WorldWideScience

Sample records for negligibly small comparisons

  1. Negligence and Athletic Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mawdsley, Ralph D.

    2001-01-01

    Although athletic events generate their share of negligence lawsuits, the relatively small number, compared with other education areas, suggests that defenses (like assumption or risk and contributory negligence) have a better fit in athletics. Implications of newer litigation trends involving coaches' misconduct and interpretation of state…

  2. Relative fault and efficient negligence: Comparative negligence explained

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dari-Mattiacci, G.; Hendriks, E.S.

    2013-01-01

    This paper shows that the rule of comparative negligence with relative fault - a sharing of the loss proportional to the parties’ relative departures from due care - induces the parties to an accident to be efficiently negligent. Comparative negligence is more efficient than simple or contributory

  3. [Medical negligence].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zipper, St G

    2016-06-01

    Medical negligence is a matter of growing public interest. This review outlines various aspects of medical negligence: epidemiology, taxonomy, and the risks, causes, psychology, management and prevention of errors.

  4. Relative fault and efficient negligence: comparative negligence explained

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dari-Mattiacci, G.; Hendriks, E.S.

    2010-01-01

    Comparative negligence poses a persisting puzzle in law & economics. Under standard assumptions, its performance is identical to other negligence rules, while its implementation is slightly more complex. If so, why is it the most common rule? In this paper, we advance a novel argument: comparative

  5. Dental negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tay, C S

    2000-02-01

    Medical and dental errors and negligence are again in the spotlight in recent news report. Dead because of doctor's bad handwriting Prescribing drug overdoses Germ-infested soap pumps--infections in hospitals This articles explains dental negligence including dental duty of care and the standard of care expected of dentists in relation to the Bolam principle.

  6. Professional negligence reconsidered

    OpenAIRE

    DeVries, Ubaldus R M Th

    1996-01-01

    This thesis examines the concept of professional negligence. In doing so, it aims to find the distinguishing factors that characterize professional negligence as against other types of negligence. It seeks to emphasize the functions, duties and activities of professional people, rather than any examination of their status. The thesis demonstrates that this concept is based on a "broadspectrum" duty of care with specific obligations, particular to professional conduct. ...

  7. The Vulnerable Subject of Negligence Law

    OpenAIRE

    Stychin, C.

    2012-01-01

    The approach taken by English courts to the duty of care question in negligence has been subject to harsh criticism in recent years. This article examines this fundamental issue in tort law, drawing upon Canadian and Australian jurisprudence by way of comparison. From this analysis, the concept of vulnerability is developed as a productive means of understanding the duty of care. Vulnerability is of increasing interest in legal and political theory and it is of particular relevance to the law...

  8. Medical negligence.

    OpenAIRE

    Rosen, M.

    1992-01-01

    The progress made in diagnostic and therapeutic medicine has resulted in an increase in the number of malpractice suits brought against medical practitioners. To constitute negligence it must be shown that the conduct of the accused did not measure up to the standard of care the law required of him in the particular circumstances and that he acted with guilt and therefore can be blamed for the deed. This paper describes medical practitioner negligence and reviews relevant cases.

  9. Negligence is negligence: implications for an egalitarian agenda [Blog

    OpenAIRE

    Priaulx, Nicolette

    2013-01-01

    This short paper explores the significance of the "constitutionalism of private law" through the lens of developments in the context of the tort of negligence. Drawing a distinction between legal egalitarianism and social egalitarianism, the author notes that in the former respect the greater convergence of human rights and private law might be regarded as a welcome development; in respect of social egalitarianism, however, the author argues that given the way that the tort of negligence oper...

  10. The efficiency of the negligence rules

    OpenAIRE

    Nikolić, Ljubica; Mojašević, Aleksandar

    2012-01-01

    This study comparatively analizes economic effects of different negligence rules, contained in American law on the one hand, and Serbian law on the other. It is important to establish economic implications of the different negligence rules, based on the incentives for tortfeasor’s and victim’s precaution under the different negligence rules. Study of the efficiency of several different forms of negligence rules: simple negligence, negligence with a defense of contributory negligence, comparat...

  11. 46 CFR 5.29 - Negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Negligence. 5.29 Section 5.29 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PROCEDURES APPLICABLE TO THE PUBLIC MARINE INVESTIGATION REGULATIONS-PERSONNEL ACTION Definitions § 5.29 Negligence. Negligence is the commission of an act which a reasonable...

  12. Medical Negligence : An Overview

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bratin Kumar Dey

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Medical professionals are treated as next to God. They provide humanitarian services and gives solace to individuals suffering from various diseases and disorders. Due to their great service to humanity, the doctors and medical professionals are treated with reverence and since the ancient times the medical profession has been considered as a noble profession. However with the passage of time, there has been a change in the doctor - patient relationship. During the last few decades a number of incidents have come to light in which the patients have suffered due to the error and inadvertent conduct of doctors. Due to the increasing conflicts and legal disputes between the doctors and patients, most of the legal systems have developed various rules and principles to deal with such inadvertent behavior of doctors. This has led to the development of a new branch of jurisprudence, i.e. medical negligence. Hence, any negligence on part of the medical professional would be treated as either a tort of negligence or a deficiency in service under Consumer Protection Act, 1986. As the profession involves the idea of an occupation requiring purely intellectual skills or of manual skills controlled by the intellectual skill of the operator, it is distinctively different from an occupation, which is substantially production or sale or arrangement for the production or sale of commodities. Medicine is a highly complex domain. It is difficult for consumer laws to review medical negligence cases with flawless technical clarity and accuracy. Thus medical negligence is not purely a matter of consideration for judiciary but also the technical inputs of specialized experts in the field have substantial weightage while deciding the case of medical negligence against doctors. The present paper is devoted to introvert inspection of negligence in medical profession in the light of existing laws with more emphasis on the interpretation of consumer protection law by

  13. On the optimal scope of negligence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dari-Mattiacci, G.

    2005-01-01

    This article studies the optimal scope of negligence, considering which of the parties’ precautionary measures should be included in the determination of negligence and which instead should be omitted. The analysis shows that the optimal scope of negligence balances the gains derived from improved

  14. 7 CFR 276.3 - Negligence or fraud.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Negligence or fraud. 276.3 Section 276.3 Agriculture... Negligence or fraud. (a) General. If FNS determines that there has been negligence or fraud on the part of..., pay to FNS a sum equal to the amount of coupons issued as a result of such negligence or fraud. (b...

  15. Medical negligence and the law.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murthy, K K S R

    2007-01-01

    After the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, came into effect, a number of patients have filed cases against doctors. This article presents a summary of legal decisions related to medical negligence: what constitutes negligence in civil and criminal law, and what is required to prove it.

  16. Medical negligence

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Enrique

    19. SA JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGY • August 2004. Abstract. The progress made in diagnostic and therapeutic medicine has resulted in an increase in the number of malprac- tice suits brought against medical practitioners. To constitute negligence it must be shown that the conduct of the accused did not measure up to the.

  17. Safety Tips: Avoiding Negligence Suits in Chemistry Teaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerlovich, Jack A.

    1983-01-01

    Discusses various aspects related to negligence on the part of chemistry teachers. Areas addressed include negligence in tort law, avoiding negligence suits, proper instructions, proper supervision, equipment maintenance, and other considerations such as sovereign immunity, and contributory versus comparative negligence. (JN)

  18. Contributory Negligence. Law and the School Principal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walden, John C.

    1974-01-01

    One of the most frequently used legal defenses against the charge that a school employee or district has been negligent is contributory negligence. Contributory negligence means that the injured person failed to exercise the required standard of care for his own safety and, therefore, contributed to his own injury. (Author/WM)

  19. An Update on Negligence. A Legal Memorandum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gluckman, Ivan

    This newsletter defines common law negligence, discusses recent trends in common law negligence, cites litigation, and establishes guidelines to assist school administrators in the avoidance of such tort action. The success or failure of a negligence suit most commonly turns on one of three factors: duty, breach of that duty, and proximate cause…

  20. Negligence, genuine error, and litigation

    OpenAIRE

    Sohn DH

    2013-01-01

    David H SohnDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH, USAAbstract: Not all medical injuries are the result of negligence. In fact, most medical injuries are the result either of the inherent risk in the practice of medicine, or due to system errors, which cannot be prevented simply through fear of disciplinary action. This paper will discuss the differences between adverse events, negligence, and system errors; the current medical malpractice tort syst...

  1. Innovative negligence rules

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dari-Mattiacci, G.; Franzoni, L.A.

    2014-01-01

    Often, injurers or victims (or both) can adopt a new technology that reduces the social costs of accidents. When adoption costs are not verifiable in court, optimal adoption decisions cannot be induced by means of an appropriate determination of negligence. Hence the parties might either over- or

  2. [Medical negligence in surgery: 112 cases retrospective analysis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, Jian; Chang, Lin; Wang, Xu; Zhang, Feng-Qin

    2013-06-01

    To explore the general characteristics of medical negligence in surgery in order to provide the reference for forensic practices. One hundred and twelve cases of medical negligence in surgical department were retrospectively analyzed in Fada Institute of Forensic Medicine and Science from 2008 to 2010. The common types of medical negligence cases in the surgery were improper operation procedure (28.57%), failure of consent (26.79%), and inadequate monitoring (22.32%). The results of complications included disability or functional impairment (61.61%), death (31.25%) and transient impairment with no obvious adverse reactions (7.14%). The most common roles played by the medical negligence cases were minor role (26.79%), equal role (19.64%), and slight role (14.29%). Significant attention should be paid to the operation procedure, consent, and monitoring. It should be cautious to not make assessment on involvement degree of medical negligence.

  3. Educators' Negligence: What, Why, and Who's Responsible?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunklee, Dennis R.; Shoop, Robert J.

    1988-01-01

    The authors define negligence and cite specific examples where teachers were found accountable for their negligent actions related to their profession. They report results of an informal study of teacher knowledge of tort liability that indicate educators should be more knowledgeable about education law. Recommendations are included. (CH)

  4. Medical negligence--prevention and management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, T C

    1987-04-01

    The rising spate of malpractice cases against doctors appearing in the press and annual reports of medical insurance companies causes concern. Are our doctors more careless or is the public more conscious of litigation? A well publicized malpractice case can ruin the doctor's career and practice. It is well worth a doctor's while to know the pitfalls and learn how to prevent them, and if a mistake happens, how to manage it. Not all mistakes amount to negligence. How will the court view these cases? Some local cases are cited to illustrate the difference between misadventure and negligence. They will serve as guidelines for good medical practice.

  5. Fixational eye movement: a negligible source of dynamic aberration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mecê, Pedro; Jarosz, Jessica; Conan, Jean-Marc; Petit, Cyril; Grieve, Kate; Paques, Michel; Meimon, Serge

    2018-02-01

    To evaluate the contribution of fixational eye movements to dynamic aberration, 50 healthy eyes were examined with an original custom-built Shack-Hartmann aberrometer, running at a temporal frequency of 236Hz, with 22 lenslets across a 5mm pupil, synchronized with a 236Hz pupil tracker. A comparison of the dynamic behavior of the first 21 Zernike modes (starting from defocus) with and without digital pupil stabilization, on a 3.4s sequence between blinks, showed that the contribution of fixational eye movements to dynamic aberration is negligible. Therefore we highlighted the fact that a pupil tracker coupled to an Adaptive Optics Ophthalmoscope is not essential to achieve diffraction-limited resolution.

  6. 19 CFR 181.62 - Commercial samples of negligible value.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Commercial samples of negligible value. 181.62... Returned After Repair or Alteration § 181.62 Commercial samples of negligible value. (a) General. Commercial samples of negligible value imported from Canada or Mexico may qualify for duty-free entry under...

  7. Optimal Rules of Negligent Misrepresentation in Insurance Law

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lando, Henrik

    This article analyzes rules for negligent misrepresentation in insurance contract law. Before contract signature, the applicant can be asked by the insurer to fill in a questionnaire concerning the risk, and may then omit or make untrue statements about facts. Such misrepresentation is considered...... negligent by the court when it is unclear the misrepresentation was due to a mistake or intentional. Rules of negligent misrepresentation differ significantly across jurisdictions. For example, the rule of common law allows the insurer to rescind the contract, whereas the German rule does not allow...... of these rules through an analysis of the degree to which the insured should be allowed to lower coverage in case of negligent misrepresentation. On the one hand, a strict rule renders it easier for an insurer to separate different types of risk without having to use other costly means of separation...

  8. Children in Civil Law: The Tort of Negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheehy, N. P.; Chapman, A. J.

    1984-01-01

    Examines judgments involving children under the tort of negligence, using All England Law Reports for 1939 to 1983 and some cases from other countries. Discusses "contributory negligence,""parental liability,""responsibility,""allurement," and "res-ipsa loquitur." Suggests more use of developmental…

  9. Negligence, genuine error, and litigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sohn, David H

    2013-01-01

    Not all medical injuries are the result of negligence. In fact, most medical injuries are the result either of the inherent risk in the practice of medicine, or due to system errors, which cannot be prevented simply through fear of disciplinary action. This paper will discuss the differences between adverse events, negligence, and system errors; the current medical malpractice tort system in the United States; and review current and future solutions, including medical malpractice reform, alternative dispute resolution, health courts, and no-fault compensation systems. The current political environment favors investigation of non-cap tort reform remedies; investment into more rational oversight systems, such as health courts or no-fault systems may reap both quantitative and qualitative benefits for a less costly and safer health system. PMID:23426783

  10. Handling medical negligence: necessity of a proper system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nuwadatta Subedi

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The issue of medical negligence has been catching attention of many people nowadays. With advancement of technology in medical field, many incurable diseases of past time can now be managed well at the cost of burdening expenditure. This   has resulted in obvious expectations to the patient and their families that any ailment can be cured from the medical procedures and therapies. When these expectations are not met in terms of complications or death of the near ones, people get frustrated and tend to allege health care providers against medically negligent.Negligence are of two types; civil negligence where the doctors are alleged to have lost simple degree of care and attention to the patients thereby causing damage whereas in criminal negligence, the doctors grossly deviate from the standard of care and competence or perform activities which are understood prima facie as a crime, for eg: performing criminal abortion, organ transplantation against the law etc.Whatever the type of negligence, there are legal measures to file complaint against the doctors who are alleged to have caused negligence. Gone are the days when people regarded doctors near to gods. Medical service also falls under the consumer protection act where the patients are the consumers and medical personnel, the service providers. The patients have rights to get quality medical service under this act. If the patients or their relatives are dissatisfied with the medical service rendered to them by the health care providers, they have the right to lodge complaint to the compensation committee of the district in which chief district officer (CDO is the chairman in each district. If there is an issue of criminal negligence, the complaint can also be filed in the concerned court.In some circumstances, when the patient develops complications or dies, the attendants accuse the doctors for the failure in treatment and protest in the hospital premises rather than opting the legal way

  11. Negligence: What Is It? How Can It Be Avoided?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, Linda Jean; Acosta, R. Vivian

    1982-01-01

    The physical educator or athletic coach needs to be aware of negligence in relation to the possible athletic injuries of students. The four legal components of negligence--duty, breach, cause, and harm--are discussed. (JN)

  12. Medical negligence- Meaning and Scope in India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L Kumar

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available It is a principle recognized by our as well as by other legal systems that ignorance of the law is no excuse for violating it. The rule is also expressed in the form of a legal presumption that everyone knows the law. It is the duty of every man to know that part of it which concerns him. A doctor, in particular, is conclusively presumed to know the law, and is dealt with as if he did know it, because in general he can and ought to know it. In the matter of professional liability, the medical profession differs from other occupations for the reason that the former operates in spheres where success cannot be achieved in every case and very often success or failure depends upon factors beyond a medical man’s control. Due to the increasing awareness of the rights of a patient in present day society, a medical man has become more vulnerable to being sued by a litigation suit of any kind, civil or criminal. The basis of a medical negligence suit is still alien to the majority of the practicing doctors in our country. Hence, the present article aims at discussing the various aspects of negligence, like the meaning and types of negligence, and the concept of duty of care, degree of care, and standard. Keywords: degree of care, duty of care, medical negligence, standard of care.

  13. Negligence, genuine error, and litigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sohn DH

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available David H SohnDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH, USAAbstract: Not all medical injuries are the result of negligence. In fact, most medical injuries are the result either of the inherent risk in the practice of medicine, or due to system errors, which cannot be prevented simply through fear of disciplinary action. This paper will discuss the differences between adverse events, negligence, and system errors; the current medical malpractice tort system in the United States; and review current and future solutions, including medical malpractice reform, alternative dispute resolution, health courts, and no-fault compensation systems. The current political environment favors investigation of non-cap tort reform remedies; investment into more rational oversight systems, such as health courts or no-fault systems may reap both quantitative and qualitative benefits for a less costly and safer health system.Keywords: medical malpractice, tort reform, no fault compensation, alternative dispute resolution, system errors

  14. Asymptotic density and effective negligibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astor, Eric P.

    In this thesis, we join the study of asymptotic computability, a project attempting to capture the idea that an algorithm might work correctly in all but a vanishing fraction of cases. In collaboration with Hirschfeldt and Jockusch, broadening the original investigation of Jockusch and Schupp, we introduce dense computation, the weakest notion of asymptotic computability (requiring only that the correct answer is produced on a set of density 1), and effective dense computation, where every computation halts with either the correct answer or (on a set of density 0) a symbol denoting uncertainty. A few results make more precise the relationship between these notions and work already done with Jockusch and Schupp's original definitions of coarse and generic computability. For all four types of asymptotic computation, including generic computation, we demonstrate that non-trivial upper cones have measure 0, building on recent work of Hirschfeldt, Jockusch, Kuyper, and Schupp in which they establish this for coarse computation. Their result transfers to yield a minimal pair for relative coarse computation; we generalize their method and extract a similar result for relative dense computation (and thus for its corresponding reducibility). However, all of these notions of near-computation treat a set as negligible iff it has asymptotic density 0. Noting that this definition is not computably invariant, this produces some failures of intuition and a break with standard expectations in computability theory. For instance, as shown by Hamkins and Miasnikov, the halting problem is (in some formulations) effectively densely computable, even in polynomial time---yet this result appears fragile, as indicated by Rybalov. In independent work, we respond to this by strengthening the approach of Jockusch and Schupp to avoid such phenomena; specifically, we introduce a new notion of intrinsic asymptotic density, invariant under computable permutation, with rich relations to both

  15. Negligence: What You Need To Know To Avoid Liability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo, Charles J.; Fericks, Donald J.

    1996-01-01

    To help educators understand their legal responsibilities when supervising students, this article reviews the elements of negligence (duty, breach, injury, and causation) an injured party must prove to hold an educator or school system legally accountable. The article also reviews basic defenses to negligence: immunity, comparative/contributory…

  16. Negligent Rape and Reasonable Beliefs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Pelle Guldborg

    2008-01-01

    practice such defences are often acknowledged if the belief is reasonable by some general standard, even when this standard does not pertain to the rules currently governing the practice of intercourse in Denmark. As a result it has often been argued that the notion of negligent rape should be introduced...

  17. Preschoolers' Understanding of Lies and Innocent and Negligent Mistakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegal, Michael; Peterson, Candida C.

    1998-01-01

    Examined preschoolers' ability to distinguish innocent and negligent mistakes from lies. Found that, when asked to identify a mistake or lie about a food's contact with contaminants and identify a bystander's reaction, children distinguished mistakes from lies; they could also discriminate between lies and both negligent mistakes that generate…

  18. Negligence--When Is the Principal Liable? A Legal Memorandum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stern, Ralph D., Ed.

    Negligence, a tort liability, is defined, discussed, and reviewed in relation to several court decisions involving school principals. The history of liability suits against school principals suggests that a reasonable, prudent principal can avoid legal problems. Ten guidelines are presented to assist principals in avoiding charges of negligence.…

  19. Negligent Hiring and Employer Liability in the Selection of Employees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Sharon Swenson

    1988-01-01

    Reviews some theories of employer liability: (1) negligent hiring; (2) negligent entrustment; and (3) respondent superior. Applicable cases focusing on the investigation of prospective employees and the emerging constitutional implications are discussed. (MLF)

  20. Sports coaching and the law of negligence: implications for coaching practice

    OpenAIRE

    Partington, Neil

    2016-01-01

    The ordinary principles of the law of negligence are applicable in the context of sport, including claims brought against volunteer and professional coaches. Adopting the perspective of the coach, this article intends to raise awareness of the emerging intersection between the law of negligence and sports coaching, by utilising an interdisciplinary analysis designed to better safeguard and reassure coaches mindful of legal liability. Detailed scrutiny of two cases concerning alleged negligent...

  1. Negligent Liability and the Foreseeability Factor: A Critical Issue for School Counselors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henderson, Donald H.

    1987-01-01

    Notes that negligent liability suits involving school counselors seem to be increasing. Cites cases, most of which involved defendant's alleged negligence emanating from failure to provide reasonable care to individuals who were later injured or killed. Emphasizes role of foreseeability in determining outcome of negligence cases. Indicates areas…

  2. Understanding the legal duty of care in the course of negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tingle, John

    The first article in this series gave an introduction to clinical negligence (Vol 11(15): 1033-1035). This article begins with a discussion of the law of negligence within the context of the law generally. What must be established in order to bring a legal claim for compensation in negligence is also discussed along with the important concept of owing a legal duty of care. The duty of care concept is illustrated through two cases.

  3. Chemistry, Courtrooms, and Common Sense. Part I: Negligence and Duty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gass, J. Ric

    1990-01-01

    Discussed are concepts involved in legal liability for laboratory accidents. The focus of this article is on negligence, duty, and responsibility issues. Highlighted are the basis of a lawsuit, negligent tort, duty and breech of duty, and cause and harm. Thirty-one cases are cited. (CW)

  4. Medical negligence liability under the consumer protection act: A review of judicial perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joga Rao, S V

    2009-07-01

    It is important to know what constitutes medical negligence. A doctor owes certain duties to the patient who consults him for illness. A deficiency in this duty results in negligence. A basic knowledge of how medical negligence is adjudicated in the various judicial courts of India will help a doctor to practice his profession without undue worry about facing litigation for alleged medical negligence.

  5. Medical negligence liability under the consumer protection act: A review of judicial perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S V Joga Rao

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available It is important to know what constitutes medical negligence. A doctor owes certain duties to the patient who consults him for illness. A deficiency in this duty results in negligence. A basic knowledge of how medical negligence is adjudicated in the various judicial courts of India will help a doctor to practice his profession without undue worry about facing litigation for alleged medical negligence.

  6. 26 CFR 1.6662-3 - Negligence or disregard of rules or regulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 13 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Negligence or disregard of rules or regulations... Penalties § 1.6662-3 Negligence or disregard of rules or regulations. (a) In general. If any portion of an... Internal Revenue Code that is required to be shown on a return is attributable to negligence or disregard...

  7. Modern negligence law: Contribution of the medical cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodgson, John

    The law on medical negligence is part of the law of negligence generally. It has played a significant part in developing two key aspects of the law. There are special rules to determine the standard of care expected of experts when advising and solving problems, and medical cases have largely shaped the law. Although cases on causation may arise in any area, several of the key cases happen to be medical ones. They are particularly likely to assist where there are alternative causes, as it is often difficult to distinguish the effects of disease from those of inappropriate treatment.

  8. Medical negligence- meaning and scope in India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, L; Bastia, B K

    2011-01-01

    It is a principle recognized by our as well as by other legal systems that ignorance of the law is no excuse for violating it. The rule is also expressed in the form of a legal presumption that everyone knows the law. It is the duty of every man to know that part of it which concerns him. A doctor, in particular, is conclusively presumed to know the law, and is dealt with as if he did know it, because in general he can and ought to know it. In the matter of professional liability, the medical profession differs from other occupations for the reason that the former operates in spheres where success cannot be achieved in every case and very often success or failure depends upon factors beyond a medical man's control. Due to the increasing awareness of the rights of a patient in present day society, a medical man has become more vulnerable to being sued by a litigation suit of any kind, civil or criminal. The basis of a medical negligence suit is still alien to the majority of the practicing doctors in our country. Hence, the present article aims at discussing the various aspects of negligence, like the meaning and types of negligence, and the concept of duty of care, degree of care, and standard of care, as considered by the law.

  9. Medical negligence: Indian legal perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amit Agrawal

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A basic knowledge of how judicial forums deal with the cases relating to medical negligence is of absolute necessity for doctors. The need for such knowledge is more now than before in light of higher premium being placed by the Indian forums on the value of human life and suffering, and perhaps rightly so. Judicial forums, while seeking to identify delinquents and delinquency in the cases of medical negligence, actually aim at striking a careful balance between the autonomy of a doctor to make judgments and the rights of a patient to be dealt with fairly. In the process of adjudication, the judicial forums tend to give sufficient leeway to doctors and expressly recognize the complexity of the human body, inexactness of medical science, the inherent subjectivity of the process, genuine scope for error of judgment, and the importance of the autonomy of the doctors. The law does not prescribe the limits of high standards that can be adopted but only the minimum standard below which the patients cannot be dealt with. Judicial forums have also signaled an increased need of the doctors to engage with the patients during treatment, especially when the line of treatment is contested, has serious side effects and alternative treatments exist.

  10. Limits of negligent responsibility for medical malpractice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marin Mrčela

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Criminal offence of medical malpractice is one of core medical criminal offences. Protected object is health of patients. Application of inadequate methods in health treatment can have severe consequences for patient’s health, even death. Croatian jurisprudence is familiar with such cases. However, Croatian literature until now did not deal with this sensitive area of criminal law. Scope and limits of responsibility for negligent form of medical malpractice can cause doubts in court’s practice when deciding about criminal liability. This paper is dedicated to this topic. After presentation of main characteristics of this criminal offence, the authors are making an effort to establish criteria for estimation of negligence in case of medical malpractice. They are testing their thesis on one very complicated case from recent Croatian jurisprudence.

  11. Beyond the standard of care: a new model to judge medical negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brenner, Lawrence H; Brenner, Alison Tytell; Awerbuch, Eric J; Horwitz, Daniel

    2012-05-01

    The term "standard of care" has been used in law and medicine to determine whether medical care is negligent. However, the precise meaning of this concept is often unclear for both medical and legal professionals. Our purposes are to (1) examine the limitations of using standard of care as a measure of negligence, (2) propose the use of the legal concepts of justification and excuse in developing a new model of examining medical conduct, and (3) outline the framework of this model. We applied the principles of tort liability set forth in the clinical and legal literature to describe the difficulty in applying standard of care in medical negligence cases. Using the concepts of justification and excuse, we propose a judicial model that may promote fair and just jury verdicts in medical negligence cases. Contrary to conventional understanding, medical negligence is not simply nonconformity to norms. Two additional concepts of legal liability, ie, justification and excuse, must also be considered to properly judge medical conduct. Medical conduct is justified when the benefits outweigh the risks; the law sanctions the conduct and encourages future conduct under similar circumstances. Excuse, on the other hand, relieves a doctor of legal liability under specific circumstances even though his/her conduct was not justified. Standard of care is an inaccurate measure of medical negligence because it is premised on the faulty notion of conformity to norms. An alternative judicial model to determine medical negligence would (1) eliminate standard of care in medical malpractice law, (2) reframe the court instruction to jurors, and (3) establish an ongoing consensus committee on orthopaedic principles of negligence.

  12. Medicolegal Investigation of Medical Negligence in India: A Report of Forensic Autopsy Case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raktim Pratim Tamuli

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In general negligence means failure to take proper care over something and according to law negligence means breach of a duty of care which results in damage. Medical negligence is not very uncommon; every now and then cases of medical negligence are reported in the electronic media. Medical Negligence is doing something that one is not supposed to do, or failing to do something that one is supposed to do. Role of Forensic Pathologist in cases of Medical Negligence is always unquestionable. Forensic Pathologists need to explore and maintain a high degree of transparency between the doctors, patients and the law enforcing agencies. In the present case, a person was attacked by a wild animal and he fell down on a rough surface. Immediately he was rushed to a local hospital. The treating doctor stitched the external injury and allowed him to go home; he neither advised any investigation nor kept him under observation to rule out any internal injury. After 12 hours the victim succumbed to death. At autopsy a fractured skull with underlying subdural haemorrhage was noticed. Was not the treating doctor negligent in this case? Were the protocols followed? What should be the role of a Forensic Pathologist in such kind of cases?

  13. Radioactive wastes with negligible heat generation suitable for disposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brennecke, P.; Schumacher, J.; Warnecke, E.

    1987-01-01

    It is planned to dispose of radioactive wastes with negligible heat generation in the Konrad repository. Preliminary waste acceptance requirements are derived taking the results of site-specific safety assessments as a basis. These requirements must be fulfilled by the waste packages on delivery. The waste amounts which are currently stored and those anticipated up to the year 2000 are discussed. The disposability of these waste packages in the Konrad repository was evaluated. This examination reveals that basically almost all radioactive wastes with negligible heat generation can be accepted. (orig.) [de

  14. On the Firing Line: Negligence in Physical Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drowatzky, John N.

    1977-01-01

    Discusses teachers' vulnerability to tort actions for negligence in physical education classes, and suggests guidelines for proper teacher behavior, based on analysis of court cases in various states. (JG)

  15. Comparison of a large and small-calibre tube drain for managing spontaneous pneumothoraces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benton, Ian J; Benfield, Grant F A

    2009-10-01

    To compare treatment success of large- and small-bore chest drains in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothoraces the case-notes were reviewed of those admitted to our hospital with a total of 73 pneumothoraces and who were treated by trainee doctors of varying experience. Both a large- and a small-bore intercostal tube drain system were in use during the two-year period reviewed. Similar pneumothorax profile and numbers treated with both drains were recorded, resulting in a similar drain time and numbers of successful and failed re-expansion of pneumothoraces. Successful pneumothorax resolution was the same for both drain types and the negligible tube drain complications observed with the small-bore drain reflected previously reported experiences. However the large-bore drain was associated with a high complication rate (32%) with more infectious complications (24%). The small-bore drain was prone to displacement (21%). There was generally no evidence of an increased failure and morbidity, reflecting poorer expertise, in the non-specialist trainees managing the pneumothoraces. A practical finding however was that in those large pneumothoraces where re-expansion failed, the tip of the drain had not been sited at the apex of the pleural cavity irrespective of the drain type inserted.

  16. The changing face of medical negligence law: from Bolam to Bolitho.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sooriakumaran, Prasanna

    2008-06-01

    The Bolam test was the standard by which medical negligence cases were judged. However, recently, the Bolitho case has resulted in a shift away from Bolam, with significant effects for all future negligence suits. Doctors need to have a thorough understanding of these issues in order to practice successfully in the current litiginous climate.

  17. Systemic Negligence: Why It Is Morally Important for Developing World Bioethics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborti, Chhanda

    2015-12-01

    In the context of clinical and non-clinical biomedical practices, negligence is usually understood as a lapse of a specific professional duty by a healthcare worker or by a medical facility. This paper tries to delineate systemic negligence as another kind of negligence in the context of health systems, particularly in developing countries, that needs to be recognized and addressed. Systemic negligence is not just a mere collection of stray incidences of medical errors and system failures in a health system, but is proposed in this paper as a more pervasive kind of neglect. Several non-medical factors, such as lack of social and political will, also contribute to it and hence is more difficult to address in a health system. This paper argues that recognizing systemic negligence and including it research agenda have special moral importance for researchers in developing world bioethics, public health ethics and for health activists in the developing world. For, it can be a potent health system barrier, and can seriously impair efforts to ensure patient safety, particularly in the weaker health systems. As it erodes accountability in a health system, addressing it is also important for the twin goals of ensuring patient safety and improving health system performance. Above all, it needs to be addressed because the tolerance of its persistence in a health system seems to undervalue health as a social good. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Craniofacial Surgery and Adverse Outcomes: An Inquiry Into Medical Negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svider, Peter F; Eloy, Jean Anderson; Folbe, Adam J; Carron, Michael A; Zuliani, Giancarlo F; Shkoukani, Mahdi A

    2015-07-01

    This study aimed to evaluate factors contributing to medical negligence relevant to craniofacial surgery. Retrospective analysis of verdict and settlement reports on the Westlaw legal database for outcome, awards, physician defendants, and other specific factors raised in malpractice litigation. Of 42 verdicts and settlement reports included, 52.4% were resolved with either an out-of-court settlement or plaintiff verdict, with aggregate payments totaling $50.1M (in 2013 dollars). Median settlements and jury-awarded damages were $988,000 and $555,000, respectively. Payments in pediatric cases ($1.2M) were significantly higher. Plastic surgeons, oral surgeons, and otolaryngologists were the most commonly named defendants. The most common alleged factors included intraoperative negligence (69.0%), permanent deficits (54.8%), requiring additional surgery (52.4%), missed/delayed diagnosis of a complication (42.9%), disfigurement/scarring (28.6%), postoperative negligence (28.6%), and inadequate informed consent (20.6% of surgical cases). Failure to diagnose a fracture (19.0%) and cleft-reparative procedures (14.3%) were the most frequently litigated entities. Medical negligence related to craniofacial surgery involves plaintiffs in a wide age range as well as physician defendants in numerous specialties, and proceedings resolved with settlement and plaintiff verdict involve substantial payments. Cases with death, allegedly permanent injuries, and pediatric plaintiffs had significantly higher payments. © The Author(s) 2015.

  19. Negligence and the legal standard of care: what is 'reasonable' conduct?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miola, José

    Medical negligence has become a big issue for medical practitioners. Fear of the law, and of litigation, has led to claims of defensive medical practice among doctors and nurses. At the heart of this lies the legal definition of the standard of care, where the law seeks to determine when conduct is 'reasonable' (and thus not negligent), or 'unreasonable' (and thus a breach of the legal duty of care and potentially negligent). In this article the author clarifies what the law means by 'reasonableness' with respect to nurses, drawing on both the law and the NMC Code. Furthermore, the article shall demonstrate that the law is not something to be fearful of but, rather, demands a standard no higher than that of the NMC.

  20. Negligent Hiring and Retaining of Sexually Abusive Teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regotti, Terri L.

    1992-01-01

    Explores negligent hiring, supervision, and retention of teachers who sexually abuse students. Examines the issue of defamation and suggests school policy that will work toward eradication of sexual abuse of students by teachers. (33 references) (MLF)

  1. Medical negligence | Otto | SA Journal of Radiology

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The progress made in diagnostic and therapeutic medicine has resulted in an increase in the number of malpractice suits brought against medical practitioners. To constitute negligence it must be shown that the conduct of the accused did not measure up to the standard of care the law required of him in the particular ...

  2. Negligence in securing informed consent and medical malpractice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, C

    1988-01-01

    The doctrine of informed consent requires that the patient must act voluntarily and in the light of adequate information in order to give legally valid consent to medical care. Different models have been developed by various courts to determine whether the informational requirement, what the physician must disclose to the patient about the potential risks of the proposed treatment, has been met under the tort theory of negligence. To prevail, the patient plaintiff must show that a particular jurisdiction's disclosure standard has been breached, that harm has resulted, and that the defendant physician's negligent failure to discuss certain risks was causally responsible for the patient's failure to withhold consent. Perry discusses possible problems of redundancy or inconsistency concerning the relationship between different models for disclosure and causality, and notes that these problems may have serious implications for patient autonomy.

  3. 7 CFR 1.51 - Claims based on negligence, wrongful act or omission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Claims based on negligence, wrongful act or omission. 1.51 Section 1.51 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS Claims § 1.51 Claims based on negligence, wrongful act or omission. (a) Authority of the Department...

  4. [Risk factors associated with mother negligence in child care].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vargas-Porras, Carolina; Villamizar-Carvajal, Beatriz; Ardila-Suárez, Edinson Fabian

    2016-01-01

    To determine the factors associated with the risk of negligence in child care during the first year of rearing in adolescent and adult mothers. This was cross-sectional correlation study with a non-probabilistic sample composed of 250 mothers during their first year of child rearing. The information was collected through the Parenting Inventory for Teenagers and Adults. 88 teenager mothers and 162 adult mothers participated in this study. In general low scores were found in all dimensions in both adolescent mothers group and adult mother group, which indicate the existence of deficiencies in the adequate maternal behavior and risk of negligent care to their children. In the group of teenage mothers there was an evident and significant correlation between the factors: maternal age and occupation dimension belief in punishment and occupation with inappropriate expectations dimension. The group of adult mothers showed significant correlation between: educational level with the dimensions of role reversal, belief in punishment and lack of empathy; socioeconomic dimension with the belief in punishment and age of the child with the lack of empathy dimension. Child rearing expectations of mothers show a high risk of negligence in child care. Therefore, nurses should promote the strengthening of the maternal role. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U.

  5. A small-scale comparison of Iceland scallop size distributions obtained from a camera based autonomous underwater vehicle and dredge survey.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Warsha Singh

    Full Text Available An approach is developed to estimate size of Iceland scallop shells from AUV photos. A small-scale camera based AUV survey of Iceland scallops was conducted at a defined site off West Iceland. Prior to height estimation of the identified shells, the distortions introduced by the vehicle orientation and the camera lens were corrected. The average AUV pitch and roll was 1.3 and 2.3 deg that resulted in <2% error in ground distance rendering these effects negligible. A quadratic polynomial model was identified for lens distortion correction. This model successfully predicted a theoretical grid from a frame photographed underwater, representing the inherent lens distortion. The predicted shell heights were scaled for the distance from the bottom at which the photos were taken. This approach was validated by height estimation of scallops of known sizes. An underestimation of approximately 0.5 cm was seen, which could be attributed to pixel error, where each pixel represented 0.24 x 0.27 cm. After correcting for this difference the estimated heights ranged from 3.8-9.3 cm. A comparison of the height-distribution from a small-scale dredge survey carried out in the vicinity showed non-overlapping peaks in size distribution, with scallops of a broader size range visible in the AUV survey. Further investigations are necessary to evaluate any underlying bias and to validate how representative these surveys are of the true population. The low resolution images made identification of smaller scallops difficult. Overall, the observations of very few small scallops in both surveys could be attributed to low recruitment levels in the recent years due to the known scallop parasite outbreak in the region.

  6. A small-scale comparison of Iceland scallop size distributions obtained from a camera based autonomous underwater vehicle and dredge survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Warsha; Örnólfsdóttir, Erla B; Stefansson, Gunnar

    2014-01-01

    An approach is developed to estimate size of Iceland scallop shells from AUV photos. A small-scale camera based AUV survey of Iceland scallops was conducted at a defined site off West Iceland. Prior to height estimation of the identified shells, the distortions introduced by the vehicle orientation and the camera lens were corrected. The average AUV pitch and roll was 1.3 and 2.3 deg that resulted in <2% error in ground distance rendering these effects negligible. A quadratic polynomial model was identified for lens distortion correction. This model successfully predicted a theoretical grid from a frame photographed underwater, representing the inherent lens distortion. The predicted shell heights were scaled for the distance from the bottom at which the photos were taken. This approach was validated by height estimation of scallops of known sizes. An underestimation of approximately 0.5 cm was seen, which could be attributed to pixel error, where each pixel represented 0.24 x 0.27 cm. After correcting for this difference the estimated heights ranged from 3.8-9.3 cm. A comparison of the height-distribution from a small-scale dredge survey carried out in the vicinity showed non-overlapping peaks in size distribution, with scallops of a broader size range visible in the AUV survey. Further investigations are necessary to evaluate any underlying bias and to validate how representative these surveys are of the true population. The low resolution images made identification of smaller scallops difficult. Overall, the observations of very few small scallops in both surveys could be attributed to low recruitment levels in the recent years due to the known scallop parasite outbreak in the region.

  7. Comparison Between Overtopping Discharge in Small and Large Scale Models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helgason, Einar; Burcharth, Hans F.

    2006-01-01

    The present paper presents overtopping measurements from small scale model test performed at the Haudraulic & Coastal Engineering Laboratory, Aalborg University, Denmark and large scale model tests performed at the Largde Wave Channel,Hannover, Germany. Comparison between results obtained from...... small and large scale model tests show no clear evidence of scale effects for overtopping above a threshold value. In the large scale model no overtopping was measured for waveheights below Hs = 0.5m as the water sunk into the voids between the stones on the crest. For low overtopping scale effects...

  8. Significant or negligible sediment and nutrient losses after fire? Pre- and post-fire comparisons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shakesby, R. A.; Ferreira, A. J. D.; Ferreira, C. S. S.; Stoof, C. R.; Urbanek, E.; Walsh, R. P. D.

    2009-04-01

    , eroded soil collected in sediment fences installed in strategic locations on the catchment slopes and suspended sediment and bedload determinations at the catchment gauging station provide the evidence for pre- and post-fire erosional losses. Comparison with wildfire effects is provided by instrumented scrub-covered hillslopes burnt in early summer 2008 in the same area. In addition to monitoring soil losses in the small catchment, losses of selected nutrients in eroded soil and runoff together with determinations of pre- and post-fire vegetation cover, fuel loads and soil water repellency have been determined. The soil degradational implications are discussed and placed in the context of the literature on prescribed fire and wildfire impacts from elsewhere in the Mediterranean and from further afield.

  9. Maximum Permissible Concentrations and Negligible Concentrations for pesticides

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Crommentuijn T; Kalf DF; Polder MD; Posthumus R; Plassche EJ van de; CSR

    1997-01-01

    Maximum Permissible Concentrations (MPCs) and Negligible Concentrations (NCs) derived for a series of pesticides are presented in this report. These MPCs and NCs are used by the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) to set Environmental Quality Objectives. For some of the

  10. ["The severe degree of negligence" and its application in the settle of medical malpractice].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, You-Min; Zhang, Qin-Chu

    2006-04-01

    To found the quantifiable index of "The severe degree of negligence" in describing the general severity degree of medical malpractice or medical dispute. "The severe degree of negligence" can be calculated by the way of multiplying the coefficient of medical malpractice's grade by the coefficient of responsibility degree. There are 15 grades of "The severe degree of negligence" through calculation, from the severest degree of 1 to the lightest degree of 20. "The severe degree of negligence" can give an order of severe degree to different grade and different responsibility of medical malpractice. According to this order, the operation of medical malpractice and medical dispute settle will be easier and more rationality.

  11. Establishing breach of the duty of care in the tort of negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tingle, John

    This article, the third in a series on clinical negligence, looks at the law surrounding breach of the duty of care in negligence. It shows some of the principles that judges and lawyers use in order to decide whether a person has broken his/her duty of care in the tort of negligence. It will be seen that the principles are contained in decided court cases, some of which are quite old but are still relevant today. The focus of this article is on the rule that courts, in deciding the issue of a breach of duty of care, would judge the defendant's conduct by the standard of what the hypothetical, 'reasonable person' would have done in the circumstances of the case.

  12. Analysis of clinical negligence claims following tonsillectomy in England 1995 to 2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathew, Rajeev; Asimacopoulos, Eleni; Walker, David; Gutierrez, Tatiana; Valentine, Peter; Pitkin, Lisa

    2012-05-01

    We determined the characteristics of medical negligence claims following tonsillectomy. Claims relating to tonsillectomy between 1995 and 2010 were obtained from the National Health Service Litigation Authority database. The number of open and closed claims was determined, and data were analyzed for primary injury claimed, outcome of claim, and associated costs. Over 15 years, there were 40 claims of clinical negligence related to tonsillectomy, representing 7.7% of all claims in otolaryngology. There were 34 closed claims, of which 32 (94%) resulted in payment of damages. Postoperative bleeding was the most common injury, with delayed recognition and treatment of bleeding alleged in most cases. Nasopharyngeal regurgitation as a result of soft palate fistulas or excessive tissue resection was the next-commonest cause of a claim. The other injuries claimed included dentoalveolar injury, bums, tonsillar remnants, and temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Inadequate informed consent was claimed in 5 cases. Clinical negligence claims following tonsillectomy have a high success rate. Although postoperative bleeding is the most common cause of negligence claims, a significant proportion of claims are due to rare complications of surgery. Informed consent should be tailored to the individual patient and should include a discussion of common and serious complications.

  13. 32 CFR 536.128 - Effect of disciplinary action, voluntary restitution, or contributory negligence for claims under...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... restitution, or contributory negligence for claims under the UCMJ. 536.128 Section 536.128 National Defense... action, voluntary restitution, or contributory negligence for claims under the UCMJ. (a) Disciplinary... claimant. (c) Contributory negligence. A claim otherwise cognizable and meritorious is payable whether or...

  14. Medical records and issues in negligence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph Thomas

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available It is very important for the treating doctor to properly document the management of a patient under his care. Medical record keeping has evolved into a science of itself. This will be the only way for the doctor to prove that the treatment was carried out properly. Moreover, it will also be of immense help in the scientific evaluation and review of patient management issues. Medical records form an important part of the management of a patient. It is important for the doctors and medical establishments to properly maintain the records of patients for two important reasons. The first one is that it will help them in the scientific evaluation of their patient profile, helping in analyzing the treatment results, and to plan treatment protocols. It also helps in planning governmental strategies for future medical care. But of equal importance in the present setting is in the issue of alleged medical negligence. The legal system relies mainly on documentary evidence in a situation where medical negligence is alleged by the patient or the relatives. In an accusation of negligence, this is very often the most important evidence deciding on the sentencing or acquittal of the doctor. With the increasing use of medical insurance for treatment, the insurance companies also require proper record keeping to prove the patient′s demand for medical expenses. Improper record keeping can result in declining medical claims. It is disheartening to note that inspite of knowing the importance of proper record keeping it is still in a nascent stage in India. It is wise to remember that "Poor records mean poor defense, no records mean no defense". Medical records include a variety of documentation of patient′s history, clinical findings, diagnostic test results, preoperative care, operation notes, post operative care, and daily notes of a patient′s progress and medications. A properly obtained consent will go a long way in proving that the procedures were

  15. Closed medical negligence claims can drive patient safety and reduce litigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pegalis, Steven E; Bal, B Sonny

    2012-05-01

    Medical liability reform is viewed by many physician groups as a means of reducing medical malpractice litigation and lowering healthcare costs. However, alternative approaches such as closed medical negligence claims data may also achieve these goals. We asked whether information gleaned from closed claims related to medical negligence could promote patient safety and reduce costs related to medical liability. Specifically, we investigated whether physician groups have examined such data to identify error patterns and to then institute specific patient treatment protocols. We searched for medical societies that have systematically examined closed medical negligence claims in their specialty to develop specific standards of physician conduct. We then searched the medical literature for published evidence of the efficacy, if any, related to the patient safety measures thus developed. Anesthesia and obstetric physician societies have successfully targeted costs and related concerns arising from medical malpractice lawsuits by using data from closed claims to develop patient safety and treatment guidelines. In both specialties, after institution of safety measures derived from closed medical negligence claims, the incidence and costs related to medical malpractice decreased and physician satisfaction improved. Tort reform, in the form of legislatively prescribed limits on damages arising from lawsuits, is not the only means of addressing the incidence and costs related to medical malpractice litigation. As the experience of anesthesia and obstetric physicians has demonstrated, safety guidelines derived from analyzing past medical malpractice litigation can achieve the same goals while also promoting patient safety.

  16. On the negligible emissions from stationary energy production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haaland, Leif

    2002-01-01

    According to this article, the emissions from stationary energy production are so small that it is immaterial which energy carriers are used. Percentage comparison may be misleading. There are many myths about the emissions from various energy carriers, one deals with bio fuel and the emission of cadmium, another with light oil and the emission of SO 2 . However, wood-burning accounts for substantial amounts of dust emission and old-fashioned stoves should have been forbidden in built-up areas. The article concludes by recommending that Norway should use more district heating

  17. An Examination of Negligence, Assumption of Risk, and Risk Management in Outdoor Recreation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teague, Travis L.

    This paper stresses the outdoor recreation and education professionals should understand aspects of liability, negligence, and risk management. There are four elements that must be present if a person or organization is to be considered negligent: the presence of a legal duty of care, a breach of duty, proximate cause, and actual damages. When…

  18. How the contractualist account of preconception negligence undermines prenatal reproductive autonomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melanson, Glen

    2013-08-01

    Suppose a physician advises a woman to delay her planned pregnancy for a few months in order to significantly reduce the likelihood that her baby will suffer with Spina Bifida. If the woman chooses to ignore this advice and conceives soon after, I believe most people would consider it a matter of common sense that the child thus born is a victim of this woman's negligence, even if it is fortunate enough to not be burdened with Spina Bifida. This common sense judgement appeared to have been done in by the fact that the timing of conception can be identity-influencing, and so the child that is born only exists because of its mother's decision to ignore her physician's advice. However, recently, contemporary contractualist theories have been used to make sense of preconception negligence towards persons whose existence is a result of that same negligence. I will briefly discuss this interesting development and then show how this retrieval of the common sense judgement comes at a great cost to prenatal reproductive autonomy.

  19. The professional standard of care in clinical negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tingle, John

    The general principle of law relating to breach of duty in the tort of negligence has been discussed during this series of articles. This article continues that discussion in relation to healthcare professionals such as nurses and doctors, and how the law affects their case. The issue of the expanded role of the nurse is also discussed.

  20. Unintended, but still blameworthy: the roles of awareness, desire, and anger in negligence, restitution, and punishment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laurent, Sean M; Nuñez, Narina L; Schweitzer, Kimberly A

    2016-11-01

    Two experiments (Experiment 1 N = 149, Experiment 2 N = 141) investigated how two mental states that underlie how perceivers reason about intentional action (awareness of action and desire for an outcome) influence blame and punishment for unintended (i.e., negligent) harms, and the role of anger in this process. Specifically, this research explores how the presence of awareness (of risk in acting, or simply of acting) and/or desire in an acting agent's mental states influences perceptions of negligence, judgements that the acting agent owes restitution to a victim, and the desire to punish the agent, mediated by anger. In both experiments, awareness and desire led to increased anger at the agent and increased perception of negligence. Anger mediated the effect of awareness and desire on negligence rather than negligence mediating the effect of mental states on anger. Anger also mediated punishment, and negligence mediated the effects of anger on restitution. We discuss how perceivers consider mental states such as awareness, desire, and knowledge when reasoning about blame and punishment for unintended harms, and the role of anger in this process.

  1. Optimal Rules of Negligent Misrepresentation in Insurance Contract Law

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lando, Henrik

    2016-01-01

    Rules of misrepresentation in insurance contract law differ widely between jurisdictions. When the insured has negligently misrepresented a fact prior to contracting, common law allows the insurer to rescind the contract if the misrepresentation was material, while civil law countries apply more...

