (HTS) filter. The noteworthy point of the proposed method is that it is based on the concept that the power handling capability is improved by reducing the maximum current density of the filter. Numerical investigations confirm that a CPW HTS filter using 66-{omega} characteristic impedance resonators (66-{omega} CPW HTSF) reduces the maximum current density compared to that using conventional 50-{omega} resonators (50-{omega} CPW HTSF). We fabricated 5-GHz band four-pole Chevyshev CPW HTSFs based on the proposed and conventional methods. The fabricated 66-{omega} CPW HTSF exhibited the third-order intercept point (TOI) of + 61 dBm while the 50-{omega} CPW HTSF exhibited the TOI of + 54 dBm, both at 60 K. These results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  5. Location Privacy Protection Based on Improved K-Value Method in Augmented Reality on Mobile Devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chunyong Yin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available With the development of Augmented Reality technology, the application of location based service (LBS is more and more popular, which provides enormous convenience to people’s life. User location information could be obtained at anytime and anywhere. So user location privacy security suffers huge threats. Therefore, it is crucial to pay attention to location privacy protection in LBS. Based on the architecture of the trusted third party (TTP, we analyzed the advantages and shortages of existing location privacy protection methods in LBS on mobile terminal. Then we proposed the improved K-value location privacy protection method according to privacy level, which combines k-anonymity method with pseudonym method. Through the simulation experiment, the results show that this improved method can anonymize all service requests effectively. In addition to the experiment of execution time, it demonstrated that our proposed method can realize the location privacy protection more efficiently.

  6. Application of the AHP method to analyze the significance of the factors affecting road traffic safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justyna SORDYL

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Over the past twenty years, the number of vehicles registered in Poland has grown rapidly. At the same time, a relatively small increase in the length of the road network has been observed. As a result of the limited capacity of available infrastructure, it leads to significant congestion and to increase of the probability of road accidents. The overall level of road safety depends on many factors - the behavior of road users, infrastructure solutions and the development of automotive technology. Thus the detailed assessment of the importance of individual elements determining road safety is difficult. The starting point is to organize the factors by grouping them into categories which are components of the DVE system (driver - vehicle - environment. In this work, to analyze the importance of individual factors affecting road safety, the use of analytic hierarchy process method (AHP was proposed. It is one of the multi-criteria methods which allows us to perform hierarchical analysis of the decision process, by means of experts’ opinions. Usage of AHP method enabled us to evaluate and rank the factors affecting road safety. This work attempts to link the statistical data and surveys in significance analysis of the elements determining road safety.

  7. Improving the Energy Performance in Existing Non-residential Buildings in Denmark Using the Total Concept Method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krawczyk, Pawel; Afshari, Alireza; Simonsen, Graves K.

    2016-01-01

    This project is a part of a joint European research project, “Total Concept”, which is a method for improving the energy performance in existing non-Residential buildings. The method focuses on achieving maximum energy savings in a Building within the profitability frames set by a building owner...... was to form a package of measures for an energy performance improvement in the building based on the Total Concept method. This paper presents results from recently analyzed data on two renovated Danish buildings according to the rules of “Total Concept” method. According to the estimation done based...

  8. Measurement of uranium in soil environment optimization of liquid fluorescent method improvement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin Guangcheng; Li Yan

    2013-01-01

    Measurement of uranium in soil environment were introduced in this paper optimization improvement fluid fluorescence analysis method. Use 'on the determination of uranium in soil, rocks, etc. Samples of liquid fluorescent method' when measuring low environment soil samples can not meet the required precision of 8% or less in gansu province and method detection limit of 0.3 mg/kg or less. In affecting the method detection limit, recovery rate and precision of the soil sample decomposition temperature, measuring the temperature of the sample, sample pH value measurement, the background fluorescence measurement condition optimization of analysis is determined, the method detection limit of 0.133 mg/kg, the average recovery rate was 96.6%, the precision is 3.80%. The experimental results show that the method can meet the requirements for determination of trace uranium m environment soil samples. (authors)

  9. Novel Method to Improve Radiologist Agreement in Interpretation of Serial Chest Radiographs in the ICU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise A Castro

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To determine whether a novel method and device, called a variable attenuation plate (VAP, which equalizes chest radiographic appearance and allows for synchronization of manual image windowing with comparison studies, would improve consistency in interpretation. Materials and Methods: Research ethics board approved the prospective cohort pilot study, which included 50 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU undergoing two serial chest radiographs with a VAP placed on each one of them. The VAP allowed for equalization of density and contrast between the patients′ serial chest radiographs. Three radiologists interpreted all the studies with and without the use of VAP. Kappa and percent agreement was used to calculate agreement between radiologists′ interpretations with and without the plate. Results: Radiologist agreement was substantially higher with the VAP method, as compared to that with the non-VAP method. Kappa values between Radiologists A and B, A and C, and B and C were 46%, 55%, and 51%, respectively, which improved to 73%, 81%, and 66%, respectively, with the use of VAP. Discrepant report impressions (i.e., one radiologist′s impression of unchanged versus one or both of the other radiologists stating improved or worsened in their impression ranged from 24 to 28.6% without the use of VAP and from 10 to 16% with the use of VAP (χ2 = 7.454, P < 0.01. Opposing views (i.e., one radiologist′s impression of improved and one of the others stating disease progression or vice versa were reported in 7 (12% cases in the non-VAP group and 4 (7% cases in the VAP group (χ2 = 0.85, P = 0.54. Conclusion: Numerous factors play a role in image acquisition and image quality, which can contribute to poor consistency and reliability of portable chest radiographic interpretations. Radiologists′ agreement of image interpretation can be improved by use of a novel method consisting of a VAP and associated software and has the potential