  2. Negligência infantil a partir do Child Neglect Index aplicado no Brasil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mara Silvia Pasian

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Este estudo objetivou descrever a utilização do Child Neglect Indexpara identificar casos de crianças negligenciadas por seus pais/cuidadores no contexto brasileiro. Após adaptação inicial à realidade sociocultural brasileira, o instrumento foi aplicado em três grupos de indivíduos, cada qual com 30 díades de crianças/pais, totalizando 90 díades (n=180, assim compostos: G1 (primeiro grupo = casos oficialmente notificados por negligência infantil; G2 (segundo grupo = casos suspeitos de negligência não notificados; G3 (terceiro grupo = casos sem suspeita de negligência ou outra forma de maus-tratos (grupo de comparação; além de um quarto grupo de professoras dessas crianças (n=11. Os resultados apontaram altos escores no índice de negligência em G1 e G2, e baixos escores em G3, sugerindo presença de indicadores de falta de supervisão parental referentes a cuidados com alimentação, vestimenta, higiene, saúde física, saúde mental e educação nos dois primeiros grupos avaliados, comparativamente às crianças sem suspeita de maus-tratos. Os atuais achados empíricos, embora preliminares em termos de adaptação do Child Neglect Index ao contexto do Brasil, foram promissores ao sinalizar potencial do instrumento como recurso para detecção/confirmação da negligência infantil, estimulando novas investigações e aprimoramento desse recurso técnico para favorecer adequada identificação e intervenção nesses casos.

  3. The high cost of clinical negligence litigation in the NHS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tingle, John

    2017-03-09

    John Tingle, Reader in Health Law at Nottingham Trent University, discusses a consultation document from the Department of Health on introducing fixed recoverable costs in lower-value clinical negligence claims.

  4. Modality comparison for small animal radiotherapy: A simulation study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bazalova, Magdalena, E-mail: bazalova@stanford.edu; Nelson, Geoff; Noll, John M.; Graves, Edward E. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (United States)

    2014-01-15

    Purpose: Small animal radiation therapy has advanced significantly in recent years. Whereas in the past dose was delivered using a single beam and a lead shield for sparing of healthy tissue, conformal doses can be now delivered using more complex dedicated small animal radiotherapy systems with image guidance. The goal of this paper is to investigate dose distributions for three small animal radiation treatment modalities. Methods: This paper presents a comparison of dose distributions generated by the three approaches—a single-field irradiator with a 200 kV beam and no image guidance, a small animal image-guided conformal system based on a modified microCT scanner with a 120 kV beam developed at Stanford University, and a dedicated conformal system, SARRP, using a 220 kV beam developed at Johns Hopkins University. The authors present a comparison of treatment plans for the three modalities using two cases: a mouse with a subcutaneous tumor and a mouse with a spontaneous lung tumor. A 5 Gy target dose was calculated using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo codes. Results: All treatment modalities generated similar dose distributions for the subcutaneous tumor case, with the highest mean dose to the ipsilateral lung and bones in the single-field plan (0.4 and 0.4 Gy) compared to the microCT (0.1 and 0.2 Gy) and SARRP (0.1 and 0.3 Gy) plans. The lung case demonstrated that due to the nine-beam arrangements in the conformal plans, the mean doses to the ipsilateral lung, spinal cord, and bones were significantly lower in the microCT plan (2.0, 0.4, and 1.9 Gy) and the SARRP plan (1.5, 0.5, and 1.8 Gy) than in single-field irradiator plan (4.5, 3.8, and 3.3 Gy). Similarly, the mean doses to the contralateral lung and the heart were lowest in the microCT plan (1.5 and 2.0 Gy), followed by the SARRP plan (1.7 and 2.2 Gy), and they were highest in the single-field plan (2.5 and 2.4 Gy). For both cases, dose uniformity was greatest in the single-field irradiator plan followed by

  5. Clinical negligence claims in pediatric surgery in England: pattern and trends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thyoka, Mandela

    2015-02-01

    We hypothesized that there has been an increase in the number of successful litigation claims in pediatric surgery in England. Our aim was to report the incidence, causes, and costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service (NHS) in relation to pediatric surgery. We queried the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) on litigation claims among children undergoing pediatric surgery in England (2004-2012). We decided a priori to only examine closed cases (decision and payment made). Data included year of claim, year of payment of claim, payment per claim, paid-to-closed ratio, and severity of outcome of clinical incident. Out of 112 clinical negligence claims in pediatric surgery, 93 (83%) were finalized-73 (65%) were settled and damages paid to the claimant and 20 (18%) were closed with no payment, and 19 (17%) remain open. The median payment was £13,537 (600-500,000) and median total cost borne by NHSLA was £31,445 (600-730,202). Claims were lodged at a median interval of 2 (0-13) years from time of occurrence with 55 (75%) cases being settled within the 3 years of being received. The commonest reasons for claims were postoperative complications (n=20, 28%), delayed treatment (n=16, 22%), and/or diagnosis (n=14, 19%). Out of 73, 17 (23%) closed claims resulted in case fatality. Conclusion: Two-thirds of all claims in pediatric surgery resulted in payment to claimant, and the commonest reasons for claims were postoperative complications, delayed treatment, and/or diagnosis. Nearly a quarter of successful claims were in cases where negligence resulted in case fatality. Pediatric surgeons should be aware of common diagnostic and treatment shortfalls as high-risk areas of increased susceptibility to clinical negligence claims. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  6. The Development of the Concept of Contributory Negligence in English Common Law

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emanuel G.D. van Dongen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The injured party’s own conduct which has contributed to the damage that he has suffered has been a bar to the recovery of damages for centuries in the common law tradition. This article describes and analyses the historical development, from the early modern period until the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence Act of 1945, of the way in which English common law dealt with cases in which the behaviour of the injured party contributed to the occurrence of his damage – nowadays called ‘contributory negligence’. Historically, contributory conduct was linked to the (broader question of causation. The way in which cases involving contributory negligence were dealt with slowly developed from a very strict rule, depriving the injured party of his action even in the presence of the slightest degree of negligence on his part  (leading to a so-called all-or-nothing approach, into a more lenient approach, in which attempts aimed at doing justice to the degree to which both parties contributed to the accident were made during the 19th century. Furthermore, juries regularly mitigated the damages they awarded, rather than applying the all-or-nothing rule. The idea of a partition of damages seems to have emerged in English common law around the end of the 19th century. In 1945, the possibility of a reduction, based on the respective degrees of the responsibility of the parties, was officially introduced with the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence Act, which is still in force today.

  7. [The prevalence and influencing factors of abuse and negligence against elderly in rural areas of Anhui province].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Pu-yu; Hao, Jia-hu; Xiong, Li-ming; Yu, Dan-dan; Cao, Yue-ting; Fang, Yun; Jiang, Xiu-ling; Qian, Qiao-xia; Tao, Fang-biao

    2011-02-01

    To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors related to abuse and negligence against the elderly in the rural areas. 975 elderly over 60 years from 41 counties in Anhui province were included. All participants completed an anonymous questionnaire including items as: educational background, marital condition, income, child-discipline, rude action to parents, daily activities, physical functions, having chronic illness, abuse and negligence against the elderly, etc. In the last year, rates of common physical abuse, serious physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial exploitation, negligence, overall abuse and negligence against the elderly were 4.5%, 1.5%, 26.9%, 4.9%, 7.2%, 29.9% respectively. Among the 281 victims, 80.4% reported that they were suffered more than 3 times of abuse and neglect episodes, and 34.9% reported that they were suffered more than 2 forms of abuse and negligence. The primary sadism was carried out by the daughter-in-law or son-in-law (43.2%) of the elderly. Low activity on daily life and having chronic illness were the risk factors causing common physical abuse while better education was the protective factor to it. Low ability in managing daily activity of living was the risk factor causing serious physical abuse. Less active on daily life and having rude action to parents were the risk factors to emotional abuse, but being strict with their children was the protective factor to emotional abuse. Less active on daily life, often beating their children and having rude action to parents were the risk factors related to financial exploitation. Less active on daily life, having rude action to parents and having bad physical functions were the risk factors causing negligence. Less active on daily life and having rude manner to parents were the risk factors of overall elderly abuse and negligence, but being strict with their children was protective factor to the abuse and negligence against the elderly. High prevalence on abuse and

  8. The decline of judicial deference to medical opinion in medical negligence litigation in Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kassim, Puteri Nemie J

    2008-06-01

    The decision of the Federal Court of Malaysia in abandoning the Bolam principle in relation to doctor's duty to disclose risks has clearly marked the decline of judicial deference to medical opinion in medical negligence litigation in Malaysia. It is undeniable that the Bolam principle has acted as a gatekeeper to the number of claims against medical practitioners. This has always been seen as necessary to protect the society from unwanted effects of defensive medicine. However, will these changes contribute significantly to the growth of medical negligence cases in Malaysia? This article will trace the development of the Bolam principle in medical negligence litigation in Malaysia since 1965 and analyse the influence of selected Commonwealth cases on the development. The implications of the Federal Court ruling will also be discussed.

  9. How to model a negligible probability under the WTO sanitary and phytosanitary agreement?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, Mark R

    2013-06-01

    Since the 1997 EC--Hormones decision, World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Panels have wrestled with the question of what constitutes a negligible risk under the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement. More recently, the 2010 WTO Australia--Apples Panel focused considerable attention on the appropriate quantitative model for a negligible probability in a risk assessment. The 2006 Australian Import Risk Analysis for Apples from New Zealand translated narrative probability statements into quantitative ranges. The uncertainty about a "negligible" probability was characterized as a uniform distribution with a minimum value of zero and a maximum value of 10(-6) . The Australia - Apples Panel found that the use of this distribution would tend to overestimate the likelihood of "negligible" events and indicated that a triangular distribution with a most probable value of zero and a maximum value of 10⁻⁶ would correct the bias. The Panel observed that the midpoint of the uniform distribution is 5 × 10⁻⁷ but did not consider that the triangular distribution has an expected value of 3.3 × 10⁻⁷. Therefore, if this triangular distribution is the appropriate correction, the magnitude of the bias found by the Panel appears modest. The Panel's detailed critique of the Australian risk assessment, and the conclusions of the WTO Appellate Body about the materiality of flaws found by the Panel, may have important implications for the standard of review for risk assessments under the WTO SPS Agreement. © 2012 Society for Risk Analysis.

  10. Establishing breach of the duty of care in the tort of negligence: 2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tingle, John

    This article discusses the law surrounding breach of the duty of care in negligence. A mistake or error does not necessarily mean legal fault and negligence. Judges look at risks and benefits in determining what would have been the appropriate standard of care to be exercised in the circumstances and may decide that the defendant's conduct was reasonable. There are a number of interrelated factors which judges have to balance and these can be categorized as foreseeability of harm, magnitude of risk, burden of taking precautions, utility of the defendant's conduct and common practice.

  11. Delictual Negligence of Educators in Schools: The Confusing Influence of the "in loco parentis" Doctrine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potgieter, Johan

    2004-01-01

    This article points out that the "in loco parentis" maxim is partly to blame for introducing the confusing "reasonable parent" doctrine as the test for delictual negligence of educators in the school context. It is argued that the standard of care exercised by parents over their children is not appropriate to determine the negligence of educators.…

  12. Social evaluation of intentional, truly accidental, and negligently accidental helpers and harmers by 10-month-old infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo, Brandon M; Steckler, Conor M; Le, Doan T; Hamlin, J Kiley

    2017-11-01

    Whereas adults largely base their evaluations of others' actions on others' intentions, a host of research in developmental psychology suggests that younger children privilege outcome over intention, leading them to condemn accidental harm. To date, this question has been examined only with children capable of language production. In the current studies, we utilized a non-linguistic puppet show paradigm to examine the evaluation of intentional and accidental acts of helping or harming in 10-month-old infants. In Experiment 1 (n=64), infants preferred intentional over accidental helpers but accidental over intentional harmers, suggestive that by this age infants incorporate information about others' intentions into their social evaluations. In Experiment 2 (n=64), infants did not distinguish "negligently" accidental from intentional helpers or harmers, suggestive that infants may find negligent accidents somewhat intentional. In Experiment 3 (n=64), we found that infants preferred truly accidental over negligently accidental harmers, but did not reliably distinguish negligently accidental from truly accidental helpers, consistent with past work with adults and children suggestive that humans are particularly sensitive to negligently accidental harm. Together, these results imply that infants engage in intention-based social evaluation of those who help and harm accidentally, so long as those accidents do not stem from negligence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Dosimetric characteristics of PASSAG as a new polymer gel dosimeter with negligible toxicity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farhood, Bagher; Abtahi, Seyed Mohammad Mahdi; Geraily, Ghazale; Ghorbani, Mehdi; Mahdavi, Seied Rabi; Zahmatkesh, Mohammad Hasan

    2018-06-01

    Despite many advantages of polymer gel dosimeters, their clinical use is only not realized now. Toxicity of polymer gel dosimeters can be considered as one of their main limitations for use in routine clinical applications. In the current study, a new polymer gel dosimeter is introduced with negligible toxicity. For this purpose, 2-Acrylamido-2-Methy-1-PropaneSulfonic acid (AMPS) sodium salt monomer was replaced instead of acrylamide monomer used in PAGAT gel dosimeter by using %6 T and %50 C to the gel formula and the new formulation is called PASSAG (Poly AMPS Sodium Salt and Gelatin) polymer gel dosimeter. The irradiation of gel dosimeters was carried out using a Co-60 therapy machine. MRI technique was used to quantify the dose responses of the PASSAG gel dosimeter. Then, the MRI responses (R2) of the gel dosimeter was analyzed at different dose values, post-irradiation times, and scanning temperatures. The results showed that the new gel formulation has a negligible toxicity and it is also eco-friendly. In addition, carcinogenicity and genetic toxicity tests are negative for the monomer used in PASSAG. The radiological properties of PASSAG gel dosimeter showed that this substance can be considered as a soft tissue/water equivalent material. Furthermore, dosimetric evaluation of the new polymer gel dosimeter revealed an excellent linear R2-dose response in the evaluated dose range (0-15 Gy). The R2-dose sensitivity and dose resolution of PASSAG gel dosimeter were 0.081 s-1Gy-1 (in 0-15 Gy dose range) and 1 Gy (in 0-10 Gy dose range), respectively. Moreover, it was shown that the R2-dose sensitivity and dose resolution of the new gel dosimeter improves over time after irradiation. It was also found that the R2 response of the PASSAG gel dosimeter has less dependency to the 18, 20, and 24 °C scanning temperature in comparison to that of room temperature (22 °C).

  14. Medical negligence and res ipsa loquitur in South Africa | Patel ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The inter-relationship between Medicine and Law is most commonly brought to the fore by cases involving medical negligence. This relationship needs to protect all parties concerned based on the probability of reasonableness in terms of who performs the act as well as the patient affected by the act in question. The res ...

  15. Sports physicians, ethics and antidoping governance: between assistance and negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dikic, Nenad; McNamee, Michael; Günter, Heinz; Markovic, Snezana Samardzic; Vajgic, Bojan

    2013-07-01

    Recent positive doping cases and a series of mistakes of medical doctors of the International Federation of Basketball have reopened the debate about the role of medical doctor in elite sport. This study shows that some sports physicians involved in recent positive doping cases are insufficiently aware of the nuances of doping regulations and, most importantly, of the list of prohibited substances. Moreover, several team doctors are shown to have exercised poor judgement in relation to these matters with the consequence that athletes are punished for doping offences on the basis of doctors' negligence. In such circumstances, athletes' rights are jeopardised by a failure of the duty of care that (sports) physicians owe their athlete patients. We argue that, with respect to the World Anti Doping Code, antidoping governance fails to define, with sufficient clarity, the role of medical doctors. There is a need for a new approach emphasising urgent educational and training of medical doctors in this domain, which should be considered prior to the revision of the next World Anti Doping Code in 2013 in order to better regulate doctor's conduct especially in relation to professional errors, whether negligent or intentional.

  16. Aspectos orofaciais dos maus-tratos infantis e da negligência odontológica Orofacial aspects of childhood abuse and dental negligence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreza Cristina de Lima Targino Massoni

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste artigo foi identificar os principais aspectos orofaciais dos maus-tratos infantis e da negligência odontológica, contribuindo com a identificação destas vítimas no ambiente odontológico. Foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica nas bases de dados Adolec, MEDLINE, LILACS e BBO. Utilizaram-se como descritores: maus-tratos infantis, manifestações bucais, odontólogos, papel (figurativo e responsabilidade legal. Verificou-se que os maus-tratos infantis acontecem em geral em domicílio e os ferimentos orofaciais decorrentes incluem trauma, queimaduras e lacerações dos tecidos duros e moles, marcas de mordida e hematomas em vários estágios de cura. Pode haver ferimentos que envolvem outras partes do corpo próximas à cavidade bucal, como hematoma periorbital e contusão nasal. Quanto ao abuso sexual, muitas vítimas não apresentam nenhum sinal físico associado; assim, indicadores comportamentais devem ser observados. A imediata identificação e o relato de maus-tratos infantis e da negligência odontológica pelo cirurgião-dentista são essenciais para a proteção das crianças, sendo fundamental uma maior atuação destes profissionais, através do registro e denúncia dos casos suspeitos às agências de proteção à criança.The aim of this paper was to identify the main oral and dental aspects of childhood abuse and dental neglect, contributing to the identification of these victims in a dental office. A bibliographic research was carried out, in ADOLEC, MEDLINE, LILACS and BBO databases. The following key words were used: child abuse, oral manifestations, dentists; role; liability, legal. It was verified that violence against children happens in general at home and the resulting orofacial injuries encompass: injuries, burns and lacerations on soft and hard tissues, bite marks and gradually-healed wounds. It can have wounds in other parts of the body next to the oral cavity, such as periorbital wound and nasal

  17. 31 CFR 370.40 - Can I be held accountable if my negligence contributes to a forged signature?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Can I be held accountable if my negligence contributes to a forged signature? 370.40 Section 370.40 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations... if my negligence contributes to a forged signature? (a) General. If your failure to exercise ordinary...

  18. The Influence of Negligence, Intention, and Outcome on Children's Moral Judgments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nobes, Gavin; Panagiotaki, Georgia.; Pawson, Chris

    2009-01-01

    Piaget (1932) and subsequent researchers have reported that young children's moral judgments are based more on the outcomes of actions than on the agents' intentions. The current study investigated whether negligence might also influence these judgments and explain children's apparent focus on outcome. Children (3-8 years of age) and adults (N =…

  19. A child's potential claim for negligent misdiagnosis: The case of H v ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    South African law recognises a financial claim against a health provider for negligently failing to ... costs of now caring for a child who has serious health challenges or ... provider was liable against either the parent or the child and not to.

  20. Clinical errors and medical negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oyebode, Femi

    2013-01-01

    This paper discusses the definition, nature and origins of clinical errors including their prevention. The relationship between clinical errors and medical negligence is examined as are the characteristics of litigants and events that are the source of litigation. The pattern of malpractice claims in different specialties and settings is examined. Among hospitalized patients worldwide, 3-16% suffer injury as a result of medical intervention, the most common being the adverse effects of drugs. The frequency of adverse drug effects appears superficially to be higher in intensive care units and emergency departments but once rates have been corrected for volume of patients, comorbidity of conditions and number of drugs prescribed, the difference is not significant. It is concluded that probably no more than 1 in 7 adverse events in medicine result in a malpractice claim and the factors that predict that a patient will resort to litigation include a prior poor relationship with the clinician and the feeling that the patient is not being kept informed. Methods for preventing clinical errors are still in their infancy. The most promising include new technologies such as electronic prescribing systems, diagnostic and clinical decision-making aids and error-resistant systems. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  1. Factual causation in medical negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manning, Joanna

    2007-12-01

    The conventional approach to causation in negligence is the "but for" test, decided on the balance of probabilities. Even when supplemented by the "material contribution" principle, satisfying the onus of proof of causation can be an insuperable obstacle for plaintiffs, particularly in medical cases. Yet, having found a breach of duty, a court's sympathies may gravitate toward the plaintiff at this point in the case. Accordingly, courts have sometimes accepted a relaxation of strict causation principles. The judicial devices are described: a special principle of causation in particular duties of care; a shifting burden of proof; "bridging the evidentiary gap" by drawing a robust inference of causation; treating a material increase in risk as sufficient proof of causation; and permitting causation to be established on the basis of the loss of a material chance of achieving a better outcome and discounting damages. In Accident Compensation Corp v Ambros [2007] NZCA 304 the New Zealand Court of Appeal recognised the need for a legal device to ameliorate the injustice sometimes caused by the strict rules of causation, and preferred the "inferential reasoning" approach favoured by the Canadian common law for use in the context of the accident compensation scheme. It is hoped that the New Zealand Supreme Court approves Ambros if the opportunity arises.

  2. When Care is a "Systematic Route of Torture": Conceptualizing the Violence of Medical Negligence in Resource-Poor Settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heckert, Carina

    2016-12-01

    Descriptions of patient mistreatment fill ethnographic accounts of healthcare in resource-poor settings. Often, anthropologists point to structural factors and the ways that the global political economy produces substandard care. This approach makes it difficult to hold parties accountable when there is blatant disregard for human life on the part of individuals providing care. In this article, I draw on the illness narrative of Magaly Chacón, the first HIV positive individual in Bolivia to file charges of medical negligence after failing to receive care to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Magaly's narrative demonstrates how structural conditions are often used to explain away poor patient outcomes, shifting attention away from and normalizing the symbolic violence that also perpetuates substandard care of marginalized patients. I use Magaly's accusations to interrogate how defining acts of mistreatment as medical negligence can be a productive exercise, even when it is difficult to disentangle structural constraints from blatant acts of negligence. Defining who is negligent in resource-poor settings is not easy, as Magaly's case demonstrates. However, Magaly's case also demonstrates that accusations of negligence themselves can demand accountability and force changes within the local structures that contribute to the systematic mistreatment of marginalized patients.

  3. [Liability of pediatric nurses for professional negligence in Taiwan: a case study].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Hui-Man; Sun, Fan-Ko

    2014-04-01

    Liability attribution and professional negligence in pediatric nursing are topics that have been neglected in Taiwan. (1) Identify the definitions of related criminal activities in accordance with domestic criminal law; (2) Elucidate the facts and the dispute in a current case involving a pediatric nurse; (3) Elucidate the principle of 'no punishment without law'; (4) Explore the reasons why the pediatric nurse in the current case received a verdict of 'not guilty'. A literature review and case study approach were used to analyze a sentence reconsideration of the first instance No. 1 (2011) issued by the Taiwan high court, Kaohsiung branch court. The conditions for the scrutiny of criminal activity under Taiwan criminal law are statement of facts, illegality (justifiable cause), and liability (excuse). In this case, the pediatric nurse was accused of failing to prevent an infant from suffocation and of not discharging her obligations as a nurse. The pediatric nurse rebutted the charge of criminal negligence. The intervening behaviors of the pediatric nurse were found to be legal and not culpable. In this case, the High Court and Supreme Court made a final criminal judgment based on the presumption of innocence, and the pediatric nurse was pronounced innocent of the charge. This article intends to assist pediatric nurses understand their liabilities under Taiwan's criminal law. Pediatric nurses should gain a better understanding of the nature of liability for professional negligence in order to clarify how actions that may be illegal do not necessarily make nurses culpable.

  4. Electromagnetic waves in a layer of hot plasma with negligible collisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vacca, J.

    1975-01-01

    The propagation of electromagnetic waves in a plane plasma layer in a uniform magnetic field has been studied, following the hypothesis of immoble ions and negligible ion-electron interactions. Waves dependent on one spatial coordinate are considered and all the parameters of the problems are considered. The cases of perpendicular and parallel magnetic field are treated

  5. Does litigation increase or decrease health care quality? A national study of negligence claims against nursing homes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevenson, David G.; Spittal, Matthew J.; Studdert, David M.

    2016-01-01

    Background The tort system is supposed to help improve the quality and safety of health care, but whether it actually does so is controversial. Most previous studies modeling the effect of negligence litigation on quality of care are ecologic. Objective To assess whether the experience of being sued and incurring litigation costs affects the quality of care subsequently delivered in nursing homes. Research Design, Subjects, Measures We linked information on 6,471 negligence claims brought against 1,514 nursing homes between 1998 and 2010 to indicators of nursing home quality drawn from two U.S. national datasets (Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting system; Minimum Data Set Quality Measure/Indicator Reports). At the facility level, we tested for associations between 9 quality measures and 3 variables indicating the nursing homes’ litigation experience in the preceding 12–18 months (total indemnity payments; total indemnity payments plus administrative costs; ≥1 paid claims vs. none). The analyses adjusted for quality at baseline, case-mix, ownership, occupancy, year, and facility and state random effects. Results Nearly all combinations of the 3 litigation exposure measures and 9 quality measures—27 models in all—showed an inverse relationship between litigation costs and quality. However only a few of these associations were statistically significant, and the effect sizes were very small. For example, a doubling of indemnity payments was associated with a 1.1% increase in the number of deficiencies and a 2.2% increase in pressure ulcer rates. Conclusions Tort litigation does not increase the quality performance of nursing homes, and may decrease it slightly. PMID:23552438

  6. Does litigation increase or decrease health care quality?: a national study of negligence claims against nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevenson, David G; Spittal, Matthew J; Studdert, David M

    2013-05-01

    The tort system is supposed to help improve the quality and safety of health care, but whether it actually does so is controversial. Most previous studies modeling the effect of negligence litigation on quality of care are ecologic. To assess whether the experience of being sued and incurring litigation costs affects the quality of care subsequently delivered in nursing homes. We linked information on 6471 negligence claims brought against 1514 nursing homes between 1998 and 2010 to indicators of nursing home quality drawn from 2 US national datasets (Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting system; Minimum Data Set Quality Measure/Indicator Reports). At the facility level, we tested for associations between 9 quality measures and 3 variables indicating the nursing homes' litigation experience in the preceding 12-18 months (total indemnity payments; total indemnity payments plus administrative costs; ≥ 1 paid claims vs. none). The analyses adjusted for quality at baseline, case-mix, ownership, occupancy, year, and facility and state random effects. Nearly all combinations of the 3 litigation exposure measures and 9 quality measures--27 models in all--showed an inverse relationship between litigation costs and quality. However, only a few of these associations were statistically significant, and the effect sizes were very small. For example, a doubling of indemnity payments was associated with a 1.1% increase in the number of deficiencies and a 2.2% increase in pressure ulcer rates. Tort litigation does not increase the quality performance of nursing homes, and may decrease it slightly.

  7. Loss of chance in medical negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leslie, K; Bramley, D; Shulman, M; Kennedy, E

    2014-05-01

    Occasionally accidents and complications occur during anaesthesia and perioperative care that result in injury to the patient. Unfortunately, this is sometimes due to a breach in the anaesthetist's duty of care to the patient. Sometimes, rather than being the cause of immediate damage, the act or omission results in an alteration in the prognosis of the complaint or increased risk of complications related to the complaint. This avenue for a negligence action is known as 'loss of chance of a better outcome' and has been the subject of much legal argument in Australia in recent years. A recent High Court of Australia decision is widely seen as having 'closed the door' to, or at least made it difficult for the patient to succeed in, loss of chance cases. Many anaesthetists may not be familiar with the concept of 'loss of chance'. This review will explore the concept of loss of chance and the manner in which Australian courts have dealt with it before and after Tabet v Gett from the perspective of the anaesthetist.

  8. Clinical negligence and duty of candour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shekar, Vinita; Singh, Mark; Shekar, Kishore; Brennan, Peter

    2011-12-01

    The Department of Health is considering imposing a legal duty of candour on health care providers to ensure that an apology and explanation are given to patients when errors occur during medical treatment. This aims to improve quality of care and reduce adverse events during medical treatment. We present the current system of clinical negligence and the future of medical ethics. We discuss relevant cases with regard to duty of candour, and highlight the existence of serious imbalances in which patients' rights and corresponding ethical duties of professionals predominate over the responsibilities of patients themselves. It is known that most adverse events arise because of multiple factors for which no individual should be blamed. To improve healthcare services there is a need for a system in which lessons can be learnt from mistakes, and services can be improved in the interest of patient safety, and for transparency in the broad principles on which the decisions are based within which clinical performance is supervised and monitored. Copyright © 2010 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Counting the cost of negligence in neurosurgery: Lessons to be learned from 10 years of claims in the NHS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamdan, Alhafidz; Strachan, Roger D; Nath, Fredrick; Coulter, Ian C

    2015-04-01

    Despite substantial progress in modernising neurosurgery, the specialty still tops the list of medico-legal claims. Understanding the factors associated with negligence claims is vital if we are to identify areas of underperformance and subsequently improve patient safety. Here we provide data on trends in neurosurgical negligence claims over a 10-year period in England. We used data provided by the National Health Service Litigation Authority to analyse negligence claims related to neurosurgery from the financial years 2002/2003 to 2011/2012. Using the abstracts provided, we extracted information pertaining to the underlying pathology, injury severity, nature of misadventure and claim value. Over the 10-year period, the annual number of claims increased significantly. In total, there were 794 negligence claims (range 50-117/year); of the 613 closed cases, 405 (66.1%) were successful. The total cost related to claims during the 10 years was £65.7 million, with a mean claim per successful case of £0.16 million (total damages, defence and claimant costs of £45.1, £6.36 and £14.3 million, respectively). Claims related to emergency cases were more costly compared to those of elective cases (£209,327 vs. £112,627; P=0.002). Spinal cases represented the most frequently litigated procedures (350; 44.1% of total), inadequate surgical performance the most common misadventure (231; 29.1%) and fatality the commonest injury implicated in claims (102; 12.8%). Negligence claims related to wrong-site surgery and cauda equina syndrome were frequently successful (26/26; 100% and 14/16; 87.5% of closed cases, respectively). In England, the number of neurosurgical negligence claims is increasing, the financial cost substantial, and the burden significant. Lessons to be learned from the study are of paramount importance to reduce future cases of negligence and improve patient care.

  10. Progress in Medicine: Compensation and medical negligence in India: Does the system need a quick fix or an overhaul?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meghana S Chandra

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In a recent judgment on medical negligence, the Supreme Court awarded compensation amounting to Rs. 11 crore to a victim, which was to be paid by the doctors and the private hospital deemed responsible for the wrongful death of a patient. This landmark decision was by far the largest compensation award in the history of Indian medical negligence litigation. Hence, the process of calculating compensation for medical negligence has received great attention and debate, largely due to the impact that it is going to have on the practice of medicine within the country, in the near future. However, the method of calculation of compensation is unpredictable as it varies hugely across different cases, courts and tribunals resulting, in a loss of faith in the system, protracted litigation, and frequent appeals. With over 80% of India's healthcare being provided by the private sector, predictability and uniformity in the regulation of compensation in medical negligence would benefit the victims and the doctors concerned. A basic knowledge of how medical negligence compensation is calculated and adjudicated in the judicial courts of India will aid a doctor in planning his/her professional indemnity insurance, as well as in practicing his/her profession without undue worry about facing litigation for alleged medical negligence. This article addresses the merits and demerits of large compensation awards, and also discusses whether the system is broken, needs a quick fix, or a massive overhaul.

  11. Progress in Medicine: Compensation and medical negligence in India: Does the system need a quick fix or an overhaul?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandra, Meghana S; Math, Suresh Bada

    2016-10-01

    In a recent judgment on medical negligence, the Supreme Court awarded compensation amounting to Rs. 11 crore to a victim, which was to be paid by the doctors and the private hospital deemed responsible for the wrongful death of a patient. This landmark decision was by far the largest compensation award in the history of Indian medical negligence litigation. Hence, the process of calculating compensation for medical negligence has received great attention and debate, largely due to the impact that it is going to have on the practice of medicine within the country, in the near future. However, the method of calculation of compensation is unpredictable as it varies hugely across different cases, courts and tribunals resulting, in a loss of faith in the system, protracted litigation, and frequent appeals. With over 80% of India's healthcare being provided by the private sector, predictability and uniformity in the regulation of compensation in medical negligence would benefit the victims and the doctors concerned. A basic knowledge of how medical negligence compensation is calculated and adjudicated in the judicial courts of India will aid a doctor in planning his/her professional indemnity insurance, as well as in practicing his/her profession without undue worry about facing litigation for alleged medical negligence. This article addresses the merits and demerits of large compensation awards, and also discusses whether the system is broken, needs a quick fix, or a massive overhaul.

  12. Progress in Medicine: Compensation and medical negligence in India: Does the system need a quick fix or an overhaul?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandra, Meghana S.; Math, Suresh Bada

    2016-01-01

    In a recent judgment on medical negligence, the Supreme Court awarded compensation amounting to Rs. 11 crore to a victim, which was to be paid by the doctors and the private hospital deemed responsible for the wrongful death of a patient. This landmark decision was by far the largest compensation award in the history of Indian medical negligence litigation. Hence, the process of calculating compensation for medical negligence has received great attention and debate, largely due to the impact that it is going to have on the practice of medicine within the country, in the near future. However, the method of calculation of compensation is unpredictable as it varies hugely across different cases, courts and tribunals resulting, in a loss of faith in the system, protracted litigation, and frequent appeals. With over 80% of India's healthcare being provided by the private sector, predictability and uniformity in the regulation of compensation in medical negligence would benefit the victims and the doctors concerned. A basic knowledge of how medical negligence compensation is calculated and adjudicated in the judicial courts of India will aid a doctor in planning his/her professional indemnity insurance, as well as in practicing his/her profession without undue worry about facing litigation for alleged medical negligence. This article addresses the merits and demerits of large compensation awards, and also discusses whether the system is broken, needs a quick fix, or a massive overhaul. PMID:27891021

  13. Usefulness of MR imaging for diseases of the small intestine: comparison with CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Ji Hoon; Ha, Hyun Kwon; Sohn, Min Jae; Shin, Byung Suck; Lee, Young Suk; Chung, Soo Yoon; Kim, Pyo Nyun; Lee, Moon Gyu; Auh, Yong Ho [Ulsan University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2000-03-01

    To evaluate the usefulness of MR imaging for diseases of the small intestine, emphasizing a comparison with CT. Thirty-four patients who underwent both CT and MR imaging using FLASH 2D and HASTE sequences were analyzed. All patients had various small bowel diseases with variable association of peritoneal lesions. We compared the detectabilities of CT and MR imaging using different MR pulse sequences. The capability for analyzing the characteristics of small intestinal disease was also compared. MR imaging was nearly equal to CT for detecting intraluminal or peritoneal masses, lesions in the bowel and mesentery, and small bowel obstruction, but was definitely inferior for detecting omental lesions. The most successful MR imaging sequence was HASTE for demonstrating bowel wall thickening, coronal FLASH 2D for mesenteric lesions, and axial FLASH 2D for omental lesions. MR imaging yielded greater information than CT in six of 12 inflammatory bowel diseases, while it was equal to CT in six of seven neoplasms and inferior in five of seven mesenteric ischemia. In determining the primary causes of 15 intestinal obstructions, MR imaging was correct in 11 (73%) and CT in nine (60%) patients. MR imaging can serve as an alternative diagnostic tool for patients with suspected inflammatory bowel disease, small intestinal neoplasm or obstruction.

  14. THEORETICAL AND CASE-LAW CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PROFESSIONAL NEGLIGENCE OF DOCTORS THAT COULD RESULT IN CRIMINAL, NOT ONLY CIVIL, LIABILITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian HĂRĂTĂU

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available In this study we aimed to analyze guilt, in the form of negligence, that is governed in Romanian criminal laws in Article 16 paragraph (4 of the Criminal Code, as follows:“An offence is perpetrated in negligence when the offender:a foresees the outcome of his actions but does not accept it, deeming that it is unlikely for it to occur; b does not foresee the outcome of his actions, although he should and could have.”This form of guilt applies in the case of all incriminations stipulated in the criminal law perpetrated in a negligent manner, while keeping in mind that, in accordance with Article 16 paragraph (6 of the Criminal Code “an offence committed in negligence amounts to a criminal offence when expressly provided by law”.

  15. Management of radioactive wastes with negligible heat generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alter, U.

    1990-01-01

    In the Federal Republic of Germany only one company is responsible for the management of radioactive wastes with negligible heat generations. This is the Company for Nuclear Service (GNS mbH). It was the intention of the competent authorities of the FRG to intensify state control during conditioning, intermediate storage and transport of low- and medium level radioactive waste. A guideline provides that the responsibility of the waste producers and of those concerned with conditioning, storage and transport of radioactive waste is assigned in the individual case and that the qualitative and quantitative registration of all waste streams will be ensured. An overview of the radioactive waste management within the last two years in the FRG is presented. (orig./DG)

  16. Findings of negligence followed communication lapses in BC aneurysm case

    OpenAIRE

    Capen, K

    1997-01-01

    Negligence is sometimes established on the basis of lapses in communication and patient care management that, in hindsight, could have been avoided. A recent BC court case concerned a patient who died because of a ruptured aneurysm. A Supreme Court judge found that some of the physicians involved had failed in their duty to diagnose the patient's condition properly, or failed to communicate to one another significant signs of the patient's illness, and failed to refer him in time to the medic...

  17. Comparison of ASSESS neutralization module results with actual small force engagement outcomes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gardner, B.H.; Snell, M.K.; Paulus, W.K.

    1991-01-01

    The ASSESS Neutralization module (Neutralization) is part of the Analytic System and Software for Evaluation of Safeguards and Security (ASSESS), a vulnerability assessment tool. Neutralization models a fire fight between security inspectors (SIs) and adversaries. This paper reports that a comparison has been made between actual outcomes of police and small military engagements and the results predicted by the Neutralization module for similar scenarios. The results of this comparison show a surprising correlation between predicted outcomes (based on numbers of combatants, weapon types, and exposures, etc.) and the actual outcomes of the engagements analyzed. The importance of this analysis is that given the defenders have intelligence on actual adversary characteristics or are protecting against a design basis threat, defense capabilities can be evaluated before an engagement. Results could then be used to develop a favorable probability of a desired outcome. For example, law enforcement agencies are frequently able to compile the number of criminals, types of weaponry, willingness to use force, etc., from analysis of crime scenes

  18. The High Court's lost chance in medical negligence: Tabet v Gett (2010) 240 CLR 537.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faunce, Thomas; McEwan, Alexandra

    2010-12-01

    In 2010 the High Court of Australia in Tabet v Gett (2010) 240 CLR 537 determined an appeal in a medical negligence case concerning a six-year-old girl who had presented to a major paediatric hospital with symptoms over several weeks of headaches and vomiting after a recent history of chicken pox. The differential diagnosis was varicella, meningitis or encephalitis and two days later, after she deteriorated neurologically, she received a lumbar puncture. Three days later she suffered a seizure and irreversible brain damage. A CT scan performed at that point showed a brain tumour. As Australia does not have a no-fault system providing compensation to cover the long-term care required for such a condition, the girl (through her parents and lawyers) sued her treating physician. She alleged that, because a cerebral CT scan was not performed when clinically indicated after the diagnosis of meningitis or encephalitis and before the lumbar puncture, she had "lost the chance" to have her brain tumour treated before she sustained permanent brain damage. She succeeded at first instance, but lost on appeal. The High Court also rejected her claim, holding unanimously that there were no policy reasons to allow recovery of damages based on possible (less than 50%) "loss of a chance" of a better medical outcome. The court held that the law of torts in Australia required "all or nothing" proof that physical injury was caused or contributed to by a negligent party. The High Court, however, did not exclude loss of chance as forming the substance of a probable (greater than 50%) claim in medical negligence in some future case. In the meantime, patients injured in Australia as a result of possible medical negligence (particularly in the intractable difficult instances of late diagnosis) must face the injustice of the significant day-to-day care needs of victims being carried by family members and the taxpayer-funded public hospital system. The High Court in Tabet v Gett again provides

  19. Direct comparison of Fe-Cr unmixing characterization by atom probe tomography and small angle scattering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Couturier, Laurent, E-mail: laurent.couturier55@hotmail.fr [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, SIMAP, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CNRS, SIMAP, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Department of Materials Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 (Canada); De Geuser, Frédéric; Deschamps, Alexis [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, SIMAP, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CNRS, SIMAP, F-38000 Grenoble (France)

    2016-11-15

    The fine microstructure obtained by unmixing of a solid solution either by classical precipitation or spinodal decomposition is often characterized either by small angle scattering or atom probe tomography. This article shows that a common data analysis framework can be used to analyze data obtained from these two techniques. An example of the application of this common analysis is given for characterization of the unmixing of the Fe-Cr matrix of a 15-5 PH stainless steel during long-term ageing at 350 °C and 400 °C. A direct comparison of the Cr composition fluctuations amplitudes and characteristic lengths obtained with both techniques is made showing a quantitative agreement for the fluctuation amplitudes. The origin of the discrepancy remaining for the characteristic lengths is discussed. - Highlights: •Common analysis framework for atom probe tomography and small angle scattering •Comparison of same microstructural characteristics obtained using both techniques •Good correlation of Cr composition fluctuations amplitudes from both techniques •Good correlation of Cr composition fluctuations amplitudes with classic V parameter.

  20. Negligence 10 Years after Gertz v. Welch. Journalism Monographs Number Ninety-Three.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopkins, W. Wat

    The implications and shortcomings of court rulings on negligence in libel laws are explored in this paper. The paper first discusses the particulars of the 1974 landmark "Gertz versus Robert Welch, Inc." United States Supreme Court case, in which the court ruled that private persons as well as public figures would be required to prove…

  1. Clinical negligence and the need to keep professionally updated.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tingle, John

    Nurses and doctors are under a legal duty to keep reasonably up to date; this is a fundamental aspect of their legal duty of care to their patients. A nurse or doctor could be negligent if a patient is harmed because of ignorance of well accepted and known published nursing and medical research findings. It is all a question of fact and degree and cases will turn on their own circumstances. There are a number of reported court cases which explore this issue and which contain useful guidance. These cases are discussed within the context of the new NHS and the Government's emphasis on health quality, and increasing healthcare litigation.

  2. Paving the road to negligence: the compensation for research-related injuries in Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramiro Avilés, Miguel A

    2015-01-01

    The planned reform of the regulation of clinical trials in Spain has reopened the debate over how to regulate research-related injuries. Act 29/2006 and Royal Decree 223/2004 regulate the insurance of research-related injuries, and they include a general clause requiring mandatory insurance and imposing a no-fault compensation system; they also contain an exception clause enabling clinical trials to be carried out without insurance under some conditions, and an exclusion clause excluding compensation when there is no causal connection between injuries and a clinical trial. National legislation is under review, affecting the requirement of mandatory insurance and paving the road to a liability system based on negligence, which will affect the level of protection of the persons enrolled in clinical trials because it would not ensure compensation. Regulatory texts on individuals' participation as research subjects should include not only mandatory insurance, but also a no-fault compensation system for cases when voluntary research subjects are injured, irrespective of negligence.

  3. Small-angle scattering at a pulsed neutron source: comparison with a steady-state reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Borso, C S; Carpenter, J M; Williamson, F S; Holmblad, G L; Mueller, M H; Faber, J Jr; Epperson, J E; Danyluk, S S [Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)

    1982-08-01

    A time-of-flight small-angle diffractometer employing seven tapered collimator elements and a two-dimensional gas proportional counter was successfully utilized to collect small-angle scattering data from a solution sample of the lipid salt cetylpyridinium chloride, C/sub 21/H/sub 38/N/sup +/.Cl/sup -/, at the Argonne National Laboratory prototype pulsed spallation neutron source, ZING-P'. Comparison of the small-angle scattering observed from the same compound at the University of Missouri Research Reactor corroborated the ZING-P' results. The results are used to compare the neutron flux available from the ZING-P' source relative to the well characterized University of Missouri source. Calculations based on experimentally determined parameters indicated the time-averaged rate of detected neutrons at the ZING-P' pulsed spallation source to have been at least 33% higher than the steady-state count rate from the same sample. Differences between time-of-flight techniques and conventional steady-state techniques are discussed.

  4. Hindsight bias and outcome bias in the social construction of medical negligence: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hugh, Thomas B; Dekker, Sidney W A

    2009-05-01

    Medical negligence has been the subject of much public debate in recent decades. Although the steep increase in the frequency and size of claims against doctors at the end of the last century appears to have plateaued, in Australia at least, medical indemnity costs and consequences are still a matter of concern for doctors, medical defence organisations and governments in most developed countries. Imprecision in the legal definition of negligence opens the possibility that judgments of this issue at several levels may be subject to hindsight and outcome bias. Hindsight bias relates to the probability of an adverse event perceived by a retrospective observer ("I would have known it was going to happen"), while outcome bias is a largely subconscious cognitive distortion produced by the observer's knowledge of the adverse outcome. This review examines the relevant legal, medical, psychological and sociological literature on the operation of these pervasive and universal biases in the retrospective evaluation of adverse events. A finding of medical negligence is essentially an after-the-event social construction and is invariably affected by hindsight bias and knowledge of the adverse outcome. Such biases obviously pose a threat to the fairness of judgments. A number of debiasing strategies have been suggested but are relatively ineffective because of the universality and strength of these biases and the inherent difficulty of concealing from expert witnesses knowledge of the outcome. Education about the effect of the biases is therefore important for lawyers, medical expert witnesses and the judiciary.

  5. Abandoning the common law: medical negligence, genetic tests and wrongful life in the Australian High Court.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faunce, Thomas; Jefferys, Susannah

    2007-05-01

    The Australian High Court recently found that the common law could allow parents to claim tortious damages when medical negligence was proven to have led to the birth of an unplanned, but healthy, baby (Cattanach v Melchior (2003) 215 CLR 1). In Harriton v Stephens (2006) 80 ALJR 791; [2006] HCA 15 and Waller v James; Waller v Hoolahan (2006) 80 ALJR 846; [2006] HCA 16 the High Court in a six-to-one decision (Kirby J dissenting) decided that no such claim could be made by a child when medical negligence in failing to order an in utero genetic test caused the child severe disability. In an era when almost all pregnancies will soon require patented fetal genetic tests as part of the professional standard of care, the High Court, by barring so-called "wrongful life" (better termed "wrongful suffering") claims, may have created a partial immunity from suit for their corporate manufacturers and the doctors who administer them. What lessons can be learnt from this case about how the Australian High Court is, or should be, approaching medical negligence cases and its role as guardian of the Australian common law?

  6. Medical negligence based on bad faith, breach of contract, or mental anguish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ficarra, B J

    1980-01-01

    Financial recovery owing to breach of contract is restricted to the pecuniary amount lost because of failure to perform on the stipulated contract. With the acquisition of newer knowledge, attorneys are now utilizing the weapon of contractual failure as applied to medical negligence. The impetus to this new weapon for the plaintiff has accrued because of the favorable verdicts rendered from positive decisions based upon bad faith.

  7. [Negligent homicide caused by exhaust gas escaping from a manipulated chimney].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wirth, Ingo; Varchmin-schultheiss, Karin; Schmeling, Andreas

    2011-01-01

    A chimney built and operated according to the instructions is supposed to ensure that the combustion gases coming from the fireplace can escape safely. If the operational reliability is impaired, this presents a risk of acute poisoning. The report deals with a negligently caused carbon monoxide poisoning of a married couple as a consequence of improper installation of a cover of the chimney opening. Various causes of fatal poisoning due to defective exhaust systems are discussed in connection with the presented case report.

  8. Simultaneous small-sample comparisons in longitudinal or multi-endpoint trials using multiple marginal models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pallmann, Philip; Ritz, Christian; Hothorn, Ludwig A

    2018-01-01

    , however only asymptotically. In this paper, we show how to make the approach also applicable to small-sample data problems. Specifically, we discuss the computation of adjusted P values and simultaneous confidence bounds for comparisons of randomised treatment groups as well as for levels......Simultaneous inference in longitudinal, repeated-measures, and multi-endpoint designs can be onerous, especially when trying to find a reasonable joint model from which the interesting effects and covariances are estimated. A novel statistical approach known as multiple marginal models greatly...... simplifies the modelling process: the core idea is to "marginalise" the problem and fit multiple small models to different portions of the data, and then estimate the overall covariance matrix in a subsequent, separate step. Using these estimates guarantees strong control of the family-wise error rate...

  9. Cine Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Small Bowel: Comparison of Different Oral Contrast Media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asbach, P.; Breitwieser, C.; Diederichs, G.; Eisele, S.; Kivelitz, D.; Taupitz, M.; Zeitz, M.; Hamm, B.; Klessen, C.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate several substances regarding small bowel distension and contrast on balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) cine magnetic resonance (MR) images. Material and Methods: Luminal contrast was evaluated in 24 volunteers after oral application of two different contrast agent groups leading to either bright lumen (pineapple, blueberry juice) or dark lumen (tap water, orange juice) on T1-weighted images. Bowel distension was evaluated in 30 patients ingesting either methylcellulose or mannitol solution for limiting intestinal absorption. Fifteen patients with duodeno-jejunal intubation served as the control. Quantitative evaluation included measurement of luminal signal intensities and diameters of four bowel segments, qualitative evaluation assessed luminal contrast and distension on a five-point scale. Results: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the four contrast agents revealed no significant differences regarding luminal contrast on bSSFP images. Quantitative evaluation revealed significantly lower (P<0.05) small bowel distension for three out of four segments (qualitative evaluation: two out of four segments) for methylcellulose in comparison to the control. Mannitol was found to be equal to the control. Conclusion: Oral ingestion of tap water or orange juice in combination with mannitol is recommended for cine MR imaging of the small bowel regarding luminal contrast and small bowel distension on bSSFP sequences

  10. Cine Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Small Bowel: Comparison of Different Oral Contrast Media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Asbach, P.; Breitwieser, C.; Diederichs, G.; Eisele, S.; Kivelitz, D.; Taupitz, M.; Zeitz, M.; Hamm, B.; Klessen, C. [Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Charite Campus Mitte, Berlin (Germany). Dept. of Radiology

    2006-11-15

    Purpose: To evaluate several substances regarding small bowel distension and contrast on balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) cine magnetic resonance (MR) images. Material and Methods: Luminal contrast was evaluated in 24 volunteers after oral application of two different contrast agent groups leading to either bright lumen (pineapple, blueberry juice) or dark lumen (tap water, orange juice) on T1-weighted images. Bowel distension was evaluated in 30 patients ingesting either methylcellulose or mannitol solution for limiting intestinal absorption. Fifteen patients with duodeno-jejunal intubation served as the control. Quantitative evaluation included measurement of luminal signal intensities and diameters of four bowel segments, qualitative evaluation assessed luminal contrast and distension on a five-point scale. Results: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the four contrast agents revealed no significant differences regarding luminal contrast on bSSFP images. Quantitative evaluation revealed significantly lower (P<0.05) small bowel distension for three out of four segments (qualitative evaluation: two out of four segments) for methylcellulose in comparison to the control. Mannitol was found to be equal to the control. Conclusion: Oral ingestion of tap water or orange juice in combination with mannitol is recommended for cine MR imaging of the small bowel regarding luminal contrast and small bowel distension on bSSFP sequences.

  11. Medical negligence. An overview of legal theory and neurosurgical practice: duty of care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todd, Nicholas V

    2014-04-01

    A working knowledge of the legal principles of medical negligence is helpful to neurosurgeons. It helps them to act in a "reasonable, responsible and logical" manner, that is a practice that is consistent with the surgical practice of their peers. This article will review and explain the relevant medical law in relation to duty of care with illustrative neurosurgical cases.

  12. A phenomenological study of the effects of clinical negligence litigation on midwives in England: the personal perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, Judith H; Thomson, Ann M

    2014-03-01

    to explore how midwives' personal involvement in clinical negligence litigation affects their emotional and psychological well-being. descriptive phenomenological study using semi-structured interviews. in-depth interviews were conducted in participants' homes or at their place of work and focused on participants' experience of litigation. Participants were recruited from various regions of England. 22 National Health Service (NHS) midwives who had been alleged negligent. unfamiliarity with the legal process when writing statements, attending case conferences and being a witness in court provoked significant stress for midwives. This was exacerbated by the prolonged nature of maternity claims. Support ranged from good to inadequate. Participants who no longer worked for the defendant Trust felt unsupported. Stress could manifest as physical and mental ill-health. Some midwives internalised the allegations of negligence believing their whole career had become worthless. Previous knowledge of the legal process ameliorated the experience. Midwives also exhibited anger and resentment when litigation concluded and some took years to heal from the experience. midwives come from a caring and relational paradigm. When interfacing with the adversarial and contentious paradigm of tort law, midwives can abreact and suffer emotional, physical and psychological harm. Support for midwives experiencing litigation must be improved. Understanding the effects of personal involvement in litigation is important in order to improve the quality of support for this group of midwives. It will also aid development of targeted education for undergraduate, post-graduate and in-service midwives. In the longer term it may help policy makers when considering reform of clinical negligence litigation and NHS employers to structure support mechanisms for staff involved. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. SLUDGE TREATMENT PROJECT COST COMPARISON BETWEEN HYDRAULIC LOADING AND SMALL CANISTER LOADING CONCEPTS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    GEUTHER J; CONRAD EA; RHOADARMER D

    2009-08-24

    The Sludge Treatment Project (STP) is considering two different concepts for the retrieval, loading, transport and interim storage of the K Basin sludge. The two design concepts under consideration are: (1) Hydraulic Loading Concept - In the hydraulic loading concept, the sludge is retrieved from the Engineered Containers directly into the Sludge Transport and Storage Container (STSC) while located in the STS cask in the modified KW Basin Annex. The sludge is loaded via a series of transfer, settle, decant, and filtration return steps until the STSC sludge transportation limits are met. The STSC is then transported to T Plant and placed in storage arrays in the T Plant canyon cells for interim storage. (2) Small Canister Concept - In the small canister concept, the sludge is transferred from the Engineered Containers (ECs) into a settling vessel. After settling and decanting, the sludge is loaded underwater into small canisters. The small canisters are then transferred to the existing Fuel Transport System (FTS) where they are loaded underwater into the FTS Shielded Transfer Cask (STC). The STC is raised from the basin and placed into the Cask Transfer Overpack (CTO), loaded onto the trailer in the KW Basin Annex for transport to T Plant. At T Plant, the CTO is removed from the transport trailer and placed on the canyon deck. The CTO and STC are opened and the small canisters are removed using the canyon crane and placed into an STSC. The STSC is closed, and placed in storage arrays in the T Plant canyon cells for interim storage. The purpose of the cost estimate is to provide a comparison of the two concepts described.

  14. SLUDGE TREATMENT PROJECT COST COMPARISON BETWEEN HYDRAULIC LOADING AND SMALL CANISTER LOADING CONCEPTS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geuther, J.; Conrad, E.A.; Rhoadarmer, D.

    2009-01-01

    The Sludge Treatment Project (STP) is considering two different concepts for the retrieval, loading, transport and interim storage of the K Basin sludge. The two design concepts under consideration are: (1) Hydraulic Loading Concept - In the hydraulic loading concept, the sludge is retrieved from the Engineered Containers directly into the Sludge Transport and Storage Container (STSC) while located in the STS cask in the modified KW Basin Annex. The sludge is loaded via a series of transfer, settle, decant, and filtration return steps until the STSC sludge transportation limits are met. The STSC is then transported to T Plant and placed in storage arrays in the T Plant canyon cells for interim storage. (2) Small Canister Concept - In the small canister concept, the sludge is transferred from the Engineered Containers (ECs) into a settling vessel. After settling and decanting, the sludge is loaded underwater into small canisters. The small canisters are then transferred to the existing Fuel Transport System (FTS) where they are loaded underwater into the FTS Shielded Transfer Cask (STC). The STC is raised from the basin and placed into the Cask Transfer Overpack (CTO), loaded onto the trailer in the KW Basin Annex for transport to T Plant. At T Plant, the CTO is removed from the transport trailer and placed on the canyon deck. The CTO and STC are opened and the small canisters are removed using the canyon crane and placed into an STSC. The STSC is closed, and placed in storage arrays in the T Plant canyon cells for interim storage. The purpose of the cost estimate is to provide a comparison of the two concepts described

  15. Introduction to the Tort of Negligence as It Pertains to the Medical Office. Medical Law and Economics, Lesson Plan No. 3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Joan

    Designed as part of a 40-hour course in medical law and economics, this lesson plan was developed to enable students to: (1) define and give examples of the tort of negligence in the medical profession; (2) distinguish between and give examples of personal and professional negligence; (3) be able to identify, for a given situation, the three major…

  16. Maximum permissible concentrations and negligible concentrations for antifouling substances. Irgarol 1051, dichlofluanid, ziram, chlorothalonil and TCMTB

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wezel AP van; Vlaardingen P van; CSR

    2001-01-01

    This report presents maximum permissible concentrations and negligible concentrations that have been derived for various antifouling substances used as substitutes for TBT. Included here are Irgarol 1051, dichlofluanide, ziram, chlorothalonil and TCMTB.

  17. Economic Comparison of Two Business Models for Implementation of Small Integrated PV Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matak, N.; Krajacic, G.; Jerkic, E.; Duic, N.

    2016-01-01

    We compared two different models for the implementation of small photovoltaic solar systems in the Croatia. The new prosumer model presented in the new Croatian law on the Renewable Energy Sources and Highly Efficient Cogeneration (OG 100/15) and PV ESCO model which is similar to net metering. The PV ESCO model is developed from authors to determine possibility to raise payback period of small integrated PV systems. The comparison was done on a 15-minute basis and there were compared values of Simple Payback Period (SPP) for different locations and systems size considering electricity demand and market prices. Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Net Present Value (NPV) were compared for 4 different cases. Conducted comparison showed that PV ESCO model is always more favourable for the owner of PV system in terms of lower SPP and higher IRR and NPV. It has been noticed that for systems higher than 5 kWp use of PV ESCO model is recommended. For smaller systems it is not always clear which model should be used, since some losses are generated in the system on the side of the electricity supply company. For smaller systems from 2 to 5 kWp, PV ESCO model has SPP from 7.5 to 13 years and SPP value for the prosumer model is 8.7 to 15 years. This difference is higher when comparing PV system from 6 to 10 kWp. SPP for PV ESCO model, in that case, is from 10 to 13 years and in the prosumer model is from 17.5 to 28 years.(author).

  18. ASTEC and MELCOR comparison for a VVER-1000 60 mm small break LOCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Georgieva, J.; Stefanova, A.; Groudev, P.; Tusheva, P.; Mladenov, I.; Dimov, D.; Passalacqua, R.

    2005-01-01

    In this paper a comparison between severe accident calculations performed for a WWER 1000 with the ASTEC1.1v0 and MELCOR 1.8.5 computer codes for a small break LOCA (ID 60 mm) without intervention of hydro accumulators is presented. This investigation has been performed in the framework of the SARNET project under the EURATOM 6th framework program. Once the accident sequence scenario is specified, both codes (MELCORE and ASTEC) are able to determine the core and containment damaged states, to estimate the release of radionuclides from the fuel as well as from the primary circuit and containment. Theses results are used to estimate the maximum period of the time during which the personnel could still take particular decisions in order to mitigate such an accident. The aim of the performed analysis is to estimate the discrepancy between ASTEC and MELCORE 1.8.5 calculations. Such discrepancies will be studied, if the case, proposal for ASTEC improvements will be made. Also the ASTEC capability to simulate specific reactor accident scenarios and/or particular safety systems will be tested. The final target is to propose severe accident management procedure for WWER 1000 reactors. In conclusions, the analysis for a small break LOCA (ID 60 mm without hydroelectricities) has shown some discrepancies between ASTEC and MELCORE especially during the degradation of the core. Further analyses are planed in which the MELCORE temperature 'set point' for core degradation (2520 K) will be progressively increased to approach the ASTEC one (which has been estimated to be about 3200 K). The comparison of the new results will allow a better evaluation of the in-vessel models implemented in ASTEC

  19. A report on 15 years of clinical negligence claims in rhinology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geyton, Thomas; Odutoye, Tunde; Mathew, Rajeev

    2014-01-01

    This study was designed to determine the characteristics of medical negligence claims in rhinology. In 2010-2011 the National Health Service (NHS) litigation bill surpassed 1 billion Great British Pounds (GBP; 1.52 billion U.S. dollars [US$]). Systematic analysis of malpractice complaints allows for the identification of errors and can thereby improve patient safety and reduce the burden of litigation claims on health services. Claims relating to ear, nose, and throat between 1995 and 2010 were obtained from the NHS Litigation Authority and were analyzed. The series contains 65 closed claims that resulted in payment totaling 3.1 million GBP (US$4.7 million). Fifty claims were related to surgical complications. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery and septoplasty were the procedures most commonly associated with successful claims. There were 11 cases of orbital injury including 6 cases of visual loss and 5 cases of diplopia. The most common cause of a claim was failure to recognize the complication or manage it appropriately. Lack of informed consent was claimed in eight cases. Other claims arose because of errors in outpatient procedures (two), diagnosis (six), delayed surgery (one), and errors in medical management (three). This is the first study to report the outcomes of negligence claims in rhinology in the United Kingdom. Claims in rhinology are associated with a high success rate. Steps that can be taken to reduce litigation include careful patient workup and ensuring adequate informed consent. Where there is a suspicion of orbital damage early recognition and intervention is needed to reduce long-term injury to the patient.

  20. Negligent and intentional fires in Portugal: the role of human and biophysical drivers on the temporal distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parente, Joana; Pereira, Mário; Amraoui, Malik; Tedim, Fantina

    2017-04-01

    Portugal is the European country with higher number of fires (NF) and burnt area (BA) per unit of land area. The annual number of fires for which the cause of fire is known is not constant and relatively small (typically less than 50% of annual number of records). Nevertheless, the analysis of the fire causes reveals that the vast majority (99%) of the fires in Portugal are of human origin and only a small fraction are of natural origin (1% caused by lightning). The study period will be the recent years of 2012 - 2014, when fire recording procedures are more reliable and the cause of ignition was assessed for more than 50% (19376) of the fires. The fires with approximately seventy different causes of fire defined/recognized by the Portuguese Forest Service (ICNF) were grouped into negligent, intentional and natural fires. For this study the authors proposes the use of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics level II, which divides Portugal in 5 basic economic regions, namely Norte, Centro, Área Metropolitana de Lisboa, Alentejo, and Algarve. Most of the fires (54%) occur in the so-called critical period defined between July and September, but high wildfire activity may also occur in few periods of the remaining months (especially in February and March). The intentional fires represent 40% of total NF but accounts for 53% of total BA during the study period. The temporal distribution are described and interpreted in terms of the climate, fire weather, land use land cover (LULC), distance to communication routes (roads and railways) and topographic variables (altitude, slope) using statistical analysis and GIS techniques. Results points to: a) higher number of negligent than intentional fires; b) higher BA on critical period in years 2012 and 2013; c) decrease in time and decrease from critical period to non-critical period of the number of fires, in all regions; and d) the dominant role of fire weather in the observed temporal patterns. We strongly

  1. Is The Legal Practice Course Training Future Solicitors to Avoid Professional Negligence?

    OpenAIRE

    Davies, Mark R

    1996-01-01

    In 1993 the Law Society for England and Wales introduced the Legal Practice Course as the final major taught and examined stafe of solicitors' training replacing the previous Law Socity Finals Course. In this article it is argued that many of the occurrences of solicitors negligence result not from a lack of legal knowledge but from poor working practices. The article considers whether the LPC meets the challenge of better preparing future solicitors for a modern and changing practice environ...

  2. Final report on CCM key comparison CCM.D-K2: Comparison of liquid density standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bettin, Horst; Jacques, Claude; Zelenka, Zoltán; Fujii, Ken-ichi; Kuramoto, Naoki; Chang, Kyung-Ho; Lee, Yong Jae; Becerra, Luis Omar; Domostroeva, Natalia

    2013-01-01

    The results are presented of the key comparison CCM.D-K2 that covered the density measurements of four liquids: the density of water at 20 °C, of pentadecane at 15 °C, 20 °C, 40 °C and 60°C, of tetrachloroethlyene at 5 °C and 20 °C and of a viscous oil at 20 °C. Seven national metrology institutes measured the densities at atmospheric pressure by hydrostatic weighing of solid density standards in the time interval from 27 April 2004 to 28 June 2004. Since the participants were asked not to include components for a possible drift or inhomogeneity of the liquid in their uncertainty budget, these uncertainty contributions are investigated for the final evaluation of the data. For this purpose, results of stability and homogeneity measurements of the pilot laboratory are used. The participants decided not to include a possible drift of the liquid's density since no significant drift could be detected, and the influence of the drift and its uncertainty are negligible. Similarly, the inhomogeneity of the water and pentadecane samples is not significant and has no influence on the evaluation. Thus, it was neglected. Only the inhomogeneities of tetrachloroethylene and of the viscous oil were significant. Consequently, they were included in the evaluation. With one or two exceptions, the results show good agreement among the participants. Only in the case of water are the results clearly discrepant. The key comparison reference values were calculated by the weighted mean (taking into account a small correlation between two participants) in the case of consistent results. Otherwise the Procedure B of Cox was used. The expanded uncertainties of all reference densities are below 1 × 10-5 in relative terms. This satisfies the needs of all customers who wish to calibrate or check liquid density measuring instruments such as oscillation-type density meters. The comparison fully supports the calibration measurement capabilities table in the BIPM key comparison database

  3. Student Injuries and Negligence: Lessons from the International Scene with Implications for Singapore's Educators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teh, Kim

    2008-01-01

    Many jurisdictions are showing a trend of school-related negligence cases being taken to court. This article explores the legal principles applied by the courts in England, Australia, Canada, the United States, and New Zealand to ensure the safety of students in schools. As we look at the developments in these countries, we can see student injury…

  4. The market for precedent: shifting visions of the role of clinical negligence claims and trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulcahy, Linda

    2014-01-01

    This article considers the interface between the standard setting activity of the NHS Litigation Authority, and the courts and uses the clinical negligence action as a prism through which to examine it. It is suggested that despite its many disadvantages, the clinical negligence action remains an important safety valve when internal regulatory systems fail or are insufficiently transparent to gain full legitimacy. More specifically, it explores the ways in which attitudes about the usefulness of the data contained in claims against the NHS have changed in the aftermath of a number of high profile inquiries which have focused on issues of poor performance. The article concludes that while much greater use is now been made of the data contained in claims when setting standards, strategies for prompting judicial precedent as an alternative way of mobilising standard setting behaviour remain under developed. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma by computed tomography. Study in comparison with pathologic findings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsunetomi, Shigeyuki; Ohto, Masao; Iino, Yasuo [Chiba Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

    1984-01-01

    The capability of CT in detecting small hepatocellular carcinoma less than 5 cm in size was studied in 48 patients. Changes in the density of the tumors were analyzed in comparison with the pathologic and angiographic findings. Iso-density was the main cause that made the tumors undetectable in either precontrast or post-contrast scan. By combination of precontrast and postcontrast scans, the majority of the tumors larger than 2 cm were detected. In precontrast scan, the density of the tumors was related to bleeding, necrosis and fatty degeneration in the cancer tissue, and fatty degeneration in the non-cancer tissue. In postcontrast scan, it was related to bleeding, necrosis, fatty degeneration and blood spaces in the cancer tissue. Thus, CT can demonstrate accurately the pathological changes of the tumors as images, and it may be useful not only in the diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma, but also in the assessment of the therapeutic effects.

  6. Medical negligence: Coverage of the profession, duties, ethics, case law, and enlightened defense - A legal perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M S Pandit

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available A patient approaching a doctor expects medical treatment with all the knowledge and skill that the doctor possesses to bring relief to his medical problem. The relationship takes the shape of a contract retaining the essential elements of tort. A doctor owes certain duties to his patient and a breach of any of these duties gives a cause of action for negligence against the doctor. The doctor has a duty to obtain prior informed consent from the patient before carrying out diagnostic tests and therapeutic management. The services of the doctors are covered under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 and a patient can seek redressal of grievances from the Consumer Courts. Case laws are an important source of law in adjudicating various issues of negligence arising out of medical treatment.

  7. Age distributions of Greenlandic dwarf shrubs support concept of negligible actuarial senescence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dahlgren, Johan; Rizzi, Silvia; Schweingruber, Fritz

    2016-01-01

    shrub species from 863 taproot samples collected in coastal east Greenland. Penalized composite link models (pclm) were used to fill gaps in the observed age ranges, caused by low species-specific sample sizes in relation to life span. Resulting distributions indicate that mortality patterns...... are independent of age. Actuarial senescence is thus negligible in these dwarf shrub populations. We suggest that smoothing techniques such as pclm enable consideration of noisy age data for determining age distributions. These distributions may, in turn, reveal age effects on demographic rates. Moreover, age...

  8. Paleomagnetism of Cretaceous limestones from western Tarim basin suggests negligible latitudinal offset yet significant clockwise rotation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, X.; Gilder, S.; Chen, Y.; Cogné, J. P.; Courtillot, V. E.; Cai, J.

    2017-12-01

    Large northward translation of central Asian crustal blocks has been reported from paleomagnetism of Cretaceous and Tertiary terrestrial sediments. This motion was initially taken as evidence of deformation occurred in the Asian interior as a result of indentation of the Indian Plate. However, because the amount of motion is far greater than geological observations, accuracy of the paleomagnetic record has become a controversial issue. To solve the problem, it has been shown that the latitudinal offset can be entirely attributed to inclination shallowing during deposition and compaction processes (Tan et al., 2003; Tauxe and Kent, 2004). On the other hand, coeval volcanic rocks from central Asia did record steeper paleomagnetic inclinations than terrestrial rocks (Gilder et al., 2003). To extend the effort of solving the controversy, we report paleomagnetic results of Cretaceous limestones from western Tarim basin. Our results show that the majority of our collections have been overprinted. Fortunately, a special type of limestones preserved stable characteristic remanence. Fold tests suggest a primary origin of the magnetization. Comparison of the paleomagnetic direction with the coeval expected direction from reference poles indicates a negligible amount of northward movement consistent with previous result of inclination correction based on magnetic fabrics, and a pattern of clockwise rotation symmetric with the style observed in the western flank of the Pamir ranges. Rock magnetic data will also be presented to support the accurate paleomagnetic record.

  9. DHS small-scale safety and thermal testing of improvised explosives-comparison of testing performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reynolds, J G; Hsu, P C; Sandstrom, M M; Brown, G W; Warner, K F; Phillips, J J; Shelley, T J; Reyes, J A

    2014-01-01

    One of the first steps in establishing safe handling procedures for explosives is small-scale safety and thermal (SSST) testing. To better understand the response of improvised materials or homemade explosives (HMEs) to SSST testing, 16 HME materials were compared to three standard military explosives in a proficiency-type round robin study among five laboratories-two DoD and three DOE-sponsored by DHS. The testing matrix has been designed to address problems encountered with improvised materials-powder mixtures, liquid suspensions, partially wetted solids, immiscible liquids, and reactive materials. More than 30 issues have been identified that indicate standard test methods may require modification when applied to HMEs to derive accurate sensitivity assessments needed for developing safe handling and storage practices. This paper presents a generalized comparison of the results among the testing participants, comparison of friction results from BAM (German Bundesanstalt für Materi-alprüfung) and ABL (Allegany Ballistics Laboratory) designed testing equipment, and an overview of the statistical results from the RDX (1,3,5-Trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine) standard tested throughout the proficiency test.

  10. Educational Malpractice: Breach of Statutory Duty and Affirmative Acts of Negligence by a School District.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckham, Joseph

    1979-01-01

    A cause of action for educational malpractice may well receive initial judicial recognition through successfully harmonizing allegations of breach of a statutory duty of care and acts of negligence of a type and magnitude that would distinguish a student-plaintiff's injuries from others for whose benefit the statutory duty was created. (Author)

  11. COMPARISON OF THE FRACTIONS OF COD IN RAW WASTEWATER INFLUENT FOR SMALL AND LARGE SEWAGE TREATMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna Smyk

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The article presents a comparison of the share fraction of COD in raw wastewater in treatment plants which flow in a small amount of wastewater and the sewage treatment with high flow. Compared the constructed wetlands with an average capacity of 4 dm3/m,, the treatment plant with biological deposits with an average capacity of 8 dm3/m, and a sewage treatment plant with activated sludge in Bialystok with a capacity of about 70 000 dm3/m. The lowest percentages of dissolved fraction of soluble organic non-biodegradable substances SI was reported in raw sewage in small sewage treatment plants. Based on the available data wasn’t found significant correlation between the factions XI, SS, XS in raw sewage and the amount of wastewater.

  12. Medical teams and the standard of care in negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sappideen, Carolyn

    2015-09-01

    Medical teams are essential to the delivery of modern, patient-centred health care in hospitals. A collective model of responsibility envisaged by team care is inconsistent with common law tort liability which focuses on the individual rather than the team. There is no basis upon which a team can be liable as a collective at common law. Nor does the common law'countenance liability for the conduct of other team members absent some form of agency, vicarious liability or non-delegable duty. Despite the barriers to the adoption of a team standard of care in negligence, there is scope for team factors to have a role in determining the standard of care so that being a team player is part and parcel of what it is to be a competent professional. If this is the case, the skill set, and the standard of care expected of the individual professional, includes skills based on team models of communication, cross-monitoring and trust.

  13. 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.

  14. A comparison of semi-automated volumetric vs linear measurement of small vestibular schwannomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacKeith, Samuel; Das, Tilak; Graves, Martin; Patterson, Andrew; Donnelly, Neil; Mannion, Richard; Axon, Patrick; Tysome, James

    2018-04-01

    Accurate and precise measurement of vestibular schwannoma (VS) size is key to clinical management decisions. Linear measurements are used in routine clinical practice but are prone to measurement error. This study aims to compare a semi-automated volume segmentation tool against standard linear method for measuring small VS. This study also examines whether oblique tumour orientation can contribute to linear measurement error. Experimental comparison of observer agreement using two measurement techniques. Tertiary skull base unit. Twenty-four patients with unilateral sporadic small (linear dimension following reformatting to correct for oblique orientation of VS. Intra-observer ICC was higher for semi-automated volumetric when compared with linear measurements, 0.998 (95% CI 0.994-0.999) vs 0.936 (95% CI 0.856-0.972), p linear measurements, 0.989 (95% CI 0.975-0.995) vs 0.946 (95% CI 0.880-0.976), p = 0.0045. The intra-observer %SDD was similar for volumetric and linear measurements, 9.9% vs 11.8%. However, the inter-observer %SDD was greater for volumetric than linear measurements, 20.1% vs 10.6%. Following oblique reformatting to correct tumour angulation, the mean increase in size was 1.14 mm (p = 0.04). Semi-automated volumetric measurements are more repeatable than linear measurements when measuring small VS and should be considered for use in clinical practice. Oblique orientation of VS may contribute to linear measurement error.

  15. Lymphoma Patients Treated without Anthracyclines Have Negligible Risk of Cardiotoxicity: A Nationwide Cohort Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    bech, Joachim; Hansen, Steen Møller; Lund, Peter Enemark

    Abstract Objective: For more than two decades, CHOP (and later R-CHOP) has been the standard frontline treatment for diffuse large b-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens increase risk of cardiotoxicity with congestive heart failure (HF) being the best document....... Patients treated without anthracyclines had a negligible risk of HF supporting the safety of these regimens in patients considered at substantial risk of cardiotoxicity....

  16. NLO predictions for the growth of F2 at small χ and comparison with experimental data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez, C.; Barreiro, F.; Yndurain, F.J.

    1996-05-01

    We present parametrizations for the proton structure function F 2 in the next to leading order in perturbative QCD. The calculations show that the dominant term to F 2 (x,Q 2 ) should grow as x -λ s for small x values, with the exponent λ S being essentially independent of Q 2 . Comparisons with the most recent H1 and ZEUS data confirm the value λ S ∼0.35 obtained previously from fits to low energy data. (orig.)

  17. The School Counselors' Ideas on Features, Determinant and Intervention on Child Negligence and Abuse Cases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Usakli, Hakan

    2012-01-01

    It is sad to know that many of the child negligence and child abuse cases, which are being frequently encountered in the society today, still remains unknown. This perhaps is due to lack of information on the part of the administrators, school counselors and other related bodies in the management of such cases. In this study, 50 school counselors…

  18. Negligible substrate clamping effect on piezoelectric response in (111)-epitaxial tetragonal Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Tomoaki; Yasumoto, Jun; Ito, Daisuke; Yoshino, Masahito; Nagasaki, Takanori; Sakata, Osami; Imai, Yasuhiko; Kiguchi, Takanori; Shiraishi, Takahisa; Shimizu, Takao; Funakubo, Hiroshi

    2015-01-01

    The converse piezoelectric responses of (111)- and (001)-epitaxial tetragonal Pb(Zr 0.35 Ti 0.65 )O 3 [PZT] films were compared to investigate the orientation dependence of the substrate clamping effect. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and piezoelectric force microscopy revealed that the as-grown (111)-PZT film has a polydomain structure with normal twin boundaries that are changed by the poling process to inclined boundaries, as predicted by Romanov et al. [Phys. Status Solidi A 172, 225 (1999)]. Time-resolved synchrotron XRD under bias voltage showed the negligible impact of substrate clamping on the piezoelectric response in the (111)-PZT film, unlike the case for (001)-PZT film. The origin of the negligible clamping effect in the (111)-PZT film is discussed from the viewpoint of the elastic properties and the compensation of lattice distortion between neighboring domains

  19. Demonstrating a new framework for the comparison of environmental impacts from small- and large-scale hydropower and wind power projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakken, Tor Haakon; Aase, Anne Guri; Hagen, Dagmar; Sundt, Håkon; Barton, David N; Lujala, Päivi

    2014-07-01

    Climate change and the needed reductions in the use of fossil fuels call for the development of renewable energy sources. However, renewable energy production, such as hydropower (both small- and large-scale) and wind power have adverse impacts on the local environment by causing reductions in biodiversity and loss of habitats and species. This paper compares the environmental impacts of many small-scale hydropower plants with a few large-scale hydropower projects and one wind power farm, based on the same set of environmental parameters; land occupation, reduction in wilderness areas (INON), visibility and impacts on red-listed species. Our basis for comparison was similar energy volumes produced, without considering the quality of the energy services provided. The results show that small-scale hydropower performs less favourably in all parameters except land occupation. The land occupation of large hydropower and wind power is in the range of 45-50 m(2)/MWh, which is more than two times larger than the small-scale hydropower, where the large land occupation for large hydropower is explained by the extent of the reservoirs. On all the three other parameters small-scale hydropower performs more than two times worse than both large hydropower and wind power. Wind power compares similarly to large-scale hydropower regarding land occupation, much better on the reduction in INON areas, and in the same range regarding red-listed species. Our results demonstrate that the selected four parameters provide a basis for further development of a fair and consistent comparison of impacts between the analysed renewable technologies. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  20. Codification of LMFBR rules and comparison of codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faure, O.; Debaene, J.P.

    1993-01-01

    The first part of this report presents the basic RCC-MR (regles de conception et de construction des materiels mecaniques des ilots nucleaires, reacteurs a neutrons rapides) design rules and their purpose. The second part is a qualitative comparison between RCC-MR, Code case N47 (ASME) and ETSDG Guide (MONJU Guide), made on the following topics: negligible creep test, ratcheting, creep fatigue, buckling, piping rules. An outline is given on improvements to RCC-MR rules now in progress

  1. Negligent Liability Issues Involving Colleges and Students: Does an Ethic of Caring Heighten Institutional Liability?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckham, Joseph; Pearson, Douglas

    This paper--part of a collection of 54 papers from the 48th annual conference of the Education Law Association held in November 2002--addresses the question of how and to what extent institutions of higher learning could be held liable for negligence involving students. The paper is, mainly, a review of recent case law related to the liability of…

  2. Comparison of microbiology and visual outcomes of patients undergoing small-gauge and 20-gauge vitrectomy for endophthalmitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Almeida DRP

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available David RP Almeida,1 Eric K Chin,2,3 Shaival S Shah,3 Benjamin Bakall,3 Karen M Gehrs,3 H Culver Boldt,3 Stephen R Russell,3 James C Folk,3 Vinit B Mahajan3,41VitreoRetinal Surgery PA, Minneapolis, MN, 2Retina Consultants of Southern California, Riverside, CA, 3Vitreoretinal Service, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, 4Omics Laboratory, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USABackground: The role of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV for endophthalmitis has evolved over recent decades but the literature is lacking on comparisons between small-gauge and 20-gauge vitrectomy.Objective: To evaluate evolving etiological and microbiological trends in patients undergoing vitrectomy for endophthalmitis and to compare culture-positive rates and visual outcomes between small-gauge (23- and 25-gauge and 20-gauge instrumentation during vitrectomy for endophthalmitis.Methods: Ten-year retrospective comparative case series and prospective laboratory in vitro testing. Tertiary care academic referral center. Patients who underwent PPV for endophthalmitis between 2003 and 2013. Vitreous biopsies were obtained in all cases. The effect of vitrectomy gauge (20-, 23-, and 25-gauge and vitreous cutting rate (1,500 and 5,000 cuts per minute on the viability of bacterial culture was evaluated in an in vitro prospective laboratory investigation.Main outcome measures: Comparison of etiology, microbiology culture-positive rates, and visual outcomes between small-gauge and 20-gauge instrumentation in patients undergoing PPV for infectious endophthalmitis.Results: A total of 61 cases of vitrectomy for endophthalmitis were identified over a 10-year period; of these, 34 were treated with small-gauge (23- and 25-gauge vitrectomy and 27 were treated with 20-gauge vitrectomy. In the small-gauge group, 12 cases (35.3% yielded culture-positive results versus 20 cases (74.1% with culture positivity in the 20-gauge cohort (P=0.002. The most common cause of endophthalmitis was

  3. Wideband giant optical activity and negligible circular dichroism of near-infrared chiral metamaterial based on a complementary twisted configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Weiren; Rukhlenko, Ivan D; Premaratne, Malin; Huang, Yongjun; Wen, Guangjun

    2013-01-01

    We theoretically analyze the near-infrared properties of a chiral metamaterial constituting an array of twisted crosses and complementary crosses made of silver. Through rigorous full-wave numerical simulations, we demonstrate that this type of metamaterial exhibits wideband giant optical activity, with a polarization azimuth rotation angle reaching values as large as 1900 ∘ per wavelength. Owing to the negligible loss at optical frequencies in the dielectric (magnesium fluoride) making up the metamaterial, we observe negligible circular dichroism and low dispersion of the polarization azimuth rotation angle over a wide frequency band. We envision that this type of chiral metamaterial will find extensive applications in optical communication systems and biological sensing. (paper)

  4. Scrutinising the duty of care and standard of care in English medical negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gromek-Broc, Katarzyna

    2012-03-01

    The aim of this article is to discuss the difficulties that claimants encounter in civil law action in English medical negligence cases. It argues that the current legal framework, in particular in relation to the existence of the duty of care and the assessment of standard of care, is haphazard and flawed. It suggests that the law should provide the boundaries that would encompass a moral obligation to rescue and to treat. In conclusion it discusses some timid attempts to reform the law in order to facilitate redress and compensation.

  5. Compensating Injury to Autonomy in English Negligence Law: Inconsistent Recognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keren-Paz, Tsachi

    2018-04-10

    Recently in Shaw v Kovac, the Court of Appeal seemed to have rejected a standalone injury to autonomy (ITA) as actionable in negligence, in an informed consent case. In this article, I argue that Shaw can be explained away, and that English law recognizes ITA as actionable in a series of cases, some of which-Bhamra, Tracey, and Yearworth-were not hitherto understood to do so. However, the under-theorization in the cases leads to inconsistencies. Like cases (Rees/Yearworth; Chester/Tracey) are not treated alike; ITA is misunderstood to be about 'religious offence' (Bhamra) and property loss (Yearworth) and worse still, the more serious type 2 ITA (Rees) gives rise to a weaker remedy (of exceptional nature aside) than the less serious type 1 injury (Chester). A better understanding of the different manifestations of ITA will lead to results which are both more consistent and more justified on the merit.

  6. Comparison of PDF and Moment Closure Methods in the Modeling of Turbulent Reacting Flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norris, Andrew T.; Hsu, Andrew T.

    1994-01-01

    In modeling turbulent reactive flows, Probability Density Function (PDF) methods have an advantage over the more traditional moment closure schemes in that the PDF formulation treats the chemical reaction source terms exactly, while moment closure methods are required to model the mean reaction rate. The common model used is the laminar chemistry approximation, where the effects of turbulence on the reaction are assumed negligible. For flows with low turbulence levels and fast chemistry, the difference between the two methods can be expected to be small. However for flows with finite rate chemistry and high turbulence levels, significant errors can be expected in the moment closure method. In this paper, the ability of the PDF method and the moment closure scheme to accurately model a turbulent reacting flow is tested. To accomplish this, both schemes were used to model a CO/H2/N2- air piloted diffusion flame near extinction. Identical thermochemistry, turbulence models, initial conditions and boundary conditions are employed to ensure a consistent comparison can be made. The results of the two methods are compared to experimental data as well as to each other. The comparison reveals that the PDF method provides good agreement with the experimental data, while the moment closure scheme incorrectly shows a broad, laminar-like flame structure.

  7. Comparison of Small Baseline Interferometric SAR Processors for Estimating Ground Deformation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenyu Gong

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The small Baseline Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR Interferometry (SBI technique has been widely and successfully applied in various ground deformation monitoring applications. Over the last decade, a variety of SBI algorithms have been developed based on the same fundamental concepts. Recently developed SBI toolboxes provide an open environment for researchers to apply different SBI methods for various purposes. However, there has been no thorough discussion that compares the particular characteristics of different SBI methods and their corresponding performance in ground deformation reconstruction. Thus, two SBI toolboxes that implement a total of four SBI algorithms were selected for comparison. This study discusses and summarizes the main differences, pros and cons of these four SBI implementations, which could help users to choose a suitable SBI method for their specific application. The study focuses on exploring the suitability of each SBI module under various data set conditions, including small/large number of interferograms, the presence or absence of larger time gaps, urban/vegetation ground coverage, and temporally regular/irregular ground displacement with multiple spatial scales. Within this paper we discuss the corresponding theoretical background of each SBI method. We present a performance analysis of these SBI modules based on two real data sets characterized by different environmental and surface deformation conditions. The study shows that all four SBI processors are capable of generating similar ground deformation results when the data set has sufficient temporal sampling and a stable ground backscatter mechanism like urban area. Strengths and limitations of different SBI processors were analyzed based on data set configuration and environmental conditions and are summarized in this paper to guide future users of SBI techniques.

  8. Hazard and precautionary measures in connection with negligent or wilful contamination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahlfaenger, Rainer; Scheidegger, Roland

    2009-01-01

    Handling open radioactive substances requires extensive precautionary measures in order to avoid any danger. During the past 100 years many persons were injured or killed due to unintended external irradiation, contamination of the skin or uptake of radioactive substances. With the help of organisational measures with users of sources and with operators of radionuclide laboratories or nuclear installations numerous accidents can be avoided or their consequences can be mitigated. Also the government itself is challenged in order to register and secure radioactive sources and maintaining the national safeguard. Education of personnel handling radioactive substances plays an important role when it comes to precautionary measures. In combination with suitable technical equipment it is possible to obtain a high degree of protection against the hazard from negligent or wilful contamination. (orig.)

  9. The importance of least restrictive care: the clinical implications of a recent High Court decision on negligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, Christopher James; Callaghan, Sascha; Large, Matthew

    2015-08-01

    This paper aims to explain the meaning and implications for practice of the High Court of Australia's finding in the negligence case, Hunter and New England Local Health District v McKenna [2014] HCA 44. The facts of the case and the law of negligence are reviewed before reporting the Court's decision. The High Court found that the obligation upon doctors to provide the least restrictive option for care that was imposed by the, then applicable, Mental Health Act 1990 (NSW) was inconsistent with an obligation that might otherwise be imposed by a common law duty to have regard to the interests of those with whom a psychiatric patient may come into contact if not detained. The Court's finding underlines the importance of clinicians documenting their clinical reasoning around why their negotiated management plan was the option least restrictive of the patient's freedom and most protective of his or her human rights. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

  10. MIMO OTA Testing in Small Multi-Probe Anechoic Chamber Setups

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Llorente, Ines Carton; Fan, Wei; Pedersen, Gert F.

    2016-01-01

    OTA testing of MIMO capable terminals is often performed in large anechoic chambers, where planar waves impinging the test area are assumed. Furthermore, reflections from the chamber, and probe coupling are often considered negligible due to the large dimensions of the chamber. This paper...... investigates the feasibility of reducing the physical dimension of 2D multi-probe anechoic chamber setups for MIMO OTA testing, with the purpose of reducing the cost and space of the setup. In the paper, a channel emulation algorithm and chamber compensation technique are proposed for MIMO OTA testing in small...... anechoic chambers. The performance deterioration in a small anechoic chamber, i.e., with a ring radius of 0.5 m, is demonstrated via simulations....

  11. Medical Mishap and Negligence: It happens in the Outpatients too

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Murphy, JFA

    2011-06-01

    When we consider medical negligence and clinical error we think of busy hospitals late at night and at week-ends. We think of crowded emergency medicine departments, complex surgery and the critically ill ICU patient. We think of prescribing errors in the administration of potent intravenous therapy. We think of high risk specialties such as obstetrics, anaesthesia and surgery. We are less likely to think of outpatients\\/ ambulatory care or a non-interventionist specialty as an important source of litigation. This is remiss on our part. Risks in this setting have gone relatively unnoticed. There 30 times more outpatients than inpatients annually. In the US there are 900 million outpatient visits compared with 30 million inpatients. It is not surprising that this quantum of patient-doctor interaction should also be a source of litigation claims. Furthermore it is likely to continue rising with the increased numbers of procedures now being undertaken at outpatients.

  12. Comparison Study of Power System Small Signal Stability Improvement Using SSSC and STATCOM

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hu, Weihao; Su, Chi; Fang, Jiakun

    2013-01-01

    the connected power system, both SSSC and STATCOM are able to participate in the power system inter-area oscillation damping by changing the compensated reactance or the provided reactive power. This paper analyses the influence of SSSC and STATCOM on power system small signal stability. The damping controller...... schemes for SSSC and STATCOM are presented and discussed. The IEEE 39-bus New England system model as the test system is built in DIgSIELNT PowerFactory, in which the damping control strategies for both SSSC and STATCOM are validated by time domain simulations and modal analysis. Furthermore, comparison......A static synchronous series compensator (SSSC) has the ability to emulate a reactance in series with the connected transmission line. A static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) is able to provide the reactive power to an electricity network. When fed with some supplementary signals from...

  13. Comparison between air CT and MRI in the detection of small acoustic neurinomas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kamei, Tetsuya; Nakashima, Aiko; Seto, Hikaru; Kakishita, Masao

    1989-02-01

    Air CT proved useful in yielding images of acoustic tumors as an air filling defect in 11 (24%) of 46 patients. Six of the 11 tumors were small ones of less than 1 cm in diameter. Air CT was also able to exclude an intracanalicular tumor in 29 patients (63%). MRI was performed for comparison in eight patients (nine tumors) already diagnosed by air CT as having an acoustic tumor. MRI detected eight (89%) of nine tumors. A false negative result on MRI was obtained only in one intracanalicular tumor (4.3 mm in size). This was considered to be attributable to limitations of spatial resolution including the wide slice thickness. A protocol for radiological investigation and management of patients whose clinical symptoms and/or audiovestibular examination are highly indicative of acoustic tumor is proposed and discussed. (author).

  14. Comparison between air CT and MRI in the detection of small acoustic neurinomas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamei, Tetsuya; Nakashima, Aiko; Seto, Hikaru; Kakishita, Masao

    1989-01-01

    Air CT proved useful in yielding images of acoustic tumors as an air filling defect in 11 (24%) of 46 patients. Six of the 11 tumors were small ones of less than 1 cm in diameter. Air CT was also able to exclude an intracanalicular tumor in 29 patients (63%). MRI was performed for comparison in eight patients (nine tumors) already diagnosed by air CT as having an acoustic tumor. MRI detected eight (89%) of nine tumors. A false negative result on MRI was obtained only in one intracanalicular tumor (4.3 mm in size). This was considered to be attributable to limitations of spatial resolution including the wide slice thickness. A protocol for radiological investigation and management of patients whose clinical symptoms and/or audiovestibular examination are highly indicative of acoustic tumor is proposed and discussed. (author)

  15. Evolution of E. coli on [U-13C] Glucose Reveals a Negligible Isotopic Influence on Metabolism and Physiology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sandberg, Troy E.; Long, Christopher P.; Gonzalez, Jacqueline E.

    2016-01-01

    13C-Metabolic flux analysis (13C-MFA) traditionally assumes that kinetic isotope effects from isotopically labeled compounds do not appreciably alter cellular growth or metabolism, despite indications that some biochemical reactions can be non-negligibly impacted. Here, populations of Escherichia...

  16. CHROMOSPHERIC SIGNATURES OF SMALL-SCALE FLUX EMERGENCE AS OBSERVED WITH NEW SOLAR TELESCOPE AND HINODE INSTRUMENTS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yurchyshyn, V. B.; Goode, P. R.; Abramenko, V. I.; Chae, J.; Cao, W.; Andic, A.; Ahn, K.

    2010-01-01

    With the ever-increasing influx of high-resolution images of the solar surface obtained at a multitude of wavelengths, various processes occurring at small spatial scales have become a greater focus of our attention. Complex small-scale magnetic fields have been reported that appear to have enough stored energy to heat the chromosphere. While significant progress has been made in understanding small-scale phenomena, many specifics remain elusive. We present here a detailed study of a single event of disappearance of a magnetic dipole and associated chromospheric activity. Based on New Solar Telescope Hα data and Hinode photospheric line-of-sight magnetograms and Ca II H images, we report the following. (1) Our analysis indicates that even very small dipoles (elements separated by about 0.''5 or less) may reach the chromosphere and trigger non-negligible chromospheric activity. (2) Careful consideration of the magnetic environment where the new flux is deposited may shed light on the details of magnetic flux removal from the solar surface. We argue that the apparent collision and disappearance of two opposite polarity elements may not necessarily indicate their cancellation (i.e., reconnection, emergence of a 'U' tube, or submergence of Ω loops). In our case, the magnetic dipole disappeared by reconnecting with overlying large-scale inclined plage fields. (3) Bright points (BPs) seen in off-band Hα images are very well correlated with the Ca II H BPs, which in turn are cospatial with G-band BPs. We further speculate that, in general, Hα BPs are expected to be cospatial with photospheric BPs; however, a direct comparison is needed to refine their relationship.

  17. Allosteric small-molecule kinase inhibitors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wu, Peng; Clausen, Mads Hartvig; Nielsen, Thomas E.

    2015-01-01

    current barriers of kinase inhibitors, including poor selectivity and emergence of drug resistance. In spite of the small number of identified allosteric inhibitors in comparison with that of inhibitors targeting the ATP pocket, encouraging results, such as the FDA-approval of the first small...

  18. Update on the Comparison of Second-Order Loads on a Tension Leg Platform for Wind Turbines: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gueydon, Sebastien; Jonkman, Jason

    2016-08-01

    In comparison to other kinds of floaters (like a spar or a semisubmersible), the tension leg platform has several notable advantages: its vertical motions are negligible, its weight is lighter, and its mooring system's footprint is smaller. Although a tension leg platform has a negligible response to first-order vertical wave loads, the second-order wave loads need to be addressed. This paper follows up on a verification study of second-order wave loads on a tension leg platform for wind turbines done by the Maritime Research Institute of The Netherlands and National Renewable Energy Laboratory and it brings some corrections to its conclusions.

  19. Negligible substrate clamping effect on piezoelectric response in (111)-epitaxial tetragonal Pb(Zr, Ti)O{sub 3} films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamada, Tomoaki, E-mail: t-yamada@nucl.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Department of Materials, Physics and Energy Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan); Yasumoto, Jun; Ito, Daisuke; Yoshino, Masahito; Nagasaki, Takanori [Department of Materials, Physics and Energy Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Sakata, Osami [Synchrotron X-ray Station at SPring-8 and Synchrotron X-ray Group, National Institute for Materials Science, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148 (Japan); Department of Innovative and Engineered Material, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8503 (Japan); Imai, Yasuhiko [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan); Kiguchi, Takanori [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Shiraishi, Takahisa; Shimizu, Takao; Funakubo, Hiroshi [Department of Innovative and Engineered Material, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8503 (Japan)

    2015-08-21

    The converse piezoelectric responses of (111)- and (001)-epitaxial tetragonal Pb(Zr{sub 0.35}Ti{sub 0.65})O{sub 3} [PZT] films were compared to investigate the orientation dependence of the substrate clamping effect. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and piezoelectric force microscopy revealed that the as-grown (111)-PZT film has a polydomain structure with normal twin boundaries that are changed by the poling process to inclined boundaries, as predicted by Romanov et al. [Phys. Status Solidi A 172, 225 (1999)]. Time-resolved synchrotron XRD under bias voltage showed the negligible impact of substrate clamping on the piezoelectric response in the (111)-PZT film, unlike the case for (001)-PZT film. The origin of the negligible clamping effect in the (111)-PZT film is discussed from the viewpoint of the elastic properties and the compensation of lattice distortion between neighboring domains.

  20. Comparison of radionuclide levels in soil, sagebrush, plant litter, cryptogams, and small mammals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Landeen, D.S.

    1994-09-01

    Soil, sagebrush, plant litter, cryptogam, and small mammal samples were collected and analyzed for cesium-137, strontium-90, plutonium-238, plutonium 239/240, technetium-99, and iodine-129 from 1981 to 1986 at the US Department of Energy Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State as part of site characterization and environmental monitoring activities. Samples were collected on the 200 Areas Plateau, downwind from ongoing waste management activities. Plant litter, cryptogams, and small mammals are media that are not routinely utilized in monitoring or characterization efforts for determination of radionuclide concentrations. Studies at Hanford, other US Department of Energy sites, and in eastern Europe have indicated that plant litter and cryptogams may serve as effective ''natural'' monitors of air quality. Plant litter in this study consists of fallen leaves from sagebrush and ''cryptogams'' describes that portion of the soil crust composed of mosses, lichens, algae, and fungi. Comparisons of cesium-137 and strontium-90 concentrations in the soil, sagebrush, litter, and cryptogams revealed significantly higher (p<0.05) levels in plant litter and cryptogams. Technetium-99 values were the highest in sagebrush and litter. Plutonium-238 and 239/40 and iodine-129 concentrations never exceeded 0.8 pCi/gm in all media. No evidence of any significant amounts of any radionuclides being incorporated into the small mammal community was discovered. The data indicate that plant litter and cryptogams may be better, indicators of environmental quality than soil or vegetation samples. Augmenting a monitoring program with samples of litter and cryptogams may provide a more accurate representation of radionuclide environmental uptake and/or contamination levels in surrounding ecosystems. The results of this study may be applied directly to other radioecological monitoring conducted at other nuclear sites and to the monitoring of other pollutants

  1. Electrically small circularly polarized spherical antenna with air core

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kim, O. S.

    2013-01-01

    An electrically small circularly polarized self-resonant spherical antenna with air core is presented. The antenna is a modified multiarm spherical helix exciting TM10 and TE10 spherical modes with equal radiated power, and thus yielding perfect circular polarization over the entire far......-field sphere (except the polar regions, where the radiation is low). The self-resonance is achieved by exciting higher-order TM modes, which provide the necessary electric stored energy in the near-field, while contributing negligibly to the far-field radiation of the antenna. The antenna has electrical size...

  2. Small systems – hydrodynamics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bożek, Piotr, E-mail: piotr.bozek@fis.agh.edu.pl

    2016-12-15

    The scenario assuming a collective expansion stage in collisions of small systems, p-A, d-Au, and {sup 3}He-Au is discussed. A review of the observables predicted in relativistic hydrodynamic models in comparison with experimental data is presented, with arguments indicating the presence of collective expansion. The limits of applicability of the hydrodynamic model are addressed. We briefly indicate possible applications of the collective flow in small systems to study the space-time dynamics at very small scales in relativistic collisions.

  3. Small-scale plasticity critically needs a new mechanics description

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngan, Alfonso H. W.

    2013-06-01

    Continuum constitutive laws describe the plastic deformation of materials as a smooth, continuously differentiable process. However, provided that the measurement is done with a fine enough resolution, the plastic deformation of real materials is often found to comprise discrete events usually nanometric in size. For bulk-sized specimens, such nanoscale events are minute compared with the specimen size, and so their associated strain changes are negligibly small, and this is why the continuum laws work well. However, when the specimen size is in the micrometer scale or smaller, the strain changes due to the discrete events could be significant, and the continuum description would be highly unsatisfactory. Yet, because of the advent of microtechnology and nanotechnolgy, small-sized materials will be increasingly used, and so there is a strong need to develop suitable replacement descriptions for plasticity of small materials. As the occurrence of the discrete plastic events is also strongly stochastic, their satisfactory description should also be one of a probabilistic, rather than deterministic, nature.

  4. Large roomtemperature magnetocaloric effect with negligible magnetic hysteresis losses in Mn1-xVxCoGe alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, S.C.; Zheng, Y.X.; Xuan, H.C.; Shen, L.J.; Cao, Q.Q.; Wang, D.H.; Zhong, Z.C.; Du, Y.W.

    2012-01-01

    The magnetic and magnetocaloric properties have been investigated in a series of Mn 1-x V x CoGe (x=0.01, 0.02, 0.03, and 0.05) alloys. The substitution of V for Mn reduces the structural transformation temperature of MnCoGe alloy effectively and results in a second-order magnetic transition in Mn 0.95 V 0.05 CoGe alloys. Large room temperature magnetocaloric effect and almost zero magnetic hysteresis losses are simultaneously achieved in the alloys with x=0.01, 0.02, and 0.03. The reasons for the negligible magnetic hysteresis losses and the potential application for the roomtemperature magnetic refrigeration are discussed. - Highlights: → V-substitution for Mn reduces the structural transformation temperature of MnCoGe. → FM-PM transition presents the second-order nature in Mn0.95V0.05CoGe. → The first-order FM-PM transitions are observed for alloys with x=0.01, 0.02, and 0.03. → Large room temperature MCEs are achieved in these alloys. → Negligible magnetic HL is achieved for these alloys simultaneously.