  10. Validation of Modifications to the ANSR for Listeria Method for Improved Internal Positive Control Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alles, Susan; Meister, Evan; Hosking, Edan; Tovar, Eric; Shaulis, Rebecca; Schonfeld, Mark; Zhang, Lei; Li, Lin; Biswas, Preetha; Mozola, Mark; Donofrio, Robert; Chen, Yi

    2018-03-01

    A study was conducted to validate a minor reagent formulation change to the ANSR for Listeria method, Performance Tested MethodSM 101202. This change involves increasing the master mix volume prelyophilization by 40% and addition of salmon sperm DNA (nontarget DNA) to the master mix. These changes improve the robustness of the internal positive control response and reduce the possibility of obtaining invalid results due to weak-positive control curves. When three foods (hot dogs, Mexican-style cheese, and cantaloupe) and sponge samples taken from a stainless steel surface were tested, no significant differences in performance between the ANSR and U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual or U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook reference culture procedures were observed for any of the matrixes as determined by probability of detection analysis. Inclusivity and exclusivity testing yielded 100% expected results for target and nontarget bacteria. Accelerated stability testing was carried out over a 7 week period and showed no decrease in assay performance over time.

  11. Methods to improve rehabilitation of patients following breast cancer surgery: a review of systematic reviews

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Loh SY

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Siew Yim Loh, Aisya Nadia Musa Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Context: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer amongst women but it has the highest survival rates amongst all cancer. Rehabilitation therapy of post-treatment effects from cancer and its treatment is needed to improve functioning and quality of life. This review investigated the range of methods for improving physical, psychosocial, occupational, and social wellbeing in women with breast cancer after receiving breast cancer surgery. Method: A search for articles published in English between the years 2009 and 2014 was carried out using The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. Search terms included: ‘breast cancer’, ‘breast carcinoma’, ‘surgery’, ‘mastectomy’, ‘lumpectomy’, ‘breast conservation’, ‘axillary lymph node dissection’, ‘rehabilitation’, 'therapy’, ‘physiotherapy’, ‘occupational therapy’, ‘psychological’, ‘psychosocial’, ‘psychotherapy’, ‘exercise’, ‘physical activity’, ‘cognitive’, ‘occupational’, ‘alternative’, ‘complementary’, and ‘systematic review’. Study selection: Systematic reviews on the effectiveness of rehabilitation methods in improving post-operative physical, and psychological outcomes for breast cancer were selected. Sixteen articles met all the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Data extraction: Included review year, study aim, total number of participants included, and results. Data synthesis: Evidence for exercise rehabilitation is predominantly in the improvement of shoulder mobility and limb strength. Inconclusive results exist for a range of rehabilitation methods (physical, psycho-education, nutritional, alternative-complementary methods for addressing the domains of psychosocial, cognitive, and

  12. X-ray scatter correction method for dedicated breast computed tomography: improvements and initial patient testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramamurthy, Senthil; D’Orsi, Carl J; Sechopoulos, Ioannis

    2016-01-01

    A previously proposed x-ray scatter correction method for dedicated breast computed tomography was further developed and implemented so as to allow for initial patient testing. The method involves the acquisition of a complete second set of breast CT projections covering 360° with a perforated tungsten plate in the path of the x-ray beam. To make patient testing feasible, a wirelessly controlled electronic positioner for the tungsten plate was designed and added to a breast CT system. Other improvements to the algorithm were implemented, including automated exclusion of non-valid primary estimate points and the use of a different approximation method to estimate the full scatter signal. To evaluate the effectiveness of the algorithm, evaluation of the resulting image quality was performed with a breast phantom and with nine patient images. The improvements in the algorithm resulted in the avoidance of introduction of artifacts, especially at the object borders, which was an issue in the previous implementation in some cases. Both contrast, in terms of signal difference and signal difference-to-noise ratio were improved with the proposed method, as opposed to with the correction algorithm incorporated in the system, which does not recover contrast. Patient image evaluation also showed enhanced contrast, better cupping correction, and more consistent voxel values for the different tissues. The algorithm also reduces artifacts present in reconstructions of non-regularly shaped breasts. With the implemented hardware and software improvements, the proposed method can be reliably used during patient breast CT imaging, resulting in improvement of image quality, no introduction of artifacts, and in some cases reduction of artifacts already present. The impact of the algorithm on actual clinical performance for detection, diagnosis and other clinical tasks in breast imaging remains to be evaluated. (paper)

  13. Deciding on child maltreatment: A literature review on methods that improve decision-making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartelink, Cora; van Yperen, Tom A; ten Berge, Ingrid J