  5. Sobre leptospirose e informação: ampliando os conceitos de negligência em saúde

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cláudio Manuel Rodrigues

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Quando se utiliza a denominação “negligência” em saúde infere-se que não faltem recursos financeiros para lidar com determinadas doenças ou que existam tratamentos disponíveis, mas que são doenças ignoradas apesar de representarem um potencial risco ou um dano já instalado à saúde pública. O negligenciamento de uma doença possui um duplo significado. O primeiro faz menção ao discurso clássico da negligência decorrente da falta de ação dos atores centrais da saúde pública: indústria farmacêutica, governo e sistema de saúde. Já o segundo, em intrincado e concomitante arranjo, diz respeito ao negligenciamento das populações correlacionadas à pobreza, desenvolvendo um círculo vicioso que acorrenta, pelo menos, um bilhão de pessoas em todo o planeta, segundo dados da Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS. Esta identifica apenas 17 doenças denominadas “negligenciadas” e que afetam populações de maior vulnerabilidade econômica e social, apesar de não incluir a leptospirose — uma zoonose emergente, endêmica e de incidência global. Tomando por proposta a ampliação do conceito de negligência em saúde, discute-se neste artigo o rompimento com o modelo hegemônico, levando-se em consideração o quanto desassistida seria a leptospirose como a antropozoonose de maior incidência mundial e com uma letalidade elevada em áreas de menor aporte econômico do planeta, apesar de não reconhecida em todo o seu potencial zoonótico por falta de dados confiáveis de carga de doença em populações humanas e animais.

  6. Do falls and falls-injuries in hospital indicate negligent care -- and how big is the risk? A retrospective analysis of the NHS Litigation Authority Database of clinical negligence claims, resulting from falls in hospitals in England 1995 to 2006.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliver, D; Killick, S; Even, T; Willmott, M

    2008-12-01

    circumstances that tend to be more costly. Means were compared and tested through analysis of variance (ANOVA). The association between categorical variables was tested using the chi-square test. Of 668 claims identified by word search, 646 met inclusion criteria. The results presented are for the 479 of these that were "closed" at the time of the census. Of these, 290 (60.5%) had resulted in payment of costs or damages, with the overall total payment being 6,200,737 pound (mean payment 12,945 pound). All claims were settled out of court, so no legal rulings on establishing liability or causation of injury are available. "Falls whilst walking;" "from beds or trolleys" ("with and without bedrails applied") or "transferring/from a chair" were the most frequent source of these claims (n = 308, 64.2%). Clear secondary contributory circumstances were identified in 190 (39.7%) of closed claims. The most common circumstances cited were "perioperative/procedural incidents" (60, 12.5%) and "requests for bedrails being ignored" (54, 11.3%). For primary injuries, "hip/femoral/pelvic fracture" accounted for 203 (42.4%) of closed claims with total payments of 3,228,781 pound (52.1% of all payments), with a mean payment 15,905 pound per closed case. A "secondary" contributory circumstance could be attributed in 133 (27.8%) of cases. Of these, "delay in diagnosis of injury," "recurrent falls during admission" and "fatalities relating to falls" were the commonest circumstances (n = 59, 12.2%). Although falls are the highest volume patient safety incident reported in hospital trusts in England, they result in a relatively small number of negligence claims and receive a relatively low total payment (0.019% in both cases). The mean payment in closed claims is also relatively small. This may reflect the high average age of the people who fall and difficulty in establishing causation, especially where individuals are already frail when they fall. The patterns of claims and the narrative

  7. Estimation of the cost of electro-mechanical equipment for small hydropower plants – review and comparison of methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lipiński Seweryn

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The estimate of the cost of electro-mechanical equipment for new small hydropower plants most often amounts to about 30-40% of the total budget. In case of modernization of existing installations, this estimation represents the main cost. This matter constitutes a research problem for at least few decades. Many models have been developed for that purpose. The aim of our work was to collect and analyse formulas that allow estimation of the cost of investment in electro-mechanical equipment for small hydropower plants. Over a dozen functions were analysed. To achieve the aim of our work, these functions were converted into the form allowing their comparison. Then the costs were simulated with respect to plants’ powers and net heads; such approach is novel and allows deeper discussion of the problem, as well as drawing broader conclusions. The following conclusions can be drawn: significant differences in results obtained by using various formulas were observed; there is a need for a wide study based on national investments in small hydropower plants that would allow to develop equations based on local data; the obtained formulas would let to determinate the costs of modernization or a new construction of small hydropower plant more precisely; special attention should be payed to formulas considering turbine type.

  8. Obesity in menopause – our negligence or an unfortunate inevitability?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jarosław Kozakowski

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Numerous concerns about menopause exist among women, and fear of an increase in body weight is one of the most important of them. This paper presents an overview of current knowledge concerning the etiology of obesity related to menopause and about the mechanisms of its development, with particular regard to the hormonal changes that occur during this period of life. The role of estrogens in the regulation of energy balance and the effect of sex hormones on metabolism of adipose tissue and other organs are presented. The consequence of the sharp decline in the secretion of estrogens with subsequent relative hyperandrogenemia is briefly discussed. The main intention of this review is to clarify what is inevitable and what perhaps results from negligence and unhealthy lifestyles. In the last part of the paper the possibilities of counteracting the progress of adverse changes in body composition, by promoting beneficial lifestyle modifications and the use of hormonal substitution treatment, in cases where it is reasonable and possible, are described.

  9. Comparison and Evolution of Energy Consumption in Moroccan Agro-food Industries

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Badaoui, Meryem; Touzani, Abdellatif

    2017-06-01

    The aim of this article is to establish a comparison between the Moroccan energy consumption and the BREF the reference document on best available techniques in the food industries, then an evolution of this consumption by 2030 in order to better understand it and to define strategies to reduce energy bill. According to a survey conducted among 5000 Moroccan companies, we were able to compare the energy consumption of the agro-food industries including sugar industry, dairy industry, cereal industry; fatty substances industry and fishing industry with that of the BREF. Also an evolution of Moroccan consumption was established by 2030 using the linear regression method, and then calculated a non-negligible average annual growth rate (AAGR). The results show that the Moroccan energy consumption is adequate to that of the BREF, and an energy consumption constantly increasing by registering a non-negligible AAGR.

  10. Untitled

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    no-spin-flip amplitudes, being small in the angular range under consideration, were neglected. An analogus procedure was followed in the case of molybdenum. According to Papatzacos and Mork (1975), the imaginary parts of the Delbrück amplitudes are negligible in comparison with the real parts for 133 MeV and conse-.

  11. Perturbed Newtonian description of the Lemaître model with non-negligible pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Kazuhiro; Marra, Valerio; Mukhanov, Viatcheslav; Sasaki, Misao

    2016-01-01

    We study the validity of the Newtonian description of cosmological perturbations using the Lemaître model, an exact spherically symmetric solution of Einstein's equation. This problem has been investigated in the past for the case of a dust fluid. Here, we extend the previous analysis to the more general case of a fluid with non-negligible pressure, and, for the numerical examples, we consider the case of radiation (P=ρ/3). We find that, even when the density contrast has a nonlinear amplitude, the Newtonian description of the cosmological perturbations using the gravitational potential ψ and the curvature potential φ is valid as long as we consider sub-horizon inhomogeneities. However, the relation ψ+φ=O(φ 2 )—which holds for the case of a dust fluid—is not valid for a relativistic fluid, and an effective anisotropic stress is generated. This demonstrates the usefulness of the Lemaître model which allows us to study in an exact nonlinear fashion the onset of anisotropic stress in fluids with non-negligible pressure. We show that this happens when the characteristic scale of the inhomogeneity is smaller than the sound horizon and that the deviation is caused by the nonlinear effect of the fluid's fast motion. We also find that ψ+φ= [O(φ 2 ),O(c s 2φ  δ)] for an inhomogeneity with density contrast δ whose characteristic scale is smaller than the sound horizon, unless w is close to −1, where w and c s are the equation of state parameter and the sound speed of the fluid, respectively. On the other hand, we expect ψ+φ=O(φ 2 ) to hold for an inhomogeneity whose characteristic scale is larger than the sound horizon, unless the amplitude of the inhomogeneity is large and w is close to −1

  12. IS OHS NEGLIGENCE AND EVASION AN “ERROR OF JUDGEMENT” OR “WHITE-COLLAR CRIME”? AN INTERPRETATION OF APPAREL MANUFACTURERS IN BANGLADESH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Faisol Chowdhury

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the managerial interpretation of the terms “error of judgement” and “white-collar crime” in relation to the evasion or negligence observed in administering occupational health and safety (OHS provisions in the apparel manufacturing sector of Bangladesh. The research is qualitative in nature and follows an interpretivist paradigm. The questionnaire responses were collected from 20 mid- and top-level managers from 10 large apparel manufacturing factories located on the outskirts of Dhaka. The research reveals that all of the respondents have adequate knowledge about the relevant OHS provisions and safety protocols imposed on them by the local government and the global supply chain. They believe that the correct administration of the OHS provisions will reduce workplace accidents effectively. The research unfolds that the respondents interpret in different ways the terms "error of judgement” and “white-collar crime” in association with OHS negligence and evasion. Although empirical evidence shows that this type of negligence and evasion are considered as white-collar crime and punishable, most of the respondents in this research do not subscribe to this notion and alternatively believe that it is an “error of judgement” and therefore non-punishable.

  13. Comparison of Computational Approaches for Rapid Aerodynamic Assessment of Small UAVs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shafer, Theresa C.; Lynch, C. Eric; Viken, Sally A.; Favaregh, Noah; Zeune, Cale; Williams, Nathan; Dansie, Jonathan

    2014-01-01

    Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) methods were used to determine the basic aerodynamic, performance, and stability and control characteristics of the unmanned air vehicle (UAV), Kahu. Accurate and timely prediction of the aerodynamic characteristics of small UAVs is an essential part of military system acquisition and air-worthiness evaluations. The forces and moments of the UAV were predicted using a variety of analytical methods for a range of configurations and conditions. The methods included Navier Stokes (N-S) flow solvers (USM3D, Kestrel and Cobalt) that take days to set up and hours to converge on a single solution; potential flow methods (PMARC, LSAERO, and XFLR5) that take hours to set up and minutes to compute; empirical methods (Datcom) that involve table lookups and produce a solution quickly; and handbook calculations. A preliminary aerodynamic database can be developed very efficiently by using a combination of computational tools. The database can be generated with low-order and empirical methods in linear regions, then replacing or adjusting the data as predictions from higher order methods are obtained. A comparison of results from all the data sources as well as experimental data obtained from a wind-tunnel test will be shown and the methods will be evaluated on their utility during each portion of the flight envelope.

  14. ISP - 26 OECD/NEA/CSNI International standard problem n. 26. Rosa-4 LSTF Cold-Leg Small-Break Loca experiment. Comparison report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-02-01

    This report is the final comparison report for the CSNI ISP-26 which was performed for a 5 pc cold-leg small-break LOCA experiment conducted in the ROSA-IV Large scale test facility (LSTF), and simulation of the thermal-hydraulic response of a pressurized water reactor during a small break loss-of-coolant accident or an operational transient. The facility has an overall scaling factor of 1/48, with hot and cold legs sized to conserve the volume scaling. Both the initial steady-state conditions and the test procedures are designed to minimize the effects of scaling compromises. 10 seconds into the break, the turbine throttle valve was closed at a pressurizer pressure of 12.97 MPa. The turbine bypass was inactive, since loss-of-offsite power was assumed concurrently with the scram. The reactor coolant pumps stopped at 265 seconds. The core was uncovered between 120 seconds and 155 seconds into the break. The comparison report presents all the nineteen submitted calculations. A summary description of the participants as well as the computer codes and input decks used by them is provided

  15. Malodorous consequences: what comprises negligence in anosmia litigation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svider, Peter F; Mauro, Andrew C; Eloy, Jean Anderson; Setzen, Michael; Carron, Michael A; Folbe, Adam J

    2014-03-01

    Our objectives were to evaluate factors raised in malpractice litigation in which plaintiffs alleged that physician negligence led to olfactory dysfunction. We analyzed publically available federal and court records using Westlaw, a widely used computerized legal database. Pertinent jury verdicts and settlements were comprehensively examined for alleged causes of malpractice (including procedures for iatrogenic causes), defendant specialty, patient demographics, and other factors raised in legal proceedings. Of 25 malpractice proceedings meeting inclusion criteria, 60.0% were resolved for the defendant, 12.0% were settled, and 28.0% had jury-awarded damages. Median payments were significant ($300,000 and $412,500 for settlements and awards, respectively). Otolaryngologists were the most frequently named defendants (68.0%), with the majority of iatrogenic cases (55.0%) related to rhinologic procedures. Associated medical events accompanying anosmia included dysgeusia, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, and meningitis. Other alleged factors included requiring additional surgery (80.0%), unnecessary procedures (47.4% of iatrogenic procedural cases), untimely diagnosis leading to anosmia (44.0%), inadequate informed consent (35.0%), dysgeusia (56.0%), and psychological sequelae (24.0%). Olfactory dysfunction can adversely affect quality of life and thus is a potential area for malpractice litigation. This is particularly true for iatrogenic causes of anosmia, especially following rhinologic procedures. Settlements and damages awarded were considerable, making an understanding of factors detailed in this analysis of paramount importance for the practicing otolaryngologist. This analysis reinforces the importance of explicitly including anosmia in a comprehensive informed consent process for any rhinologic procedure. © 2013 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

  16. Solar cooling for small office buildings: Comparison of solar thermal and photovoltaic options for two different European climates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hartmann, N. [University of Stuttgart, Institute of Energy Economics and the Rational Use of Energy (IER), Hessbruehlstr. 49a, 70565 Stuttgart (Germany); Glueck, C. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Fluid Machinery (FSM), Kaiserstr. 12, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Schmidt, F.P. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Fluid Machinery (FSM), Kaiserstr. 12, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Fraunhofer ISE, Heidenhofstr. 2, 79110 Freiburg (Germany)

    2011-05-15

    We present a comparison of solar thermal and solar electric cooling for a typical small office building exposed to two different European climates (Freiburg and Madrid). The investigation is based on load series for heating and cooling obtained previously from annual building simulations in TRNSYS. A conventional compression chiller is used as the reference system against which the solar options are evaluated with respect to primary energy savings and additional cost. A parametric study on collector and storage size is carried out for the solar thermal system to reach achieve the minimal cost per unit of primary energy saved. The simulated solar electric system consists of the reference system, equipped with a grid connected photovoltaic module, which can be varied in size. For cost comparison of the two systems, the electric grid is assumed to function as a cost-free storage. A method to include macroeconomic effects in the comparison is presented and discussed. Within the system parameters and assumptions used here, the grid coupled PV system leads to lower costs of primary energy savings than the solar thermal system at both locations. The presumed macroeconomic advantages of the solar thermal system, due to the non-usage of energy during peak demand, can be confirmed for Madrid. (author)

  17. The role of nano-perovskite in the negligible thorium release in seawater from Greek bauxite residue (red mud)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gkamaletsos, Platon; Godelitsas, Athanasios; Kasama, Takeshi

    2016-01-01

    -ICP-MS, using Mediterranean seawater from Greece, indicated significant release of V, depending on S/L ratio, and negligible release of Th at least after 12 months leaching. STEM-EDS/EELS & HR-STEM-HAADF study of the leached BR at the nanoscale revealed that the significant immobility of Th4+ is due to its...

  18. Modeling sediment yield in small catchments at event scale: Model comparison, development and evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Z.; Leung, L. R.; Li, H. Y.; Tesfa, T. K.

    2017-12-01

    Sediment yield (SY) has significant impacts on river biogeochemistry and aquatic ecosystems but it is rarely represented in Earth System Models (ESMs). Existing SY models focus on estimating SY from large river basins or individual catchments so it is not clear how well they simulate SY in ESMs at larger spatial scales and globally. In this study, we compare the strengths and weaknesses of eight well-known SY models in simulating annual mean SY at about 400 small catchments ranging in size from 0.22 to 200 km2 in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. In addition, we also investigate the performance of these models in simulating event-scale SY at six catchments in the US using high-quality hydrological inputs. The model comparison shows that none of the models can reproduce the SY at large spatial scales but the Morgan model performs the better than others despite its simplicity. In all model simulations, large underestimates occur in catchments with very high SY. A possible pathway to reduce the discrepancies is to incorporate sediment detachment by landsliding, which is currently not included in the models being evaluated. We propose a new SY model that is based on the Morgan model but including a landsliding soil detachment scheme that is being developed. Along with the results of the model comparison and evaluation, preliminary findings from the revised Morgan model will be presented.

  19. Alcoholic hepatitis with negligible sup(99m)Tc uptake and transient elevation of serum alpha-fetoprotein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoshino, Hirosuke; Okumura, Makoto; Shimizu, Masanori; Eimoto, Tadaaki

    1981-01-01

    A 35 year old male with typical alcoholic hepatitis presented almost negligible uptake of sup(99m)Tc on the liver scan. Electron microscopic findings disclosing decreased number of Kupffer cells and impaired blood flow in the sinusoids may elucidate extremely diminshed uptake of isotope by the liver. Transient elevation of serum α-fetoprotein up to 3200 ng/ml observed during the active stage may indicate a regeneration process of hepatic necrosis occurred following the acute alcoholic hepatitis. (author)

  20. Maximum permissible concentrations and negligible concentrations for phthalates (dibutylphthalate and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthlate), with emphasis on endocrine disruptive properties

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wezel AP van; Posthumus R; Vlaardingen P van; Crommentuijn T; Plassche EJ van de; CSR

    This report presents maximal permissible concentrations (MPCs) and negligible concentrations (NCs) are derived for di-n-butylphthalate (DBP) and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). Phthalates are often mentioned as suspected endocrine disrupters. Data with endpoints related to the endocrine or

  1. Comparison of monomeric and polymeric horseradish peroxidase as labels in competitive ELISA for small molecule detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Dongyang; Ying, Yibin; Wu, Jian; Niessner, Reinhard; Knopp, Dietmar

    2013-01-01

    We have developed a simple and sensitive competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine aflatoxin B1 (as a model small analyte) and using streptavidin-polymeric horseradish peroxidase complex (SApolyHRP) as a label for signal amplification. The performance of the assay was evaluated by comparing it with the classical indirect competitive ELISA using HRP labeled anti-mouse IgG as the tracer antibody. The results indicate that the SApolyHRP-based competitive ELISA exhibits a typically 2.4-fold steeper slope of the linear working range of the calibration curve compared to the monomeric HRP based classical ELISA, i.e., the sensitivity was increased. The SApolyHRP conjugate causes a typically 19-fold stronger signal generation in comparison to the traditional HRP labeled anti-mouse IgG at the same concentration (25 ng mL −1 ). Moreover, the SApolyHRP-based assay has a much wider linear range and a 3.8-fold better signal-to-noise ratio. Considering its simplicity, sensitivity and ease of operation, this competitive ELISA is considered to be a promising tool for small molecule immuno detection. (author)

  2. Sea-ice deformation state from synthetic aperture radar imagery - Part I: comparison of C- and L-band and different polarization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dierking, Wolfgang; Dall, Jørgen

    2007-01-01

    configuration and ice conditions. Optical imagery of sufficient quality for comparison is available only in a very few cases. To characterize the deformation state, the areal fraction of deformation features and the average distance between these features are evaluated. The values obtained for both parameters...... negligible. In comparison to optical images, it was observed that deformed-ice areas can be distinguished from level ice over their whole length and extension at L-band, whereas at C-band, often, only prominent parts are visible....

  3. Analysis and comparison of fish growth from small samples of length-at-age data : Detection of sexual dimorphism in Eurasian perch as an example

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mooij, WM; Van Rooij, JM; Wijnhoven, S

    A relatively simple approach is presented for statistical analysis and comparison of fish growth patterns inferred from size-at-age data. It can be used for any growth model and small sample sizes. Bootstrapping is used to generate confidence regions for the model parameters and for size and growth

  4. A Comparison of Web-based and Small-Group Palliative and End-of-Life Care Curricula: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Study at One Institution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Day, Frank C.; Srinivasan, Malathi; Der-Martirosian, Claudia; Griffin, Erin; Hoffman, Jerome R.; Wilkes, Michael S.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose Few studies have compared the effect of web-based eLearning versus small-group learning on medical student outcomes. Palliative and end-of-life (PEOL) education is ideal for this comparison, given uneven access to PEOL experts and content nationally. Method In 2010, the authors enrolled all third-year medical students at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine into a quasi-randomized controlled trial of web-based interactive education (eDoctoring) compared to small-group education (Doctoring) on PEOL clinical content over two months. All students participated in three 3-hour PEOL sessions with similar content. Outcomes included a 24-item PEOL-specific self-efficacy scale with three domains (diagnosis/treatment [Cronbach’s alpha = 0.92, CI: 0.91–0.93], communication/prognosis [alpha = 0.95; CI: 0.93–0.96], and social impact/self-care [alpha = 0.91; CI: 0.88–0.92]); eight knowledge items; ten curricular advantage/disadvantages, and curricular satisfaction (both students and faculty). Results Students were randomly assigned to web-based eDoctoring (n = 48) or small-group Doctoring (n = 71) curricula. Self-efficacy and knowledge improved equivalently between groups: e.g., prognosis self-efficacy, 19%; knowledge, 10–42%. Student and faculty ratings of the web-based eDoctoring curriculum and the small group Doctoring curriculum were equivalent for most goals, and overall satisfaction was equivalent for each, with a trend towards decreased eDoctoring student satisfaction. Conclusions Findings showed equivalent gains in self-efficacy and knowledge between students participating in a web-based PEOL curriculum, in comparison to students learning similar content in a small-group format. Web-based curricula can standardize content presentation when local teaching expertise is limited, but may lead to decreased user satisfaction. PMID:25539518

  5. Modified small bowel follow-through using methylcellulose after administration of barium suspension : comparison with conventional series

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Ji Hoon; Ha, Hyun Kwon; Park, Sung Tae; Yoon, Soo Woong; Kim, Ho Sung; Kim, Sun Mi

    1998-01-01

    To compare modified small bowel follow-through (SBFT) using methylcellulose after the administration of barium suspension with a conventional series. Materials and Methods : In order to evaluate small bowel pathology, modified SBFT was performed in 155 patients during a 15 month period. All patients received 600 mL of methylcellulose ; 98 had taken 250 mL of 40% wt/vol barium suspension and 57 had taken 150 mL of 70% barium. For the group of 98, the barium suspension was prepared by mixing barium powder with water (n=46) or with methylcellulose in(n=52). For comparison with a modified series, 49 patients who underwent conventional SBFT using 500 mL of 40 %wt/vol barium were lso included. Image quality was rated by three radiologists as p oor , f air , g ood , or e xcellent . We analyzed the relationship between image quality, transit time and small bowel pathology;the sensitivity and specificity of each technique was also determined. Results : Among the four techniques, modified SBFT with 250 mL of 40% wt/vol barium suspension, prepared by mixing barium powder with methylcellulose, showed the best image quality ['excellent' result in 33 of the 52 patients (63%)] and shortest transit time to the cecum. The high image quality of this technique was not affected by the presence of small bowel pathology;its use resulted in the lowest incidence and slowest development of flocculation. The sensitivity (91-95%) of the three modified SBFT procedures was superior to that of a conventional series(76%), but there was no difference in specificity.Conclusion : Modified SBFT using methylcellulose after administering barium suspension with barium powder as a mixing agent is a simple technique. Its use easily improves the image quality and diagnostic accuracy of peroral SBFT

  6. Structure factor of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine unilamellar vesicles: small-angle x-ray scattering study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiselev, M.A.; Aksenov, V.L.; Lombardo, D.; Kisselev, A.M.; Lesieur, P.

    2003-01-01

    Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments have been performed on dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) unilamellar vesicles in 40% aqueous sucrose solution. Model of separated form factors was applied for the evaluation of SAXS curves from large unilamellar vesicles. For the first time vesicle structure factor, polydispersity, average radius and membrane thickness were calculated simultaneously from the SAXS curves at T=30 deg C for DMPC concentrations in the range from 15 to 75 mM (1-5% w/w). Structure factor correction to the scattering curve was shown to be negligibly small for the lipid concentration of 15 mM (1% w/w). It was proved to be necessary to introduce structure factor correction to the scattering curves for lipid concentrations ≥ 30 mM (2% w/w)

  7. Structure Factor of Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine Unilamellar Vesicles Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering Study

    CERN Document Server

    Kiselev, M A; Kisselev, A M; Lesieur, P; Aksenov, V L

    2003-01-01

    Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments have been performed on dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) unilamellar vesicles in 40 % aqueous sucrose solution. Model of separated form factors was applied for the evaluation of SAXS curves from large unilamellar vesicles. For the first time vesicle structure factor, polydispersity, average radius and membrane thickness were calculated simultaneously from the SAXS curves at T=306{\\circ}C for DMPC concentrations in the range from 15 to 75 mM (1-5 % w/w). Structure factor correction to the scattering curve was shown to be negligibly small for the lipid concentration of 15 mM (1 % w/w). It was proved to be necessary to introduce structure factor correction to the scattering curves for lipid concentrations {\\ge}30 mM (2 % w/w).

  8. Perturbed Newtonian description of the Lemaître model with non-negligible pressure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamamoto, Kazuhiro [Department of Physical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashi-hiroshima, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, 739-8526 (Japan); Marra, Valerio [Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. F. Ferrari, 514, 29075-910, Vitória, ES (Brazil); Mukhanov, Viatcheslav [Theoretical Physics, Ludwig Maxmillians University, Theresienstr. 37, 80333 Munich (Germany); Sasaki, Misao, E-mail: kazuhiro@hiroshima-u.ac.jp, E-mail: valerio.marra@me.com, E-mail: Viatcheslav.Mukhanov@physik.lmu.de, E-mail: misao@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwakecho, Sakyo-Ku, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan)

    2016-03-01

    We study the validity of the Newtonian description of cosmological perturbations using the Lemaître model, an exact spherically symmetric solution of Einstein's equation. This problem has been investigated in the past for the case of a dust fluid. Here, we extend the previous analysis to the more general case of a fluid with non-negligible pressure, and, for the numerical examples, we consider the case of radiation (P=ρ/3). We find that, even when the density contrast has a nonlinear amplitude, the Newtonian description of the cosmological perturbations using the gravitational potential ψ and the curvature potential φ is valid as long as we consider sub-horizon inhomogeneities. However, the relation ψ+φ=O(φ{sup 2})—which holds for the case of a dust fluid—is not valid for a relativistic fluid, and an effective anisotropic stress is generated. This demonstrates the usefulness of the Lemaître model which allows us to study in an exact nonlinear fashion the onset of anisotropic stress in fluids with non-negligible pressure. We show that this happens when the characteristic scale of the inhomogeneity is smaller than the sound horizon and that the deviation is caused by the nonlinear effect of the fluid's fast motion. We also find that ψ+φ= [O(φ{sup 2}),O(c{sub s}{sup 2φ} δ)] for an inhomogeneity with density contrast δ whose characteristic scale is smaller than the sound horizon, unless w is close to −1, where w and c{sub s} are the equation of state parameter and the sound speed of the fluid, respectively. On the other hand, we expect ψ+φ=O(φ{sup 2}) to hold for an inhomogeneity whose characteristic scale is larger than the sound horizon, unless the amplitude of the inhomogeneity is large and w is close to −1.

  9. Charging and coagulation of water aerosols with negligible addition of high-radioactive droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasil'eva, N.L.; Sedova, G.L.; Chernyj, L.T.

    1994-01-01

    The mechanics of electrocoagulation of water aerosols with negligible admixture of high-radioactive droplets is considered. A corresponding mathematical model has been worked out which describes the processes of ionization, electrification and coagulation of radioactive aerosols. Numerical studies are carried out for a series of typical aerosols on the time dependence of ion concentrations, charge and pure droplet concentrations, as well as the charge and radius of radioactive droplets. It is shown that coagulation can give rise to the growth of droplet radius from 5-10 μm up to 30-40 μm for a 10 4 s period f time, and therefore it can play a considerable role in the development of aerosols with droplet radius up to 20 μm when gravitational coagulation is insignificant

  10. Reflectivity of stimulated back scattering in a homogeneous-slab medium in the case of negligible pump-wave damping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, G.S.; Cho, B.H.

    1981-01-01

    As to the backscatter instability which is one of nonlinear three-wave resonant interactions, the reflectivity(r) in the case of homogeneous-slab medium is calculated, assuming all the three wavepackets negligible damping caused by medium. The expression has turned out such that r = tanh 2 KAsub(p)L, where K, Asub(p), and L are the constant coupling coefficient, the constant pump-wave amplitude, and the thickness of the medium engaged in the interaction each. When this result is interpreted in terms of the stimulated Brillouin back-scattering in a so-called underdense plasma in controlled fusion, we find the reflectivity twice as large as that by others in the limit of large pump-wave damping, and unfitting to former experiments in the independence on the incident laser-light intensity. We see the incompatibility rise chiefly from neglecting the damping of pump-wave in the plasma. In contrast to the former results by others in the limit of large pump-wave damping, our result might be regarded as that for cases of negligible pump-wave damping, in general stimulated back-scattering phenomena. (author)

  11. Small hydrogen liquefier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Airoldi, V.J.T.; Corat, E.J.; Minucci, M.A.S.; Leite, V.S.F.O.

    1986-09-01

    In this work the deign and construction of a small hydrogen liquefier (two liters per hour maximum production) is described. The isenthalpic expansion process is used, because its construction is simple and it is generally cheaper to operate. A comparison with other liquefier processes, and considerations about their basic theory are also presented. (author) [pt

  12. Clinical negligence in hospitals in France and England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Michael J; de Bono Q C, John; Métayer, Patrice

    2015-12-01

    This article arose from the back-to-back presentations by Michael Kelly and Patrice Métayer to the Anglo-French Medical Society in 2013 on the French and English legal systems handling a case of alleged clinical negligence as it proceeds from complaint to settlement or judgment in the two jurisdictions. Both systems have a hospital-based first stage with various avenues being available for amicable resolution, the French version being more regulated and prescribed than the English one. In both jurisdictions fewer than 5% cases go down the criminal route. Before the court is involved, in England there is an elaborate lawyer-controlled phase involving negotiations between the two sides and their experts which is expensive but often leads to pre-trial settlement for significant sums of money. Medical experts are central to all of this. In England they are largely unregulated and entirely advisory in an open market, in France they are both regulated and supervised by judges, being placed on official lists. These experts take a major inquisitorial role in a Debate between the two sides, combining the functions of Single Joint Expert (SJE), arbiter and mentor. If agreement is not reached, a second Debate before a different Expert is arranged. In both countries fewer than 5% cases reach a court for a hearing before a judge. In England a trial is an elaborate lengthy, expensive adversarial contest where all of the issues are rehearsed in full with factual and expert evidence, whereas in France in a contested case the judge reviews the reports of the two Debates with the lawyers who were involved (and not the experts, factual witnesses or parties). © The Author(s) 2015.

  13. [Analysis of the causes of cancer negligence and low survival in the patients with malignant neoplasms of ENT and oral cavity in the city of Moscow].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sdvizhkov, A M; Kozhanov, L G; Shatskaia, N Kh; Belov, E N

    2014-01-01

    The objective of the present study was to elucidate the causes of late detection of malignant neoplasms of ENT and oral cavity and low survival of the patents with these tumours in Moscow. The secondary objective was to elaborate the organizational measures for reducing the level of negligence and mortality from these malignancies among the city population. It was shown that the main cause behind the negligence is the late application of the patients for the medical assistance. Next in importance are asymptomatic clinical course of the disease in the absence of the pathognomonic and early signs of malignant neoplasms, a combination of several pathologies, imperfection of medical knowledge, and the poor resolving power of the modern methods. It is emphasized that the lack of vigilance against cancer among the practicing health providers is one of the main causes of medical errors. A few ways to address the problem of negligence with respect to malignant neoplasms of ENT and oral cavity in Moscow are proposed.

  14. Negligible depletion solid-phase microextraction with radiolabeled analytes to study free concentrations and protein binding : an example with [3H]Estradiol

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heringa, M.B.; Pastor, D.; Algra, J.; Vaes, W.H.J.; Hemmens, J.L.M.

    2002-01-01

    A new method is presented that enables sensitive measurement of free concentrations of radiolabeled ligands. Additionally, protein binding of radiochemicals in complex matrixes can be determined with this new technique that combines negligible depletion solid-phase microextraction (nd-SPME) with

  15. Using cohort change ratios to estimate life expectancy in populations with negligible migration: A new approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David A. Swanson

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Census survival methods are the oldest and most widely applicable methods of estimating adult mortality, and for populations with negligible migration they can provide excellent results. The reason for this ubiquity is threefold: (1 their data requirements are minimal in that only two successive age distributions are needed; (2 the two successive age distributions are usually easily obtained from census counts; and (3 the method is straightforward in that it requires neither a great deal of judgment nor “data-fitting” techniques to implement. This ubiquity is in contrast to other methods, which require more data, as well as judgment and, often, data fitting. In this short note, the new approach we demonstrate is that life expectancy at birth can be computed by using census survival rates in combination with an identity whereby the radix of a life table is equal to 1 (l0 = 1.00. We point out that our suggested method is less involved than the existing approach. We compare estimates using our approach against other estimates, and find it works reasonably well. As well as some nuances and cautions, we discuss the benefits of using this approach to estimate life expectancy, including the ability to develop estimates of average remaining life at any age. We believe that the technique is worthy of consideration for use in estimating life expectancy in populations that experience negligible migration.

  16. Using cohort change ratios to estimate life expectancy in populations with negligible migration: A new approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucky Tedrow

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Census survival methods are the oldest and most widely applicable methods of estimating adult mortality, and for populations with negligible migration they can provide excellent results. The reason for this ubiquity is threefold: (1 their data requirements are minimal in that only two successive age distributions are needed; (2 the two successive age distributions are usually easily obtained from census counts; and (3 the method is straightforward in that it requires neither a great deal of judgment nor “data-fitting” techniques to implement. This ubiquity is in contrast to other methods, which require more data, as well as judgment and, often, data fitting. In this short note, the new approach we demonstrate is that life expectancy at birth can be computed by using census survival rates in combination with an identity whereby the radix of a life table is equal to 1 (l0 = 1.00. We point out that our suggested method is less involved than the existing approach. We compare estimates using our approach against other estimates, and find it works reasonably well. As well as some nuances and cautions, we discuss the benefits of using this approach to estimate life expectancy, including the ability to develop estimates of average remaining life at any age. We believe that the technique is worthy of consideration for use in estimating life expectancy in populations that experience negligible migration.

  17. Experimental and numerical comparison of absorption optimization in small rooms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wincentz, Jakob Nygård; Garcia, Julian Martinez-Villalba; Jeong, Cheol-Ho

    2016-01-01

    A vast majority of modern music is recorded and produced in small control room environments of volumes of around 50 m3 . Several problems occur when controlling the room acoustics of such small spaces. First, the room modes will produce strong peaks and dips particularly at lower frequencies......, and even in the sweet spot position the listening experience can be easily deteriorated. Second, when designing or refurbishing small rooms it is hard to adequately predict the reverberation time by using Sabine’s formula due to highly non-diffuse conditions and using a statistical approach below......, boundary conditions, and phase information providing accuracy at low frequencies. Good agreements are found between measurements and simulations, confirming that FEM can be used as a design tool for optimizing absorption and acoustic parameters in small rooms...

  18. Assessing the disturbance potential of small unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS on gray seals (Halichoerus grypus at breeding colonies in Nova Scotia, Canada

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lauren Arona

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The use of small unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS for ecological studies and wildlife population assessments is increasing. These methods can provide significant benefits in terms of costs and reductions in human risk, but little is known if UAS-based approaches cause disturbance of animals during operations. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a series of UAS flights at gray seal breeding colonies on Hay and Saddle Islands in Nova Scotia, Canada. Using a small fixed-wing UAS, we assessed both immediate and short-term effects of surveys using sequential image analysis and between-flight seal counts in ten, 50 m2 random quadrats at each colony. Counts of adult gray seals and young-of-the-year animals between first and second flights revealed no changes in abundance in quadrats (matched pair t-test p > 0.69 and slopes approaching 1 for linear regression comparisons (r2 > 0.80. Sequential image analysis revealed no changes in orientation or posture of imaged animals. We also assessed the acoustic properties of the small UAS in relation to low ambient noise conditions using sound equivalent level (Leq measurements with a calibrated U-MIK 1 and a 1/3 octave band soundscape approach. The results of Leq measurements indicate that small fixed-wing UAS are quiet, with most energy above 160 Hz, and that levels across 1/3 octave bands do not greatly exceed ambient acoustic measurements in a quiet field during operations at standard survey altitudes. As such, this platform is unlikely to acoustically disturb gray seals at breeding colonies during population surveys. The results of the present study indicate that the effects of small fixed-wing UAS on gray seals at breeding colonies are negligible, and that fixed-wing UAS-based approaches should be considered amongst best practices for assessing gray seal colonies.

  19. Separation and reattachment in flows over asymmetric cavities at small Reynolds numbers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tavoularis, S.; Goldman, A.; Floryan, J.M.

    1985-01-01

    Recent experimental and analytical studies of flows at extremely small Reynolds numbers have revealed rather complicated flow patterns, often beyond intuitive explanation. Such flows are common in biological systems as well as in industrial applications involving small particle suspensions. The present study was motivated by Nachtigall's observation that scales on certain butterfly and moth upper wing surfaces appear aerodynamically advantageous, since their removal results in decrease of the lift without an appreciable change of the drag. Since low Reynolds number flows are nearly reversible, it seems that geometrical asymmetry and not random roughness is responsible for this effect. Stokes flows (i.e. at 'zero' Reynolds number) are known to separate behind steps and obstacles, contrary to the expectation that the fluid motion would follow the boundary shape, if its inertia became negligible. (author)

  20. Negligible senescence in the longest living rodent, the naked mole-rat: insights from a successfully aging species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buffenstein, Rochelle

    2008-05-01

    Aging refers to a gradual deterioration in function that, over time, leads to increased mortality risk, and declining fertility. This pervasive process occurs in almost all organisms, although some long-lived trees and cold water inhabitants reportedly show insignificant aging. Negligible senescence is characterized by attenuated age-related change in reproductive and physiological functions, as well as no observable age-related gradual increase in mortality rate. It was questioned whether the longest living rodent, the naked mole-rat, met these three strict criteria. Naked mole-rats live in captivity for more than 28.3 years, approximately 9 times longer than similar-sized mice. They maintain body composition from 2 to 24 years, and show only slight age-related changes in all physiological and morphological characteristics studied to date. Surprisingly breeding females show no decline in fertility even when well into their third decade of life. Moreover, these animals have never been observed to develop any spontaneous neoplasm. As such they do not show the typical age-associated acceleration in mortality risk that characterizes every other known mammalian species and may therefore be the first reported mammal showing negligible senescence over the majority of their long lifespan. Clearly physiological and biochemical processes in this species have evolved to dramatically extend healthy lifespan. The challenge that lies ahead is to understand what these mechanisms are.

  1. Comparison of Waste Feed Delivery Small Scale Mixing Demonstration Simulant to Hanford Waste

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wells, Beric E.; Gauglitz, Phillip A.; Rector, David R.

    2012-07-10

    The Hanford double-shell tank (DST) system provides the staging location for waste that will be transferred to the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). Specific WTP acceptance criteria for waste feed delivery describe the physical and chemical characteristics of the waste that must be met before the waste is transferred from the DSTs to the WTP. One of the more challenging requirements relates to the sampling and characterization of the undissolved solids (UDS) in a waste feed DST because the waste contains solid particles that settle and their concentration and relative proportion can change during the transfer of the waste in individual batches. A key uncertainty in the waste feed delivery system is the potential variation in UDS transferred in individual batches in comparison to an initial sample used for evaluating the acceptance criteria. To address this uncertainty, a number of small-scale mixing tests have been conducted as part of Washington River Protection Solutions' Small Scale Mixing Demonstration (SSMD) project to determine the performance of the DST mixing and sampling systems. A series of these tests have used a five-part simulant composed of particles of different size and density and designed to be equal or more challenging than AY-102 waste. This five-part simulant, however, has not been compared with the broad range of Hanford waste, and thus there is an additional uncertainty that this simulant may not be as challenging as the most difficult Hanford waste. The purpose of this study is to quantify how the current five-part simulant compares to all of the Hanford sludge waste, and to suggest alternate simulants that could be tested to reduce the uncertainty in applying the current testing results to potentially more challenging wastes.

  2. Secondary poisoning of cadmium, copper and mercury: implications for the Maximum Permissible Concentrations and Negligible Concentrations in water, sediment and soil

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smit CE; Wezel AP van; Jager T; Traas TP; CSR

    2000-01-01

    The impact of secondary poisoning on the Maximum Permissible Concentrations (MPCs) and Negligible Concentrations (NCs) of cadmium, copper and mercury in water, sediment and soil have been evaluated. Field data on accumulation of these elements by fish, mussels and earthworms were used to derive

  3. Development of novel small molecules for imaging and drug release

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Yanting

    Small organic molecules, including small molecule based fluorescent probes, small molecule based drugs or prodrugs, and smart multifunctional fluorescent drug delivery systems play important roles in biological research, drug discovery, and clinical practices. Despite the significant progress made in these fields, the development of novel and diverse small molecules is needed to meet various demands for research and clinical applications. My Ph.D study focuses on the development of novel functional molecules for recognition, imaging and drug release. In the first part, a turn-on fluorescent probe is developed for the detection of intracellular adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) levels based on multiplexing recognitions. Considering the unique and complicated structure of ATP molecules, a fluorescent probe has been implemented with improved sensitivity and selectivity due to two synergistic binding recognitions by incorporating of 2, 2'-dipicolylamine (Dpa)-Zn(II) for targeting of phospho anions and phenylboronic acid group for cis-diol moiety. The novel probe is able to detect intracellular ATP levels in SH-SY5Y cells. Meanwhile, the advantages of multiplexing recognition design concept have been demonstrated using two control molecules. In the second part, a prodrug system is developed to deliver multiple drugs within one small molecule entity. The prodrug is designed by using 1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethyl (NPE) as phototrigger, and biphenol biquaternary ammonium as the prodrug. With controlled photo activation, both DNA cross-linking agents mechlorethamine and o-quinone methide are delivered and released at the preferred site, leading to efficient DNA cross-links formation and cell death. The prodrug shows negligible cytotoxicity towards normal skin cells (Hekn cells) with and without UV activation, but displays potent activity towards cancer cells (HeLa cells) upon UV activation. The multiple drug release system may hold a great potential for practical application. In the

  4. Small wind turbine energy policies for residential and small business usage in Ontario, Canada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heagle, A.L.B.; Naterer, G.F.; Pope, K.

    2011-01-01

    This paper examines the social barriers, policies, and incentive programs for residential and small business small wind (RBSW) projects, particularly in Ontario, Canada, as well as comparisons with California, US, and the United Kingdom. The alignment between socio-political and community acceptance is considered for its impact on market acceptance of the technology. Barriers inhibiting social acceptance of RBSW projects include adequate capacity factor, cost effectiveness, wind variability, audio-esthetics impact, health and safety, procedural fairness, and transparency. A review of the policies for implementation of small wind projects in each location is presented. Strategies to overcome barriers to social acceptance are examined, along with recommendations for the increased implementation of RBSW projects worldwide. Recommendations to increase social acceptance and subsequent implementation of RBSW projects include the collaboration of government agencies, industry and community members, during RBSW implementation processes, and the provision of consistent, long-term, supportive policies and incentive programs for project owners. - Highlights: → This paper examines the social barriers, policies, and incentive programs for residential and small business small wind (RBSW) projects, particularly in Ontario, Canada, as well as comparisons with California, US, and the United Kingdom. → Barriers inhibiting social acceptance of RBSW projects include adequate capacity factor, cost effectiveness, wind variability, audio-esthetics impact, health and safety, procedural fairness, and transparency. → Recommendations to increase social acceptance and subsequent implementation of RBSW projects include the collaboration of government agencies, industry and community members, during RBSW implementation processes, and the provision of consistent, long-term, supportive policies and incentive programs for project owners.

  5. Frequent LOH at hMLH1, a highly variable SNP in hMSH3, and negligible coding instability in ovarian cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arzimanoglou, I.I.; Hansen, L.L.; Chong, D.

    2002-01-01

    the mismatch DNA repair genes in ovarian cancer (OC), using a sensitive, accurate and reliable protocol we have developed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A combination of high-resolution GeneScan software analysis and automated DNA cycle sequencing was used. RESULTS: Negligible coding MSI was observed in selected...

  6. Modelling of the material transport and layer formation in the divertor of JET: Comparison of ITER-like wall with full carbon wall conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirschner, A.; Matveev, D.; Borodin, D.; Airila, M.; Brezinsek, S.; Groth, M.; Wiesen, S.; Widdowson, A.; Beal, J.; Esser, H.G.; Likonen, J.; Bekris, N.; Ding, R.

    2015-01-01

    Impurity transport within the inner JET divertor has been modelled with ERO to estimate the transport to and the resulting deposition at remote areas. Various parametric studies involving divertor plasma conditions and strike point position have been performed. In JET-ILW (beryllium main chamber and tungsten divertor) beryllium, flowing from the main chamber into the divertor and then effectively reflected at the tungsten divertor tiles, is transported to remote areas. The tungsten flux to remote areas in L-Mode is in comparison to the beryllium flux negligible due to small sputtering. However, tungsten is sputtered during ELMs in H-Mode conditions. Nevertheless, depending on the plasma conditions, strike point position and the location of the remote area, the maximum resulting tungsten flux to remote areas is at least ∼3 times lower than the corresponding beryllium flux. Modelled beryllium and tungsten deposition on a rotating collector probe located below tile 5 is in good agreement with measurements if the beryllium influx into the inner divertor is assumed to be in the range of 0.1% relative to the deuterium ion flux and erosion due to fast charge exchange neutrals is considered. Comparison between JET-ILW and JET-C is presented

  7. Modelling of the material transport and layer formation in the divertor of JET: Comparison of ITER-like wall with full carbon wall conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirschner, A., E-mail: a.kirschner@fz-juelich.de [Institute of Energy and Climate Research – Plasma Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Trilateral Euregio Cluster, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Matveev, D.; Borodin, D. [Institute of Energy and Climate Research – Plasma Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Trilateral Euregio Cluster, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Airila, M. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, 02044 VTT (Finland); Brezinsek, S. [Institute of Energy and Climate Research – Plasma Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Trilateral Euregio Cluster, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Groth, M. [Aalto University, Otakaari 4, 02015 Espoo (Finland); Wiesen, S. [Institute of Energy and Climate Research – Plasma Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Trilateral Euregio Cluster, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Widdowson, A. [Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Abingdon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Beal, J. [York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD (United Kingdom); Esser, H.G. [Institute of Energy and Climate Research – Plasma Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Trilateral Euregio Cluster, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Likonen, J. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, 02044 VTT (Finland); Bekris, N. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Technical Physics, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Bau 451, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Ding, R. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China)

    2015-08-15

    Impurity transport within the inner JET divertor has been modelled with ERO to estimate the transport to and the resulting deposition at remote areas. Various parametric studies involving divertor plasma conditions and strike point position have been performed. In JET-ILW (beryllium main chamber and tungsten divertor) beryllium, flowing from the main chamber into the divertor and then effectively reflected at the tungsten divertor tiles, is transported to remote areas. The tungsten flux to remote areas in L-Mode is in comparison to the beryllium flux negligible due to small sputtering. However, tungsten is sputtered during ELMs in H-Mode conditions. Nevertheless, depending on the plasma conditions, strike point position and the location of the remote area, the maximum resulting tungsten flux to remote areas is at least ∼3 times lower than the corresponding beryllium flux. Modelled beryllium and tungsten deposition on a rotating collector probe located below tile 5 is in good agreement with measurements if the beryllium influx into the inner divertor is assumed to be in the range of 0.1% relative to the deuterium ion flux and erosion due to fast charge exchange neutrals is considered. Comparison between JET-ILW and JET-C is presented.

  8. Comparison of light out-coupling enhancements in single-layer blue-phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes using small-molecule or polymer hosts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Yung-Ting; Liu, Shun-Wei; Yuan, Chih-Hsien; Lee, Chih-Chien; Ho, Yu-Hsuan; Wei, Pei-Kuen; Chen, Kuan-Yu; Lee, Yi-Ting; Wu, Min-Fei; Chen, Chin-Ti; Wu, Chih-I

    2013-01-01

    Single-layer blue phosphorescence organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) with either small-molecule or polymer hosts are fabricated using solution process and the performances of devices with different hosts are investigated. The small-molecule device exhibits luminous efficiency of 14.7 cd/A and maximum power efficiency of 8.39 lm/W, which is the highest among blue phosphorescence OLEDs with single-layer solution process and small molecular hosts. Using the same solution process for all devices, comparison of light out-coupling enhancement, with brightness enhancement film (BEF), between small-molecule and polymer based OLEDs is realized. Due to different dipole orientation and anisotropic refractive index, polymer-based OLEDs would trap less light than small molecule-based OLEDs internally, about 37% better based simulation results. In spite of better electrical and spectroscopic characteristics, including ambipolar characteristics, higher carrier mobility, higher photoluminescence quantum yield, and larger triplet state energy, the overall light out-coupling efficiency of small molecule-based devices is worse than that of polymer-based devices without BEF. However, with BEF for light out-coupling enhancement, the improved ratio in luminous flux and luminous efficiency for small molecule based device is 1.64 and 1.57, respectively, which are significantly better than those of PVK (poly-9-vinylcarbazole) devices. In addition to the theoretical optical simulation, the experimental data also confirm the origins of differential light-outcoupling enhancement. The maximum luminous efficiency and power efficiency are enhanced from 14.7 cd/A and 8.39 lm/W to 23 cd/A and 13.2 lm/W, respectively, with laminated BEF, which are both the highest so far for single-layer solution-process blue phosphorescence OLEDs with small molecule hosts

  9. Comparison of light out-coupling enhancements in single-layer blue-phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes using small-molecule or polymer hosts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, Yung-Ting [Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 11529, Taiwan (China); Department of Electrical Engineering, Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 10617, Taiwan (China); Liu, Shun-Wei [Department of Electronic Engineering, Mingchi University of Technology, New Taipei, Taiwan 24301, Taiwan (China); Yuan, Chih-Hsien; Lee, Chih-Chien [Department of Electronic Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan 10607, Taiwan (China); Ho, Yu-Hsuan; Wei, Pei-Kuen [Research Center for Applied Science Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 11527, Taiwan (China); Chen, Kuan-Yu [Chilin Technology Co., LTD, Tainan City, Taiwan 71758, Taiwan (China); Lee, Yi-Ting; Wu, Min-Fei; Chen, Chin-Ti, E-mail: cchen@chem.sinica.edu.tw, E-mail: chihiwu@cc.ee.ntu.edu.tw [Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 11529, Taiwan (China); Wu, Chih-I, E-mail: cchen@chem.sinica.edu.tw, E-mail: chihiwu@cc.ee.ntu.edu.tw [Department of Electrical Engineering, Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 10617, Taiwan (China)

    2013-11-07

    Single-layer blue phosphorescence organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) with either small-molecule or polymer hosts are fabricated using solution process and the performances of devices with different hosts are investigated. The small-molecule device exhibits luminous efficiency of 14.7 cd/A and maximum power efficiency of 8.39 lm/W, which is the highest among blue phosphorescence OLEDs with single-layer solution process and small molecular hosts. Using the same solution process for all devices, comparison of light out-coupling enhancement, with brightness enhancement film (BEF), between small-molecule and polymer based OLEDs is realized. Due to different dipole orientation and anisotropic refractive index, polymer-based OLEDs would trap less light than small molecule-based OLEDs internally, about 37% better based simulation results. In spite of better electrical and spectroscopic characteristics, including ambipolar characteristics, higher carrier mobility, higher photoluminescence quantum yield, and larger triplet state energy, the overall light out-coupling efficiency of small molecule-based devices is worse than that of polymer-based devices without BEF. However, with BEF for light out-coupling enhancement, the improved ratio in luminous flux and luminous efficiency for small molecule based device is 1.64 and 1.57, respectively, which are significantly better than those of PVK (poly-9-vinylcarbazole) devices. In addition to the theoretical optical simulation, the experimental data also confirm the origins of differential light-outcoupling enhancement. The maximum luminous efficiency and power efficiency are enhanced from 14.7 cd/A and 8.39 lm/W to 23 cd/A and 13.2 lm/W, respectively, with laminated BEF, which are both the highest so far for single-layer solution-process blue phosphorescence OLEDs with small molecule hosts.

  10. Comparison of public exposures from different sources of radioactive contamination in recent years in Slovenia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vokal, B.; Krizman, M.

    2003-01-01

    In spite of that Slovenia is a small country it contains a considerable variety of radioactive sources, which cause radioactive contamination of the environment. These sources mostly belong to nuclear fuel cycle, as the Krsko Nuclear Power Plant, the Zirovski vrh Uranium Mine (in the decommissioning), the TRIGA Research Reactor and Central low and intermediate level radioactive waste storage. Some other technological enhanced natural radiation sources, for example, the Sostanj Thermal Power Plant have also an impact to the environment. The comparison of the public exposure due to various sources of radioactive releases to the exposure of a members of the public in Slovenia shows that the critical group in the vicinity of the Zirovski Vrh uranium mine is the most exposed one in Slovenia. The global contamination due to the Chernobyl accident and the past nuclear tests was estimated to be around 10 μSv in Slovenia while the estimated annual dose for all other radioactive facilities are in the order of magnitude of one μSv. In this review the releases from the hospitals are not reported but some studies showed that it is not negligible. (authors)

  11. Comparison between full- and small-scale sensory assessments of air quality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wargocki, Pawel; Sabikova, J.; Lagercrantz, Love Per

    2002-01-01

    Thirty-nine untrained subjects made small- and full-scale evaluations of the acceptability of the quality of air at 22 deg.C and 40% RH, polluted by either carpet, felt floor covering, painted gypsum board, linoleum or chipboard. Small-scale evaluations were made on the air extracted from 200-L......-scale sensory ratings of acceptability of air polluted by carpet and by linoleum were systematically better than small-scale assessments, but not for the other three materials. Calculated sensory emission rates from carpet and linoleum were significantly lower in full scale than in small scale. When modelling...

  12. Bottoming organic Rankine cycle for a small scale gas turbine: A comparison of different solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clemente, Stefano; Micheli, Diego; Reini, Mauro; Taccani, Rodolfo

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► The ORC bottoming section for a commercial micro gas turbine has been studied. ► Six different organic working fluids have been considered and compared. ► The preliminary designs of both axial and radial turbines have been developed. ► Also scroll and reciprocating expanders have been analyzed for comparison. ► The best suited machine has to be selected after a detailed analysis in each case. - Abstract: Recently, several efforts have been devoted to the improvement of the thermal efficiency of small gas turbines, in order to approach the typical values of the internal combustion engines in the same range of power. One possibility is represented by a combined cycle, obtained coupling the gas turbine to a bottoming organic Rankine cycle (ORC). This paper deals with the definition of the main features of an ORC system aimed to recover heat from a 100 kWe commercial gas turbine with internal recuperator. After the optimization of the thermodynamic cycles, involving a comparison between six working fluids, different expanders are analyzed, with the aim of detecting, if possible, the best suited machine. First, single stage turbines, in both radial and axial flow configuration, are designed specifically for each considered fluid, in particular investigating the opportunity of mounting the ORC expander directly on the high-speed shaft of the gas turbine. Then, the performances of these dynamic machines are compared with those of positive displacement expanders, such as scroll devices, obtainable from commercial HVAC compressor with minor revisions, and reciprocating ones, here newly designed

  13. COMPARISON OF THORACIC ULTRASONOGRAPHY AND RADIOGRAPHY FOR THE DETECTION OF INDUCED SMALL VOLUME PNEUMOTHORAX IN THE HORSE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Partlow, Jessica; David, Florent; Hunt, Luanne Michelle; Relave, Fabien; Blond, Laurent; Pinilla, Manuel; Lavoie, Jean-Pierre

    2017-05-01

    Small volume pneumothorax can be challenging to diagnose in horses. The current standard method for diagnosis is standing thoracic radiography. We hypothesized that thoracic ultrasonography would be more sensitive. Objectives of this prospective, experimental study were to describe a thoracic ultrasound method for detection of small volume pneumothorax in horses and to compare results of radiography and ultrasound in a sample of horses with induced small volume pneumothorax. Six mature healthy horses were recruited for this study. For each horse, five 50 ml air boluses were sequentially introduced via a teat cannula into the pleural space. Lateral thoracic radiographs and standardized ultrasound (2D and M-mode) examinations of both hemithoraces were performed following administration of each 50 ml air bolus. Radiographs and ultrasound images/videos were analyzed for detection of pneumothorax by four independent investigators who were unaware of treatment status. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values, and agreement among investigators (Kappa test, κ) were calculated for radiography, 2D and M-mode ultrasound. Comparisons were made using a chi-squared exact test with significance set at P pneumothorax detection (P = 0.02 and P = 0.04, respectively). Specificity and positive predictive values were similar for all three imaging modalities (P = 1). Agreement between investigators for pneumothorax detection was excellent for 2D ultrasound (κ = 1), very good for M-mode ultrasound (κ = 0.87), and good for radiography (κ = 0.79). Findings from this experimental study supported the use of thoracic ultrasonography as a diagnostic method for detecting pneumothorax in horses. © 2017 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

  14. Angular velocity of a sphere in a simple shear at small Reynolds number

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meibohm, J.; Candelier, F.; Rosén, T.; Einarsson, J.; Lundell, F.; Mehlig, B.

    2016-12-01

    We analyze the angular velocity of a small neutrally buoyant spheroid log rolling in a simple shear. When the effect of fluid inertia is negligible the angular velocity ω equals half the fluid vorticity. We compute by singular perturbation theory how weak fluid inertia reduces the angular velocity in an unbounded shear, and how this reduction depends upon the shape of the spheroid (on its aspect ratio). In addition we determine the angular velocity by direct numerical simulations. The results are in excellent agreement with the theory at small but not too small values of the shear Reynolds number Res, for all aspect ratios considered. For the special case of a sphere we find ω /s =-1 /2 +0.0540 Res3 /2 where s is the shear rate. The O (Res3 /2) correction differs from that derived by Lin et al. [J. Fluid Mech. 44, 1 (1970), 10.1017/S0022112070001659], who obtained a numerical coefficient roughly three times larger.

  15. ARE SMALL-FIRM CLUSTERS EMERGENT PHENOMENA? EVIDENCE FROM ZIMBABWE’S SMALL FURNITURE- MANUFACTURING FIRMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Godfrey MUPONDA

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons behind the rapid growth and apparent dynamism of Zimbabwe’s small-firm industrial clusters. The hypothesis behind the study was that these small-firm clusters are emergent phenomena. The study analysed the capital utilisation techniques of small firms located in a large industrial cluster in order to determine the factors that lead to the collective efficiency of such firms. The study found that, in comparison with large, stock exchange-listed firms, the cluster environment enables the small firm to operate from a relatively small capital base and also to use its capital more efficiently in creating revenues and profits. The individual firm does not have to invest its capital in a large assets base as this is done by a specialised group of firms within the cluster. Thus, the cluster has the characteristics of an emergent phenomenon.

  16. Conflictive management of small mammals considered as pests: A long way to evidence-based policy making

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Catarina FERREIRA; Miguel DELIBES-MATEOS

    2012-01-01

    This paper discusses the controversial management decisions made by policy-makers worldwide regarding poisoning campaigns aimed to control small mammal populations,often considered harmful economic pests.Aside from considerations regarding the biological consequences of these campaigns,we argue that when society rejects all values of science and expertise then only badly supported and negligent decisions will be made about conservation and management issues.The extermination of small mammal species,some of which play crucial ecological roles in several regions of the world,is just an example of such discredit and misinformation.Without a strong commitment towards evidence-based policy-making,economic investments in research and development could be entirely compromised [Current Zoology 58 (2):353-357,2012].

  17. Determination of negligible concentration threshold values for water pollution assessment; Ableitung von Geringfuegigkeitsschwellen zur Beurteilung von Grundwasserverunreinigungen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trenck, K.T. von der [Landesanstalt fuer Umweltschutz Baden-Wuerttemberg, Karlsruhe (Germany); Roeder, R.; Slama, H. [Bayerisches Landesamt fuer Wasserwirtschaft, Muenchen (Germany); Markard, C.; Kuehl, C. [Umweltbundesamt, Berlin (Germany)

    1999-06-01

    The contribution summarizes the major aspects of results and proposals elaborated by a working group: Criteria for derivation of the negligible concentration threshold, and proposed threshold values for organic and inorganic substances dangerous to water. Evaluation criteria are explained for assessing human toxicity as well as ecotoxicity, and substance-specific evaluation criteria are listed. (orig./CB) [Deutsch] Hauptpunkte des Beitrags, der die Ergebnisse eines Arbeitskreises erlaeutert, sind: Ableitungskriterien fr die Geringfuegigkeitsschwelle und Vorschlag von Geringfuegigkeitsschwellen fr organische und anorganische Wasserschadstoffe. Darstellung der humantoxischen Bewertungskriterien, sowie oekotoxische Bewertungskriterien. Zusammenstellung der stoffspezifischen Bewertungskriterien. (orig./AJ)

  18. Big Data, Small Sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerlovina, Inna; van der Laan, Mark J; Hubbard, Alan

    2017-05-20

    Multiple comparisons and small sample size, common characteristics of many types of "Big Data" including those that are produced by genomic studies, present specific challenges that affect reliability of inference. Use of multiple testing procedures necessitates calculation of very small tail probabilities of a test statistic distribution. Results based on large deviation theory provide a formal condition that is necessary to guarantee error rate control given practical sample sizes, linking the number of tests and the sample size; this condition, however, is rarely satisfied. Using methods that are based on Edgeworth expansions (relying especially on the work of Peter Hall), we explore the impact of departures of sampling distributions from typical assumptions on actual error rates. Our investigation illustrates how far the actual error rates can be from the declared nominal levels, suggesting potentially wide-spread problems with error rate control, specifically excessive false positives. This is an important factor that contributes to "reproducibility crisis". We also review some other commonly used methods (such as permutation and methods based on finite sampling inequalities) in their application to multiple testing/small sample data. We point out that Edgeworth expansions, providing higher order approximations to the sampling distribution, offer a promising direction for data analysis that could improve reliability of studies relying on large numbers of comparisons with modest sample sizes.

  19. Asymmetric actuating structure generates negligible influence on the supporting base for high performance scanning probe microscopies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi Yan, Gang; Bin Liu, Yong; Hua Feng, Zhi

    2014-02-01

    An asymmetric actuating structure generating negligible influence on the supporting base for high performance scanning probe microscopies is proposed in this paper. The actuator structure consists of two piezostacks, one is used for actuating while the other is for counterbalancing. In contrast with balanced structure, the two piezostacks are installed at the same side of the supporting base. The effectiveness of the structure is proved by some experiments with the actuators fixed to the free end of a cantilever. Experimental results show that almost all of the vibration modes of the cantilever are suppressed effectively at a wide frequency range of 90 Hz-10 kHz.

  20. Facilities for small-molecule crystallography at synchrotron sources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnett, Sarah A; Nowell, Harriott; Warren, Mark R; Wilcox, Andrian; Allan, David R

    2016-01-01

    Although macromolecular crystallography is a widely supported technique at synchrotron radiation facilities throughout the world, there are, in comparison, only very few beamlines dedicated to small-molecule crystallography. This limited provision is despite the increasing demand for beamtime from the chemical crystallography community and the ever greater overlap between systems that can be classed as either small macromolecules or large small molecules. In this article, a very brief overview of beamlines that support small-molecule single-crystal diffraction techniques will be given along with a more detailed description of beamline I19, a dedicated facility for small-molecule crystallography at Diamond Light Source.

  1. Jacob Mathew v. State of Punjab, the judgment stipulates the guidelines to be followed before launching a prosecution against a doctor for negligence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bhattaram Visweswara Subrahmanyam

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In a landmark judgment, the supreme court of India laid down guidelines in cases of alleged negligence against medical practitioners in India. It clearly stated that there is a need for protecting doctors from frivolous or unjust prosecution.

  2. Qualitative comparison of soil erosion, runoff and infiltration coefficients using small portable rainfall simulators in Germany, Spain and France

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodrigo Comino, Jesús; Iserloh, Thomas; Morvan, Xavier; Malam Issa, Oumarou; Naisse, Christophe; Keesstra, Saskia; Cerdà, Artemi; Prosdocimi, Massimo; Arnáez, José; Lasanta, Teodoro; Concepción Ramos, María; José Marqués, María; Ruiz Colmenero, Marta; Bienes, Ramón; Damián Ruiz Sinoga, José; Seeger, Manuel; Ries, Johannes B.

    2016-04-01

    Small portable rainfall simulators are considered as a useful tool to analyze soil erosion processes in cultivated lands. European research groups of Spain (Valencia, Málaga, Lleida, Madrid and La Rioja), France (Reims) or Germany (Trier) have used different rainfall simulators (varying in drop size distribution and fall velocities, kinetic energy, plot forms and sizes, and field of application)to study soil loss, surface flow, runoff and infiltration coefficients in different experimental plots (Valencia, Montes de Málaga, Penedès, Campo Real and La Rioja in Spain, Champagne in France and Mosel-Ruwer valley in Germany). The measurements and experiments developed by these research teams give an overview of the variety in the methodologies with rainfall simulations in studying the problem of soil erosion and describing the erosion features in different climatic environments, management practices and soil types. The aim of this study is: i) to investigate where, how and why researchers from different wine-growing regions applied rainfall simulations with successful results as a tool to measure soil erosion processes; ii) to make a qualitative comparison about the general soil erosion processes in European terroirs; iii) to demonstrate the importance of the development a standard method for soil erosion processes in vineyards, using rainfall simulators; iv) and to analyze the key factors that should be taken into account to carry out rainfall simulations. The rainfall simulations in all cases allowed knowing the infiltration capacity and the susceptibility of the soil to be detached and to generate sediment loads to runoff. Despite using small plots, the experiments were useful to analyze the influence of soil cover to reduce soil erosion and to make comparison between different locations or the influence of different soil characteristics.

  3. Inverted Planar Perovskite Solar Cells with a High Fill Factor and Negligible Hysteresis by the Dual Effect of NaCl-Doped PEDOT:PSS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Lijun; Sun, Kuan; Wang, Ming; Chen, Wei; Yang, Bo; Fu, Jiehao; Xiong, Zhuang; Li, Xinyi; Tang, Xiaosheng; Zang, Zhigang; Zhang, Shupeng; Sun, Lidong; Li, Meng

    2017-12-20

    The performance of inverted perovskite solar cells is highly dependent on hole extraction and surface properties of hole transport layers. To highlight the important role of hole transport layers, a facile and simple method is developed by adding sodium chloride (NaCl) into poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). The average power conversion efficiency of the perovskite solar cells prepared on NaCl-doped PEDOT:PSS is 17.1% with negligible hysteresis, compared favorably to the control devices (15.1%). Particularly, they exhibit markedly improved V oc and fill factor (FF), with the best FF as high as 81.9%. The enhancement of photovoltaic performance is ascribed to two effects. Better conductivity and hole extraction of PEDOT:PSS are observed after NaCl doping. More intriguingly, the perovskite polycrystalline film shows a preferred orientation along the (001) direction on NaCl-doped PEDOT:PSS, leading to a more uniform thin film. The comparison of the crystal structure between NaCl and MAPbCl 3 indicates a lattice constant mismatch less than 2% and a matched chlorine atom arrangement on the (001) surface, which implies that the NaCl crystallites on the top surface of PEDOT:PSS might serve as seeds guiding the growth of perovskite crystals. This simple method is fully compatible with printing technologies to mass-produce perovskite solar cells with high efficiency and tunable crystal orientations.

  4. Basics of elder law and legal liabilities of negligence and malpractice for physicians as they apply to individuals with disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ullman, David; Zuller, Michael E

    2005-02-01

    This article provides information regarding the issues that physicians face when dealing with elderly patients with cognitive deficits. It includes a discussion of basic legal terms and concepts that medical personnel should understand, various difficulties encountered by patients and families in crisis situations, and how the legal system deals with these issues. It concludes with a general discussion of the legal liabilities of negligence and malpractice.

  5. Negligible penetration of incidental amounts of alpha-hydroxy acid from rinse-off personal care products in human skin using an in vitro static diffusion cell model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okuda, M; Donahue, D A; Kaufman, L E; Avalos, J; Simion, F A; Story, D C; Sakaguchi, H; Fautz, R; Fuchs, A

    2011-12-01

    Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), primarily glycolic and lactic acids, are widely used in cosmetics to alleviate dyspigmentation, photodamage, and other aging skin conditions and as pH adjusters. Glycolic acid reportedly enhances skin damage after repeated ultraviolet light exposure, e.g., increased sunburn cell formation. This study assessed potential in vitro skin penetration of lactic acid and malic acid incorporated into rinse-off personal care products, compared with rinse-off and leave-on exposures to glycolic acid (10%, pH 3.5) in a reference lotion. Radiolabeled AHA-fortified shampoo, conditioner, and lotion were evenly applied as single doses to human epidermal membranes mounted in static diffusion cells (not occluded). Exposures were 1-3 min (rinse-off) or 24 h (leave-on). Epidermal penetration of malic acid and lactic acid from the rinse-off shampoo and conditioner, respectively, was negligible, with >99% removed by rinsing, a negligible portion remaining in the stratum corneum (≤0.15%), and even less penetrating into the viable epidermis (≤0.04%). Glycolic acid penetration from the leave-on reference lotion was 1.42 μg equiv./cm2/h, with total absorbable dose recovery (receptor fluid plus epidermis) of 2.51%, compared to 0.009%, 0.003%, and 0.04% for the rinse-off reference lotion, shampoo (malic acid), and conditioner (lactic acid) exposures, respectively. Dermal penetration of AHAs into human skin is pH-, concentration-, and time-dependent. Alpha-hydroxy acids in rinse-off shampoos and conditioners are almost entirely removed from the skin within minutes by rinsing (resulting in negligible epidermal penetration). This suggests that ultraviolet radiation-induced skin effects of AHA-containing rinse-off products are negligible. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Experimental and numerical comparison of absorption optimization in small rooms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wincentz, Jakob Nygård; Garcia, Julian Martinez-Villalba; Jeong, Cheol-Ho

    2016-01-01

    the Schroeder frequency. This project investigates experimentally changes in the room acoustic parameters by altering the positioning and orientation of porous materials in a small room, which are compared with finite element method (FEM) simulations. FEM is able to take into account the exact room geometry......, boundary conditions, and phase information providing accuracy at low frequencies. Good agreements are found between measurements and simulations, confirming that FEM can be used as a design tool for optimizing absorption and acoustic parameters in small rooms...

  7. Automatic computation of moment magnitudes for small earthquakes and the scaling of local to moment magnitude

    OpenAIRE

    Edwards, Benjamin; Allmann, Bettina; Fäh, Donat; Clinton, John

    2017-01-01

    Moment magnitudes (MW) are computed for small and moderate earthquakes using a spectral fitting method. 40 of the resulting values are compared with those from broadband moment tensor solutions and found to match with negligible offset and scatter for available MW values of between 2.8 and 5.0. Using the presented method, MW are computed for 679 earthquakes in Switzerland with a minimum ML= 1.3. A combined bootstrap and orthogonal L1 minimization is then used to produce a scaling relation bet...

  8. Sample sizes and model comparison metrics for species distribution models

    Science.gov (United States)

    B.B. Hanberry; H.S. He; D.C. Dey

    2012-01-01

    Species distribution models use small samples to produce continuous distribution maps. The question of how small a sample can be to produce an accurate model generally has been answered based on comparisons to maximum sample sizes of 200 observations or fewer. In addition, model comparisons often are made with the kappa statistic, which has become controversial....

  9. Angular velocity of a spheroid log rolling in a simple shear at small Reynolds number

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meibohm, Jan; Candelier, Fabien; Rosen, Tomas; Einarsson, Jonas; Lundell, Fredrik; Mehlig, Bernhard

    2016-11-01

    We analyse the angular velocity of a small neutrally buoyant spheroid log rolling in a simple shear. When the effect of fluid inertia is negligible the angular velocity ω -> equals half the fluid vorticity. We compute by singular perturbation theory how weak fluid inertia reduces the angular velocity in an unbounded shear, and how this reduction depends upon the shape of the spheroid (on its aspect ratio). In addition we determine the angular velocity by direct numerical simulations. The results are in excellent agreement with the theory at small but not too small values of the shear Reynolds number, for all aspect ratios considered. For the special case of a sphere we find ω / s = - 1 / 2 + 0 . 0540Re 3 / 2 where s is the shear rate and Re is the shear Reynolds number. This result differs from that derived by Lin et al. who obtained a numerical coefficient roughly three times larger.

  10. Enteroclysis and small bowel series: Comparison of radiation dose and examination time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thoeni, R.F.; Gould, R.G.

    1991-01-01

    Respective radiation doses and total examination and fluoroscopy times were compared for 50 patients; 25 underwent enteroclysis and 25 underwent small bowel series with (n = 17) and without (n = 8) an examination of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. For enteroclysis, the mean skin entry radiation dose (12.3 rad [123 mGy]) and mean fluoroscopy time (18.4 minutes) were almost 1 1/2 times greater than those for the small bowel series with examination of the upper GI tract (8.4 rad [84 mGy]; 11.4 minutes) and almost three times greater than those for the small bowel series without upper GI examination (4.6 rad [46 mGy]; 6.3 minutes). However, the mean total examination completion time for enteroclysis (31.2 minutes) was almost half that of the small bowel series without upper GI examination (57.5 minutes) and almost four times shorter than that of the small bowel series with upper GI examination (114 minutes). The higher radiation dose of enteroclysis should be considered along with the short examination time, the age and clinical condition of the patient, and the reported higher accuracy when deciding on the appropriate radiographic examination of the small bowel

  11. An alternative to γ histograms for ROI-based quantitative dose comparisons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dvorak, P

    2009-01-01

    An alternative to gamma (γ) histograms for ROI-based quantitative comparisons of dose distributions using the γ concept is proposed. The method provides minimum values of dose difference and distance-to-agreement such that a pre-set fraction of the region of interest passes the γ test. Compared to standard γ histograms, the method provides more information in terms of pass rate per γ calculation. This is achieved at negligible additional calculation cost and without loss of accuracy. The presented method is proposed as a useful and complementary alternative to standard γ histograms, increasing both the quantity and quality of information for use in acceptance or rejection decisions. (note)

  12. Comparison of Heavy Water Reactor Thermalhydraulic Code Predictions with Small Break LOCA Experimental Data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-08-01

    Activities within the frame of the IAEA's Technical Working Group on Advanced Technologies for HWRs (TWG-HWR) are conducted in a project within the IAEA's subprogramme on nuclear power reactor technology development. The objective of the activities on HWRs is to foster, within the frame of the TWG-HWR, information exchange and cooperative research on technology development for current and future HWRs, with an emphasis on safety, economics and fuel resource sustainability. One of the activities recommended by the TWG-HWR was an international standard problem exercise entitled Intercomparison and Validation of Computer Codes for Thermalhydraulics Safety Analyses. Intercomparison and validation of computer codes used in different countries for thermalhydraulics safety analyses will enhance the confidence in the predictions made by these codes. However, the intercomparison and validation exercise needs a set of reliable experimental data. Two RD-14M small break loss of coolant accident (SBLOCA) tests, simulating HWR LOCA behaviour, conducted by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL), were selected for this validation project. This report provides a comparison of the results obtained from eight participating organizations from six countries (Argentina, Canada, China, India, Republic of Korea, and Romania), utilizing four different computer codes (ATMIKA, CATHENA, MARS-KS, and RELAP5). General conclusions are reached and recommendations made.

  13. Fracture toughness of the IEA heat of F82H ferritic/martensitic stainless steel as a function of loading mode

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Huaxin; Gelles, D.S. [Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (United States); Hirth, J.P. [Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)] [and others

    1997-04-01

    Mode I and mixed-mode I/III fracture toughness tests were performed for the IEA heat of the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic stainless steel F82H at ambient temperature in order to provide comparison with previous measurements on a small heat given a different heat treatment. The results showed that heat to heat variations and heat treatment had negligible consequences on Mode I fracture toughness, but behavior during mixed-mode testing showed unexpected instabilities.

  14. Comparison of Surgically Treated Large Versus Small Intestinal Volvulus (2009-2014).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Elizabeth; Townsend, Forrest I; Bennett, Julie W; Takacs, Joel; Bloch, Christopher P

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare the outcome for dogs with surgically treated large versus small intestinal volvulus between October 2009 and February 2014. A total of 15 dogs met the inclusion criteria and underwent an abdominal exploratory. Nine dogs were diagnosed with large intestinal volvulus during the study period, and all nine had surgical correction for large intestinal volvulus. All dogs were discharged from the hospital. Of the seven dogs available for phone follow-up (74 to 955 days postoperatively), all seven were alive and doing well. Six dogs were diagnosed with small intestinal volvulus during the study period. One of the six survived to hospital discharge. Three of the six were euthanized at the time of surgery due to an extensive amount of necrotic bowel. Of the three who were not, one died postoperatively the same day, one died 3 days later, and one dog survived for greater than 730 days. Results concluded that the outcome in dogs with surgically corrected large intestinal volvulus is excellent, compared with a poor outcome in dogs with small intestinal volvulus. The overall survival to discharge for large intestinal volvulus was 100%, versus 16% for small intestinal volvulus.

  15. A comparison of survey methods for documenting presence of Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-Footed Bats) at roosting areas in Western Virginia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huth, John K.; Silvis, Alexander; Moosman, Paul R.; Ford, W. Mark; Sweeten, Sara E.

    2015-01-01

    Many aspects of foraging and roosting habitat of Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-Footed Bat), an emergent rock roosting-obligate, are poorly described. Previous comparisons of effectiveness of acoustic sampling and mist-net captures have not included Eastern Small-Footed Bat. Habitat requirements of this species differ from congeners in the region, and it is unclear whether survey protocols developed for other species are applicable. Using data from three overlapping studies at two sampling sites in western Virginia’s central Appalachian Mountains, detection probabilities were examined for three survey methods (acoustic surveys with automated identification of calls, visual searches of rock crevices, and mist-netting) for use in the development of “best practices” for future surveys and monitoring. Observer effects were investigated using an expanded version of visual search data. Results suggested that acoustic surveys with automated call identification are not effective for documenting presence of Eastern Small-Footed Bats on talus slopes (basal detection rate of 0%) even when the species is known to be present. The broadband, high frequency echolocation calls emitted by Eastern Small-Footed Bat may be prone to attenuation by virtue of their high frequencies, and these factors, along with signal reflection, lower echolocation rates or possible misidentification to other bat species over talus slopes may all have contributed to poor acoustic survey success. Visual searches and mist-netting of emergent rock had basal detection probabilities of 91% and 75%, respectively. Success of visual searches varied among observers, but detection probability improved with practice. Additionally, visual searches were considerably more economical than mist-netting.

  16. An analytical framework for extracting hydrological information from time series of small reservoirs in a semi-arid region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annor, Frank; van de Giesen, Nick; Bogaard, Thom; Eilander, Dirk

    2013-04-01

    Small water reservoirs for water resources management have as important socio-economic advantage that they bring water close to villages and households. This proximity allows for many water uses in addition to irrigation, such as fisheries, household water, building materials (loam, reeds), tourism and recreation, and cattle watering. These positive aspects are offset by the relatively large evaporative losses in comparison to larger reservoirs, although, it is not exactly known how large these losses are. For decision makers, investors and donors, the decision to construct a small reservoir should be multifactored; and based on economic, socio-cultural and environmental factors. For the latter, getting the water balance and the energy budget of small reservoirs right is key for any environmental impact analyses. For Northern Ghana, the relation between volume of a small reservoir and its' surface area has been established in a robust equation as: Volume = 0.00857Area1.4367 with the surface area explaining more than 95% of the variation in water volume of the reservoirs. This allows the use of remote sensing observations for estimating water volume of small reservoirs in northern Ghana. Hydrological analyses of time series of small reservoir areas comprises estimates of evaporation fluxes and cumulative surface runoff curves. Once the reservoirs are full, spillage will occur and volumes and surface areas remain stable at their maximum extents. This implies that the time series of reservoir surface area contains information concerning the on-set of downstream surface runoff. This on-set does not coincide with the on-set of the rainy season but largely depends on the distribution of rainfall events and storage capacity in the subsurface. The main requirement for this analysis is that the reservoir has negligible seepage losses or water influx from the underlying subsurface. In our research, we carried out a time series analysis of surface area extent for about 45

  17. Case study of the propagation of a small flaw under PWR loading conditions and comparison with the ASME code design life. Comparison of ASME Code Sections III and XI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yahr, G.T.; Gwaltney, R.C.; Richardson, A.K.; Server, W.L.

    1986-01-01

    A cooperative study was performed by EG and G Idaho, Inc., and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to investigate the degree of conservatism and consistency in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III fatigue evaluation procedure and Section XI flaw acceptance standards. A single, realistic, sample problem was analyzed to determine the significance of certain points of criticism made of an earlier parametric study by staff members of the Division of Engineering Standards of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The problem was based on a semielliptical flaw located on the inside surface of the hot-leg piping at the reactor vessel safe-end weld for the Zion 1 pressurized-water reactor (PWR). Two main criteria were used in selecting the problem; first, it should be a straight pipe to minimize the computational expense; second, it should exhibit as high a cumulative usage factor as possible. Although the problem selected has one of the highest cumulative usage factors of any straight pipe in the primary system of PWRs, it is still very low. The Code Section III fatigue usage factor was only 0.00046, assuming it was in the as-welded condition, and fatigue crack-growth analyses predicted negligible crack growth during the 40-year design life. When the analyses were extended past the design life, the usage factor was less than 1.0 when the flaw had propagated to failure. The current study shows that the criticism of the earlier report should not detract from the conclusion that if a component experiences a high level of cyclic stress corresponding to a fatigue usage factor near 1.0, very small cracks can propagate to unacceptable sizes

  18. Determination of output factor for 6 MV small photon beam: comparison between Monte Carlo simulation technique and microDiamond detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krongkietlearts, K; Tangboonduangjit, P; Paisangittisakul, N

    2016-01-01

    In order to improve the life's quality for a cancer patient, the radiation techniques are constantly evolving. Especially, the two modern techniques which are intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) are quite promising. They comprise of many small beam sizes (beamlets) with various intensities to achieve the intended radiation dose to the tumor and minimal dose to the nearby normal tissue. The study investigates whether the microDiamond detector (PTW manufacturer), a synthetic single crystal diamond detector, is suitable for small field output factor measurement. The results were compared with those measured by the stereotactic field detector (SFD) and the Monte Carlo simulation (EGSnrc/BEAMnrc/DOSXYZ). The calibration of Monte Carlo simulation was done using the percentage depth dose and dose profile measured by the photon field detector (PFD) of the 10×10 cm 2 field size with 100 cm SSD. Comparison of the values obtained from the calculations and measurements are consistent, no more than 1% difference. The output factors obtained from the microDiamond detector have been compared with those of SFD and Monte Carlo simulation, the results demonstrate the percentage difference of less than 2%. (paper)

  19. Drift motions of small-scale irregularities in the high-latitude F region: An experimental comparison with plasma drift motions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruohoniemi, J.M.; Greenwald, R.A.; Baker, K.B.; Villain, J.P.; McCready, M.A.

    1987-01-01

    On the evening of January 6, 1986, coordinated observations were carried out with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory HF coherent scatter radar at Goose Bay, Labrador, and the SRI International incoherent scatter radar at Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland. The common field of view comprised a section of high-latitude F region ionosphere centered on the great circle plane between the radar sites. Over a 40-min period, the HF radar observed strong backscatter from small-scale (13.9 m) field-aligned irregularities. The bulk line-of-sight drift velocity of the irregularities is deduced from the backscatter data. The returns collected simultaneously with the incoherent scatter radar are processed for estimates of the mean line-of-sight ion velocity. Approximately 100 distinct comparisons are possible between the two sets of velocity estimates. Reversals exceeding 1,000 m/s are present in both. In this paper, the authors demonstrate a correspondence between the measured irregularity and ion drifts that is consistent with the supposition that the motion of the irregularities is dominated by convective drift of the ambient plasma. This indicates that the small-scale irregularities detected by HF radars in the high-latitude F region can serve as tracers of ionospheric convective drift

  20. Scattering of acoustic waves by small crustaceans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreeva, I. B.; Tarasov, L. L.

    2003-03-01

    Features of underwater sound scattering by small crustaceans are considered. The scattering data are obtained with the use of unique instrumentation that allows one to measure quantitative scattering characteristics (backscattering cross sections and angular scattering patterns) for crustaceans of different sizes, at different frequencies (20 200 kHz) and different insonification aspects. A computational model of crustaceans is considered with allowance for both the soft tissues of the main massive part of the animal's body and the stiff armour. The model proves to be advantageous for explaining some scattering features observed in the experiments. The scattering cross sections of crustaceans measured by other researchers are presented in a unified form appropriate for comparison. Based on such a quantitative comparison, relatively simple approximate empirical formulas are proposed for estimating the backscattering cross sections of small (within several centimeters) marine crustaceans in a broad frequency range.

  1. High-resolution SPECT for small-animal imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qi Yujin

    2006-01-01

    This article presents a brief overview of the development of high-resolution SPECT for small-animal imaging. A pinhole collimator has been used for high-resolution animal SPECT to provide better spatial resolution and detection efficiency in comparison with a parallel-hole collimator. The theory of imaging characteristics of the pinhole collimator is presented and the designs of the pinhole aperture are discussed. The detector technologies used for the development of small-animal SPECT and the recent advances are presented. The evolving trend of small-animal SPECT is toward a multi-pinhole and a multi-detector system to obtain a high resolution and also a high detection efficiency. (authors)

  2. Comparison of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Performance Using Image Processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esteban Cano

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Precision agriculture is a farm management technology that involves sensing and then responding to the observed variability in the field. Remote sensing is one of the tools of precision agriculture. The emergence of small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV have paved the way to accessible remote sensing tools for farmers. This paper describes the development of an image processing approach to compare two popular off-the-shelf sUAVs: 3DR Iris+ and DJI Phantom 2. Both units are equipped with a camera gimbal attached with a GoPro camera. The comparison of the two sUAV involves a hovering test and a rectilinear motion test. In the hovering test, the sUAV was allowed to hover over a known object and images were taken every quarter of a second for two minutes. For the image processing evaluation, the position of the object in the images was measured and this was used to assess the stability of the sUAV while hovering. In the rectilinear test, the sUAV was allowed to follow a straight path and images of a lined track were acquired. The lines on the images were then measured on how accurate the sUAV followed the path. The hovering test results show that the 3DR Iris+ had a maximum position deviation of 0.64 m (0.126 m root mean square RMS displacement while the DJI Phantom 2 had a maximum deviation of 0.79 m (0.150 m RMS displacement. In the rectilinear motion test, the maximum displacement for the 3DR Iris+ and the DJI phantom 2 were 0.85 m (0.134 m RMS displacement and 0.73 m (0.372 m RMS displacement. These results demonstrated that the two sUAVs performed well in both the hovering test and the rectilinear motion test and thus demonstrated that both sUAVs can be used for civilian applications such as agricultural monitoring. The results also showed that the developed image processing approach can be used to evaluate performance of a sUAV and has the potential to be used as another feedback control parameter for autonomous navigation.

  3. Small-scale upgrading and refinement of biogas; Smaaskalig uppgradering och foeraedling av biogas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blom, Helena; Mccann, Michael; Westman, Johan (Poeyry SwedPower AB, Stockholm (Sweden))

    2012-02-15

    Small-scale upgrading and refinement of biogas is a report which aims to compile the state of knowledge in small-scale biogas upgrading. The project have been a collaboration with Agrovaest and Energy Farm and was funded by the Foundation for Agricultural Research, Western Goetaland and the Agriculture Department. The technology available for small scale upgrade has been examined from the technical and economic standpoint. An economic comparison has been made and the production of upgraded biogas has been estimated for different raw gas flows. The work also contains information related to biogas production, upgrading and a comparison of liquid biogas, DME and Ecopar-diesel

  4. Small-angle neutron scattering in materials science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fratzl, P.

    1999-01-01

    Small-angle scattering (SAS) in an ideal tool for studying the structure of materials in the mesoscopic size range between 1 and about 100 nanometers. The basic principles of the method are reviewed, with particular emphasis on data evaluation and interpretation for isotropic as well as oriented or single-crystalline materials. Examples include metal alloys, composites and porous materials. The last section gives a comparison between the use of neutrons and (synchrotron) x-rays for small-angle scattering in materials physics. (author)

  5. Energy consumption of small refrigerators - Information leaflet; Merkblatt Kleinkuehlschrank

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2009-07-01

    In this leaflet published by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), the energy consumption of small refrigerators with a capacity of less than 100 litres is reported on. Such small refrigerators are often used in hotel rooms or in campers. It is noted that, in comparison, a typical, 150 litre class A++ domestic refrigerator uses only a fraction of the amount of energy used by such small refrigerators. The results of measurements made according to EN 153 and ISO 15502 norms are discussed. Recommendations are made on the purchase and operation of these small refrigerators.

  6. Improving the seismic small-scale modelling by comparison with numerical methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pageot, Damien; Leparoux, Donatienne; Le Feuvre, Mathieu; Durand, Olivier; Côte, Philippe; Capdeville, Yann

    2017-10-01

    The potential of experimental seismic modelling at reduced scale provides an intermediate step between numerical tests and geophysical campaigns on field sites. Recent technologies such as laser interferometers offer the opportunity to get data without any coupling effects. This kind of device is used in the Mesures Ultrasonores Sans Contact (MUSC) measurement bench for which an automated support system makes possible to generate multisource and multireceivers seismic data at laboratory scale. Experimental seismic modelling would become a great tool providing a value-added stage in the imaging process validation if (1) the experimental measurement chain is perfectly mastered, and thus if the experimental data are perfectly reproducible with a numerical tool, as well as if (2) the effective source is reproducible along the measurement setup. These aspects for a quantitative validation concerning devices with piezoelectrical sources and a laser interferometer have not been yet quantitatively studied in published studies. Thus, as a new stage for the experimental modelling approach, these two key issues are tackled in the proposed paper in order to precisely define the quality of the experimental small-scale data provided by the bench MUSC, which are available in the scientific community. These two steps of quantitative validation are dealt apart any imaging techniques in order to offer the opportunity to geophysicists who want to use such data (delivered as free data) of precisely knowing their quality before testing any imaging technique. First, in order to overcome the 2-D-3-D correction usually done in seismic processing when comparing 2-D numerical data with 3-D experimental measurement, we quantitatively refined the comparison between numerical and experimental data by generating accurate experimental line sources, avoiding the necessity of geometrical spreading correction for 3-D point-source data. The comparison with 2-D and 3-D numerical modelling is based on

  7. Clearance of material with negligible levels of radioactivity based on the amended German radiation protection ordinance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schaller, G.; Bayer, A.

    2002-01-01

    For the first time the modalities for the clearance of relevant materials have been laid down in the amended Radiation Protection Ordinance in a comprehensive form. A distinction is made between unconditional clearance and cases of clearance in which disposal, recycling, and re-use is prescribed. The focus of attention in the case of unconditional clearance consists in special consideration of large volumes of building rubble and excavated soil. Material can only be released from supervision under the Atomic Energy Act, when the radiation-related risk, and correspondingly, also the dose from material issued with clearance, are at negligible levels. In order to facilitate the practical application of clearance, values have been derived on the basis of scenarios which cover all radiation exposures which can reasonably be considered. (orig.) [de

  8. Comparison of simple, small, full-scale sewage treatment systems in Brazil: UASB-maturation ponds-coarse filter; UASB-horizontal subsurface-flow wetland; vertical-flow wetland (first stage of French system).

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Sperling, M

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents a comparison between three simple sewage treatment lines involving natural processes: (a) upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor-three maturation ponds in series-coarse rock filter; (b) UASB reactor-horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetland; and (c) vertical-flow constructed wetlands treating raw sewage (first stage of the French system). The evaluation was based on several years of practical experience with three small full-scale plants receiving the same influent wastewater (population equivalents of 220, 60 and 100 inhabitants) in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The comparison included interpretation of concentrations and removal efficiencies based on monitoring data (organic matter, solids, nitrogen, phosphorus, coliforms and helminth eggs), together with an evaluation of practical aspects, such as land and volume requirements, sludge production and handling, plant management, clogging and others. Based on an integrated evaluation of all aspects involved, it is worth emphasizing that each system has its own specificities, and no generalization can be made on the best option. The overall conclusion is that the three lines are suitable for sewage treatment in small communities in warm-climate regions.

  9. Analysis of the competitiveness of small business

    OpenAIRE

    KUČEROVÁ, Iveta

    2011-01-01

    The bachalorś thesis is described and characterized by a particular small business. Furthermore, its competitiveness, competitiveness analysis, and analysis of its major competitors. Based on a comparison of the chosen company to the competition is based on a proposal to improve business competitiveness and market position.

  10. IS OHS NEGLIGENCE AND EVASION AN “ERROR OF JUDGEMENT” OR “WHITE-COLLAR CRIME”? AN INTERPRETATION OF APPAREL MANUFACTURERS IN BANGLADESH

    OpenAIRE

    Muhammad Faisol Chowdhury

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the managerial interpretation of the terms “error of judgement” and “white-collar crime” in relation to the evasion or negligence observed in administering occupational health and safety (OHS) provisions in the apparel manufacturing sector of Bangladesh. The research is qualitative in nature and follows an interpretivist paradigm. The questionnaire responses were collected from 20 mid- and top-level managers from 10 large apparel manufacturing factories located on the ...

  11. Comparison of Endoscopic and Open Resection for Small Gastric Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fan Feng

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends conservative follow-up for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs less than 2 cm. We have previously reported that the mitotic index of 22.22% of small gastric GISTs exceeded 5 per 50 high-power fields and recommended that all small gastric GISTs should be resected once diagnosed. The aim of the present study is to compare the safety and outcomes of endoscopic and open resection of small gastric GISTs. From May 2010 to March 2014, a total of 90 small gastric GIST patients were enrolled in the present study, including 40 patients who underwent surgical resection and 50 patients who underwent endoscopic resection. The clinicopathological characteristics, resection-related factors, and clinical outcomes were recorded and analyzed. The clinicopathological characteristics were comparable between the two groups except for tumor location and DOG-1 expression. Compared with the surgical resection group, the operation time was shorter (P = .000, blood loss was less (P = .000, pain intensity was lower (P < .05, duration of first flatus and defecation was shorter (P < .05, and medical cost of hospitalization was lower (P = .027 in the endoscopic resection group. The complications and postoperative hospital stay were comparable between the two groups. No in situ recurrence or liver metastasis was observed during follow-up. Endoscopic resection of small gastric GISTs is safe and feasible compared with surgical resection, although perforation could not be totally avoided during and after resection. The clinical outcome of endoscopic resection is also favorable.

  12. The Effects of Distention and Obstruction on the Accumulation of Fluid in the Lumen of Small Bowel of Dogs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishra, Nand K.; Appert, Hubert E.; Howard, John M.

    1974-01-01

    Fluid accumulation in either the obstructed upper or lower intestinal segments of the dog was found in most animals to be negligible. Distention pressures of 25 cm of water tended to reduce fluid accumulation within the intestinal lumen. These studies suggest that if the dog is comparable to man, the intraluminal accumulation of fluid in the obstructed small bowel of man might be due to alterations in blood supply to the intestine, rather than to obstruction per se, or the accumulated fluid originates proximal to the jejunum. PMID:4419581

  13. Negligence and the communication of neonatal genetic information to parents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fay, Michael

    2012-01-01

    It is inevitable that neonatal genetic information will be communicated to parents and a potential for psychiatric injury exists where the communication is negligent. An important question in this regard is whether a health-care provider may owe a duty of care to parents when communicating accurate genetic information, or whether the courts might treat it as merely the receipt of distressing news, which hitherto attracts no liability in English Tort Law. The important role of genetic counselling in this context will likely be determinative in deciding whether communicating accurate genetic information is actionable because it arguably distinguishes the parent-physician relationship from that of messenger-recipient. If communication is accepted as being something more than the receipt of distressing news and is capable of causing 'shock', then parents will need to establish themselves as either primary or secondary victims if claims are to be reconciled with the Alcock paradigm. Claims by parents as secondary victims will be unlikely to succeed because the neonate does not fulfil the role of primary victim, although parents may be owed a duty as elevated primary victims as a result of the lack of an immediate victim. Elevating claimants to primary victim status is not without criticism and may serve to further complicate a difficult area of tort law. Alternatively, it may be open to parents to demonstrate that a duty exists subsequent to an assumption of responsibility, as the provision of genetic counselling during and after neonatal screening is indicative of health-care providers assuming responsibility for the parents' mental health. If parents are able to establish that a duty of care exists, then success of their claims will be determined by reference to breach and causation. The potential difficulties and solutions, particularly with regard to causation, are also briefly considered. It is suggested that breach will likely be determined by reference to a

  14. Fabrication of transferrin functionalized gold nanoclusters/graphene oxide nanocomposite for turn-on near-infrared fluorescent bioimaging of cancer cells and small animals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yong; Chen, Jia-Tong; Yan, Xiu-Ping

    2013-02-19

    Transferrin (Tf)-functionalized gold nanoclusters (Tf-AuNCs)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite (Tf-AuNCs/GO) was fabricated as a turn-on near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe for bioimaging cancer cells and small animals. A one-step approach was developed to prepare Tf-AuNCs via a biomineralization process with Tf as the template. Tf acted not only as a stabilizer and a reducer but also as a functional ligand for targeting the transferrin receptor (TfR). The prepared Tf-AuNCs gave intense NIR fluorescence that can avoid interference from biological media such as tissue autofluorescence and scattering light. The assembly of Tf-AuNCs and GO gave the Tf-AuNCs/GO nanocomposite, a turn-on NIR fluorescent probe with negligible background fluorescence due to the super fluorescence quenching property of GO. The NIR fluorescence of the Tf-AuNCs/GO nanocomposite was effectively restored in the presence of TfR, due to the specific interaction between Tf and TfR and the competition of TfR with the GO for the Tf in Tf-AuNCs/GO composite. The developed turn-on NIR fluorescence probe offered excellent water solubility, stability, and biocompatibility, and exhibited high specificity to TfR with negligible cytotoxicity. The probe was successfully applied for turn-on fluorescent bioimaging of cancer cells and small animals.

  15. The Politics, Development and Problems of Small Irrigation Dams in Malawi: Experiences from Mzuzu ADD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bryson Gwiyani Nkhoma

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper examines the progress made regarding the development of small irrigation dams in Malawi with the view of establishing their significance in improving rural livelihoods in the country. The paper adopts a political economy theory and a qualitative research approach. Evidence from Mzuzu Agricultural Development Division (ADD, where small reservoirs acquire specific relevance, shows that despite the efforts made, the development of small dams is making little progress. The paper highlights that problems of top-down planning, high investment costs, negligence of national and local interests, over-dependency on donors, and conflicts over the use of dams – which made large-scale dams unpopular in the 1990s – continue to affect the development of small irrigation dams in Malawi. The paper argues that small irrigation dams should not be simplistically seen as a panacea to the problems of large-scale irrigation dams. Like any other projects, small dams are historically and socially constructed through interests of different actors in the local settings, and can only succeed if actors, especially those from formal institutions, develop adaptive learning towards apparent conflicting relations that develop among them in the process of implementation. In the case of Mzuzu ADD, it was the failure of the government to develop this adaptive learning to the contestations and conflicts among these actors that undermined successful implementation of small irrigation dams. The paper recommends the need to consider local circumstances, politics, interests, rights and institutions when investing in small irrigation dams.

  16. Financial compensation for radiotherapy-related adverse events in a judicial system where proof of medical negligence is not required

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nyandoto, Paul; Muhonen, Timo; Hakala, Tapani; Dombrowski, Mitchell P.; Joensuu, Heikki

    2001-01-01

    Purpose: To examine the frequency of adverse events related to radiation therapy that lead to financial compensation in a judicial system that is not based on litigation in court but on statutory insurance where proof of medical negligence is not required for obtaining compensation. Methods and Materials: In Finland, an injured patient does not sue through the courts, but submits an insurance claim to the Patient Insurance Association. Proof of medical negligence is not required for obtaining compensation. We reviewed all filed claims associated with radiotherapy presented to the Patient Insurance Association from May 1987 to January 1999. During this time period, 1,732,000 patient visits to radiation therapy units were made, and the estimated number of radiotherapy treatments was 86,600. The data collected included descriptions of the adverse events, examination of the radiation therapy procedures followed, assessment of the causal relation of the event to radiotherapy by the therapists involved and by independent reviewers, and the sums used for compensation. Results: Only 102 patients (about 0.1%) had filed a claim for financial compensation, and in 18 (0.02%) cases the claim led to compensation. The mean national annual expenditure used for compensation was $35,200, and the sums paid in single cases ranged from $310 to $287,430 (median, $1,970). The expenditure used for compensating adverse radiation events was about $4 per treated patient, which is about 0.3% of all radiation therapy costs. Conclusions: The frequency of radiation therapy injuries that are financially compensated can remain low in an insurance-based judicial system where no litigation or attorneys are involved

  17. Tax Support of Small Enterprises Activity in Ukraine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pronoza Pavlo V

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the article is to evaluate the importance of small enterprises for the economic development of Ukraine and determine priorities of their stimulation. The analysis of quantitative indicators of small businesses and their comparison with the average level of all enterprises in Ukraine as a whole allowed evaluating their importance in the development of the country. There has been identified a special role of small enterprises in Ukraine’s economy and confirmed the expediency of using tax regulation instruments aimed at their development. There was identified an insufficient efficiency level of tax regulation of small businesses in Ukraine due to using a simplified system of taxation, accounting and reporting. The basic tools used in the framework of tax regulation of small enterprises activities in international practice have been determined. Additional analysis of performance of small enterprises by types of economic activity on the basis of an integrated assessment permitted to identify priorities of using tax regulation instruments in Ukraine.