    2015-11-01

    Assessment and decision-making in child maltreatment cases is difficult. Practitioners face many uncertainties and obstacles during their assessment and decision-making process. Research exhibits shortcomings in this decision-making process. The purpose of this literature review is to identify and discuss methods to overcome these shortcomings. We conducted a systematic review of the published literature on decision-making using PsychINFO and MEDLINE from 2000 through May 2014. We included reviews and quantitative research studies that investigated methods aimed at improving professional decision-making on child abuse and neglect in child welfare and child protection. Although many researchers have published articles on decision-making including ideas and theories to improve professional decision-making, empirical research on these improvements is scarce. Available studies have shown promising results. Structured decision-making has created a greater child-centred and holistic approach that takes the child's family and environment into account, which has made practitioners work more systematically and improved the analysis of complex situations. However, this approach has not improved inter-rater agreement on decisions made. Shared decision-making may improve the participation of parents and children and the quality of decisions by taking client treatment preferences into account in addition to scientific evidence and clinical experience. A number of interesting developments appear in recent research literature; however, child welfare and child protection must find additional inspiration from other areas, e.g., mental health services, because research on decision-making processes in child welfare and child protection is still rare. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Significant Improvements in Pyranometer Nighttime Offsets Using High-Flow DC Ventilation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kutchenreiter, Mark; Michalski, J.J.; Long, C.N.; Habte, Aron

    2017-05-22

    Accurate solar radiation measurements using pyranometers are required to understand radiative impacts on the Earth's energy budget, solar energy production, and to validate radiative transfer models. Ventilators of pyranometers, which are used to keep the domes clean and dry, also affect instrument thermal offset accuracy. This poster presents a high-level overview of the ventilators for single-black-detector pyranometers and black-and-white pyranometers. For single-black-detector pyranometers with ventilators, high-flow-rate (50-CFM and higher), 12-V DC fans lower the offsets, lower the scatter, and improve the predictability of nighttime offsets compared to lower-flow-rate (35-CFM), 120-V AC fans operated in the same type of environmental setup. Black-and-white pyranometers, which are used to measure diffuse horizontal irradiance, sometimes show minor improvement with DC fan ventilation, but their offsets are always small, usually no more than 1 W/m2, whether AC- or DC-ventilated.

  15. Improved method of in vivo respiratory-gated micro-CT imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walters, Erin B; Panda, Kunal; Bankson, James A; Brown, Ellana; Cody, Dianna D [Department of Imaging Physics, Unit 56, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030 (United States)

    2004-09-07

    The presence of motion artifacts is a typical problem in thoracic imaging. However, synchronizing the respiratory cycle with computed tomography (CT) image acquisition can reduce these artifacts. We currently employ a method of in vivo respiratory-gated micro-CT imaging for small laboratory animals (mice). This procedure involves the use of a ventilator that controls the respiratory cycle of the animal and provides a digital output signal that is used to trigger data acquisition. After inspection of the default respiratory trigger timing, we hypothesized that image quality could be improved by moving the data-acquisition window to a portion of the cycle with less respiratory motion. For this reason, we developed a simple delay circuit to adjust the timing of the ventilator signal that initiates micro-CT data acquisition. This delay circuit decreases motion artifacts and substantially improves image quality.

  16. Improved method of in vivo respiratory-gated micro-CT imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walters, Erin B; Panda, Kunal; Bankson, James A; Brown, Ellana; Cody, Dianna D

    2004-01-01

    The presence of motion artifacts is a typical problem in thoracic imaging. However, synchronizing the respiratory cycle with computed tomography (CT) image acquisition can reduce these artifacts. We currently employ a method of in vivo respiratory-gated micro-CT imaging for small laboratory animals (mice). This procedure involves the use of a ventilator that controls the respiratory cycle of the animal and provides a digital output signal that is used to trigger data acquisition. After inspection of the default respiratory trigger timing, we hypothesized that image quality could be improved by moving the data-acquisition window to a portion of the cycle with less respiratory motion. For this reason, we developed a simple delay circuit to adjust the timing of the ventilator signal that initiates micro-CT data acquisition. This delay circuit decreases motion artifacts and substantially improves image quality

  17. Significant improvement in the electrical characteristics of Schottky barrier diodes on molecularly modified Gallium Nitride surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garg, Manjari; Naik, Tejas R.; Pathak, C. S.; Nagarajan, S.; Rao, V. Ramgopal; Singh, R.

    2018-04-01

    III-Nitride semiconductors face the issue of localized surface states, which causes fermi level pinning and large leakage current at the metal semiconductor interface, thereby degrading the device performance. In this work, we have demonstrated the use of a Self-Assembled Monolayer (SAM) of organic molecules to improve the electrical characteristics of Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) on n-type Gallium Nitride (n-GaN) epitaxial films. The electrical characteristics of diodes were improved by adsorption of SAM of hydroxyl-phenyl metallated porphyrin organic molecules (Zn-TPPOH) onto the surface of n-GaN. SAM-semiconductor bonding via native oxide on the n-GaN surface was confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Surface morphology and surface electronic properties were characterized using atomic force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy. Current-voltage characteristics of different metal (Cu, Ni) SBDs on bare n-GaN were compared with those of Cu/Zn-TPPOH/n-GaN and Ni/Zn-TPPOH/n-GaN SBDs. It was found that due to the molecular monolayer, the surface potential of n-GaN was decreased by ˜350 mV. This caused an increase in the Schottky barrier height of Cu and Ni SBDs from 1.13 eV to 1.38 eV and 1.07 eV to 1.22 eV, respectively. In addition to this, the reverse bias leakage current was reduced by 3-4 orders of magnitude for both Cu and Ni SBDs. Such a significant improvement in the electrical performance of the diodes can be very useful for better device functioning.