  18. Closing small open economy models

    OpenAIRE

    Schmitt-Grohe, Stephanie; Uribe, Martín

    2001-01-01

    The small open economy model with incomplete asset markets features a steady state that depends on initial conditions and equilibrium dynamics that possess a random walk component. A number of modifications to the standard model have been proposed to induce stationarity. This paper presents a quantitative comparison of these alternative approaches. Five different specifications are considered: (1) A model with an endogenous discount factor (Uzawa-type preferences); (2) A model with a debt-ela...

  19. Investigation on vibrational evaluation criteria for small-bore pipe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuji, Takashi; Maekawa, Akira; Takahashi, Tsuneo; Kato, Minoru; Torigoe, Yuichi

    2013-01-01

    The well-known organization such as API and SwRI in USA developed criteria for piping vibrational evaluation. These criteria are targeted for main pipes, but not branch pipes with small bore. In this study, applicability of criteria of API and SwRI to branch pipes was investigated. Vibration test using piping system with small bore branch pipe was conducted and amplitudes of vibrational stress and displacement were measured for various exciting force. In comparison of the measurements with the two criteria, though the criteria of API and SwRI were applicable to small bore branch pipe, they made too conservative evaluation. (author)

  20. Language-related differential item functioning between English and German PROMIS Depression items is negligible.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischer, H Felix; Wahl, Inka; Nolte, Sandra; Liegl, Gregor; Brähler, Elmar; Löwe, Bernd; Rose, Matthias

    2017-12-01

    To investigate differential item functioning (DIF) of PROMIS Depression items between US and German samples we compared data from the US PROMIS calibration sample (n = 780), a German general population survey (n = 2,500) and a German clinical sample (n = 621). DIF was assessed in an ordinal logistic regression framework, with 0.02 as criterion for R 2 -change and 0.096 for Raju's non-compensatory DIF. Item parameters were initially fixed to the PROMIS Depression metric; we used plausible values to account for uncertainty in depression estimates. Only four items showed DIF. Accounting for DIF led to negligible effects for the full item bank as well as a post hoc simulated computer-adaptive test (German general population sample was considerably lower compared to the US reference value of 50. Overall, we found little evidence for language DIF between US and German samples, which could be addressed by either replacing the DIF items by items not showing DIF or by scoring the short form in German samples with the corrected item parameters reported. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  1. Comparison of mineral weathering and biomass nutrient uptake in two small forested watersheds underlain by quartzite bedrock, Catoctin Mountain, Maryland, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rice, Karen; Price, Jason R.

    2014-01-01

    To quantify chemical weathering and biological uptake, mass-balance calculations were performed on two small forested watersheds located in the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province in north-central Maryland, USA. Both watersheds, Bear Branch (BB) and Fishing Creek Tributary (FCT), are underlain by relatively unreactive quartzite bedrock. Such unreactive bedrock and associated low chemical-weathering rates offer the opportunity to quantify biological processes operating within the watershed. Hydrologic and stream-water chemistry data were collected from the two watersheds for the 9-year period from June 1, 1990 to May 31, 1999. Of the two watersheds, FCT exhibited both higher chemical-weathering rates and biomass nutrient uptake rates, suggesting that forest biomass aggradation was limited by the rate of chemical weathering of the bedrock. Although the chemical-weathering rate in the FCT watershed was low relative to the global average, it masked the influence of biomass base-cation uptake on stream-water chemistry. Any differences in bedrock mineralogy between the two watersheds did not exert a significant influence on the overall weathering stoichiometry. The difference in chemical-weathering rates between the two watersheds is best explained by a larger proportion of reactive phyllitic layers within the bedrock of the FCT watershed. Although the stream gradient of BB is about two-times greater than that of FCT, its influence on chemical weathering appears to be negligible. The findings of this study support the biomass nutrient uptake stoichiometry of K1.0Mg1.1Ca0.97 previously determined for the study site. Investigations of the chemical weathering of relatively unreactive quartzite bedrock may provide insight into critical zone processes.

  2. Procedural protection of juvenile victims of negligence and abuse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilić Ivan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Violence against children is often designated as the worst form of domestic violence, and violence in general. Such a conclusion is a result of multiple factors: children's age and vulnerability, the distinctive features in their physical and mental development which makes them inferior to adults, the kinship (blood relations] and emotional bonds between parents and children, etc. The positive trend in the evolution of the social response to violence against children is reflected in the effort to discover and prevent the abuse, to punish the offenders and to protect the child/victim from secondary victimization during the criminal proceedings. In the Republic of Serbia, the procedural measures governing the protection of juvenile victims/witnesses are set out in Part III of the Juvenile Justice Act (Act on the Juvenile Offenders and Criminal Law Protection of Minors]. However, it was soon evident that there was a need to provide a better legislative framework than the one envisaged in this Act, particularly in terms of ensuring a better protection of minors in the course of criminal proceedings involving children who are victims of abuse and neglect. For this purpose, in 2004, the legislator adopted the National Action Plan on Children in Adversity. This document envisaged the adoption of the General Protocol on the protection of children from abuse and negligence, as well as the adoption of subject-specific protocols which would further regulate the specific procedures for the protection of children-victims in particular social circumstances (health, education, justice] by different social institutions (police, social services]. In this paper, the author analyses the legal framework governing the procedural protection of juvenile victims in the course of criminal proceedings. In addition, the author also explores the statutory provisions (by-laws] adopted in order to establish specific standards and ensure a higher level of protection of

  3. Comparison of Small-Scale Actively and Passively Q-Switched Eye-Safe Intracavity Optical Parametric Oscillators at 1.57 μm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miao Jie-Guang; Pan Yu-Zhai; Qu Shi-Liang

    2012-01-01

    The first experimental comparison between the actively and passively Q-switched intracavity optical parametric oscillators (IOPOs) at 1.57 μm driven by a small-scale diode-pumped Nd:YVO 4 laser are thoroughly presented. It is found that the performances of the two types of IOPOs are complementary. The actively Q-switched IOPO features a shorter pulse duration, a higher peak power, and a superior power and pulse stability. However, in terms of compactness, operation threshold and conversion efficiency, passively Q-switched IOPOs are more attractive. It is further indicated that the passively Q-switched IOPO at 1.57μm is a promising and cost-effective eye-safe laser source, especially at the low and moderate output levels. In addition, instructional improvement measures for the two types of IOPOs are also summarized. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

  4. Transport-diffusion comparisons for small core LMFBR disruptive accidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomlinson, E.T.

    1977-11-01

    A number of numerical experiments were performed to assess the validity of diffusion theory for calculating the reactivity state of various small core LMFBR disrupted geometries. The disrupted configurations correspond, in general, to various configurations predicted by SAS3A for transient undercooling (TUC) and transient overpower (TOP) accidents for homogeneous cores and to the ZPPR-7 configurations for heterogeneous core. In all TUC cases diffusion theory was shown to be inadequate for the calculation of reactivity changes during core disassembly

  5. Enumeration of small collections violates Weber's law.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choo, H; Franconeri, S L

    2014-02-01

    In a phenomenon called subitizing, we can immediately generate exact counts of small collections (one to three objects), in contrast to larger collections, for which we must either create rough estimates or serially count. A parsimonious explanation for this advantage for small collections is that noisy representations of small collections are more tolerable, due to the larger relative differences between consecutive numbers (e.g., 2 vs. 3 is a 50 % increase, but 10 vs. 11 is only a 10 % increase). In contrast, the advantage could stem from the fact that small-collection enumeration is more precise, relying on a unique mechanism. Here, we present two experiments that conclusively showed that the enumeration of small collections is indeed "superprecise." Participants compared numerosity within either small or large visual collections in conditions in which the relative differences were controlled (e.g., performance for 2 vs. 3 was compared with performance for 20 vs. 30). Small-number comparison was still faster and more accurate, across both "more-fewer" judgments (Exp. 1), and "same-different" judgments (Exp. 2). We then reviewed the remaining potential mechanisms that might underlie this superprecision for small collections, including the greater diagnostic value of visual features that correlate with number and a limited capacity for visually individuating objects.

  6. Principles and applications of colorimetric solid-phase extraction with negligible depletion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dias, Neil C.; Porter, Marc D.; Fritz, James S.

    2006-01-01

    Colorimetric solid-phase extraction (C-SPE) is an integrated technique in which an analyte is selectively concentrated onto a disk and then quantitated by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. This paper describes the results of an investigation that applies the concept of negligible depletion (ND) to C-SPE, representing the first application of ND concepts to solid-phase extractions. The approach relies on passing the minimal volume of sample through the disk required to reach an equilibrium in which the concentration of analyte in the sample entering and exiting the disk are equal. At this point, the amount of analyte extracted by the disk is proportional to the sample concentration but is independent of the sample volume passed through the disk. With this new method, called C-SPE/ND, the precise measurement of sample volume is no longer necessary. The work herein details the general principles of this new methodology, and validates its basic tenets in an investigation of the extraction of the organic dye methyl violet. The analytical capabilities of C-SPE/ND are then demonstrated by its application to measurements of iodine. Iodine is a biocide increasingly used as a simple and effective disinfectant for water in locations where municipal water treatment systems are potentially compromised. Thus, the ability to operate C-SPE in an ND mode notably enhances the broad-based utility of this methodology as a reliable and an easy-to-use analysis tool for water quality assessments. Since iodine is also the biocide used on NASAs Space Shuttle, C-SPE/ND has the potential to overcome problems associated with the removal of air bubbles entrapped in a water sample in the microgravity environment encountered in space exploration. Extensions of C-SPE/ND to facile determinations of other water quality parameters with respect to both earth- and space-based needs are briefly discussed

  7. An experimental extrapolation technique using the Gafchromic EBT3 film for relative output factor measurements in small x-ray fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morales, Johnny E., E-mail: johnny.morales@lh.org.au [Department of Radiation Oncology, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, 119-143 Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia and School of Chemistry, Physics, and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Level 4 O Block, Garden’s Point, QLD 4001 (Australia); Butson, Martin; Hill, Robin [Department of Radiation Oncology, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, 119-143 Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia and Institute of Medical Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Crowe, Scott B. [School of Chemistry, Physics, and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Level 4 O Block, Garden’s Point, QLD 4001, Australia and Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Butterfield Street, Herston, QLD 4029 (Australia); Trapp, J. V. [School of Chemistry, Physics, and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Level 4 O Block, Garden’s Point, QLD 4001 (Australia)

    2016-08-15

    Purpose: An experimental extrapolation technique is presented, which can be used to determine the relative output factors for very small x-ray fields using the Gafchromic EBT3 film. Methods: Relative output factors were measured for the Brainlab SRS cones ranging in diameters from 4 to 30 mm{sup 2} on a Novalis Trilogy linear accelerator with 6 MV SRS x-rays. The relative output factor was determined from an experimental reducing circular region of interest (ROI) extrapolation technique developed to remove the effects of volume averaging. This was achieved by scanning the EBT3 film measurements with a high scanning resolution of 1200 dpi. From the high resolution scans, the size of the circular regions of interest was varied to produce a plot of relative output factors versus area of analysis. The plot was then extrapolated to zero to determine the relative output factor corresponding to zero volume. Results: Results have shown that for a 4 mm field size, the extrapolated relative output factor was measured as a value of 0.651 ± 0.018 as compared to 0.639 ± 0.019 and 0.633 ± 0.021 for 0.5 and 1.0 mm diameter of analysis values, respectively. This showed a change in the relative output factors of 1.8% and 2.8% at these comparative regions of interest sizes. In comparison, the 25 mm cone had negligible differences in the measured output factor between zero extrapolation, 0.5 and 1.0 mm diameter ROIs, respectively. Conclusions: This work shows that for very small fields such as 4.0 mm cone sizes, a measureable difference can be seen in the relative output factor based on the circular ROI and the size of the area of analysis using radiochromic film dosimetry. The authors recommend to scan the Gafchromic EBT3 film at a resolution of 1200 dpi for cone sizes less than 7.5 mm and to utilize an extrapolation technique for the output factor measurements of very small field dosimetry.

  8. Comparison of radiography and ultrasonography for diagnosing small-intestinal mechanical obstruction in vomiting dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Ajay; Thompson, Margret S; Scrivani, Peter V; Dykes, Nathan L; Yeager, Amy E; Freer, Sean R; Erb, Hollis N

    2011-01-01

    A cross-sectional study was performed on acutely vomiting dogs to compare the accuracy of radiography and ultrasonography for the diagnosis of small-intestinal mechanical obstruction and to describe several radiographic and ultrasonographic signs to identify their contribution to the final diagnosis. The sample population consisted of 82 adult dogs and small-intestinal obstruction by foreign body was confirmed in 27/82 (33%) dogs by surgery or necropsy. Radiography produced a definitive result (obstructed or not obstructed) in 58/82 (70%) of dogs; ultrasonography produced a definitive result in 80/82 (97%) of dogs. On radiographs, a diagnosis of obstruction was based on detection of segmental small-intestinal dilatation, plication, or detection of a foreign body. Approximately 30% (8/27) of obstructed dogs did not have radiographic signs of segmental small-intestinal dilatation, of which 50% (4/8) were due to linear foreign bodies. The ultrasonographic diagnosis of small-intestinal obstruction was based on detection of an obstructive lesion, sonographic signs of plication or segmental, small-intestinal dilatation. The ultrasonographic presence or absence of moderate-to-severe intestinal diameter enlargement (due to lumen dilatation) of the jejunum (>1.5 cm) was a useful discriminatory finding and, when present, should prompt a thorough search for a cause of small-intestinal obstruction. In conclusion, both abdominal radiography and abdominal ultrasonography are accurate for diagnosing small-intestinal obstruction in vomiting dogs and either may be used depending on availability and examiner choice. Abdominal ultrasonography had greater accuracy, fewer equivocal results and provided greater diagnostic confidence compared with radiography. © 2010 Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound.

  9. Comparison between RELAP5 versions for a two-phase natural circulation analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Braz Filho, Francisco A.; Ribeiro, Guilherme B.; Sabundjian, Gaianê; Caldeira, Alexandre D., E-mail: fbraz@ieav.cta.br, E-mail: gbribeiro@ieav.cta.br, E-mail: alexdc@ieav.cta.br, E-mail: gdjian@ipen.br [Instituto de Estudos Avançados (IEAv), São José dos Campos, SP (Brazil). Div. de Energia Nuclear; Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2017-11-01

    RELAP5 is one of the most used numerical tools to predict thermal-hydraulic and neutronic phenomena in nuclear reactors. RELAP5-3D is the latest version of this software family, but RELAP5-mod3 is still widely used in Brazilian research institutes and it is also used as benchmark for several nuclear applications. Among these applications, the use of passive heat transfer mechanisms, such as natural circulation, has drawn attention of several studies, especially after the Fukushima-Daiichi accident. Considering this aforementioned aspect, this study proposes a comparison of RELAP5-3D and RELAP5-mod3 versions, focusing on a two-phase natural circulation loop. For comparison purposes, an experimental data set is part of the analysis. Results showed that during the single-phase regime, the temperature difference between versions is negligible. However, when the two-phase flow regime takes place, different wavelengths and amplitudes of flow instabilities were obtained for each version. When compared to the experimental data set, the RELAP5-3D version provided the best prediction results. (author)

  10. Improvement of Tax Incentives of Small Innovative Business in Russia and Abroad

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga Valeryevna Nikulina

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In modern conditions activity of small innovative business, as the most flexible component of the innovation economy of the country is particularly important. However, due to the specifics of their activities small innovative business needs state support, including in the field of a tax policy. In this connection, consideration of tax incentives for small innovative business activity is relevant and timely. The purpose of this study is to identify the main directions of improvement of tax incentives for small innovative business in Russia through the use of foreign experience. The study used data analysis and comparisons to identify features of the tax incentives of small innovative business in Russia and abroad. In determining the main directions of improving, the study used the method of forecasting on the basis of the results of the analysis and comparison. The article described the basic instruments of tax incentives for activities of small innovation business in Russia. The article analyzed foreign experience of application of tax privileges and preferences. The article developed and substantiated recommendations on the improvement of the Russian system of tax incentives of activity of small innovative business. The authors make conclusion that the Russian system of tax incentives is ineffective and needs to be reformed by increasing the number of tax benefits, and the development of a special tax regime through the use of foreign experience.

  11. Deep-sequencing protocols influence the results obtained in small-RNA sequencing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joern Toedling

    Full Text Available Second-generation sequencing is a powerful method for identifying and quantifying small-RNA components of cells. However, little attention has been paid to the effects of the choice of sequencing platform and library preparation protocol on the results obtained. We present a thorough comparison of small-RNA sequencing libraries generated from the same embryonic stem cell lines, using different sequencing platforms, which represent the three major second-generation sequencing technologies, and protocols. We have analysed and compared the expression of microRNAs, as well as populations of small RNAs derived from repetitive elements. Despite the fact that different libraries display a good correlation between sequencing platforms, qualitative and quantitative variations in the results were found, depending on the protocol used. Thus, when comparing libraries from different biological samples, it is strongly recommended to use the same sequencing platform and protocol in order to ensure the biological relevance of the comparisons.

  12. Economic Satisfaction and Income Rank in Small Neighbourhoods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Nicolai; Westergård-Nielsen, Niels Chr.; E. Clark, Andrew

    We contribute to the literature on well-being and comparisons by appealing to new Danish data dividing the country up into around 9,000 small neighbourhoods. Administrative data provides us with the income of every person in each of these neighbourhoods. This income information is matched to demo...

  13. Anthropogenic nutrient sources rival natural sources on small scales in the coastal waters of the Southern California Bight

    KAUST Repository

    Howard, Meredith D. A.; Sutula, Martha; Caron, David A.; Chao, Yi; Farrara, John D.; Frenzel, Hartmut; Jones, Burton; Robertson, George; McLaughlin, Karen; Sengupta, Ashmita

    2014-01-01

    Anthropogenic nutrients have been shown to provide significant sources of nitrogen (N) that have been linked to increased primary production and harmful algal blooms worldwide. There is a general perception that in upwelling regions, the flux of anthropogenic nutrient inputs is small relative to upwelling flux, and therefore anthropogenic inputs have relatively little effect on the productivity of coastal waters. To test the hypothesis that natural sources (e.g., upwelling) greatly exceed anthropogenic nutrient sources to the Southern California Bight (SCB), this study compared the source contributions of N from four major nutrient sources: (1) upwelling, (2) treated wastewater effluent discharged to ocean outfalls, (3) riverine runoff, and (4) atmospheric deposition. This comparison was made using large regional data sets combined with modeling on both regional and local scales. At the regional bight-wide spatial scale, upwelling was the largest source of N by an order of magnitude to effluent and two orders of magnitude to riverine runoff. However, at smaller spatial scales, more relevant to algal bloom development, natural and anthropogenic contributions were equivalent. In particular, wastewater effluent and upwelling contributed the same quantity of N in several subregions of the SCB. These findings contradict the currently held perception that in upwelling-dominated regions anthropogenic nutrient inputs are negligible, and suggest that anthropogenic nutrients, mainly wastewater effluent, can provide a significant source of nitrogen for nearshore productivity in Southern California coastal waters.

  14. Anthropogenic nutrient sources rival natural sources on small scales in the coastal waters of the Southern California Bight

    KAUST Repository

    Howard, Meredith D. A.

    2014-01-26

    Anthropogenic nutrients have been shown to provide significant sources of nitrogen (N) that have been linked to increased primary production and harmful algal blooms worldwide. There is a general perception that in upwelling regions, the flux of anthropogenic nutrient inputs is small relative to upwelling flux, and therefore anthropogenic inputs have relatively little effect on the productivity of coastal waters. To test the hypothesis that natural sources (e.g., upwelling) greatly exceed anthropogenic nutrient sources to the Southern California Bight (SCB), this study compared the source contributions of N from four major nutrient sources: (1) upwelling, (2) treated wastewater effluent discharged to ocean outfalls, (3) riverine runoff, and (4) atmospheric deposition. This comparison was made using large regional data sets combined with modeling on both regional and local scales. At the regional bight-wide spatial scale, upwelling was the largest source of N by an order of magnitude to effluent and two orders of magnitude to riverine runoff. However, at smaller spatial scales, more relevant to algal bloom development, natural and anthropogenic contributions were equivalent. In particular, wastewater effluent and upwelling contributed the same quantity of N in several subregions of the SCB. These findings contradict the currently held perception that in upwelling-dominated regions anthropogenic nutrient inputs are negligible, and suggest that anthropogenic nutrients, mainly wastewater effluent, can provide a significant source of nitrogen for nearshore productivity in Southern California coastal waters.

  15. A Within-Industry Comparison of Employed Mothers' Experiences in Small and Large Workplaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDermid, Shelley M.; Williams, Margaret L.

    1997-01-01

    Focuses on links among mothers' (N=71) perceptions of their parenting practices, their parenting values, their children's behavior, and the work conditions they experience in small and large workplaces. Results found significant relationships between work conditions and parenting, and significant differences between small and large workplaces.…

  16. Electron heating in the exhaust of magnetic reconnection with negligible guide field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shan; Chen, Li-Jen; Bessho, Naoki; Kistler, Lynn M.; Shuster, Jason R.; Guo, Ruilong

    2016-03-01

    Electron heating in the magnetic reconnection exhaust is investigated with particle-in-cell simulations, space observations, and theoretical analysis. Spatial variations of the electron temperature (Te) and associated velocity distribution functions (VDFs) are examined and understood in terms of particle energization and randomization processes that vary with exhaust locations. Inside the electron diffusion region (EDR), the electron temperature parallel to the magnetic field (Te∥) exhibits a local minimum and the perpendicular temperature (Te⊥) shows a maximum at the current sheet midplane. In the intermediate exhaust downstream from the EDR and far from the magnetic field pileup region, Te⊥/Te∥ is close to unity and Te is approximately uniform, but the VDFs are structured: close to the midplane, VDFs are quasi-isotropic, whereas farther away from the midplane, VDFs exhibit field-aligned beams directed toward the midplane. In the far exhaust, Te generally increases toward the midplane and the pileup region, and the corresponding VDFs show counter-streaming beams. A distinct population with low v∥ and high v⊥ is prominent in the VDFs around the midplane. Test particle results show that the magnetic curvature near the midplane produces pitch angle scattering to generate quasi-isotropic distributions in the intermediate exhaust. In the far exhaust, electrons with initial high v∥ (v⊥) are accelerated mainly through curvature (gradient-B) drift opposite to the electric field, without significant pitch angle scattering. The VDF structures predicted by simulations are observed in magnetotail reconnection measurements, indicating that the energization mechanisms captured in the reported simulations are applicable to magnetotail reconnection with negligible guide field.

  17. Determination of negligible concentration threshold values for water pollution assessment; Ableitung von Geringfuegigkeitsschwellen zur Beurteilung von Grundwasserverunreinigungen. T. 2. Organische Parameter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trenck, K.T. von der [Landesanstalt fuer Umweltschutz Baden-Wuerttemberg, Karlsruhe (Germany); Roeder, R.; Slama, H. [Bayerische Landesanstalt fuer Wasserforschung (BayLWF), Muenchen (Germany); Markard, C.; Kuehl, C. [Umweltbundesamt, Berlin (Germany)

    1999-12-01

    Part I of the status report contains the derivation criteria, the reasons for the inorganic parameters chosen, and explanations of terms and abbreviations. A table is presented which contains negligible concentration threshold values for selected parameters of inorganic and organic substances. [German] Der erste Teil des Statusberichts enthaelt eine ausfuehrliche Darstellung der Ableitungskriterien sowie die Begruendung fuer die anorganischen Parameter und Erlaeuterungen zu den Abkuerzungen und Begriffen. Entsprechende Konzentrationswerte fuer die Geringfuegigkeitsschwellen einer Auswahl an Parametern enthaelt eine in der vorliegenden Arbeit aufgefuehrte Tabelle getrennt nach anorganischen und organischen Stoffen. (orig.)

  18. Performance comparison of small-pixel CdZnTe radiation detectors with gold contacts formed by sputter and electroless deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, S. J.; Baker, M. A.; Duarte, D. D.; Schneider, A.; Seller, P.; Sellin, P. J.; Veale, M. C.; Wilson, M. D.

    2017-06-01

    Recent improvements in the growth of wide-bandgap semiconductors, such as cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe or CZT), has enabled spectroscopic X/γ-ray imaging detectors to be developed. These detectors have applications covering homeland security, industrial analysis, space science and medical imaging. At the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) a promising range of spectroscopic, position sensitive, small-pixel Cd(Zn)Te detectors have been developed. The challenge now is to improve the quality of metal contacts on CdZnTe in order to meet the demanding energy and spatial resolution requirements of these applications. The choice of metal deposition method and fabrication process are of fundamental importance. Presented is a comparison of two CdZnTe detectors with contacts formed by sputter and electroless deposition. The detectors were fabricated with a 74 × 74 array of 200 μm pixels on a 250 μm pitch and bump-bonded to the HEXITEC ASIC. The X/γ-ray emissions from an 241Am source were measured to form energy spectra for comparison. It was found that the detector with contacts formed by electroless deposition produced the best uniformity and energy resolution; the best pixel produced a FWHM of 560 eV at 59.54 keV and 50% of pixels produced a FWHM better than 1.7 keV . This compared with a FWHM of 1.5 keV for the best pixel and 50% of pixels better than 4.4 keV for the detector with sputtered contacts.

  19. Comparison between surgery and radiofrequency ablation for stage I non-small cell lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, So Ri; Han, Hyo Jin; Park, Seoung Ju; Min, Kyung Hoon; Lee, Min Hee; Chung, Chi Ryang; Kim, Min Ho; Jin, Gong Yong; Lee, Yong Chul

    2012-01-01

    Surgical resection remains as the treatment of choice for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and provides the best opportunity for cure and long-term survival. Minimally invasive percutaneous ablative therapies, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treating lung cancers, are currently being studied as treatment alternatives. But, to date, there is little information on comparison of therapeutic effects between surgery and RFA in patients with early stage lung malignancy. We aimed to investigate the clinical significance of RFA as an alternative curative modality for the early stage lung cancer through analyzing the long-term mortality of both treatment groups; surgery vs. RFA. Twenty-two patients of stage I NSCLC were included for this comparative analysis. To minimize confounding effects, we conducted a matching process. In which patients of RFA group (n = 8) were matched with patients of surgery group (n = 14) on the following variables; gender, age (±3 years), tumor node metastasis stage, and calendar year of surgery or RFA (±2 years). The mean survival duration of RFA group and surgery group were 33.18 ± 7.90 and 45.49 ± 7.21, respectively (months, p = 0.297). Log-rank analysis showed that there was no significant difference in overall survival (p = 0.054) between two groups. These results have shown that RFA can offer the survival comparable to that by surgery to stage I NSCLC patients, especially to the patients impossible for the surgery. This study provides an evidence for the use of RFA as a treatment alternative with low procedural morbidity for inoperable early-stage NSCLC patients.

  20. Water and oxygen induced degradation of small molecule organic solar cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hermenau, Martin; Riede, Moritz; Leo, Karl

    2011-01-01

    Small molecule organic solar cells were studied with respect to water and oxygen induced degradation by mapping the spatial distribution of reaction products in order to elucidate the degradation patterns and failure mechanisms. The active layers consist of a 30 nm bulk heterojunction formed......,4′-diamine p-doped with C60F36 (MeO-TPD:C60F36), which acted as hole transporting layer. Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and aluminum served as hole and electron collecting electrode, respectively. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in conjunction...... of aluminum oxide at the BPhen/Al interface, and diffusion of water into the ZnPc:C60 layer where ZnPc becomes oxidized. Finally, diffusion from the electrodes was found to have no or a negligible effect on the device lifetime....

  1. Safety Analysis for Medium/Small Size Integral Reactor: Evaluation of Safety Characteristics for Small and Medium Integral Reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hho jung; Seul, K W; Ahn, S K; Bang, Y S; Park, D G; Kim, B K; Kim, W S; Lee, J H; Kim, W K; Shim, T M; Choi, H S; Ahn, H J; Jung, D W; Kim, G I; Park, Y M; Lee, Y J [Korea Inst. of Nuclear Safety, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1997-07-01

    The Small and medium integral reactor is developed to be utilized for non-electric areas such as district heating and steam production for desalination and other industrial purposes, and then these applications may typically imply a closeness between the reactor and the user. It requires the reactor to be designed with the adoption of special functional and inherent safety features to ensure and promote a high level of safety and reliability, in comparison with the existing nuclear power plants. The objective of the present study is to establish the bases for the development of regulatory requirements and technical guides to address the special safety characteristics of the small and medium integral reactor. In addition, the study aims to identify and to propose resolutions to the possible safety concerns in the design of the small and medium integral reactor. 34 refs., 20 tabs. (author)

  2. 3D reconstruction software comparison for short sequences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strupczewski, Adam; Czupryński, BłaŻej

    2014-11-01

    Large scale multiview reconstruction is recently a very popular area of research. There are many open source tools that can be downloaded and run on a personal computer. However, there are few, if any, comparisons between all the available software in terms of accuracy on small datasets that a single user can create. The typical datasets for testing of the software are archeological sites or cities, comprising thousands of images. This paper presents a comparison of currently available open source multiview reconstruction software for small datasets. It also compares the open source solutions with a simple structure from motion pipeline developed by the authors from scratch with the use of OpenCV and Eigen libraries.

  3. Multi-institutional MicroCT image comparison of image-guided small animal irradiators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnstone, Chris D.; Lindsay, Patricia; E Graves, Edward; Wong, Eugene; Perez, Jessica R.; Poirier, Yannick; Ben-Bouchta, Youssef; Kanesalingam, Thilakshan; Chen, Haijian; E Rubinstein, Ashley; Sheng, Ke; Bazalova-Carter, Magdalena

    2017-07-01

    To recommend imaging protocols and establish tolerance levels for microCT image quality assurance (QA) performed on conformal image-guided small animal irradiators. A fully automated QA software SAPA (small animal phantom analyzer) for image analysis of the commercial Shelley micro-CT MCTP 610 phantom was developed, in which quantitative analyses of CT number linearity, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), uniformity and noise, geometric accuracy, spatial resolution by means of modulation transfer function (MTF), and CT contrast were performed. Phantom microCT scans from eleven institutions acquired with four image-guided small animal irradiator units (including the commercial PXi X-RAD SmART and Xstrahl SARRP systems) with varying parameters used for routine small animal imaging were analyzed. Multi-institutional data sets were compared using SAPA, based on which tolerance levels for each QA test were established and imaging protocols for QA were recommended. By analyzing microCT data from 11 institutions, we established image QA tolerance levels for all image quality tests. CT number linearity set to R 2  >  0.990 was acceptable in microCT data acquired at all but three institutions. Acceptable SNR  >  36 and noise levels  1.5 lp mm-1 for MTF  =  0.2) was obtained at all but four institutions due to their large image voxel size used (>0.275 mm). Ten of the eleven institutions passed the set QA tolerance for geometric accuracy (2000 HU for 30 mgI ml-1). We recommend performing imaging QA with 70 kVp, 1.5 mA, 120 s imaging time, 0.20 mm voxel size, and a frame rate of 5 fps for the PXi X-RAD SmART. For the Xstrahl SARRP, we recommend using 60 kVp, 1.0 mA, 240 s imaging time, 0.20 mm voxel size, and 6 fps. These imaging protocols should result in high quality images that pass the set tolerance levels on all systems. Average SAPA computation time for complete QA analysis for a 0.20 mm voxel, 400 slice Shelley phantom microCT data set

  4. Histomorphometric evaluation of small intestinal mucosa of red ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Histomorphometry of the small intestinal mucosa of the red jungle fowl (RJF) and commercial broiler breed (CBC) from day one to four months post-hatch were investigated. For the sake of comparison between these two breeds, the following parameters were included: the number of villi, villus surface area and the intestinal ...

  5. Autonomous search and surveillance with small fixed wing aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGee, Timothy Garland

    Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have the potential to act as low cost tools in a variety of both civilian and military applications including traffic monitoring, border patrol, and search and rescue. While most current operational UAV systems require human operators, advances in autonomy will allow these systems to reach their full potential as sensor platforms. This dissertation specifically focuses on developing advanced control, path planning, search, and image processing techniques that allow small fixed wing aircraft to autonomously collect data. The problems explored were motivated by experience with the development and experimental flight testing of a fleet of small autonomous fixed wing aircraft. These issues, which have not been fully addressed in past work done on ground vehicles or autonomous helicopters, include the influence of wind and turning rate constraints, the non-negligible velocity of ground targets relative to the aircraft velocity, and limitations on sensor size and processing power on small vehicles. Several contributions for the autonomous operation of small fixed wing aircraft are presented. Several sliding surface controllers are designed which extend previous techniques to include variable sliding surface coefficients and the use of spatial vehicle dynamics. These advances eliminate potential singularities in the control laws to follow spatially defined paths and allow smooth transition between controllers. The optimal solution for the problem of path planning through an ordered set of points for an aircraft with a bounded turning rate in the presence of a constant wind is then discussed. Path planning strategies are also explored to guarantee that a searcher will travel within sensing distance of a mobile ground target. This work assumes only a maximum velocity of the target and is designed to succeed for any possible path of the target. Closed-loop approximations of both the path planning and search techniques, using the sliding

  6. A comparison of small-area hospitalisation rates, estimated morbidity and hospital access.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shulman, H; Birkin, M; Clarke, G P

    2015-11-01

    Published data on hospitalisation rates tend to reveal marked spatial variations within a city or region. Such variations may simply reflect corresponding variations in need at the small-area level. However, they might also be a consequence of poorer accessibility to medical facilities for certain communities within the region. To help answer this question it is important to compare these variable hospitalisation rates with small-area estimates of need. This paper first maps hospitalisation rates at the small-area level across the region of Yorkshire in the UK to show the spatial variations present. Then the Health Survey of England is used to explore the characteristics of persons with heart disease, using chi-square and logistic regression analysis. Using the most significant variables from this analysis the authors build a spatial microsimulation model of morbidity for heart disease for the Yorkshire region. We then compare these estimates of need with the patterns of hospitalisation rates seen across the region. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Thermodynamic comparison of three small-scale gas liquefaction systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nguyen, Tuong-Van; Rothuizen, Erasmus Damgaard; Markussen, Wiebke Brix

    2017-01-01

    . The present work investigates three configurations suitable for small-scale applications because of their simplicity and compactness: the single-mixed refrigerant, single and dual reverse Brayton cycles. The impact of different feed compositions and refrigerant properties is analysed. A detailed assessment...... to be more efficient (1000-2000 kJ/kgLNG) than expander-based ones (2500-5000 kJ/kgLNG) over larger ranges of operating conditions, at the expense of a greater system complexity and higher thermal conductance (250-500kW/K against 80-160 kW/K). The results show that the use of different thermodynamic models...

  8. Euthanasia of Small Animals with Nitrogen; Comparison with Intravenous Pentobarbital

    OpenAIRE

    Quine, John P.; Buckingham, William; Strunin, Leo

    1988-01-01

    Intravenous pentobarbital (with or without addition of saturated potassium chloride) was compared with nitrogen gas exposure for euthanasia of small animals (dogs, cats, and rabbits) in a humane society environment. Initially, electrocardiographic) and electroencephalographic monitoring were used to establish the time of death in presedated animals given either pentobarbital or exposed to nitrogen; later, nitrogen euthanasia alone was studied. Sedation with acepromazine delayed the effects of...

  9. Magnetization reversal in circular vortex dots of small radius.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goiriena-Goikoetxea, M; Guslienko, K Y; Rouco, M; Orue, I; Berganza, E; Jaafar, M; Asenjo, A; Fernández-Gubieda, M L; Fernández Barquín, L; García-Arribas, A

    2017-08-10

    We present a detailed study of the magnetic behavior of Permalloy (Ni 80 Fe 20 alloy) circular nanodots with small radii (30 nm and 70 nm) and different thicknesses (30 nm or 50 nm). Despite the small size of the dots, the measured hysteresis loops manifestly display the features of classical vortex behavior with zero remanence and lobes at high magnetic fields. This is remarkable because the size of the magnetic vortex core is comparable to the dot diameter, as revealed by magnetic force microscopy and micromagnetic simulations. The dot ground states are close to the border of the vortex stability and, depending on the dot size, the magnetization distribution combines attributes of the typical vortex, single domain states or even presents features resembling magnetic skyrmions. An analytical model of the dot magnetization reversal, accounting for the large vortex core size, is developed to explain the observed behavior, providing a rather good agreement with the experimental results. The study extends the understanding of magnetic nanodots beyond the classical vortex concept (where the vortex core spins have a negligible influence on the magnetic behavior) and can therefore be useful for improving emerging spintronic applications, such as spin-torque nano-oscillators. It also delimits the feasibility of producing a well-defined vortex configuration in sub-100 nm dots, enabling the intracellular magneto-mechanical actuation for biomedical applications.

  10. Does small-bodied salmon spawning activity enhance streambed mobility?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassan, Marwan A.; Tonina, Daniele; Buxton, Todd H.

    2015-09-01

    Female salmonids bury and lay their eggs in streambeds by digging a pit, which is then covered with sediment from a second pit that is dug immediately upstream. The spawning process alters streambed topography, winnows fine sediment, and mixes sediment in the active layer. The resulting egg nests (redds) contain coarser and looser sediments than those of unspawned streambed areas, and display a dune-like shape with an amplitude and length that vary with fish size, substrate conditions, and flow conditions. Redds increase local bed surface roughness (drag, resulting in lower grain shear stress and less particle mobility. Spawning, also prevents streambed armoring by mixing surface and subsurface material, potentially increasing particle mobility. Here we use two-dimensional hydraulic modeling with detailed prespawning and postspawning bathymetries and field observations to test the effect of spawning by small-bodied salmonids on sediment transport. Our results show that topographical roughness from small salmon redds has negligible effects on shear stress at the reach-unit scale, and limited effects at the local scale. Conversely, results indicate sediment mixing reduces armoring and enhances sediment mobility, which increases potential bed load transport by subsequent floods. River restoration in fish-bearing streams should take into consideration the effects of redd excavation on channel stability. This is particularly important for streams that historically supported salmonids and are the focus of habitat restoration actions.

  11. Anti-jamming Technology in Small Satellite Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Zixiang

    2018-01-01

    Small satellite communication has an increasingly important position among the wireless communications due to the advantages of low cost and high technology. However, in view of the case that its relay station stays outside the earth, its uplink may face interference from malicious signal frequently. Here this paper classified enumerates existing interferences, and proposes channel signals as main interference by comparison. Based on a basic digital communication process, then this paper discusses the possible anti - jamming techniques that commonly be realized at all stages in diverse processes, and comes to the conclusion that regarding the spread spectrum technology and antenna anti-jamming technology as fundamental direction of future development. This work provides possible thought for the design of new small satellite communication system with the coexistence of multi - technologies. This basic popular science can be consulted for people interested in small satellite communication.

  12. Brain connectivity measures: computation and comparison

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jovanović Aleksandar

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In this article computation and comparison of causality measures which are used in determination of brain connectivity patterns is investigated. Main analyzed examples included published computation and comparisons of Directed Transfer Function ‐ DTF and Partial Directed Coherence ‐ PDC. It proved that serious methodology mistakes were involved in measure computations and comparisons. It is shown that the neighborhood of zero is of accented importance in such evaluations and that the issues of semantic stability have to be treated with more attention. Published results on the relationship of these two important measures are partly unstable with small changes of zero threshold and pictures of involved brain structures deduced from the cited articles have to be corrected. Analysis of the operators involved in evaluation and comparisons is given with suggestions for their improvement and complementary additional actions.

  13. Small fields measurements with radiochromic films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Lopez, Antonio; Vera-Sanchez, Juan-Antonio; Lago-Martin, Jose-Domingo

    2015-01-01

    The small fields in radiotherapy are widely used due to the development of techniques such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy and stereotactic radio surgery. The measurement of the dose distributions for small fields is a challenge. A perfect dosimeter should be independent of the radiation energy and the dose rate and should have a negligible volume effect. The radiochromic (RC) film characteristics fit well to these requirements. However, the response of RC films and their digitizing processes present a significant spatial inhomogeneity problem. The present work uses a method for two-dimensional (2D) measurement with RC films based on the reduction of the spatial inhomogeneity of both the film and the film digitizing process. By means of registering and averaging several measurements of the same field, the inhomogeneities are mostly canceled. Measurements of output factors (OFs), dose profiles (in-plane and cross-plane), and 2D dose distributions are presented. The field sizes investigated are 0.5 × 0.5 cm(2), 0.7 × 0.7 cm(2), 1 × 1 cm(2), 2 × 2 cm(2), 3 × 3 cm(2), 6 × 6 cm(2), and 10 × 10 cm(2) for 6 and 15 MV photon beams. The OFs measured with the RC film are compared with the measurements carried out with a PinPoint ionization chamber (IC) and a Semiflex IC, while the measured transversal dose profiles were compared with Monte Carlo simulations. The results obtained for the OFs measurements show a good agreement with the values obtained from RC films and the PinPoint and Semiflex chambers when the field size is greater or equal than 2 × 2 cm(2). These agreements give confidence on the accuracy of the method as well as on the results obtained for smaller fields. Also, good agreement was found between the measured profiles and the Monte Carlo calculated profiles for the field size of 1 × 1 cm(2). We expect, therefore, that the presented method can be used to perform accurate measurements of small fields.

  14. Analysis of 11 years of clinical negligence claims in esophagogastric cancer in England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratnasingham, K; Stroud, L; Knight, J; Preston, S R; Sultan, J

    2017-04-01

    In the National Health Service (NHS), clinical negligence claims and associated compensations are constantly rising. The aim of this study is to identify the size, trends, and causes of litigations claims in relation to esophagogastric (EG) cancer in the NHS. Data requests were submitted to the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) for the period of January 2003 to December 2013. Data were reviewed, categorized clinically, and analyzed in terms of causes and costs behind claims. In this time period, there were 163 claims identified from the NHSLA database. Ninety-five (58.3%) claims were successful with a pay out of £6.25 million. An increasing overall claim frequency and success rate were found over the last few years. Majority of the claims were from gastric cancer 84 (88.4%). The commonest cause of complaint in successful claims was delay or failure in diagnosis (21.1%) and treatment (17.9%). There were only 10.5% successful intraoperative claims, of which 50% were due to unnecessary or additional procedures. The frequency and success rates of malpractice claims in EG cancer are rising. The failure or delay in diagnosing and treatment in EG malignancy are the common cause for successful litigation claims. The findings further reinforce the need to improve early diagnosis. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. Scale Effects Related to Small Physical Modelling of Overtopping of Rubble Mound Breakwaters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Burcharth, Hans F.; Andersen, Thomas Lykke

    2009-01-01

    By comparison of overtopping discharges recorded in prototype and small scale physical models it was demonstrated in the EU-CLASH project that small scale tests significantly underestimate smaller discharges. Deviations in overtopping are due to model and scale effects. These effects are discusse...... armour on the upper part of the slope. This effect is believed to be the main reason for the found deviations between overtopping in prototype and small scale tests....

  16. Right-handers have negligibly higher IQ scores than left-handers: Systematic review and meta-analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ntolka, Eleni; Papadatou-Pastou, Marietta

    2018-01-01

    The relationship between intelligence and handedness remains a matter of debate. The present study is a systematic review of 36 studies (totaling 66,108 individuals), which have measured full IQ scores in different handedness groups. Eighteen of those studies were further included in three sets of meta-analyses (totaling 20,442 individuals), which investigated differences in standardized mean IQ scores in (i) left-handers, (ii) non-right-handers, and (iii) mixed-handers compared to right-handers. The bulk of the studies included in the systematic review reported no differences in IQ scores between left- and right-handers. In the meta-analyses, statistically significant differences in mean IQ scores were detected between right-handers and left-handers, but were marginal in magnitude (d=-0.07); the data sets were found to be homogeneous. Significance was lost when the largest study was excluded. No differences in mean IQ scores were found between right-handers and non-right-handers as well as between right-handers and mixed-handers. No sex differences were found. Overall, the intelligence differences between handedness groups in the general population are negligible. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. ORDEM2010 and MASTER-2009 Modeled Small Debris Population Comparison

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krisko, Paula H.; Flegel, S.

    2010-01-01

    The latest versions of the two premier orbital debris engineering models, NASA s ORDEM2010 and ESA s MASTER-2009, have been publicly released. Both models have gone through significant advancements since inception, and now represent the state-of-the-art in orbital debris knowledge of their respective agencies. The purpose of these models is to provide satellite designers/operators and debris researchers with reliable estimates of the artificial debris environment in near-Earth orbit. The small debris environment within the size range of 1 mm to 1 cm is of particular interest to both human and robotic spacecraft programs. These objects are much more numerous than larger trackable debris but are still large enough to cause significant, if not catastrophic, damage to spacecraft upon impact. They are also small enough to elude routine detection by existing observation systems (radar and telescope). Without reliable detection the modeling of these populations has always coupled theoretical origins with supporting observational data in different degrees. This paper details the 1 mm to 1 cm orbital debris populations of both ORDEM2010 and MASTER-2009; their sources (both known and presumed), current supporting data and theory, and methods of population analysis. Fluxes on spacecraft for chosen orbits are also presented and discussed within the context of each model.

  18. The Impact of Micro-Finance on the Performance of Small-Scale ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Impact of Micro-Finance on the Performance of Small-Scale Enterprises: A Comparison of ... PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... the impact that the study-MFIs are making on their SMEs-client in the Wa Municipality.

  19. Comparison SPECT-CT with PET-CT in several applications of small-animal models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan Yifan; Song Shaoli; Huang Gang

    2009-01-01

    With the development of medical science, monitoring dynamic biologic processes in small-animal models of diseases has become one of the most important approaches in medical studies. Important physiologic parameters that traditionally have been characterized by nuclear medicine imaging include blood flow, biochemical metabolism, and cellular receptors. Recently, nuclear medicine has been greatly facilitated by the newer development of dual-modality integrated imaging systems (SPECT-CT and PET-CT), which provide functional and anatomical images in the same scanning session, with the acquired images co-registered by means of the hardware. The purpose of this review is to compare SPECT-CT with PET-CT in several applications of small-animal models. Conclusicn: PET-CT for small animal modes in nledical research in the applications has great advantages, but SPECT-CT is still a very important role, and research low cost. (authors)

  20. SIMILARITY COMPARISON AND CLASSIFICATION OF SUCKING LOUSE COMMUNITIES ON SOME SMALL MAMMALS IN YUNNAN, CHINA

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Xian-guoGuo; Ti-junQian; Li-junGuo; Wen-geDong

    2004-01-01

    The similarity and classification of sucking louse communities on 24 species of small mammals were studied in Yunnan Province, China, through a hierarchical cluster analysis. All the louse species on the body surface of a certain species of small mammals are regarded as a louse community unit. The results reveal that the community structure of sucking lice on small mammals is simple with low species diversity. Most small mammals usually have certain louse species on their body surface; there exists a high degree of host specificity. Most louse communities on the same genus of small mammals show a high similarity and are classified into the same group based on hierarchical cluster analysis. When the hosts have a close affinity in taxonomy, the louse communities on their body surface would tend to be similar with the same or similar dominant louse species (as observed in genus Rattus, Niviventer, Apodemus and Eothenomys). The similarity of sucking louse communities is highly consistent with the affinity of small mammal hosts in taxonomy. The results suggest a close relationship of co-evolution between sucking lice and their hosts.

  1. Interfacial area transport of bubbly flow in a small diameter pipe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hibiki, Takashi; Takamasa, Tomoji; Ishii, Mamoru

    2001-01-01

    In relation to the development of the interfacial area transport equation, this study focused on modeling of the interfacial area transport mechanism of vertical adiabatic air-water bubbly flows in a relatively small diameter pipe where the bubble size-to-pipe diameter ratio was relatively high and the radial motion of bubbles was restricted by the presence of the pipe wall. The sink term of the interfacial area concentration was modeled by considering wake entrainment as a possible bubble coalescence mechanism, whereas the source term was neglected by assuming negligibly small bubble breakup for low liquid velocity conditions based on visual observation. One-dimensional interfacial area transport equation with the derived sink term was evaluated by using five datasets of vertical adiabatic air-water bubbly flows measured in a 9.0 mm-diameter pipe (superficial gas velocity: 0.013-0.052 m/s, superficial liquid velocity: 0.58-1.0 m/s). The modeled interfacial area transport equation could reproduce the proper trend of the axial interfacial area transport and predict the measured interfacial area concentrations within an average relative deviation of ±11.1%. It was recognized that the present model would be promising for predicting the interfacial area transport of the examined bubbly flows. (author)

  2. Atmospheric effects of chemical rocket propulsion - Report of an AIAA Workshop, Sacramento, CA, June 28, 29, 1991

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1991-01-01

    A careful evaluation of relevant studies conducted in the U.S., Europe, and the Soviet Union has established that the effects of chemical rocket propulsion on stratospheric ozone depletion, acid rain, toxicity, air quality, and global warming were negligibly small by comparison with other anthropogenic effects on the atmosphere. It is nevertheless acknowledged that environmental concern should remain on a level of importance comparable to rocket cost, performance, and reliability criteria, and that efforts should be made to reduce environmental effects. The International Astronautical Federation has been identified as the appropriate organization for regulatory efforts

  3. Radiative ΩQ∗→ΩQγ and ΞQ∗→ΞQ′γ transitions in light cone QCD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aliev, T. M.; Azizi, K.; Sundu, H.

    2015-01-01

    We calculate the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments associated with the radiative Ω Q ∗ →Ω Q γ and Ξ Q ∗ →Ξ Q ′ γ transitions with Q=b or c in the framework of light cone QCD sum rules. It is found that the corresponding quadrupole moments are negligibly small, while the magnetic dipole moments are considerably large. A comparison of the results of the considered multipole moments as well as corresponding decay widths with the predictions of the vector dominance model is performed

  4. Comparison of small-group training with self-directed internet-based training in inhaler techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toumas, Mariam; Basheti, Iman A; Bosnic-Anticevich, Sinthia Z

    2009-08-28

    To compare the effectiveness of small-group training in correct inhaler technique with self-directed Internet-based training. Pharmacy students were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 groups: small-group training (n = 123) or self-directed Internet-based training (n = 113). Prior to intervention delivery, all participants were given a placebo Turbuhaler and product information leaflet and received inhaler technique training based on their group. Technique was assessed following training and predictors of correct inhaler technique were examined. There was a significant improvement in the number of participants demonstrating correct technique in both groups (small group training, 12% to 63%; p training, 9% to 59%; p groups in the percent change (n = 234, p > 0.05). Increased student confidence following the intervention was a predictor for correct inhaler technique. Self-directed Internet-based training is as effective as small-group training in improving students' inhaler technique.