  18. A novel method for improving chest tube insertion skills among medical interns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tatli, Ozgur; Turkmen, Suha; Imamoglu, Melih; Karaca, Yunus; Cicek, Mustafa; Yadigaroglu, Metin; Bayrak, Selen T.; Asik, Olgun; Topbas, Murat; Turedi, Suleyman

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: To develop a low-cost biomaterial-covered chest tube simulation model and assess its possible usefulness for developing the chest tube insertion skills among medical interns. Methods: This mannequin-based interventional study was performed in a University hospital setting. We included 63 physicians performing emergency medicine internship at the Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey, between January 2015 and March 2015. A dummy was prepared for training simulation using a display mannequin. Medical interns received instruction concerning pneumothorax and the chest tube procedure. A total of 63 medical interns participating in this interventional study were asked to insert a chest tube in a biomaterial-covered mannequin. A senior trainee scored their performance using a check list and the mean of the total scores was calculated (21 items; total score, 42). Results: The mean procedural score was 40.9 ± 1.3 of a possible 42. The maximum score of 42 was achieved by 39.7% of the medical interns, while another 33.3% achieved a score of 41. Of the participants, 85% succeeded in inserting the tube via an appropriate technique, achieving a score of 40 or more. Conclusion: Our results indicated that this model could be useful for effective training of medical interns for chest tube insertion, which is an important skill in emergency medicine. This biomaterial-covered model is inexpensive and its use can potentially be widened to improve training methods without significant financial demand. PMID:28917064

  19. Significant improvement of olfactory performance in sleep apnea patients after three months of nasal CPAP therapy - Observational study and randomized trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bettina Boerner

    Full Text Available The olfactory function highly impacts quality of life (QoL. Continuous positive airway pressure is an effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA and is often applied by nasal masks (nCPAP. The influence of nCPAP on the olfactory performance of OSA patients is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the sense of smell before initiation of nCPAP and after three months treatment, in moderate and severe OSA patients.The sense of smell was assessed in 35 patients suffering from daytime sleepiness and moderate to severe OSA (apnea/hypopnea index ≥ 15/h, with the aid of a validated test battery (Sniffin' Sticks before initiation of nCPAP therapy and after three months of treatment. Additionally, adherent subjects were included in a double-blind randomized three weeks CPAP-withdrawal trial (sub-therapeutic CPAP pressure.Twenty five of the 35 patients used the nCPAP therapy for more than four hours per night, and for more than 70% of nights (adherent group. The olfactory performance of these patients improved significantly (p = 0.007 after three months of nCPAP therapy. When considering the entire group of patients, olfaction also improved significantly (p = 0.001. In the randomized phase the sense of smell of six patients deteriorated under sub-therapeutic CPAP pressure (p = 0.046 whereas five patients in the maintenance CPAP group showed no significant difference (p = 0.501.Olfactory performance improved significantly after three months of nCPAP therapy in patients suffering from moderate and severe OSA. It seems that this effect of nCPAP is reversible under sub-therapeutic CPAP pressure.ISRCTN11128866.

  20. Multivariate analysis method for energy calibration and improved mass assignment in recoil spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Bouanani, Mohamed; Hult, Mikael; Persson, Leif; Swietlicki, Erik; Andersson, Margaretha; Oestling, Mikael; Lundberg, Nils; Zaring, Carina; Cohen, D.D.; Dytlewski, Nick; Johnston, P.N.; Walker, S.R.; Bubb, I.F.; Whitlow, H.J.

    1994-01-01

    Heavy ion recoil spectrometry is rapidly becoming a well established analysis method, but the associated data analysis processing is still not well developed. The pronounced nonlinear response of silicon detectors for heavy ions leads to serious limitation and complication in mass gating, which is the principal factor in obtaining energy spectra with minimal cross talk between elements. To overcome the above limitation, a simple empirical formula with an associated multiple regression method is proposed for the absolute energy calibration of the time of flight-energy dispersive detector telescope used in recoil spectrometry. A radical improvement in mass assignment was realized, which allows a more accurate and improved depth profiling with the important feature of making the data processing much easier. ((orig.))

  1. Space discretization in SN methods: Features, improvements and convergence patterns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coppa, G.G.M.; Lapenta, G.; Ravetto, P.

    1990-01-01

    A comparative analysis of the space discretization schemes currently used in S N methods is performed and special attention is devoted to direct integration techniques. Some improvements are proposed in one- and two-dimensional applications, which are based on suitable choices for the spatial variation of the collision source. A study of the convergence pattern is carried out for eigenvalue calculations within the space asymptotic approximation by means of both analytical and numerical investigations. (orig.) [de

  2. Nicotine Significantly Improves Chronic Stress-Induced Impairments of Cognition and Synaptic Plasticity in Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Xueliang; Shang, Yingchun; Fu, Jingxuan; Zhang, Tao

    2017-08-01

    The aim of this study was to examine if nicotine was able to improve cognition deficits in a mouse model of chronic mild stress. Twenty-four male C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups: control, stress, and stress with nicotine treatment. The animal model was established by combining chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and isolated feeding. Mice were exposed to CUMS continued for 28 days, while nicotine (0.2 mg/kg) was also administrated for 28 days. Weight and sucrose consumption were measured during model establishing period. The anxiety and behavioral despair were analyzed using the forced swim test (FST) and open-field test (OFT). Spatial cognition was evaluated using Morris water maze (MWM) test. Following behavioral assessment, both long-term potentiation (LTP) and depotentiation (DEP) were recorded in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) region. Both synaptic and Notch1 proteins were measured by Western. Nicotine increased stressed mouse's sucrose consumption. The MWM test showed that spatial learning and reversal learning in stressed animals were remarkably affected relative to controls, whereas nicotine partially rescued cognitive functions. Additionally, nicotine considerably alleviated the level of anxiety and the degree of behavioral despair in stressed mice. It effectively mitigated the depression-induced impairment of hippocampal synaptic plasticity, in which both the LTP and DEP were significantly inhibited in stressed mice. Moreover, nicotine enhanced the expression of synaptic and Notch1 proteins in stressed animals. The results suggest that nicotine ameliorates the depression-like symptoms and improves the hippocampal synaptic plasticity closely associated with activating transmembrane ion channel receptors and Notch signaling components. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

  3. Improvement of ISI techniques by multi-frequency eddy current testing method for steam generator tube in PWR plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Endo, Takashi; Kamimura, Takeo; Nishihara, Masatoshi; Araki, Yasuo; Fukui, Shigetaka.

    1982-05-01

    Eddy current flaw detection techniques are applied to the in-service inspection (ISI) of steam generator tubes in pressurized water reactors (PWR) plant. To improve the reliability and operating efficiency of the plants, efforts are being made to develop eddy current testing methods of various kinds. Multi-frequency eddy current testing method, one of new method, has recently been applied to actual heat exchanger tubes, contributing to the improvement of the detectability and signal evaluation of the ISI. The outline of multi-frequency eddy current testing method and its effects on the improvement of flaw detecting and signal evaluation accuracy are described. (author)

  4. The Implementation of Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC Method in Teaching Narrative Text to Improve Students’ Reading Comprehension at the Eleventh Grade Students of MAN 2 Model Makassar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darmayanti Darmayanti

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available This study is aimed to improve the reading comprehension of eleventh grade students at MAN 2 Model Makassar by using CIRC Method. CIRC Method is chosen to practice the communication in the target language. The research problems are: (1. Does the use of CIRC method improve reading comprehension of the eleventh grade students of MAN 2 Model Makassar? (2. Are the students interested in teaching Narrative text through CIRC method of the eleventh grade students of MAN 2 Model Makassar? The objectives of the research were (1 to find out whether or not the use of CIRC method can improve reading comprehension of the eleventh grade students of MAN 2 Model Makassar. (2 to find out the students’ interest toward teaching Narrative text through CIRC method. The research applied Quasi-experimental Design. The population of the research was the Eleventh Grade students of MAN 2 Model Makassar in academic year 2013/2014. The sample was IPS 2 as Experimental Group consisting of 33 students and IPA 2 as Control Group consisting of 37 students, with the total sample 70 students. The researcher used Cluster Random Sampling, two classes of the eleventh grade of MAN 2 Model Makassar were took as the experimental class and the control class. The experimental class taught by using CIRC Method while the control class taught by conventional learning method. The data were collected through reading tests namely Pre test and Post test, that were analyzed by using SPSS 20.0 version. The result of the data showed that there was significant difference between the students’ score who were taught CIRC method and non CIRC method. It proven by the mean score of the experimental group that was higher than control group in the post test. The result of the test indicated that using CIRC method significantly improved the students’ reading comprehension. Then, the questionnaires were analyzed by using Likert Scale that showed the students were interested in learning English

  5. Improved method for direct coronary grafting without CPB via anterolateral small thoracotomy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boonstra, PW; Grandjean, JG; Mariani, MA

    We describe an improved method of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting that facilitates the anastomosis on the beating heart by means of a rigid and simple coronary stabilizer This technique permits anastomosis of the left internal mammary artery to the left anterior descending

  6. An improved method for upscaling borehole thermal energy storage using inverse finite element modelling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tordrup, Karl Woldum; Poulsen, Søren Erbs; Bjørn, Henrik

    2017-01-01

    Dimensioning of large-scale borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) is inherently uncertain due to the natural variability of thermal conductivity and heat capacity in the storage volume. We present an improved method for upscaling a pilot BTES to full scale and apply the method to an operational...

  7. Improvement of a sample preparation method assisted by sodium deoxycholate for mass-spectrometry-based shotgun membrane proteomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yong; Lin, Haiyan; Liu, Zhonghua; Wang, Kunbo; Yan, Yujun

    2014-11-01

    In current shotgun-proteomics-based biological discovery, the identification of membrane proteins is a challenge. This is especially true for integral membrane proteins due to their highly hydrophobic nature and low abundance. Thus, much effort has been directed at sample preparation strategies such as use of detergents, chaotropes, and organic solvents. We previously described a sample preparation method for shotgun membrane proteomics, the sodium deoxycholate assisted method, which cleverly circumvents many of the challenges associated with traditional sample preparation methods. However, the method is associated with significant sample loss due to the slightly weaker extraction/solubilization ability of sodium deoxycholate when it is used at relatively low concentrations such as 1%. Hence, we present an enhanced sodium deoxycholate sample preparation strategy that first uses a high concentration of sodium deoxycholate (5%) to lyse membranes and extract/solubilize hydrophobic membrane proteins, and then dilutes the detergent to 1% for a more efficient digestion. We then applied the improved method to shotgun analysis of proteins from rat liver membrane enriched fraction. Compared with other representative sample preparation strategies including our previous sodium deoxycholate assisted method, the enhanced sodium deoxycholate method exhibited superior sensitivity, coverage, and reliability for the identification of membrane proteins particularly those with high hydrophobicity and/or multiple transmembrane domains. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Intelligent Photovoltaic Systems by Combining the Improved Perturbation Method of Observation and Sun Location Tracking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yajie; Shi, Yunbo; Yu, Xiaoyu; Liu, Yongjie