  5. Liposomalization of oxaliplatin induces skin accumulation of it, but negligible skin toxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishida, Kentaro; Kashiwagi, Misaki; Shiba, Shunsuke; Muroki, Kiwamu; Ohishi, Akihiro; Doi, Yusuke; Ando, Hidenori; Ishida, Tatsuhiro; Nagasawa, Kazuki

    2017-12-15

    Liposomalization causes alteration of the pharmacokinetics of encapsulated drugs, and allows delivery to tumor tissues through passive targeting via an enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect. PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil ® , Lipo-DXR), a representative liposomal drug, is well-known to reduce cardiotoxicity and increase the anti-tumor activity of DXR, but to induce the hand-foot syndrome (HFS) as a result of skin DXR accumulation, which is one of its severe adverse effects. We have developed a new liposomal preparation of oxaliplatin (l-OHP), an important anti-tumor drug for treatment of colorectal cancer, using PEGylated liposomes (Lipo-l-OHP), and showed that Lipo-l-OHP exhibits increased anti-tumor activity in tumor-bearing mice compared to the original preparation of l-OHP. However, whether Lipo-l-OHP causes HFS-like skin toxicity similar to Lipo-DXR remains to be determined. Administration of Lipo-l-OHP promoted accumulation of platinum in rat hind paws, however, it caused negligible morphological and histological alterations on the plantar surface of the paws. Administration of DiI-labeled empty PEGylated liposomes gave almost the same distribution profile of dyes into the dermis of hind paws with DXR as in the case of Lipo-DXR. Treatment with Lipo-l-OHP, Lipo-DXR, DiI-labeled empty PEGylated liposomes or empty PEGylated liposomes caused migration of CD68 + macrophages into the dermis of hind paws. These findings suggest that the skin toxicity on administration of liposomalized drugs is reflected in the proinflammatory characteristics of encapsulated drugs, and indicate that Lipo-l-OHP with a higher anti-cancer effect and no HFS may be an outstanding l-OHP preparation leading to an improved quality of life of cancer patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Comparison of film dosimetry and Monte Carlo simulations in small field IMRT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, S.R.; Suh, T.S.; Choe, B.Y.; Lee, H.K. [The Catholic Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Sohn. Jason W. [Washington Univ., St. Louis (United States)

    2002-07-01

    Intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) is a recent useful technique that conforms a high dose to the target volume while restricting dose to the surrounding critical organs. In IMRT, the small size beam let is used for intensity modulation. Thus, dose calculation in small field is very important. But, dose calculation in small field is not accurate in recent RTP system because electronic disequilibrium and the effect of multiple scattering electron are not considered in dose calculation. and therefore, We have evaluated the errors of depth dose and beam profile between measurement data and Monte Carlo simulation. With a homogeneous phantom and two heterogeneous phantoms, A thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) and radiochromic films have been selected for dose measurement in 6 MV photon beams. A linear accelerator Varian 2300C (Varian Medical Systems, USA) equipped with a multileaf collimator have been used in dose measurement. The results of simulations using the Monte Carlo systems BEAM/EGS4 (NRC, Canada) to model the beam geometry have been compared with dose measurements. Generally good agreements were found between measurements and dose calculations of Monte Carlo simulation. But some discrepancies were found in this study. Thus further study will be needed to compensate these errors.

  7. Very small glaciers under climate change: from the local to the global scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huss, M.; Fischer, M.

    2015-12-01

    Very small glaciers (climate archive. Very small glaciers have generally shorter response times than valley glaciers and their mass balance is strongly dependent on snow redistribution processes. Worldwide glacier monitoring has focused on medium-sized to large glaciers leaving us with a relatively limited understanding of the behavior of very small glaciers. With warming climate there is an increasing concern that very small glaciers might be the first to disappear. Already in the next decades this might result in the complete deglaciation of mountain ranges with glacier equilibrium lines close to the highest peaks, such as in the Rocky Mountains, the European Alps, the Andes or parts of High Mountain Asia. In this contribution, we present a comprehensive modelling framework to assess past and future changes in very small glaciers at the mountain-range scale. Among other processes our model accounts for snow redistribution, changes in glacier geometry and dynamic changes in debris-coverage, and computes e.g. distributed mass balance, englacial temperature and proglacial runoff. Detailed glacier projections until 2060 are shown for the Swiss Alps based on new data sets, and the 21st century contribution of all very small glaciers worldwide to sea-level rise is quantified using a global model. Grid-based modelling of surface mass balance and retreat for 1133 very small glaciers in Switzerland indicates that 70% of them will completely vanish within the next 25 years. However, a few avalanche-fed glaciers at low elevation might be able to survive even substantial atmospheric warming. We find relatively high static and dynamic sensitivities for gently-sloping glaciers. At the global scale, glaciers presently smaller than 1 km2 make up for only 0.7% of total ice volume but account for 6.7% of sea-level rise contribution during the period 2015-2025. This indicates that very small glaciers are a non-negligible component of global glacier change, at least in the near

  8. Validity of fracture toughness determined with small bend specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallin, K.; Rintamaa, R.; Valo, M.

    1994-02-01

    This report considers the validity of fracture toughness estimates obtained with small bend specimens in relation to fracture toughness estimates obtained with large specimens. The study is based upon the analysis and comparison of actual test results. The results prove the validity of the fracture toughness determined based upon small bend specimens, especially when the results are only used to determine the fracture toughness transition temperature T o . In this case the possible error is typically less than 5 deg C and at most 10 deg C. It can be concluded that small bend specimens are very suitable for the estimation of fracture toughness in the case of brittle fracture, provided the results are corrected for statistical size effects. (orig.). (20 refs., 17 figs.)

  9. From Bolam-Bolitho to Modified-Montgomery - A Paradigm Shift in the Legal Standard of Determining Medical Negligence in Singapore.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neo, Han Yee

    2017-09-01

    In a recent landmark litigation, the Singapore Court of Appeal introduced a new legal standard for determining medical negligence with regards to information disclosure - the Modified-Montgomery test. This new test fundamentally shifts the legal position concerning the standard of care expected of a doctor when he dispenses medical advice. Previously, a doctor is expected to disclose what a "reasonable physician" would tell his patient. Now, a doctor must disclose "all material risks" that a "reasonable patient" would want to know under his unique circumstances. Patient-centred communication is no longer an aspirational ideal but has become a legal mandate. Manpower, administrative, logistic and medical educational reforms should start now, so as to support the average physician transit from the era of the Bolam-Bolitho, to that of the Modified-Montgomery.

  10. A comparison of the aquatic impacts of large hydro and small hydro projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Lara A.

    The expansion of small hydro development in British Columbia has raised concerns surrounding the effects of these projects, and the provincial government's decision to proceed with Site C has brought attention to the impacts of large hydro. Together, these decisions highlight that there are impacts associated with all energy development. My study examines the aquatic effects of large and small hydro projects using two case study sites: Site C and the Upper Harrison Water Power Project. I first determine the aquatic effects of each of the case study sites. Next, I use existing literature and benefits transfer to determine the monetary value of these effects. My results suggest that, with mitigation, small hydro projects have less of an effect on the environment than a large hydro project per unit of electricity. I also describe the implications of my study in the context of current British Columbia energy policy. Keywords: hydropower; aquatic effects. Subject Terms: environmental impact assessment; benefits transfer.

  11. Causation in negligence: from anti-jurisprudence to principle--individual responsibility as the cornerstone for the attribution of liability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagaric, Mirko; Erbacher, Sharon

    2011-06-01

    Causation is one of the most esoteric and poorly defined legal principles. The common law standards of the "but for" test and common sense are, in reality, code for unconstrained judicial choice. This leads to a high degree of unpredictability in negligence cases. Changes to the causation standard following the torts reforms have done nothing to inject principle into this area of law: the concept of "appropriateness" is no more illuminating than common sense. Despite this, the trend of recent High Court decisions offers some prospect of clarifying the test for causation. Key themes to emerge are an increased emphasis on individual responsibility and the associated concept of coherency with other legal standards. This article examines the doctrinal reasons underpinning the increasingly important role of these ideals and suggests how they can be accommodated into the test for causation to inject greater coherence and predictability into this area of law.

  12. The German Final Repository Konrad for Low and Intermediate Level Waste with Negligible Heat Generation - Water Law Issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boetsch, W.; Grundler, D.; Kugel, K.; Brennecke, P.; Steyer, S.

    2009-01-01

    A survey on the conceptual realization of the requirements due to water law aspects within the license the KONRAD repository for radioactive waste with negligible heat generation in Germany is given [1]. The regulatory decision for the implementation and operation of the repository KONRAD includes, among other things, water law issues. In particular, the KONRAD license includes waste requirements concerning non-radioactive hazardous material (waste package constituents) which have to be considered producing KONRAD waste packages. The intended philosophy of waste acceptance and waste package quality assurance measures to be considered by the KONRAD site operator as well as by the waste producer will be presented. It will demonstrate the selected procedure of the waste declaration and acceptance and describe the structure and logic of tools and aids to comply with the legal requirements of the license and its collateral clause issued under water law. (authors)

  13. Comparison between ASHRAE and ISO thermal transmittance calculation methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blanusa, Petar; Goss, William P.; Roth, Hartwig

    2007-01-01

    is proportional to the glazing/frame sightline distance that is also proportional to the total glazing spacer length. An example calculation of the overall heat transfer and thermal transmittance (U-value or U-factor) using the two methods for a thermally broken, aluminum framed slider window is presented....... The fenestration thermal transmittance calculations analyses presented in this paper show that small differences exist between the calculated thermal transmittance values produced by the ISO and ASHRAE methods. The results also show that the overall thermal transmittance difference between the two methodologies...... decreases as the total window area (glazing plus frame) increases. Thus, the resulting difference in thermal transmittance values for the two methods is negligible for larger windows. This paper also shows algebraically that the differences between the ISO and ASHRAE methods turn out to be due to the way...

  14. A comparison of surveillance methods for small incidence rates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sego, Landon H.; Woodall, William H.; Reynolds, Marion R.

    2008-05-15

    A number of methods have been proposed to detect an increasing shift in the incidence rate of a rare health event, such as a congenital malformation. Among these are the Sets method, two modifcations of the Sets method, and the CUSUM method based on the Poisson distribution. We consider the situation where data are observed as a sequence of Bernoulli trials and propose the Bernoulli CUSUM chart as a desirable method for the surveillance of rare health events. We compare the performance of the Sets method and its modifcations to the Bernoulli CUSUM chart under a wide variety of circumstances. Chart design parameters were chosen to satisfy a minimax criteria.We used the steady- state average run length to measure chart performance instead of the average run length which was used in nearly all previous comparisons involving the Sets method or its modifcations. Except in a very few instances, we found that the Bernoulli CUSUM chart has better steady-state average run length performance than the Sets method and its modifcations for the extensive number of cases considered.

  15. STUDYING OF FUNCTIONAL CONDITION OF THE SMALL INTESTINE IN CHOLELITHIASIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ya. M. Vakhrushev

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. Complex research of the functional condition of the small intestine in different stages of cholelithiasis.Materials and methods. 47 patients with different stages of cholelithiasis were examined. There were 29 patients with the first (prestone stage and 18 — with the second (stone stage of cholelithiasis. In an assessment of the functional condition of the small intestine were used clinical data and results of the load tests by sugars. Cavitary digestion was studied by load test with polysaccharide (soluble starch, membrane digestion — with disaccharide (sucrose, absorption — with monosaccharide (glucose. Glucose level in blood was determined on an empty stomach, then after oral reception of 50g of glucose, sucrose or starch in 30, 60 and 120 minutes.Results. Researchers showed that in the most of patients with cholelithiasis there were disturbances in clinical and functional condition of the small intestine. In an assessment of the cavitary digestion the level of glycemia was authentically lowered by 43% in prestone stage and by 66% in stone stage of cholelithiasis in comparison with control. In an assessment of membrane digestion in patients with the stone stage of cholelithiasis the level of glycemia was lowered in comparison with group of control and with the prestone stage by 30% and 19% respectively.Conclusion. In prestone stage of cholelithiasis there were decrease of the cavitary digestion primary, and in stone stage of cholelithiasis — all stages of hydrolysis-resorptive process in the small intestine were disturbed.

  16. Magnification mammography: a comparison of full-field digital mammography and screen-film mammography for the detection of simulated small masses and microcalcifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hermann, K.P.; Obenauer, S.; Funke, M.; Grabbe, E.H.

    2002-01-01

    The objective of this study was a comparison of a full-field digital mammography (FFDM) system and a conventional screen-film mammography (SFM) system with respect to the detectability of simulated small masses and microcalcifications in the magnification mode. All images were obtained using 1.8 times magnification. The FFDM images were obtained at radiation dose levels of 1.39, 1.0, 0.7, 0.49 and 0.24 times that of the SFM images. A contrast-detail phantom was used to compare the detection of simulated lesions using a four alternative forced-choice reader study with three readers. The correct observation ratio (COR) was calculated as the fraction of correctly identified lesions to the total number of simulated lesions. Soft-copy reading was performed for all digital images. Direct magnification images acquired with the digital system showed a lower object contrast threshold than those acquired with the conventional system. For equal radiation dose, the digital system provided a significantly increased COR (0.95) compared with the screen-film system (0.82). For simulated microcalcifications, the corresponding difference was 0.90 to 0.72. The digital system allowed equal detection to screen-film at 40% of the radiation dose used for screen film. Digital magnification images are superior to screen-film magnification images for the detection of simulated small masses and microcalcifications even at a lower radiation dose. (orig.)

  17. Search for small-angle neutron scattering in MnO at 1700K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Routbort, J.L.; Epperson, J.E.; Klippert, T.E.; Goretta, K.C.

    1986-01-01

    A preliminary small-angle scattering (SANS) experiment has been performed on MnO single crystal at the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source. The experiment was preformed at 1700 0 K at oxygen partial pressures of 2.2 x 10 -4 , 1 x 10 2 , and 2 x 10 2 Pa, which resulted in deviations from stoichiometry of about 0.0015, 0.082, and 0.127. No statistically significant change in SANS was observed at this temperature with the pressure changes. Neither was any significant change observed in the wavelength-dependent sample transmission, also measured in-situ as a function of pressure. Therefore, either clustering of cation vacancies is negligible in MnO for these conditions, or the clusters are smaller than about 5 A. Of proposed cluster configurations, only the existence of the smallest (4:1, 6:2, or possible 8:3) appears to be consistent with these results

  18. Homework particularities for small school children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beiusanu, Corina; Vlaicu, Brigitha

    2013-01-01

    The present study was centered on the particularities of the duration of preparing homework, taking breaks during homework preparation, and the way the breaks should take place for small school children. The study has been done on a sample of 235 small school children from Oradea, 114 boys and 121 girls, between the ages 7 and 10 years old, using an anonymous questioner, with 41 items, which investigates the lifestyle of the small school children. The duration of homework preparation it is significantly more reduced for the school children in 1st grade in comparison with the ones in 3 grade (p lunch. Half of the children from grades I-IV prepare their homework with no break. A very small number of children spend their homework break time in a healthy manner, while the rest prefer to play computer games (46.95%) or to watch television (46.08%). More than half of the schoolchildren need 1-2 hours at home to prepare their homework. Most of the school children prepare their homework after lunch, in an optimal interval of time. Half of the questioned children prepare their homework with no break. Those who are taking breaks prefer activities which get the children even more tired, therefore being non-hygienic methods of spending homework breaks.

  19. Molecular Diagnostics in the Neoplasms of Small Intestine and Appendix: 2018 Update.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yingtao; Zulfiqar, Muhammad; Bluth, Martin H; Bhalla, Amarpreet; Beydoun, Rafic

    2018-06-01

    Neoplasms of the small intestine are rare in comparison with colorectal tumors. The most common tumor types arising in the small intestine are adenocarcinomas, well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and lymphoma. Primary appendiceal neoplasms are rare and found in less than 2% of appendectomy specimens with an incidence of approximately 1.2 cases per 100,000 people per year in the United States. This article explores molecular diagnostics in the neoplasms of small intestine and appendix. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Comparison of the signal-to-noise characteristics of quantum versus thermal ghost imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Sullivan, Malcolm N.; Chan, Kam Wai Clifford; Boyd, Robert W.

    2010-01-01

    We present a theoretical comparison of the signal-to-noise characteristics of quantum versus thermal ghost imaging. We first calculate the signal-to-noise ratio of each process in terms of its controllable experimental conditions. We show that a key distinction is that a thermal ghost image always resides on top of a large background; the fluctuations in this background constitutes an intrinsic noise source for thermal ghost imaging. In contrast, there is a negligible intrinsic background to a quantum ghost image. However, for practical reasons involving achievable illumination levels, acquisition times for thermal ghost images are often much shorter than those for quantum ghost images. We provide quantitative predictions for the conditions under which each process provides superior performance. Our conclusion is that each process can provide useful functionality, although under complementary conditions.

  1. Oral contrast agents for small bowel MRI: comparison of different additives to optimize bowel distension

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ajaj, Waleed; Goehde, Susanne C.; Ruehm, Stefan G.; Debatin, Joerg F.; Lauenstein, Thomas C. [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122, Essen (Germany); Schneemann, Hubert [Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Hospital Essen, Essen (Germany)

    2004-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare two osmotic carbohydrate sugar alcohols (mannitol 2.5% and sorbitol 2.5%, 2.0%, and 1.5% watery solutions) in combination with 0.2% locust bean gum (LBG) for small bowel distension for MR imaging. Small bowel distension was quantified on coronal 2D TrueFISP images by measuring the diameters of 16 small bowel loops in each of 12 healthy subjects (age range 31-55 years). Additionally, the grade of small bowel distension was rated qualitatively. Patient acceptance concerning nausea, vomiting, flatulence, and diarrhea was noted for each solution, and all results were compared by a Wilcoxon test or t test, respectively. The ingestion of water combined with LBG and either 2.5% mannitol or 2.0% sorbitol showed the best distension of the small bowel. The lowest side effect rate was observed following ingestion of sorbitol in a concentration of 2.0 and 1.5%. Based on these data, we recommend a combination of LBG and 2% sorbitol use for optimal bowel distension and minimal side effects resulting in enhanced patient acceptance. (orig.)

  2. Oral contrast agents for small bowel MRI: comparison of different additives to optimize bowel distension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ajaj, Waleed; Goehde, Susanne C.; Ruehm, Stefan G.; Debatin, Joerg F.; Lauenstein, Thomas C.; Schneemann, Hubert

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare two osmotic carbohydrate sugar alcohols (mannitol 2.5% and sorbitol 2.5%, 2.0%, and 1.5% watery solutions) in combination with 0.2% locust bean gum (LBG) for small bowel distension for MR imaging. Small bowel distension was quantified on coronal 2D TrueFISP images by measuring the diameters of 16 small bowel loops in each of 12 healthy subjects (age range 31-55 years). Additionally, the grade of small bowel distension was rated qualitatively. Patient acceptance concerning nausea, vomiting, flatulence, and diarrhea was noted for each solution, and all results were compared by a Wilcoxon test or t test, respectively. The ingestion of water combined with LBG and either 2.5% mannitol or 2.0% sorbitol showed the best distension of the small bowel. The lowest side effect rate was observed following ingestion of sorbitol in a concentration of 2.0 and 1.5%. Based on these data, we recommend a combination of LBG and 2% sorbitol use for optimal bowel distension and minimal side effects resulting in enhanced patient acceptance. (orig.)

  3. Massive Boson Production at Small qT in Soft-Collinear Effective Theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becher, Thomas; Neubert, Matthias; Wilhelm, Daniel

    2013-01-01

    We study the differential cross sections for electroweak gauge-boson and Higgs production at small and very small transverse-momentum qT. Large logarithms are resummed using soft-collinear effective theory. The collinear anomaly generates a non-perturbative scale q*, which protects the processes from receiving large long-distance hadronic contributions. A numerical comparison of our predictions with data on the transverse-momentum distribution in Z-boson production at the Tevatron and LHC is given.

  4. FIST small break accident analysis with BWR TRACBO2-pretest predictions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alamgir, M.; Sutherland, W.A.

    1984-01-01

    The BWR Full Integral Simulation Test (FIST) program includes experimental simulation and analytical evaluation of BWR thermal-hydraulic phenomena during transient events. One such event is a small size break in the suction line of one of the recirculation pumps. The results from a test simulating this transient in the FIST facility are compared with a system analysis using the Transient Reactor Analysis Code (TRACB02). This comparison demonstrates BWR-TRAC capability for small break analyses and provides detailed understanding of the phenomena

  5. Performance of a RT-PCR Assay in Comparison to FISH and Immunohistochemistry for the Detection of ALK in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hout, David R; Schweitzer, Brock L; Lawrence, Kasey; Morris, Stephan W; Tucker, Tracy; Mazzola, Rosetta; Skelton, Rachel; McMahon, Frank; Handshoe, John; Lesperance, Mary; Karsan, Aly; Saltman, David L

    2017-08-01

    Patients with lung cancers harboring an activating anaplastic lymphoma kinase ( ALK ) rearrangement respond favorably to ALK inhibitor therapy. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are validated and widely used screening tests for ALK rearrangements but both methods have limitations. The ALK RGQ RT-PCR Kit (RT-PCR) is a single tube quantitative real-time PCR assay for high throughput and automated interpretation of ALK expression. In this study, we performed a direct comparison of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) lung cancer specimens using all three ALK detection methods. The RT-PCR test (diagnostic cut-off Δ C t of ≤8) was shown to be highly sensitive (100%) when compared to FISH and IHC. Sequencing of RNA detected full-length ALK transcripts or EML4-ALK and KIF5B-ALK fusion variants in discordant cases in which ALK expression was detected by the ALK RT-PCR test but negative by FISH and IHC. The overall specificity of the RT-PCR test for the detection of ALK in cases without full-length ALK expression was 94% in comparison to FISH and sequencing. These data support the ALK RT-PCR test as a highly efficient and reliable diagnostic screening approach to identify patients with non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors are driven by oncogenic ALK.

  6. A dosimetric comparison between traditionally planned and inverse planned radiation therapy of non-small cell lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, V.W.C.; Sham, J.S.T.; Kwong, D.L.W.

    2003-01-01

    This study applied inverse planning in 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and evaluated its dosimetric results by comparison with the forward planning of 3DCRT and inverse planning of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). For each of the 15 NSCLC patients recruited, the forward 3DCRT, inverse 3DCRT and inverse EVIRT plans were produced using the FOCUS treatment planning system. The dosimetric results and the planner's time of all treatment plans were recorded and compared. The inverse 3DCRT plans demonstrated the best target dose homogeneity among the three planning methods. The tumour control probability of the inverse 3DCRT plans was similar to the forward plans (p 0.217) but inferior to the IMRT plans (p < 0.001). A similar pattern was observed in uncomplicated tumour control. The average planning time for the inverse 3DCRT plans was the shortest and its difference was significant compared with the forward 3DCRT plans (p < 0.001) but not with the IMRT plans (p = 0.276). In conclusion, inverse planning for 3DCRT is a reasonable alternative to the forward planning for NSCLC patients with a reduction of the planner's time. However, further dose escalation and improvement of tumour control have to rely on IMRT. Copyright (2003) Australian Institute of Radiography

  7. ACCELERATION RENDERING METHOD ON RAY TRACING WITH ANGLE COMPARISON AND DISTANCE COMPARISON

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liliana liliana

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available In computer graphics applications, to produce realistic images, a method that is often used is ray tracing. Ray tracing does not only model local illumination but also global illumination. Local illumination count ambient, diffuse and specular effects only, but global illumination also count mirroring and transparency. Local illumination count effects from the lamp(s but global illumination count effects from other object(s too. Objects that are usually modeled are primitive objects and mesh objects. The advantage of mesh modeling is various, interesting and real-like shape. Mesh contains many primitive objects like triangle or square (rare. A problem in mesh object modeling is long rendering time. It is because every ray must be checked with a lot of triangle of the mesh. Added by ray from other objects checking, the number of ray that traced will increase. It causes the increasing of rendering time. To solve this problem, in this research, new methods are developed to make the rendering process of mesh object faster. The new methods are angle comparison and distance comparison. These methods are used to reduce the number of ray checking. The rays predicted will not intersect with the mesh, are not checked weather the ray intersects the mesh. With angle comparison, if using small angle to compare, the rendering process will be fast. This method has disadvantage, if the shape of each triangle is big, some triangles will be corrupted. If the angle to compare is bigger, mesh corruption can be avoided but the rendering time will be longer than without comparison. With distance comparison, the rendering time is less than without comparison, and no triangle will be corrupted.

  8. Assessment of small versus large hydro-power developments - a Norwegian case study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bakken, Tor Haakon; Harby, Atle

    2010-07-01

    Full text: The era of new, large hydro-power development projects seems to be over in Norway. Partly as a response to this, a large number of applications for the development of smallscale hydro power projects up to 10 MW overflow the Water Resources and Energy Directorate, resulting in an extensive development of small tributaries and water courses in Norway. This study has developed a framework for the assessment and comparison of several small versus many large hydro-power projects based on a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach, and further tested this approach on planned or developed projects in the Helgeland region, Norway. Multi-criteria analysis is a decision-support tool aimed at providing a systematic approach for the comparison of various alternatives with often non-commensurable and conflicting attributes. At the same time, the technique enables complex problems and various alternatives to be assessed in a transparent and simple way. The MCA-software was in our case equipped with 2 overall criteria (objectives) with a number of sub criteria; Production with sub-criteria like volume of energy production, installed effect, storage capacity and economical profit; Environmental impacts with sub-criteria like fishing interests, biodiversity, protection of unexploited nature The data used in the case study is based on the planned development of Vefsna (large project) with the energy/effect production estimated and the environmental impacts identified as part of the feasibility studies (the project never reached the authorities' licensing system with a formal EIA). The small-scale hydro-power projects used for comparison are based on realized projects in the Helgeland region and a number of proposed projects, up scaled to the size of the proposed Vefsna-development. The results from the study indicate that a large number of small-scale hydro-power projects need to be implemented in order to balance the volume of produced electricity/effect from one

  9. Effects of video-game play on information processing: a meta-analytic investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powers, Kasey L; Brooks, Patricia J; Aldrich, Naomi J; Palladino, Melissa A; Alfieri, Louis

    2013-12-01

    Do video games enhance cognitive functioning? We conducted two meta-analyses based on different research designs to investigate how video games impact information-processing skills (auditory processing, executive functions, motor skills, spatial imagery, and visual processing). Quasi-experimental studies (72 studies, 318 comparisons) compare habitual gamers with controls; true experiments (46 studies, 251 comparisons) use commercial video games in training. Using random-effects models, video games led to improved information processing in both the quasi-experimental studies, d = 0.61, 95% CI [0.50, 0.73], and the true experiments, d = 0.48, 95% CI [0.35, 0.60]. Whereas the quasi-experimental studies yielded small to large effect sizes across domains, the true experiments yielded negligible effects for executive functions, which contrasted with the small to medium effect sizes in other domains. The quasi-experimental studies appeared more susceptible to bias than were the true experiments, with larger effects being reported in higher-tier than in lower-tier journals, and larger effects reported by the most active research groups in comparison with other labs. The results are further discussed with respect to other moderators and limitations in the extant literature.

  10. Small-world networks of fuzzy chaotic oscillators

    CERN Document Server

    Bucolo, M; Fortuna, L

    2003-01-01

    Small-world topology has been used to build lattices of nonlinear fuzzy systems. Chaotic units, ruled by linguistic description and with specified Lyapunov exponent, have been realized and connected using linear diffusion coefficient. The dynamic features of the networks versus the number of systems connected have been investigated to underline phenomena like spatiotemporal chaos and complete regularization. The synchronization characteristics in case of sparse long-term connections and the performances comparison with regular and random network configurations are shown.

  11. Comparison of BIOPATH and MARCEN

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moreno, R.A.; Barrdahl, R. [Swedish Radiation Protection Inst., Stockholm (Sweden); Bergstroem, U.; Nordlinder, S. [Studsvik Eco and Safety AB, Nykoeping (Sweden)

    1995-11-01

    The present report discusses a comparison of two models for assessing the environmental transfer of radionuclides from routine releases to the sea from nuclear power plants: BIOPATH and MARCEN. The purpose of the comparison was to assess the credibility of MARCEN`s predictions of doses to critical groups. BIOPATH, which has previously been validated and compared with other models, was a suitable code for this purpose. The releases from Ringhals during 1993 were used for the comparison. For this scenario BIOPATH and MARCEN predicted the same critical radionuclide/pathway combinations. The observed quantitative disagreement between the models was mainly due to scale differences. The ratio of the mean values predicted by BIOPATH and MARCEN ranged from 0.91 ({sup 60}Co/shellfish) to 2.43 ({sup 137}Cs/fish). The observed differences between the models are small in general, and can be neglected if the predicted doses are one or more orders of magnitude below the dose limits. 8 refs, 12 figs, 9 tabs.

  12. Comparison of BIOPATH and MARCEN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreno, R.A.; Barrdahl, R.; Bergstroem, U.; Nordlinder, S.

    1995-11-01

    The present report discusses a comparison of two models for assessing the environmental transfer of radionuclides from routine releases to the sea from nuclear power plants: BIOPATH and MARCEN. The purpose of the comparison was to assess the credibility of MARCEN's predictions of doses to critical groups. BIOPATH, which has previously been validated and compared with other models, was a suitable code for this purpose. The releases from Ringhals during 1993 were used for the comparison. For this scenario BIOPATH and MARCEN predicted the same critical radionuclide/pathway combinations. The observed quantitative disagreement between the models was mainly due to scale differences. The ratio of the mean values predicted by BIOPATH and MARCEN ranged from 0.91 ( 60 Co/shellfish) to 2.43 ( 137 Cs/fish). The observed differences between the models are small in general, and can be neglected if the predicted doses are one or more orders of magnitude below the dose limits. 8 refs, 12 figs, 9 tabs

  13. Small-angle scattering of swift electrons and positrons in a crystal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kudrin, V.V.; Vorobiev, S.A.

    1975-01-01

    Features of small-angle scattering of charged particles by the crystal structure and two-dimensional angular distribution are studied on the basis of Monte-Carlo calculations of 20 MeV electron and positron transmission through a MgO single crystal. An accurate method for calculation of the charged particle scattering in a heterogeneous electron gas in the crystal is proposed. The analytical conditions under which the string-effect influences the small-angle scattering are derived and comparison is carried out with well-known experimental data. (author)

  14. Small-mammal density estimation: A field comparison of grid-based vs. web-based density estimators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parmenter, R.R.; Yates, Terry L.; Anderson, D.R.; Burnham, K.P.; Dunnum, J.L.; Franklin, A.B.; Friggens, M.T.; Lubow, B.C.; Miller, M.; Olson, G.S.; Parmenter, Cheryl A.; Pollard, J.; Rexstad, E.; Shenk, T.M.; Stanley, T.R.; White, Gary C.

    2003-01-01

    blind” test allowed us to evaluate the influence of expertise and experience in calculating density estimates in comparison to simply using default values in programs CAPTURE and DISTANCE. While the rodent sample sizes were considerably smaller than the recommended minimum for good model results, we found that several models performed well empirically, including the web-based uniform and half-normal models in program DISTANCE, and the grid-based models Mb and Mbh in program CAPTURE (with AÌ‚ adjusted by species-specific full mean maximum distance moved (MMDM) values). These models produced accurate DÌ‚ values (with 95% confidence intervals that included the true D values) and exhibited acceptable bias but poor precision. However, in linear regression analyses comparing each model's DÌ‚ values to the true D values over the range of observed test densities, only the web-based uniform model exhibited a regression slope near 1.0; all other models showed substantial slope deviations, indicating biased estimates at higher or lower density values. In addition, the grid-based DÌ‚ analyses using full MMDM values for WÌ‚ area adjustments required a number of theoretical assumptions of uncertain validity, and we therefore viewed their empirical successes with caution. Finally, density estimates from the independent analysts were highly variable, but estimates from web-based approaches had smaller mean square errors and better achieved confidence-interval coverage of D than did grid-based approaches. Our results support the contention that web-based approaches for density estimation of small-mammal populations are both theoretically and empirically superior to grid-based approaches, even when sample size is far less than often recommended. In view of the increasing need for standardized environmental measures for comparisons among ecosystems and through time, analytical models based on distance sampling appear to offer accurate density estimation approaches for research

  15. Context matters: volunteer bias, small sample size, and the value of comparison groups in the assessment of research-based undergraduate introductory biology lab courses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brownell, Sara E; Kloser, Matthew J; Fukami, Tadashi; Shavelson, Richard J

    2013-01-01

    The shift from cookbook to authentic research-based lab courses in undergraduate biology necessitates the need for evaluation and assessment of these novel courses. Although the biology education community has made progress in this area, it is important that we interpret the effectiveness of these courses with caution and remain mindful of inherent limitations to our study designs that may impact internal and external validity. The specific context of a research study can have a dramatic impact on the conclusions. We present a case study of our own three-year investigation of the impact of a research-based introductory lab course, highlighting how volunteer students, a lack of a comparison group, and small sample sizes can be limitations of a study design that can affect the interpretation of the effectiveness of a course.

  16. A SHOCKING REQUIREMENT IN THE LAW ON NEGLIGENCE LIABILITY FOR PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS: LIVERPOOL WOMEN'S HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST V RONAYNE [2015] EWCA CIV 588.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burrows, Andrew S; Burrows, John H

    2016-01-01

    The Ronayne case concerned a husband who suffered a psychiatric illness, described as an adjustment disorder, in seeing the condition of his wife who was the primary victim of admitted medical negligence. His claim for compensation, as a 'secondary victim', failed because he could not satisfy the legal requirement that there must be a sudden shocking event. This commentary criticises that requirement which appears to make no medical sense. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Medical students perceive better group learning processes when large classes are made to seem small.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hommes, Juliette; Arah, Onyebuchi A; de Grave, Willem; Schuwirth, Lambert W T; Scherpbier, Albert J J A; Bos, Gerard M J

    2014-01-01

    Medical schools struggle with large classes, which might interfere with the effectiveness of learning within small groups due to students being unfamiliar to fellow students. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of making a large class seem small on the students' collaborative learning processes. A randomised controlled intervention study was undertaken to make a large class seem small, without the need to reduce the number of students enrolling in the medical programme. The class was divided into subsets: two small subsets (n=50) as the intervention groups; a control group (n=102) was mixed with the remaining students (the non-randomised group n∼100) to create one large subset. The undergraduate curriculum of the Maastricht Medical School, applying the Problem-Based Learning principles. In this learning context, students learn mainly in tutorial groups, composed randomly from a large class every 6-10 weeks. The formal group learning activities were organised within the subsets. Students from the intervention groups met frequently within the formal groups, in contrast to the students from the large subset who hardly enrolled with the same students in formal activities. Three outcome measures assessed students' group learning processes over time: learning within formally organised small groups, learning with other students in the informal context and perceptions of the intervention. Formal group learning processes were perceived more positive in the intervention groups from the second study year on, with a mean increase of β=0.48. Informal group learning activities occurred almost exclusively within the subsets as defined by the intervention from the first week involved in the medical curriculum (E-I indexes>-0.69). Interviews tapped mainly positive effects and negligible negative side effects of the intervention. Better group learning processes can be achieved in large medical schools by making large classes seem small.

  18. Small cell lung cancer: CT evaluation and comparison with nonhodgkin's lymphoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whang, Sun Hee; Lee, Kyung Soo; Lee, Byoung Ho

    1991-01-01

    We analyzed plain radiographic and computed tomographic (CT) features of 26 biopsy proven small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Eleven cases of non Hodgkin's lymphoma involving the thorax were also reviewed and compared with the small cell lung cancer for differential diagnostic clues. Centrally manifesting lymphadenopathy was the main findings of SCLC in both plain radiographs and CT. The most frequently involved lymph nodes were subcarinal, right lower paratracheal, left lower paratracheal, and right tracheobronchial node. The most difficult site to identify the lymphadenopathy with simple radiograph was subcarinal, paraesophageal, pulmonary ligamental, anterior mediastinal (group 6), and left upper paratracheal nodes CT scan revealed lymphadenopathy clearly in all of these Groups. Right lower paratracheal and subcarinal nodes were involved frequently in both SCLC's and lymphomas. Bilateral tracheobronchial and bilateral intrapulmonary nodes were involved more frequently in SCLC's while anterior mediastinal, upper paratracheal, and aorticopulmonary (AP) window nodes were involved predominantly in lymphomas. Cystic low attenuation, presumed necrosis lymphadenopathy, was noted in two cases of lymphomas but not found in SCLC's at all. In conclusion, the CT could detect involved lymphadenopathy in SCLC more accurately than plain radiograph and the sites of involved lymphadenopathy may give a differential diagnostic clue between SCLC and lymphoma

  19. SearchSmallRNA: a graphical interface tool for the assemblage of viral genomes using small RNA libraries data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Andrade, Roberto R S; Vaslin, Maite F S

    2014-03-07

    Next-generation parallel sequencing (NGS) allows the identification of viral pathogens by sequencing the small RNAs of infected hosts. Thus, viral genomes may be assembled from host immune response products without prior virus enrichment, amplification or purification. However, mapping of the vast information obtained presents a bioinformatics challenge. In order to by pass the need of line command and basic bioinformatics knowledge, we develop a mapping software with a graphical interface to the assemblage of viral genomes from small RNA dataset obtained by NGS. SearchSmallRNA was developed in JAVA language version 7 using NetBeans IDE 7.1 software. The program also allows the analysis of the viral small interfering RNAs (vsRNAs) profile; providing an overview of the size distribution and other features of the vsRNAs produced in infected cells. The program performs comparisons between each read sequenced present in a library and a chosen reference genome. Reads showing Hamming distances smaller or equal to an allowed mismatched will be selected as positives and used to the assemblage of a long nucleotide genome sequence. In order to validate the software, distinct analysis using NGS dataset obtained from HIV and two plant viruses were used to reconstruct viral whole genomes. SearchSmallRNA program was able to reconstructed viral genomes using NGS of small RNA dataset with high degree of reliability so it will be a valuable tool for viruses sequencing and discovery. It is accessible and free to all research communities and has the advantage to have an easy-to-use graphical interface. SearchSmallRNA was written in Java and is freely available at http://www.microbiologia.ufrj.br/ssrna/.

  20. Validity of thermally-driven small-scale ventilated filling box models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Partridge, Jamie L.; Linden, P. F.

    2013-11-01

    The majority of previous work studying building ventilation flows at laboratory scale have used saline plumes in water. The production of buoyancy forces using salinity variations in water allows dynamic similarity between the small-scale models and the full-scale flows. However, in some situations, such as including the effects of non-adiabatic boundaries, the use of a thermal plume is desirable. The efficacy of using temperature differences to produce buoyancy-driven flows representing natural ventilation of a building in a small-scale model is examined here, with comparison between previous theoretical and new, heat-based, experiments.

  1. Estimates of oceanic surface wind speed and direction using orthogonal beam scatterometer measurements and comparison of recent sea scattering theories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, R. K.; Fung, A. K.; Dome, G. J.; Birrer, I. J.

    1978-01-01

    The wind direction properties of radar backscatter from the sea were empirically modelled using a cosine Fourier series through the 4th harmonic in wind direction (referenced to upwind). A comparison with 1975 JONSWAP (Joint North Sea Wave Project) scatterometer data, at incidence angles of 40 and 65, indicates that effects to third and fourth harmonics are negligible. Another important result is that the Fourier coefficients through the second harmonic are related to wind speed by a power law expression. A technique is also proposed to estimate the wind speed and direction over the ocean from two orthogonal scattering measurements. A comparison between two different types of sea scatter theories, one type presented by the work of Wright and the other by that of Chan and Fung, was made with recent scatterometer measurements. It demonstrates that a complete scattering model must include some provisions for the anisotropic characteristics of the sea scatter, and use a sea spectrum which depends upon wind speed.

  2. Internal control activities in small Turkish companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ismail Bilgi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to present major outcomes from an empirical study concerning internal control activities in small Turkish companies, as to propose the improvement guidelines. Methods of analysis and synthesis, descriptive statistics, and statistical comparison were used. The collected data was processed with the help of the SPSS software. Тhe study is limited to organizations based in the European part of Turkey. Most of them operate in areas around large cities, such as Istanbul, Edirne, Kırklareli, and Tekirdağ. They employ on average 19-20 people and have a turnover of about TRY 3 million (≈€715,000, https://sdw.ecb.europa.eu on average. The survey concentrates mainly on small family businesses, which have been present on the market for more than ten years, with managers of good education and other characteristics that presuppose availability of internal control systems. The research results were used to compile main points of a SWOT analysis, as a part of the broader effort to help modernizing the internal control system in Turkish small businesses.

  3. Comparison of corneal sensation between small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK for myopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Meiyan; Zhou, Zimei; Shen, Yang; Knorz, Michael C; Gong, Lan; Zhou, Xingtao

    2014-02-01

    To compare the impact on corneal sensation after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK (femto-LASIK) in patients with myopia. In this prospective, nonrandomized comparative study, 71 subjects were enrolled. Thirty-eight eyes of 38 patients underwent SMILE and 33 eyes of 33 patients underwent femto-LASIK. Corneal sensation was tested with Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometry in five corneal areas preoperatively and at 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Comparison of corneal sensation was performed for the SMILE and femto-LASIK groups. Additionally, the correlations were evaluated between the postoperative corneal sensation, preoperative spherical equivalent, and ablation depth. All tested areas within the cap or flap demonstrated corneal hypoesthesia immediately after both surgeries. SMILE-treated eyes showed less compromised corneal sensation than femto-LASIK-treated eyes at all postoperative visits in the central, inferior, nasal, and temporal areas at the 1-week and 1-month visits. In the SMILE group, the inferior, nasal, and temporal quadrants recovered faster than other areas. In the femto-LASIK group, the sensation over the flap did not recover to preoperative levels by postoperative 6 months. There was no correlation between postoperative corneal sensation, preoperative spherical equivalent, and ablation depth in both groups. The impairment of corneal sensation was less significant in the SMILE group than in the femto-LASIK group and was independent of preoperative spherical equivalent or ablation depth. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

  4. Comparison of measured and calculated burn-up of AVR-Fuel-Elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wagemann, R.

    1974-03-15

    Burn-up comparisons are made for small batches of three types of AVR fuel elements using a coupled EREBUS-MUPO neutronic analysis compared against test results from both nondestructive gamma-ray measurements of cesium-137 activity and destructive mass spectrometry measurements of the ratio of U-233 to U-235. The comparisons are relatively good for average burn-up and reasonably good for burn-up distributions.

  5. Economic and Environmental Evaluation of a Brick Delivery System Based on Multi-Trip Vehicle Loader Routing Problem for Small Construction Sites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heungjo An

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available While large construction sites have on-site loaders to handle heavy and large packages of bricks, small brick manufacturers employ a truck-mounted loader or sometimes deploy a loader truck to accompany normal brick delivery trucks to small construction sites lacking on-site loaders. It may be very challenging for small contractors to manage a sustainable delivery system that is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly. To address this issue, this paper proposes to solve a multi-trip vehicle loader routing problem by uniquely planning routes and schedules of several types of vehicles considering their synchronized operations at customer sites and multi trips. This paper also evaluates the sustainability of the developed model from both economic and environmental perspectives. Case studies based on small construction sites in the Middle East demonstrate applications of the proposed model to make the most economical plans for delivering bricks. Compared to the single-trip vehicle loader routing problem, the proposed model reduces, on average, 18.7% of the total delivery cost while increasing CO2 emission negligibly. The economic benefit is mainly achieved by reducing the required number of vehicles. Brick plant managers can use the proposed mathematical model to plan the most cost-effective delivery schedules sustainably while minimizing negative environmental effects.

  6. Quantitative vegetation reconstruction from pollen analysis and historical inventory data around a Danish small forest hollow

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Overballe-Petersen, Mette V; Nielsen, Anne Birgitte; Bradshaw, Richard H.W.

    2013-01-01

    of the pollen record? Location Denmark. The Gribskov-Ostrup small forest hollow (56°N, 12°20' E, 44 m a.s.l.) in the forest of Gribskov, eastern Denmark. Methods Pollen analysis was carried out on a small forest hollow, and LRA used to derive pollen-based quantitative estimates of past vegetation. Historical......Questions Can the model performance of the landscape reconstruction algorithm (LRA) for small forest hollows be validated through comparison to inventory-based vegetation reconstructions from the last 150 yrs? Does the application of LRA and the comparison to historical data enhance interpretation...... forest inventory data and maps were used to reconstruct the vegetation within three different circles around the hollow (20, 50 and 200 m ring widths) for five time periods during the last 150 yrs. The results of the two approaches were compared in order to evaluate model performance, and the LRA...

  7. Comparison of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels between mothers with small for gestational age and appropriate for gestational age newborns in Kerman.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirzaei, Fatemeh; Amiri Moghadam, Tayebeh; Arasteh, Peyman

    2015-04-01

    Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is associated with some adverse pregnancy outcomes but its relationship with fetal growth is unknown. We compared the 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels between mothers and their small for gestational age (SGA) newborns with mothers and their appropriate for gestational age (AGA) newborns. The study population included pregnant women that referred to Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman from 2012 to 2013. The case and control group consisted of 40 pregnant mothers with SGA and AGA newborns, respectively. The maternal and infants 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were measured in the two groups. 25-hydroxy vitamin D deficiency (mothers and infants in both the SGA group and the AGA group was significant. Our study reveals a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in women with SGA infants in comparison to women with AGA children. In addition, maternal vitamin D deficiency is associated with its deficiency in newborns.

  8. Arrays of Synthetic Atoms: Nanocapacitor Batteries with Large Energy Density and Small Leak Currents

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-11-28

    AFRL-RV-PS- AFRL-RV-PS- TR-2017-0169 TR-2017-0169 ARRAYS OF SYNTHETIC ATOMS: NANOCAPACITOR BATTERIES WITH LARGE ENERGY DENSITY AND SMALL LEAK...1-0247 Arrays of Synthetic Atoms: Nanocapacitor Batteries with Large Energy Density and Small Leak Currents 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT...large dielectric strength to a nanoscale rechargeable battery . We fabricated arrays of one-, two- and three-dimensional synthetic atoms and comparison

  9. Interstellar extinction in the Small Magellanic Cloud

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nandy, K.; McLachlan, A.; Thompson, G.I.; Morgan, D.H.; Willis, A.J.; Wilson, R.; Gondhalekar, P.M.; Houziaux, L.

    1982-01-01

    IUE observations of three considerably reddened stars located near the core of the Small Magellanic Cloud and of two comparison stars which are also SMC members are presented. This region contains a considerable amount of dust. The UV spectrum of one of the reddened stars (BBB 338) shows the lambda 2200 feature characteristic of the Galactic extinction curve. This absorption feature is not obvious in the UV spectra of the other two reddened stars. Due to lack of a suitable comparison star it has not been possible to measure the UV extinction of BBB 338. The extinction curves derived for the other two reddened SMC members differ from the mean Galactic law in that they exhibit very weak or absent lambda 2200 and much higher values of far-UV extinction. These differences are greater than have been found for stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, confirming earlier observations by others. (author)

  10. Small-sized reverberation chamber for the measurement of sound absorption

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rey, R. del; Alba, J.; Bertó, L.; Gregori, A.

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents the design, construction, calibration and automation of a reverberation chamber for small samples. A balance has been sought between reducing sample size, to reduce the manufacturing costs of materials, and finding the appropriate volume of the chamber, to obtain reliable values at high and mid frequencies. The small-sized reverberation chamber, that was built, has a volume of 1.12 m3 and allows for the testing of samples of 0.3 m2. By using diffusers, to improve the diffusion degree, and automating measurements, we were able to improve the reliability of the results, thus reducing test errors. Several comparison studies of the measurements of the small-sized reverberation chamber and the standardised reverberation chamber are shown, and a good degree of adjustment can be seen between them, within the range of valid frequencies. This paper presents a small laboratory for comparing samples and making decisions before the manufacturing of larger sizes. [es

  11. Comparison of small n statistical tests of differential expression applied to microarrays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee Anna Y

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background DNA microarrays provide data for genome wide patterns of expression between observation classes. Microarray studies often have small samples sizes, however, due to cost constraints or specimen availability. This can lead to poor random error estimates and inaccurate statistical tests of differential expression. We compare the performance of the standard t-test, fold change, and four small n statistical test methods designed to circumvent these problems. We report results of various normalization methods for empirical microarray data and of various random error models for simulated data. Results Three Empirical Bayes methods (CyberT, BRB, and limma t-statistics were the most effective statistical tests across simulated and both 2-colour cDNA and Affymetrix experimental data. The CyberT regularized t-statistic in particular was able to maintain expected false positive rates with simulated data showing high variances at low gene intensities, although at the cost of low true positive rates. The Local Pooled Error (LPE test introduced a bias that lowered false positive rates below theoretically expected values and had lower power relative to the top performers. The standard two-sample t-test and fold change were also found to be sub-optimal for detecting differentially expressed genes. The generalized log transformation was shown to be beneficial in improving results with certain data sets, in particular high variance cDNA data. Conclusion Pre-processing of data influences performance and the proper combination of pre-processing and statistical testing is necessary for obtaining the best results. All three Empirical Bayes methods assessed in our study are good choices for statistical tests for small n microarray studies for both Affymetrix and cDNA data. Choice of method for a particular study will depend on software and normalization preferences.

  12. Context Matters: Volunteer Bias, Small Sample Size, and the Value of Comparison Groups in the Assessment of Research-Based Undergraduate Introductory Biology Lab Courses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara E. Brownell

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The shift from cookbook to authentic research-based lab courses in undergraduate biology necessitates the need for evaluation and assessment of these novel courses. Although the biology education community has made progress in this area, it is important that we interpret the effectiveness of these courses with caution and remain mindful of inherent limitations to our study designs that may impact internal and external validity. The specific context of a research study can have a dramatic impact on the conclusions. We present a case study of our own three-year investigation of the impact of a research-based introductory lab course, highlighting how volunteer students, a lack of a comparison group, and small sample sizes can be limitations of a study design that can affect the interpretation of the effectiveness of a course.

  13. Low-cost small action cameras in stereo generates accurate underwater measurements of fish

    OpenAIRE

    Letessier, T. B.; Juhel, Jean-Baptiste; Vigliola, Laurent; Meeuwig, J. J.

    2015-01-01

    Small action cameras have received interest for use in underwater videography because of their low-cost, standardised housing, widespread availability and small size. Here, we assess the capacity of GoPro action cameras to provide accurate stereo-measurements of fish in comparison to the Sony handheld cameras that have traditionally been used for this purpose. Standardised stereo-GoPro and Sony systems were employed to capture measurements of known-length targets in a pool to explore the infl...