    2016-01-01

    Currently, tracking in photovoltaic (PV) systems suffers from some problems such as high energy consumption, poor anti-interference performance, and large tracking errors. This paper presents a solar PV tracking system on the basis of an improved perturbation and observation method, which maximizes photoelectric conversion efficiency. According to the projection principle, we design a sensor module with a light-intensity-detection module for environmental light-intensity measurement. The effect of environmental factors on the system operation is reduced, and intelligent identification of the weather is realized. This system adopts the discrete-type tracking method to reduce power consumption. A mechanical structure with a level-pitch double-degree-of-freedom is designed, and attitude correction is performed by closed-loop control. A worm-and-gear mechanism is added, and the reliability, stability, and precision of the system are improved. Finally, the perturbation and observation method designed and improved by this study was tested by simulated experiments. The experiments verified that the photoelectric sensor resolution can reach 0.344°, the tracking error is less than 2.5°, the largest improvement in the charge efficiency can reach 44.5%, and the system steadily and reliably works. PMID:27327657

  9. Intelligent Photovoltaic Systems by Combining the Improved Perturbation Method of Observation and Sun Location Tracking.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yajie Wang

    Full Text Available Currently, tracking in photovoltaic (PV systems suffers from some problems such as high energy consumption, poor anti-interference performance, and large tracking errors. This paper presents a solar PV tracking system on the basis of an improved perturbation and observation method, which maximizes photoelectric conversion efficiency. According to the projection principle, we design a sensor module with a light-intensity-detection module for environmental light-intensity measurement. The effect of environmental factors on the system operation is reduced, and intelligent identification of the weather is realized. This system adopts the discrete-type tracking method to reduce power consumption. A mechanical structure with a level-pitch double-degree-of-freedom is designed, and attitude correction is performed by closed-loop control. A worm-and-gear mechanism is added, and the reliability, stability, and precision of the system are improved. Finally, the perturbation and observation method designed and improved by this study was tested by simulated experiments. The experiments verified that the photoelectric sensor resolution can reach 0.344°, the tracking error is less than 2.5°, the largest improvement in the charge efficiency can reach 44.5%, and the system steadily and reliably works.

  10. Intelligent Photovoltaic Systems by Combining the Improved Perturbation Method of Observation and Sun Location Tracking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yajie; Shi, Yunbo; Yu, Xiaoyu; Liu, Yongjie

    2016-01-01

    Currently, tracking in photovoltaic (PV) systems suffers from some problems such as high energy consumption, poor anti-interference performance, and large tracking errors. This paper presents a solar PV tracking system on the basis of an improved perturbation and observation method, which maximizes photoelectric conversion efficiency. According to the projection principle, we design a sensor module with a light-intensity-detection module for environmental light-intensity measurement. The effect of environmental factors on the system operation is reduced, and intelligent identification of the weather is realized. This system adopts the discrete-type tracking method to reduce power consumption. A mechanical structure with a level-pitch double-degree-of-freedom is designed, and attitude correction is performed by closed-loop control. A worm-and-gear mechanism is added, and the reliability, stability, and precision of the system are improved. Finally, the perturbation and observation method designed and improved by this study was tested by simulated experiments. The experiments verified that the photoelectric sensor resolution can reach 0.344°, the tracking error is less than 2.5°, the largest improvement in the charge efficiency can reach 44.5%, and the system steadily and reliably works.

  11. An Improved Isotropic Periodic Sum Method That Uses Linear Combinations of Basis Potentials

    KAUST Repository

    Takahashi, Kazuaki Z.; Narumi, Tetsu; Suh, Donguk; Yasuoka, Kenji

    2012-01-01

    Isotropic periodic sum (IPS) is a technique that calculates long-range interactions differently than conventional lattice sum methods. The difference between IPS and lattice sum methods lies in the shape and distribution of remote images for long-range interaction calculations. The images used in lattice sum calculations are identical to those generated from periodic boundary conditions and are discretely positioned at lattice points in space. The images for IPS calculations are "imaginary", which means they do not explicitly exist in a simulation system and are distributed isotropically and periodically around each particle. Two different versions of the original IPS method exist. The IPSn method is applied to calculations for point charges, whereas the IPSp method calculates polar molecules. However, both IPSn and IPSp have their advantages and disadvantages in simulating bulk water or water-vapor interfacial systems. In bulk water systems, the cutoff radius effect of IPSn strongly affects the configuration, whereas IPSp does not provide adequate estimations of water-vapor interfacial systems unless very long cutoff radii are used. To extend the applicability of the IPS technique, an improved IPS method, which has better accuracy in both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems has been developed and named the linear-combination-based isotropic periodic sum (LIPS) method. This improved IPS method uses linear combinations of basis potentials. We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of bulk water and water-vapor interfacial systems to evaluate the accuracy of the LIPS method. For bulk water systems, the LIPS method has better accuracy than IPSn in estimating thermodynamic and configurational properties without the countercharge assumption, which is used for IPSp. For water-vapor interfacial systems, LIPS has better accuracy than IPSp and properly estimates thermodynamic and configurational properties. In conclusion, the LIPS method can successfully estimate

  12. An Improved Isotropic Periodic Sum Method That Uses Linear Combinations of Basis Potentials

    KAUST Repository

    Takahashi, Kazuaki Z.

    2012-11-13

    Isotropic periodic sum (IPS) is a technique that calculates long-range interactions differently than conventional lattice sum methods. The difference between IPS and lattice sum methods lies in the shape and distribution of remote images for long-range interaction calculations. The images used in lattice sum calculations are identical to those generated from periodic boundary conditions and are discretely positioned at lattice points in space. The images for IPS calculations are "imaginary", which means they do not explicitly exist in a simulation system and are distributed isotropically and periodically around each particle. Two different versions of the original IPS method exist. The IPSn method is applied to calculations for point charges, whereas the IPSp method calculates polar molecules. However, both IPSn and IPSp have their advantages and disadvantages in simulating bulk water or water-vapor interfacial systems. In bulk water systems, the cutoff radius effect of IPSn strongly affects the configuration, whereas IPSp does not provide adequate estimations of water-vapor interfacial systems unless very long cutoff radii are used. To extend the applicability of the IPS technique, an improved IPS method, which has better accuracy in both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems has been developed and named the linear-combination-based isotropic periodic sum (LIPS) method. This improved IPS method uses linear combinations of basis potentials. We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of bulk water and water-vapor interfacial systems to evaluate the accuracy of the LIPS method. For bulk water systems, the LIPS method has better accuracy than IPSn in estimating thermodynamic and configurational properties without the countercharge assumption, which is used for IPSp. For water-vapor interfacial systems, LIPS has better accuracy than IPSp and properly estimates thermodynamic and configurational properties. In conclusion, the LIPS method can successfully estimate

  13. An Improved Method for Sizing Standalone Photovoltaic Systems Using Generalized Regression Neural Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tamer Khatib

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this research an improved approach for sizing standalone PV system (SAPV is presented. This work is an improved work developed previously by the authors. The previous work is based on the analytical method which faced some concerns regarding the difficulty of finding the model’s coefficients. Therefore, the proposed approach in this research is based on a combination of an analytical method and a machine learning approach for a generalized artificial neural network (GRNN. The GRNN assists to predict the optimal size of a PV system using the geographical coordinates of the targeted site instead of using mathematical formulas. Employing the GRNN facilitates the use of a previously developed method by the authors and avoids some of its drawbacks. The approach has been tested using data from five Malaysian sites. According to the results, the proposed method can be efficiently used for SAPV sizing whereas the proposed GRNN based model predicts the sizing curves of the PV system accurately with a prediction error of 0.6%. Moreover, hourly meteorological and load demand data are used in this research in order to consider the uncertainty of the solar energy and the load demand.

  14. Improved stiffness confinement method within the coarse mesh finite difference framework for efficient spatial kinetics calculation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Beom Woo; Joo, Han Gyu

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The stiffness confinement method is combined with multigroup CMFD with SENM nodal kernel. • The systematic methods for determining the shape and amplitude frequencies are established. • Eigenvalue problems instead of fixed source problems are solved in the transient calculation. • It is demonstrated that much larger time step sizes can be used with the SCM–CMFD method. - Abstract: An improved Stiffness Confinement Method (SCM) is formulated within the framework of the coarse mesh finite difference (CMFD) formulation for efficient multigroup spatial kinetics calculation. The algorithm for searching for the amplitude frequency that makes the dynamic eigenvalue unity is developed in a systematic way along with the methods for determining the shape and precursor frequencies. A nodal calculation scheme is established within the CMFD framework to incorporate the cross section changes due to thermal feedback and dynamic frequency update. The conditional nodal update scheme is employed such that the transient calculation is performed mostly with the CMFD formulation and the CMFD parameters are conditionally updated by intermittent nodal calculations. A quadratic representation of amplitude frequency is introduced as another improvement. The performance of the improved SCM within the CMFD framework is assessed by comparing the solution accuracy and computing times for the NEACRP control rod ejection benchmark problems with those obtained with the Crank–Nicholson method with exponential transform (CNET). It is demonstrated that the improved SCM is beneficial for large time step size calculations with stability and accuracy enhancement

  15. Heat pump control method based on direct measurement of evaporation pressure to improve energy efficiency and indoor air temperature stability at a low cooling load condition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Young Sung; Jeong, Ji Hwan; Ahn, Byoung Ha

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • New heat pump control method was developed. • Experimental investigation on performance of heat pump with various control method. • New control method appeared to improve the stability of indoor air temperature. • New control method appeared to have a potential to reduce power consumption. - Abstract: The control systems of conventional heat pumps have an input of refrigerant temperature at the evaporator outlet to maintain superheat at proper level. In order to develop a control method that can be used to achieve better indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency at a low cooling load condition than the current control method, a new method of the evaporation pressure control based on the evaporator outlet pressure reading (EPCP) was developed. The changes in the stability of indoor air temperature and power consumption were measured while changing the compressor frequency in accordance with the new control method. Compared with the evaporation pressure control based on the evaporator outlet temperature reading, the EPCP control method appeared to improve the stability of room air temperature or occupant thermal comfort significantly

  16. Improvement of organization and audit methods of production reserves at the enterprise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.I. Skrypnyk

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The current research deals with the scientific substantiation of theoretical positions and development of practical recommendations for improving the organization and audit methodology of production reserves at an enterprise. The authors apply the methods of specification. Testing, analysis, synthesis, generalization are the basis for the improvement of the organization and audit methodology of production reserves at an enterprise. The researchers formulate the goals, objectives, information sources and basic methods used in the audit of production reserves. The article examines the main stages of the audit of production reserves and the methodology of its implementation. The algorithm of auditing of production reserves is defined. The paper examines the basic working papers of the auditor for auditing of production reserves such as the test on internal control of production reserves, the audit plan of production reserves, the audit program of production reserves, the comparative statement of inventory resultsof capital assets. These documents, in their turn, will increase the level of control and improve the quality of audit operations with production reserves. The article determines the common errors that occur during operations with production reserves tand you can avoid the errors using the developed plan, program and audit working papers used to conduct the audit of production reserves.

  17. Qualitative Improvement Methods Through Analysis of Inquiry Contents for Cancer Registration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boo, Yoo-Kyung; Lim, Hyun-Sook; Kim, Jung-Eun; Kim, Kyoung-Beom; Won, Young-Joo

    2017-06-25

    Background: In Korea, the national cancer database was constructed after the initiation of the national cancer registration project in 1980, and the annual national cancer registration report has been published every year since 2005. Consequently, data management must begin even at the stage of data collection in order to ensure quality. Objectives: To determine the suitability of cancer registries’ inquiry tools through the inquiry analysis of the Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR), and identify the needs to improve the quality of cancer registration. Methods: Results of 721 inquiries to the KCCR from 2000 to 2014 were analyzed by inquiry year, question type, and medical institution characteristics. Using Stata version 14.1, descriptive analysis was performed to identify general participant characteristics, and chi-square analysis was applied to investigate significant differences in distribution characteristics by factors affecting the quality of cancer registration data. Results: The number of inquiries increased in 2005–2009. During this period, there were various changes, including the addition of cancer registration items such as brain tumors and guideline updates. Of the inquirers, 65.3% worked at hospitals in metropolitan cities and 60.89% of hospitals had 601–1000 beds. Tertiary hospitals had the highest number of inquiries (64.91%), and the highest number of questions by type were 353 (48.96%) for histological codes, 92 (12.76%) for primary sites, and 76 (10.54%) for reportable. Conclusions: A cancer registration inquiry system is an effective method when not confident about codes during cancer registration, or when confronting cancer cases in which previous clinical knowledge or information on the cancer registration guidelines are insufficient. Creative Commons Attribution License

  18. Large-scale systematic analysis of 2D fingerprint methods and parameters to improve virtual screening enrichments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sastry, Madhavi; Lowrie, Jeffrey F; Dixon, Steven L; Sherman, Woody

    2010-05-24

    A systematic virtual screening study on 11 pharmaceutically relevant targets has been conducted to investigate the interrelation between 8 two-dimensional (2D) fingerprinting methods, 13 atom-typing schemes, 13 bit scaling rules, and 12 similarity metrics using the new cheminformatics package Canvas. In total, 157 872 virtual screens were performed to assess the ability of each combination of parameters to identify actives in a database screen. In general, fingerprint methods, such as MOLPRINT2D, Radial, and Dendritic that encode information about local environment beyond simple linear paths outperformed other fingerprint methods. Atom-typing schemes with more specific information, such as Daylight, Mol2, and Carhart were generally superior to more generic atom-typing schemes. Enrichment factors across all targets were improved considerably with the best settings, although no single set of parameters performed optimally on all targets. The size of the addressable bit space for the fingerprints was also explored, and it was found to have a substantial impact on enrichments. Small bit spaces, such as 1024, resulted in many collisions and in a significant degradation in enrichments compared to larger bit spaces that avoid collisions.

  19. Improvements on the directional characteristics of a calibration sound source using the Boundary Element Method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cutanda Henriquez, Vicente; Barrera Figueroa, Salvador; Juhl, Peter Møller

    2008-01-01

    The project Euromet-792 aims to investigate and improve methods for secondary free-field calibration of microphones. In this framework, the comparison method is being studied at DFM in relation to the more usual substitution method of microphone calibration. The design of the sound source is of p...

  20. The European Academy laparoscopic “Suturing Training and Testing’’ (SUTT) significantly improves surgeons’ performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sleiman, Z.; Tanos, V.; Van Belle, Y.; Carvalho, J.L.; Campo, R.

    2015-01-01

    The efficiency of suturing training and testing (SUTT) model by laparoscopy was evaluated, measuring the suturingskill acquisition of trainee gynecologists at the beginning and at the end of a teaching course. During a workshop organized by the European Academy of Gynecological Surgery (EAGS), 25 participants with three different experience levels in laparoscopy (minor, intermediate and major) performed the 4 exercises of the SUTT model (Ex 1: both hands stitching and continuous suturing, Ex 2: right hand stitching and intracorporeal knotting, Ex 3: left hand stitching and intracorporeal knotting, Ex 4: dominant hand stitching, tissue approximation and intracorporeal knotting). The time needed to perform the exercises is recorded for each trainee and group and statistical analysis used to note the differences. Overall, all trainees achieved significant improvement in suturing time (p psychomotor skills, surgery, teaching, training suturing model. PMID:26977264