  14. Reply to “Comment on ‘Ultrafast Demagnetization Measurements Using Extreme Ultraviolet Light: Comparison of Electronic and Magnetic Contributions’ ”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emrah Turgut

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available In the following, we show that the conclusions of our article titled “Ultrafast Demagnetization Measurements Using Extreme Ultraviolet Light: Comparison of Electronic and Magnetic Contributions” are correct. The Comment of Vodungbo et al. argues that a unique determination of the refractive index variation over time is not possible using the data set presented in our paper. Furthermore, it was suggested that the lack of uniqueness allows for the possibility of a very specific time-dependent trajectory of the refractive index in the complex plane that could give rise to a large nonmagnetic modulation of the measured asymmetry, in spite of a negligible change in the s-polarized reflectivity. In this Reply, we conclusively show that any nonmagnetic contribution to the measured asymmetry is indeed negligible (<2%, below the noise level of the magnetic-asymmetry measurements. First, we use a few additional measurements to unambiguously rule out the presence of any nonmagnetic contributions to the signal. Second, we show that the scenario proposed by Vodungbo et al. would require both exotic time and energy dependences of the refractive index near the M edge that are extremely unlikely (virtually impossible in real materials. Thus, the conclusions of our original article are preserved.

  15. Fundoplication after heller myotomy: a retrospective comparison between nissen and dor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuttitta, Antonello; Tancredi, Antonio; Andriulli, Angelo; De Santo, Ermelinda; Fontana, Andrea; Pellegrini, Fabio; Scaramuzzi, Roberto; Scaramuzzi, Gerardo

    2011-12-01

    A retrospective comparison between Nissen and Dor fundoplication after laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia. From 1998 to 2004 a first group of 48 patients underwent Heller myotomy and Nissen fundoplication for idiopathic achalasia (H+N group). From 2004 to 2010 a second group of 40 patients underwent Heller myotomy followed by Dor fundoplication (H+D group). Some patients received a previous endoscopic treatment with pneumatic dilatation or endoscopic injection of botulinum toxin that provided them only a temporary clinical benefit. Changes in clinical and instrumental examinations from before to after surgery were evaluated in all patients. Clinical evaluation was carried out using a modified DeMeester symptom score system. Dor fundoplication treatment reduced both dysphagia and regurgitation severity scores significantly more than Nissen fundoplication (pHeller myotomy followed by Dor fundoplication is a safe and valuable treatment. The procedure showed a lower incidence of postoperative dysphagia versus Nissen fundoplication and a negligible incidence of postoperative GERD in a long-term postoperative follow-up.

  16. Transfer of thallium from rape seed to rape oil is negligible and oil is fit for human consumption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loula, Martin; Kaňa, Antonín; Vosmanská, Magda; Koplík, Richard; Mestek, Oto

    2016-01-01

    Rape and other Brassicaceae family plants can accumulate appreciable amounts of thallium from the soil. Because some species of this family are common crops utilised as food for direct consumption or raw materials for food production, thallium can enter the food chain. A useful method for thallium determination is inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The limit of detection (0.2 pg ml(-1) Tl or 0.02 ng g(-1) Tl, taking in the account dilution during sample decomposition) found in the current study was very low, and the method can be used for ultra-trace analysis. Possible transfer of thallium from rape seed to the rape oil was investigated in two ways. The balance of thallium in rape seed meal (content 140-200 ng g(-1) Tl) and defatted rape seed meal indicated that thallium did not pass into the oil (p thallium in six kinds of edible rape seed oil and three kinds of margarines showed that the amount of thallium in rape seed oil is negligible.

  17. Hydriding and dehydriding characteristics of small-scale DU and ZrCo beds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Dongyou; Lee, Jungmin; Koo, Daeseo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 989-111 Daedeokdaero, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Hongsuk, E-mail: hschung1@kaeri.kr [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 989-111 Daedeokdaero, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki Hwan [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 989-111 Daedeokdaero, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Hyun-Goo; Chang, Min Ho [National Fusion Research Institute, 113 Gwahakro, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of); Camp, Patrick [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 Saint Paul Lez Durance (France); Jung, Ki Jung; Cho, Seungyon; Yun, Sei-Hun; Kim, Chang Shuk [National Fusion Research Institute, 113 Gwahakro, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of); Yoshida, Hiroshi [Fusion Science Consultant, 3288-10 Sakado-cho, Mito-shi 310-0841, Ibakaki-ken (Japan); Paek, Seungwoo; Lee, Hansoo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 989-111 Daedeokdaero, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-10-15

    Highlights: • We have designed and fabricated a twosome small-scale getter bed for a comparison of ZrCo with DU on the hydriding/dehydriding properties. • We provide preliminary experimental results of our ZrCo and DU beds. -- Abstract: With the development of fusion technology, it will be necessary to store large amounts of tritium during the nuclear fusion fuel cycle. Stable metal tritides are viewed as potential candidates for the high-density storage of tritium. Metal tritide formers offer a safe and convenient method for tritium storage. For the storage, supply, and recovery of hydrogen isotopes, zirconium cobalt (ZrCo) and depleted uranium (DU) have been extensively proposed. Thus, we have designed and fabricated two identical small-scale getter beds for a comparison of ZrCo with DU on the hydriding/dehydriding properties. After the powderization of the metals, the hydriding/dehydriding performance at different stoichiometries of ZrCo and DU was measured. We provide preliminary experimental results of our ZrCo and DU beds.

  18. Optical response of small magnesium clusters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Solov'yov, Ilia; Solov'yov, Andrey V.; Greiner, Walter

    2004-01-01

    We predict strong enhancement in the photoabsorption of small Mg clusters in the region of 4–5 eV due to the resonant excitation of the plasmon oscillations of cluster electrons. Photoabsorption spectra for neutral Mg clusters consisting of up to N = 11 atoms have been calculated using an ab initio...... framework based on the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The nature of predicted resonances has been elucidated by comparison of the results of the an ab initio calculations with the results of the classical Mie theory. The splitting of the plasmon resonances caused by the cluster...

  19. Dose profile analysis of small fields in intensity modulated radiotherapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Medel B, E. [IMSS, Centro Medico Nacional Manuel Avila Camacho, Calle 2 Nte. 2004, Barrio de San Francisco, 72090 Puebla, Pue. (Mexico); Tejeda M, G.; Romero S, K., E-mail: romsakaren@gmail.com [Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Facultad de Ciencias Fisico Matematicas, Av. San Claudio y 18 Sur, Ciudad Universitaria, 72570 Puebla, Pue.(Mexico)

    2015-10-15

    Full text: Small field dosimetry is getting a very important worldwide task nowadays. The use of fields of few centimeters is more common with the introduction of sophisticated techniques of radiation therapy, as Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT). In our country the implementation of such techniques is just getting started and whit it the need of baseline data acquisition. The dosimetry under small field conditions represents a challenge for the physicists community. In this work, a dose profile analysis was done, using various types of dosimeters for further comparisons. This analysis includes the study of quality parameters as flatness, symmetry, penumbra, and other in-axis measurements. (Author)

  20. ORDEM 3.0 and MASTER-2009 Modeled Small Debris Population Comparison

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krisko, P. H.; Flegel, S.

    2014-01-01

    The latest versions of the two premier orbital debris engineering models, NASA's ORDEM 3.0 and ESA's MASTER-2009, have been publically released. Both models have gone through significant advancements since inception, and now represent the state-of-the-art in orbital debris knowledge of their respective agencies. The purpose of these models is to provide satellite designers/operators and debris researchers with reliable estimates of the artificial debris environment in low Earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous orbit (GEO). The small debris environment within the size range of 1 mm to 1 cm is of particular interest to both human and robotic spacecraft programs, particularly in LEO. These objects are much more numerous than larger trackable debris and can have enough momentum to cause significant, if not catastrophic, damage to spacecraft upon impact. They are also small enough to elude routine detection by existing observation systems (radar and telescope). Without reliable detection the modeling of these populations has always coupled theoretical origins with supporting observational data in different degrees. In this paper, we present and detail the 1 mm to 1 cm orbital debris populations from both ORDEM 3.0 and MASTER-2009 in LEO. We review population categories: particle sources for MASTER-2009, particle densities for ORDEM 3.0. We describe data sources and their uses, and supporting models. Fluxes on spacecraft for chosen orbits are also presented and discussed within the context of each model.

  1. Small mammal populations at hazardous waste disposal sites near Houston, Texas, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robbins, C.S.

    1990-01-01

    Small mammals were trapped, tagged and recaptured in 0?45 ha plots at six hazardous industrial waste disposal sites to determine if populations, body mass and age structures were different from paired control site plots. Low numbers of six species of small mammals were captured on industrial waste sites or control sites. Only populations of hispid cotton rats at industrial waste sites and control sites were large enough for comparisons. Overall population numbers, age structure, and body mass of adult male and female cotton rats were similar at industrial waste sites and control sites. Populations of small mammals (particularly hispid cotton rats) may not suffice as indicators of environments with hazardous industrial waste contamination.

  2. Scheduling of head-sensitive cascaded hydro systems : a comparison based on numerical simulation results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Catalao, J.P.S.; Mariano, S.J.P.S. [Beira Interior Univ., Covilha (Portugal). Dept. of Electromechanical Engineering; Mendes, V.M.F. [Superior Engineering Inst. of Lisbon, Lisbon (Portugal). Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Automation; Ferreira, L.A.F.M. [Technical Univ. of Lisbon, Superior Technical Inst., Lisbon (Portugal). Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computers

    2008-07-01

    The electric power sector in Portugal and Spain has shifted from a traditional monopoly to a deregulated, competitive energy market. As such, hydroelectric facilities face the optimal challenge of how to make a profit by managing water resources without compromising future potential profit. As such, hydro scheduling is a key activity for hydroelectric power utilities because of its significant economic impact. It involves the optimal management of water inflows and storage in reservoirs. This paper considered the problem of short-term hydro scheduling, concerning head-sensitive cascaded reservoirs, and the algorithmic aspects of its solution. The authors proposed and compared optimization methods based on dynamic programming, and linear and nonlinear network programming. The comparison revealed a negligible extra computational effort in a realistic cascaded hydro system where the head depended on the stored water volume. 17 refs., 3 tabs., 7 figs.

  3. Scheduling of head-sensitive cascaded hydro systems : a comparison based on numerical simulation results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Catalao, J.P.S.; Mariano, S.J.P.S.; Mendes, V.M.F.; Ferreira, L.A.F.M.

    2008-01-01

    The electric power sector in Portugal and Spain has shifted from a traditional monopoly to a deregulated, competitive energy market. As such, hydroelectric facilities face the optimal challenge of how to make a profit by managing water resources without compromising future potential profit. As such, hydro scheduling is a key activity for hydroelectric power utilities because of its significant economic impact. It involves the optimal management of water inflows and storage in reservoirs. This paper considered the problem of short-term hydro scheduling, concerning head-sensitive cascaded reservoirs, and the algorithmic aspects of its solution. The authors proposed and compared optimization methods based on dynamic programming, and linear and nonlinear network programming. The comparison revealed a negligible extra computational effort in a realistic cascaded hydro system where the head depended on the stored water volume. 17 refs., 3 tabs., 7 figs

  4. A small-world network model of facial emotion recognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takehara, Takuma; Ochiai, Fumio; Suzuki, Naoto

    2016-01-01

    Various models have been proposed to increase understanding of the cognitive basis of facial emotions. Despite those efforts, interactions between facial emotions have received minimal attention. If collective behaviours relating to each facial emotion in the comprehensive cognitive system could be assumed, specific facial emotion relationship patterns might emerge. In this study, we demonstrate that the frameworks of complex networks can effectively capture those patterns. We generate 81 facial emotion images (6 prototypes and 75 morphs) and then ask participants to rate degrees of similarity in 3240 facial emotion pairs in a paired comparison task. A facial emotion network constructed on the basis of similarity clearly forms a small-world network, which features an extremely short average network distance and close connectivity. Further, even if two facial emotions have opposing valences, they are connected within only two steps. In addition, we show that intermediary morphs are crucial for maintaining full network integration, whereas prototypes are not at all important. These results suggest the existence of collective behaviours in the cognitive systems of facial emotions and also describe why people can efficiently recognize facial emotions in terms of information transmission and propagation. For comparison, we construct three simulated networks--one based on the categorical model, one based on the dimensional model, and one random network. The results reveal that small-world connectivity in facial emotion networks is apparently different from those networks, suggesting that a small-world network is the most suitable model for capturing the cognitive basis of facial emotions.

  5. Isotropic Surface Remeshing without Large and Small Angles

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Yiqun; Yan, Dong-Ming; Liu, Xiaohan; Tang, Chengcheng; Guo, Jianwei; Zhang, Xiaopeng; Wonka, Peter

    2018-01-01

    We introduce a novel algorithm for isotropic surface remeshing which progressively eliminates obtuse triangles and improves small angles. The main novelty of the proposed approach is a simple vertex insertion scheme that facilitates the removal of large angles, and a vertex removal operation that improves the distribution of small angles. In combination with other standard local mesh operators, e.g., connectivity optimization and local tangential smoothing, our algorithm is able to remesh efficiently a low-quality mesh surface. Our approach can be applied directly or used as a post-processing step following other remeshing approaches. Our method has a similar computational efficiency to the fastest approach available, i.e., real-time adaptive remeshing [1]. In comparison with state-of-the-art approaches, our method consistently generates better results based on evaluations using different metrics.

  6. Isotropic Surface Remeshing without Large and Small Angles

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Yiqun

    2018-05-18

    We introduce a novel algorithm for isotropic surface remeshing which progressively eliminates obtuse triangles and improves small angles. The main novelty of the proposed approach is a simple vertex insertion scheme that facilitates the removal of large angles, and a vertex removal operation that improves the distribution of small angles. In combination with other standard local mesh operators, e.g., connectivity optimization and local tangential smoothing, our algorithm is able to remesh efficiently a low-quality mesh surface. Our approach can be applied directly or used as a post-processing step following other remeshing approaches. Our method has a similar computational efficiency to the fastest approach available, i.e., real-time adaptive remeshing [1]. In comparison with state-of-the-art approaches, our method consistently generates better results based on evaluations using different metrics.

  7. Comparison of different training models for laparoscopic surgery in neonates and small infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heinrich, M; Tillo, N; Kirlum, H-J; Till, H

    2006-04-01

    Minimally invasive surgery in small children and infants requires special skills and training. This experimental study compares the efficiency of an in vitro pelvic trainer (PT) and an a in vivo animal model (AM). For this study, 12 residents were prospectively randomized into two groups. Initially, all had to pass a basic skill assessment (3 tasks). Then endoscopic small bowel biopsy was performed (8 times) either with the in vitro PT (group A) or the in vivo AM (group B). Finally, all had to demonstrate this procedure in the in vivo AM and repeat the basic skill assessment. A quality index (complications, suture, biopsy) was evaluated. Initially, there was no difference between the two groups. Interestingly, the mean regression gradient of the index for the in vitro PT (group A) was significantly better than for the in vivo AM (group B). In the final in vivo operation, however, the mean index for the in vitro PT (group A) worsened significantly, whereas it increased for the in vivo AM (group B) (p = 0.037). Adequate training for an isolated mechanical task such as gut biopsy can be supplied using a pelvic trainer or animal model with similar effects. However in vivo performance of the same task requires secondary surgical skills, which are conveyed during live training with greater success. Consequently, stepwise teaching with both modules seems reasonable before these procedures are approached in neonates or small children.

  8. Small molecule pinocytosis and clathrin-dependent endocytosis at the intestinal brush border

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danielsen, Erik Michael; Hansen, Gert H

    2016-01-01

    Pinocytosis at the small intestinal brush border was studied in postweaned porcine cultured mucosal explants, using the fluorescent polar probes Alexa hydrazide (AH, MW 570), Texas red dextran (TRD, MW ~ 3000), and Cascade blue dextran (CBD, MW ~ 10,000). Within 1 h, AH appeared in a string...... of subapical punctae in enterocytes, indicative of an ongoing constitutive pinocytosis. By comparison, TRD was taken up less efficiently into the same compartment, and no intracellular labeling of CBD was detectable, indicating that only small molecules are pinocytosed from the postweaned gut lumen. AH...

  9. Accelerating Multiple Compound Comparison Using LINGO-Based Load-Balancing Strategies on Multi-GPUs

    OpenAIRE

    Lin, Chun-Yuan; Wang, Chung-Hung; Hung, Che-Lun; Lin, Yu-Shiang

    2015-01-01

    Compound comparison is an important task for the computational chemistry. By the comparison results, potential inhibitors can be found and then used for the pharmacy experiments. The time complexity of a pairwise compound comparison is O(n 2), where n is the maximal length of compounds. In general, the length of compounds is tens to hundreds, and the computation time is small. However, more and more compounds have been synthesized and extracted now, even more than tens of millions. Therefore,...

  10. An exploration of the effects of clinical negligence litigation on the practice of midwives in England: A phenomenological study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, Judith H; Thomson, Ann M

    2016-02-01

    to explore how midwives׳ personal involvement in clinical negligence litigation affects their midwifery practice. descriptive phenomenological study using semi-structured interviews. in 2006-2007 in-depth interviews were conducted in participants׳ homes or at their place of work and focused on participants׳ experience of litigation. Participants were recruited from various regions of England. 22 National Health Service (NHS) midwives who had been alleged negligent. clinical practice affected was an increase in documentation, fear of practising outside clinical guidelines and electronic fetal monitoring of women at low obstetric risk; these changes were not widespread. Changes in practice were sometimes perceived negatively and sometimes positively. Forming a good relationship with childbearing women was judged to promote effective midwifery care but litigation had affected the ability of a minority of midwives to advocate for women if this relationship had not been established. Litigation could result in loss of confidence leading to self-doubt, isolation, increased readiness to seek medical assistance and avoidance of working in the labour ward, perceived as an area with a high risk of litigation. A blame culture in the NHS was perceived by several midwives. In contrast an open non-punitive culture resulted in midwives readily reporting mistakes to risk managers. Litigation lowered midwifery morale and damaged professional reputations, particularly when reported in the newspapers. Some midwives expressed thoughts of leaving midwifery or taking time off work because of litigation but only one was actively seeking other employment, another took sick leave and one had left midwifery and returned to nursing. litigation can have a negative effect on midwives׳ clinical practice and morale and fosters a culture of blame within the NHS. education regarding appropriate documentation, use or non-use of electronic fetal monitoring and the legal status of clinical

  11. Wrist and Hand Ultrasound: Reliability of Side-to-Side Comparisons of Very Small (Structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, Federica; Romano, Nicola; Muda, Alessandro; Martinoli, Carlo; Tagliafico, Alberto

    2018-04-24

    In ultrasound (US) examinations of clinically relevant very small structures of the wrist and hand, the healthy contralateral side can be used as a reference to identify subtle abnormalities. Intraindividual side-to-side variability must be minimal. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of side-to-side US evaluations of very small structures of the wrist and hand. Forty-one healthy volunteers were prospectively studied. Small structures of the wrist and hand were evaluated bilaterally by 2 musculoskeletal radiologists in separate sessions. The first annular pulleys of the second finger and the thumb, sagittal band of the third finger, extensor and flexor retinacula, ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb, radial collateral ligament of the second finger, and palmar cutaneous branches of the median and ulnar nerves were considered. To assess intra- and inter-reader agreement, 10 of 41 (24%) examinations were repeated. Nonparametric statistics were used. Data were not normally distributed (P > .001). Intra-reader agreement was κ = 0.674 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57-0.78), and inter-reader agreement was κ = 0.935 (95% CI, 0.92-0.95). The mean value ± SD for all of the structures was 0.78 ± 0.44 mm. The overall coefficient of variation was 9.8% ± 0.07%. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.96-0.98). In clinical practice, the healthy contralateral side can be used as a reference during a real-time musculoskeletal US evaluation of small (structures. © 2018 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

  12. Small-angle neutron scattering at pulsed sources compared to reactor sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hjelm, R.P. Jr.; Seeger, P.A.; Thiyagarajan, P.

    1990-01-01

    Detailed comparisons of measurements made on small-angle neutron scattering instruments at pulsed spallation and reactor sources show that the results from the two types of instruments are comparable. It is further demonstrated that spallation instruments are preferable for measurements in the mid-momentum transfer domain or when a large domain is needed. 8 refs., 2 figs

  13. FINANCIAL STABILITY OF SMALL BUSINESS: THE ESTIMATION AND DYNAMICS OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.U. Makarova

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available In clause the problem of an estimation of financial stability of the enterprises of small business is considered. It is offered to use traditional indicators of an estimation of the financial stability, describing it in the short-term period, and such indicators as equation of monetary streams, qualitative risk-management, a level äèâåðñèôèêàöèè business and competitive position of the company for an estimation of stability in the long-term period. On the basis of data of statistical supervision over small enterprises the estimation of dynamics of results of financial activity and financial stability of small enterprises of Sverdlovsk area is lead to 2001 – 2005 is drawn a conclusion about low parameters of solvency and financial stability of small enterprises of region in comparison with normative parameters and data on the large and average enterprises. The measures directed on increase of financial stability of the enterprises of small business are offered.

  14. Evaluation methods of vibration stress of small bore piping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hiramatsu, Miki; Sasaki, Toru [Institute of Nuclear Safety System Inc., Mihama, Fukui (Japan)

    2001-09-01

    Fatigue fracture by vibration stress is one of the main causes of troubles which occur at small bore piping in nuclear power plants. Therefore at the plants they manage small bore piping using a method in which their vibration accelerations are measured and the vibration stresses are calculated. In this work, vibration tests for two sets of mock-ups simulating actual piping in the plants by sinusoidal oscillation and by that obtained at an actual plant were carried out, and then an evaluation method was developed to obtain proper value of vibration stress from the measured data by the vibration tests. In comparison of the vibration stress obtained from the measured acceleration with that directly measured using strain gauges, it is confirmed that accurate vibration stress can be evaluated by a formula in which the real center of gravity of small bore piping and the acceleration of main (system) piping are considered. (author)

  15. The efficient neutron-gamma pulse shape discrimination with small active volume scintillation detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phan Van Chuan; Nguyen Duc Hoa; Nguyen Xuan Hai; Nguyen Ngoc Anh; Tuong Thi Thu Huong; Nguyen Nhi Dien; Pham Dinh Khang

    2016-01-01

    A small detector with EJ-301 liquid scintillation was manufactured for the study on the neutron-gamma pulse shape discrimination. In this research, four algorithms, including Threshold crossing time (TCT), Pulse gradient analysis (PGA), Charge comparison method (CCM), and Correlation pattern recognition (CPR) were developed and compared in terms of their discrimination effectiveness between neutrons and gamma rays. The figures of merits (FOMs) obtained for 100 ÷ 2000 keVee (keV energy electron equivalent) neutron energy range show the charge comparison method was the most efficient of the four algorithms. (author)

  16. Importance of Small Isolated Wetlands for Herpetofaunal Diversity in Managed, Young Growth Forests in the Coastal Plain of South Carolina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, K.R.; Guynn, D.C. Jr.; Hanlin, H.G.

    2002-01-01

    Assessment and comparison of richness, abundance and difference of herpetofauna at five small isolated wetlands located within a commercial forest landscape in the South Carolina Coastal Plain. Data indicates small isolated wetlands are focal points of herpetofaunal richness and abundance in managed coastal plain forest and contribute more to regional biodiversity than is implied by their small size or ephemeral hydrology

  17. Propulsion Controls Modeling for a Small Turbofan Engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connolly, Joseph W.; Csank, Jeffrey T.; Chicatelli, Amy; Franco, Kevin

    2017-01-01

    A nonlinear dynamic model and propulsion controller are developed for a small-scale turbofan engine. The small-scale turbofan engine is based on the Price Induction company's DGEN 380, one of the few turbofan engines targeted for the personal light jet category. Comparisons of the nonlinear dynamic turbofan engine model to actual DGEN 380 engine test data and a Price Induction simulation are provided. During engine transients, the nonlinear model typically agrees within 10 percent error, even though the nonlinear model was developed from limited available engine data. A gain scheduled proportional integral low speed shaft controller with limiter safety logic is created to replicate the baseline DGEN 380 controller. The new controller provides desired gain and phase margins and is verified to meet Federal Aviation Administration transient propulsion system requirements. In understanding benefits, there is a need to move beyond simulation for the demonstration of advanced control architectures and technologies by using real-time systems and hardware. The small-scale DGEN 380 provides a cost effective means to accomplish advanced controls testing on a relevant turbofan engine platform.

  18. Variability of the raindrop size distribution at small spatial scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berne, A.; Jaffrain, J.

    2010-12-01

    Because of the interactions between atmospheric turbulence and cloud microphysics, the raindrop size distribution (DSD) is strongly variable in space and time. The spatial variability of the DSD at small spatial scales (below a few km) is not well documented and not well understood, mainly because of a lack of adequate measurements at the appropriate resolutions. A network of 16 disdrometers (Parsivels) has been designed and set up over EPFL campus in Lausanne, Switzerland. This network covers a typical operational weather radar pixel of 1x1 km2. The question of the significance of the variability of the DSD at such small scales is relevant for radar remote sensing of rainfall because the DSD is often assumed to be uniform within a radar sample volume and because the Z-R relationships used to convert the measured radar reflectivity Z into rain rate R are usually derived from point measurements. Thanks to the number of disdrometers, it was possible to quantify the spatial variability of the DSD at the radar pixel scale and to show that it can be significant. In this contribution, we show that the variability of the total drop concentration, of the median volume diameter and of the rain rate are significant, taking into account the sampling uncertainty associated with disdrometer measurements. The influence of this variability on the Z-R relationship can be non-negligible. Finally, the spatial structure of the DSD is quantified using a geostatistical tool, the variogram, and indicates high spatial correlation within a radar pixel.

  19. Results of Absolute Cavity Pyrgeometer and Infrared Integrating Sphere Comparisons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reda, Ibrahim M [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sengupta, Manajit [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Dooraghi, Michael R [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Grobner, Julian [Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos (PMOD); Thomann, Christian [Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos (PMOD); Long, Chuck [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; McComiskey, Allison [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Hall, Emiel [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Wacker, Stefan [Deutscher Wetterdienst

    2018-03-05

    Accurate and traceable atmospheric longwave irradiance measurements are required for understanding radiative impacts on the Earth's energy budget. The standard to which pyrgeometers are traceable is the interim World Infrared Standard Group (WISG), maintained in the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos (PMOD). The WISG consists of four pyrgeometers that were calibrated using Rolf Philipona's Absolute Sky-scanning Radiometer [1]. The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) facility has recently adopted the WISG to maintain the traceability of the calibrations of all Eppley precision infrared radiometer (PIR) pyrgeometers. Subsequently, Julian Grobner [2] developed the infrared interferometer spectrometer and radiometer (IRIS) radiometer, and Ibrahim Reda [3] developed the absolute cavity pyrgeometer (ACP). The ACP and IRIS were developed to establish a world reference for calibrating pyrgeometers with traceability to the International System of Units (SI). The two radiometers are unwindowed with negligible spectral dependence, and they are traceable to SI units through the temperature scale (ITS-90). The two instruments were compared directly to the WISG three times at PMOD and twice at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) facility to WISG-traceable pyrgeometers. The ACP and IRIS agreed within +/- 1 W/m2 to +/- 3 W/m2 in all comparisons, whereas the WISG references exhibit a 2-5 Wm2 low bias compared to the ACP/IRIS average, depending on the water vapor column, as noted in Grobner et al. [4]. Consequently, a case for changing the current WISG has been made by Grobner and Reda. However, during the five comparisons the column water vapor exceeded 8 mm. Therefore, it is recommended that more ACP and IRIS comparisons should be held under different environmental conditions and water vapor column content to better establish the traceability of these instruments to SI with established uncertainty.

  20. A Comparison of MOOC Development and Delivery Approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Neil; Caldwell, Helen; Richards, Mike; Bandara, Arosha

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a comparison of two ways of developing and delivering massive open online courses (MOOCs). One was developed by The Open University in collaboration with FutureLearn; the other was developed independently by a small team at the Northampton University. Design/methodology/approach: The different…

  1. An Optimal Strategic Business Model for Small Businesses Using Online Platforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hana Kim

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available As ecommerce continues to grow, small businesses are using a variety of platforms to secure potential consumers. However, it is important for small business owners to choose an efficient business model because of constraints such as technical problems. In this study, based on platform characteristics we divide online shopping platforms into different types as follows: (1 information brokerage services; (2 online malls; and (3 omni-channel platforms. The efficiency of each group is measured by stochastic frontier analysis, and the efficiency comparison between the groups is made using meta-frontier analysis. As a result of the study, it is found that the efficiency of small business owners increases as functional integration increases, satisfying utilitarian motivations. However, a platform with greater integration that has a social presence satisfying hedonic motivations improves the efficiency of all small businesses using the platform instead of just the efficiency of a marginal number of small business owners. This study, based on the dynamic capabilities viewpoint, suggests that the omni-channel platform represents the most sustainable approach for small business owners undergoing difficulties such as technological and organizational changes.

  2. 100-Gb/s InP DP-IQ modulator for small-form-factor pluggable coherent transceivers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kikuchi, Nobuhiro; Ogiso, Yoshihiro; Yamada, Eiichi

    2016-02-01

    We developed a compact InP-based DP-IQ modulator for small-form-factor pluggable coherent transceivers. The modulator achieves 112-Gb/s DP-QPSK modulation with a driving voltage of 6 Vppd. In addition, it provides 86-Gb/s DP-16 QAM signal generation and 240-km transmission with negligible degradation of BER performance. The halfwavelength voltage of our recent device is 1.9 V, and a high median extinction ratio of over 32 dB was achieved for more than 1,400 child MZ modulators. We have also proposed an athermal InP-based twin IQ modulator that enables us to use a modulator in a TEC-free operation. It contributes to lowering the power consumption of transceivers. Under a constant driving condition, there is little change in 56-Gb/s x 2 QPSK modulation characteristics in the range of 20 to 80°C.

  3. Estimation of small-scale hydroelectric power plant costs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, Afonso Henriques Moreira; Silva, Benedito Claudio da; Magalhaes, Ricardo Nogueira

    2010-01-01

    Changes in Brazilian energy scenario through last years such as increase of demand and search for clean and economically feasible renewable energy sources, has stimulated investors to small hydro power plants (SHP) sector. Such characteristics together with several economic incentives, legal and regulatory mechanisms also, have helped and stimulated building of new plants of this kind and have attracted a great number of investors to this sector. Study of costs analysis and feasibility of investments is a study which has been used since long time in SHP business market as several preliminary studies previous to civil project have significant costs which lead us to count with a feasibility analysis from the very beginning of studies, exactly what is suggested in the present methodology. Such feasibility analysis, in the common patterns where basic unit costs of each input remain outstanding, would be very complex due to great difficulty in obtaining information at initial phase of project. In this direction this study brings a contribution for investors as well as for designers of small hydro power plants since it outlines a link between physical and energetic characteristics of small hydro power plant in its total cost. Such link is based in available physical characteristics in initial phase of the project, making possible a previous comparison between arrangements of a central or even the comparison of return of investment between different plants. The resulting benefit being the possibility of choosing centrals with greater economic feasibility disregarding bad undertakings or arrangements with more expressive cost. Final result gives a better delay in return of investment, helps in power, arrangements more optimized and in saving time as well, reducing costs of undertakings. Due to large number of SHP arrangements, we chose for this study the most common in Brazil, plant of medium and large fall, shunting line balance chimney and low pressure conduit. (author)

  4. Measurement of magnetic fluctuations at small spatial scales in the Tokapole II tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haines, E.J.

    1991-08-01

    This thesis is a presentation of the measurements of short-wavelength, high-frequency radial magnetic fluctuations performed on the Tokapole 2 tokamak at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Theories of electron temperature gradient (η e ) driven turbulence predict the existence of increased magnetic fluctuation power at small spatial scales near the collisionless skin depth c/ω pe and over a wide range of frequencies near and below the electron diamagnetic drift frequency ω* ne . Small magnetic probes of sizes down to 1 m m have been constructed and used to resolve short poloidal and radial wavelength magnetic fluctuations. These probes have been used with larger probes to make comparisons of fluctuation spectra measured in various ranges of wavelength and over the range of frequencies from 10 kHz to 6 MHz in Tokapole 2 plasmas. A calculation of the short-wavelength, high-frequency response of an electrostatically shielded model B r probe has been performed to guide the interpretation of the power comparison measurements. Comparisons of magnetic fluctuation spectra at various positions within the plasma, and for discharges with edge safety factor 1, 2, and 3 are presented. The linear and nonlinear theories and numerical simulations of η e turbulence are reviewed and compared, where possible with the experimental parameters and results

  5. Presumption of Negligence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Guerra, Alice; Luppi, Barbara; Parisi, Francesco

    This paper is about the incentive effects of legal presumptions. We analyze three interrelated effects of legal presumptions in a tort setting: (1) incentives to invest in evidence technology; (2) incentives to invest in care-type precautions; and (3) incentives to mitigate excessive activity lev...

  6. Superior sulcus non-small cell lung carcinoma: A comparison of IMRT and 3D-RT dosimetry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Truntzer, Pierre; Antoni, Delphine; Santelmo, Nicola; Schumacher, Catherine; Falcoz, Pierre-Emmanuel; Quoix, Elisabeth; Massard, Gilbert; Noël, Georges

    2016-01-01

    A dosimetric study comparing intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) by TomoTherapy to conformational 3D radiotherapy (3D-RT) in patients with superior sulcus non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). IMRT became the main technique in modern radiotherapy. However it was not currently used for lung cancers. Because of the need to increase the dose to control lung cancers but because of the critical organs surrounding the tumors, the gains obtainable with IMRT is not still demonstrated. A dosimetric comparison of the planned target and organs at risk parameters between IMRT and 3D-RT in eight patients who received preoperative or curative intent irradiation. In the patients who received at least 66 Gy, the mean V95% was significantly better with IMRT than 3D-RT (p = 0.043). IMRT delivered a lower D2% compared to 3D-RT (p = 0.043). The IH was significantly better with IMRT (p = 0.043). The lung V 5 Gy and V 13 Gy were significantly higher in IMRT than 3D-RT (p = 0.043), while the maximal dose (D max) to the spinal cord was significantly lower in IMRT (p = 0.043). The brachial plexus D max was significantly lower in IMRT than 3D-RT (p = 0.048). For patients treated with 46 Gy, no significant differences were found. Our study showed that IMRT is relevant for SS-NSCLC. In patients treated with a curative dose, it led to a reduction of the exposure of critical organs, allowing a better dose distribution in the tumor. For the patients treated with a preoperative schedule, our results provide a basis for future controlled trials to improve the histological complete response by increasing the radiation dose.

  7. Organizational and economic aspects of development of small business in region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir Grigorjevich Klimov

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available By the purpose of the given research was revealing the basic problems and prospects of development of small business in regions. The methodology of reception of results of the specified purpose consists in the generalized analysis of scientific and legislative sources in the field of economic and organizational problems of development of small business in regions of Russia. As a result of research is revealed, that unions, association, and other public associations of the small enterprises more and more actively work at regional levels. System of commercial and industrial chambers having in significant potential in thesphere of support of the fine businessmen in regions essentially has become stronger. Area of application of results of the given research can be used by the managers of small business and teachers of higher educational institutions in the sphere of preparation of the managers in economy and management. The results of research allow to make conclusions: The level of development of small business in regions, in comparison of the advanced foreign states, rather lags behind; the analysis of the normativecertificates in sphere of small business from a position of their influence on development of regions testifies, that the mechanism of state influence includes economic and organizational measures; the small business has the brightly expressed regional orientation.

  8. Human Enteroids as a Model of Upper Small Intestinal Ion Transport Physiology and Pathophysiology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J. Foulke-Abel (Jennifer); J. In (Julie); Yin, J. (Jianyi); N.C. Zachos (Nicholas C.); O. Kovbasnjuk (Olga); M.K. Estes (Mary K.); H.R. de Jonge (Hugo); M. Donowitz (Mark)

    2016-01-01

    textabstractBackground & Aims Human intestinal crypt-derived enteroids are a model of intestinal ion transport that require validation by comparison with cell culture and animal models. We used human small intestinal enteroids to study neutral Na+ absorption and stimulated fluid and anion secretion

  9. Micro-mechanics of polycrystals subjected to small strains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sauzay, M.

    2009-04-01

    The author proposes an overview of the different research works he performed during several years. His aim is the understanding and the modelling of plasticity and damage mechanisms in metal polycrystals subjected to small strains, mainly under long duration creep and fatigue. Three topics are more particularly developed: the distribution of mechanical fields in polycrystals subjected to small strains, the strain localisation at the grain scale, and the softening of martensitic steels under creep or fatigue loadings. For each of these topics, the author reports the investigation of microstructure and of damage and strain mechanisms (mechanical tests, microstructure observations), the modelling of these mechanisms (based on continuum mechanics, crystalline elasto-plasticity, finite elements calculations, theory of dislocations and diffusion), and the validation of these predictions at a microscopic and macroscopic scale by comparison with experimental measurements and observations

  10. Developing a Model to Assess the Potential Impact of TUM Hydropower Turbines on Small River Ecology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weiwei Yao

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Small hydropower is a renewable energy technology that is used for electricity generation worldwide, but still has potential for further development. However, during the installation of small hydropower, the ecological impacts of the power plants need to be thoroughly investigated. In addressing the challenges of energy production and minimizing the environmental impacts of small hydropower installation and operation, this study has applied an ecohydraulic model to investigate river hydrodynamics, hydromorphology, habitat, and the population impacts of small hydropower, and presented the Mum River as a case study. Two scenarios were implemented in this research to simulate the hydrodynamic, sedimentation, habitat, and population status in order to assess the potential effects caused by the TUM plant. At the Mum River, two scenarios were proposed: the TUM plant was not considered in scenario S1, but was considered in scenario S2. The model results for scenario S2 indicated that the habitat was suitable for fish species living in the Mum River, with fish population numbers between 4.6 × 103 and 6.6 × 103. The S2 results indicated that the impacts of the TUM plant were negligible when compared with S1. Although the impact of the TUM plant on the Mum River is relatively large when the discharge is high (19 m3/s, calculations based on stable flow shows that the TUM plant could function well on the river ecosystem when the discharge is low or at normal rates. Therefore, this study shows that the TUM plant would be a good option to meet the needs of energy generation whilst having a minimal impact on river habitats and changes in fish species population in similar small rivers and streams.

  11. 137Cs radiation burden on children from a highly contaminated area of Belarus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kortmann, B.; Wendhausen, H.; Wassermann, O.; Fischer, R.; Nielsen, P.; Shaverda, V.F.

    1996-01-01

    The radiation burden from 137 Cs sources on 22 children from a small Byelorussian village was studied from 1992 to 1994. Foodstuff, whole body burden and urinary excretion of 137 Cs were measured, intake rates, biological half-lives and doses were calculated. The median value for the 137 Cs whole body incorporation level was found to be 124 Bq, the biological half life was calculated as 68 d for girls and 50 d for boys. The internal dose caused by 137 Cs was found to be negligible in comparison to that from external sources. No deviation from normal values could be shown in simultaneously studied clinico-chemical parameters

  12. Medical Students Perceive Better Group Learning Processes when Large Classes Are Made to Seem Small

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hommes, Juliette; Arah, Onyebuchi A.; de Grave, Willem; Schuwirth, Lambert W. T.; Scherpbier, Albert J. J. A.; Bos, Gerard M. J.

    2014-01-01

    Objective Medical schools struggle with large classes, which might interfere with the effectiveness of learning within small groups due to students being unfamiliar to fellow students. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of making a large class seem small on the students' collaborative learning processes. Design A randomised controlled intervention study was undertaken to make a large class seem small, without the need to reduce the number of students enrolling in the medical programme. The class was divided into subsets: two small subsets (n = 50) as the intervention groups; a control group (n = 102) was mixed with the remaining students (the non-randomised group n∼100) to create one large subset. Setting The undergraduate curriculum of the Maastricht Medical School, applying the Problem-Based Learning principles. In this learning context, students learn mainly in tutorial groups, composed randomly from a large class every 6–10 weeks. Intervention The formal group learning activities were organised within the subsets. Students from the intervention groups met frequently within the formal groups, in contrast to the students from the large subset who hardly enrolled with the same students in formal activities. Main Outcome Measures Three outcome measures assessed students' group learning processes over time: learning within formally organised small groups, learning with other students in the informal context and perceptions of the intervention. Results Formal group learning processes were perceived more positive in the intervention groups from the second study year on, with a mean increase of β = 0.48. Informal group learning activities occurred almost exclusively within the subsets as defined by the intervention from the first week involved in the medical curriculum (E-I indexes>−0.69). Interviews tapped mainly positive effects and negligible negative side effects of the intervention. Conclusion Better group learning processes can be

  13. Infrared emission from isolated dust clouds in the presence of very small dust grains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lis, Dariusz C.; Leung, Chun M.

    1991-01-01

    Models of the effects of small grain-generated temperature fluctuations on the IR spectrum and surface brightness of externally heated interstellar dust clouds are presently constructed on the basis of a continuum radiation transport computer code which encompasses the transient heating of small dust grains. The models assume a constant fractional abundance of large and small grains throughout the given cloud. A comparison of model results with IRAS observations indicates that the observed 12-25 micron band emissions are associated with about 10-A radius grains, while the 60-100 micron emission is primarily due to large grains which are heated under the equilibrium conditions.

  14. How are small endohedral silicon clusters stabilized?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avaltroni, Fabrice; Steinmann, Stephan N; Corminboeuf, Clémence

    2012-11-21

    Clusters in the (Be, B, C)@Si(n)((0,1,2+)) (n = 6-10) series, isoelectronic to Si(n)(2-), present multiple symmetric structures, including rings, cages and open structures, which the doping atom stabilizes using contrasting bonding mechanisms. The most striking feature of these clusters is the absence of electron transfer (for Be) or even the inversion (for B and C) in comparison to classic endohedral metallofullerenes (e.g. from the outer frameworks towards the enclosed atom). The relatively small cavity of the highly symmetric Si(8) cubic cage benefits more strongly from the encapsulation of a boron atom than from the insertion of a too large beryllium atom. Overall, the maximization of multicenter-type bonding, as visualized by the Localized Orbital Locator (LOL), is the key to the stabilization of the small Si(n) cages. Boron offers the best balance between size, electronegativity and delocalized bonding pattern when compared to beryllium and carbon.

  15. Relativistic effects in elastic scattering of electrons in TEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rother, Axel; Scheerschmidt, Kurt

    2009-01-01

    Transmission electron microscopy typically works with highly accelerated thus relativistic electrons. Consequently the scattering process is described within a relativistic formalism. In the following, we will examine three different relativistic formalisms for elastic electron scattering: Dirac, Klein-Gordon and approximated Klein-Gordon, the standard approach. This corresponds to a different consideration of spin effects and a different coupling to electromagnetic potentials. A detailed comparison is conducted by means of explicit numerical calculations. For this purpose two different formalisms have been applied to the approaches above: a numerical integration with predefined boundary conditions and the multislice algorithm, a standard procedure for such simulations. The results show a negligibly small difference between the different relativistic equations in the vicinity of electromagnetic potentials, prevailing in the electron microscope. The differences between the two numeric approaches are found to be small for small-angle scattering but eventually grow large for large-angle scattering, recorded for instance in high-angle annular dark field.

  16. Entropy Analyses of Droplet Combustion in Convective Environment with Small Reynolds Number

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    ZHANG Xiaobin; ZHANG Wei; ZHANG Xuejun

    2013-01-01

    This paper analyzes the entropy generation rate of simple pure droplet combustion in a temperature-elevated air convective environment based on the solutions of flow,and heat and mass transfer between the two phases.The flow-field calculations are carried out by solving the respective conservation equations for each phase,accounting for the droplet deformation with the axisymmetric model.The effects of the temperature,velocity and oxygen fraction of the free stream air on the total entropy generation rate in the process of the droplet combustion are investigated.Special attention is given to analyze the quantitative effects of droplet deformation.The results reveal that the entropy generation rate due to chemical reaction occupies a large fraction of the total entropy generated,as a result of the large areas covered by the flame.Although,the magnitude of the entropy generation rate per volume due to heat transfer and combined mass and heat transfer has a magnitude of one order greater than that due to chemical reaction,they cover a very limited area,leading to a small fraction of the total entropy generated.The entropy generation rate due to mass transfer is negligible.High temperature and high velocity of the free stream are advantageous to increase the exergy efficiency in the range of small Reynolds number (<1) from the viewpoint of the second-law analysis over the droplet lifetime.The effect of droplet deformation on the total entropy generation is the modest.

  17. Risk management method for small photovoltaic plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirova Milena

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Risk management is necessary for achieving the goals of the organization. There are many methods, approaches, and instruments in the literature concerning risk management. However, these are often highly specialized and transferring them to a different field can prove difficult. Therefore, managers often face situations where they have no tools to use for risk management. This is the case with small photovoltaic plants (according to a definition by the Bulgarian State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission small applies to systems with a total installed power of 200 kWp. There are some good practices in the energy field for minimizing risks, but they offer only partial risk prevention and are not sufficient. Therefore a new risk management method needs to be introduced. Small photovoltaic plants offer plenty of advantages in comparison to the other renewable energy sources which makes risk management in their case more important. There is no classification of risks for the exploitation of small photovoltaic systems in the available literature as well as to what degree the damages from those risks could spread. This makes risk analysis and evaluation necessary for obtaining information which could aid taking decisions for improving risk management. The owner of the invested capital takes a decision regarding the degree of acceptable risk for his organization and it must be protected depending on the goals set. Investors in small photovoltaic systems need to decide to what degree the existing risks can influence the goals previously set, the payback of the investment, and what is the acceptable level of damages for the investor. The purpose of this work is to present a risk management method, which currently does not exist in the Bulgaria, so that the risks and the damages that could occur during the exploitation of small photovoltaic plants could be identified and the investment in such technology – justified.

  18. The influence of the furnace design on emissions from small wood pellet burners

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aspfors, Jonas; Larfeldt, Jenny

    1999-01-01

    Two pellet burners have been installed and tested in a small scale boiler for house heating. The boiler is representative for the Swedish households and the burners, upwards and forward burning, are commercially available on the Swedish market. This work focuses on the boiler operation and particularly the potential of improved emissions by changing the furnace design. An insulation of the fireplace lowered the emission of CO by 50% and the emission of OGC by 60% for the upwards burning burner at low load. Modifying the furnace using baffles did not have any influence on the emissions. It is concluded that an increased temperature in the furnace is more important than an increased residence time of the combustible gases to decrease the emissions. At full load both burners emit approximately 300 mg CO per nm 3 gas and the emission of OGC are negligible. At half load the emissions of CO increased to 1000 mg/m n 3 and OGC to 125 mg/m n 3 in the upward burning burner. The forwards burning burner had a small increase in OGC to about 10 mg/m n 3 at half load while the emission of CO increased to 800 mg/m n 3 . The forward burning burner is less influenced on the furnace design compared to the upward burning burner. The comparatively high emissions of OGC for the upward burning burner is explained by the intermittent operation. However, it was possible to reduce the emissions from this burner by ceramic insulation of the furnace Project report from the program: Small scale combustion of biofuels. 3 refs, 12 figs, 2 tab, 1 appendix with 33 figs and 12 tabs

  19. Task-Driven Comparison of Topic Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, Eric; Gleicher, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Topic modeling, a method of statistically extracting thematic content from a large collection of texts, is used for a wide variety of tasks within text analysis. Though there are a growing number of tools and techniques for exploring single models, comparisons between models are generally reduced to a small set of numerical metrics. These metrics may or may not reflect a model's performance on the analyst's intended task, and can therefore be insufficient to diagnose what causes differences between models. In this paper, we explore task-centric topic model comparison, considering how we can both provide detail for a more nuanced understanding of differences and address the wealth of tasks for which topic models are used. We derive comparison tasks from single-model uses of topic models, which predominantly fall into the categories of understanding topics, understanding similarity, and understanding change. Finally, we provide several visualization techniques that facilitate these tasks, including buddy plots, which combine color and position encodings to allow analysts to readily view changes in document similarity.

  20. Quality of life in long-term forensic psychiatric care: comparison of self-report and proxy assessments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schel, Sandra Helena Hendrika; Bouman, Yvonne Helena Alexandra; Bulten, Berend Hendrik

    2015-06-01

    To compare quality of life (QoL) ratings of long term forensic psychiatric care patients with the ratings of psychiatric nurses, in which the nurses indicate how they think the patient would answer. Agreement on QoL-scores according to the Forensic inpatient Quality of Life Questionnaire (FQL) was investigated for seventy- seven pairs of patients and psychiatric nurses from two forensic psychiatric long-care facilities where QoL is seen as an important treatment goal. This study also examined whether the amount of agreement was related to specific patient characteristics and characteristics of the patient- psychiatric nurse relationship. On group level, only small and mostly non-significant differences were found between patients' and psychiatric nurses' mean QoL scores. However, pairwise comparisons revealed poor agreement between patients' and nurses' QoL scores for half of the domains and moderate agreement on the other half of the domains, except for Leave, which was the only domain on which patients and their nurses had similar scores. Patient characteristics such as type of offence and type of psychopathology were negligibly related to the level of agreement. However, characteristics of the patient-nurse relationship such as age of the nurse and length of the patient-nurse relationship did influence the amount of consensus between patients' and proxies' QoL-scores significantly. Nurses were not sufficiently able to accurately estimate their patients' QoL experience and could probably benefit from a training aimed at assessing QoL of their patients and how to support their patients in optimizing their QoL themselves. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Photoabsorption of small sodium and magnesium clusters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Solov'yov, Ilia; Solov'yov, Andrey V.; Greiner, Walter

    2004-01-01

    We predict the strong enhancement in the photoabsorption of small Mg clusters in the region of 4-5 eV due to the resonant excitation of the plasmon oscillations of cluster electrons. The photoabsorption spectra for neutral Mg clusters consisting of up to N=11 atoms have been calculated using it ab...... initio framework based on the time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The nature of predicted resonances has been elucidated by comparison of the results of the it ab initio calculations with the results of the classical Mie theory. The splitting of the plasmon resonances caused by the cluster...

  2. Small Transport Aircraft Technology /STAT/ Propulsion Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heldenbrand, R. W.; Baerst, C. F.; Rowse, J. H.

    1980-01-01

    The NASA Small Transport Aircraft Technology (STAT) Propulsion Study was established to identify technology requirements and define the research and development required for new commuter aircraft. Interim results of the studies defined mission and design characteristics for 30- and 50-passenger aircraft. Sensitivities were defined that relate changes in engine specific fuel consumption (SFC), weight, and cost (including maintenance) to changes in the aircraft direct operating cost (DOC), takeoff gross weight, and empty weight. A comparison of performance and economic characteristics is presented between aircraft powered by 1980 production engines and those powered by a 1990 advanced technology baseline engine.

  3. High-Resolution Remotely Sensed Small Target Detection by Imitating Fly Visual Perception Mechanism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fengchen Huang

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The difficulty and limitation of small target detection methods for high-resolution remote sensing data have been a recent research hot spot. Inspired by the information capture and processing theory of fly visual system, this paper endeavors to construct a characterized model of information perception and make use of the advantages of fast and accurate small target detection under complex varied nature environment. The proposed model forms a theoretical basis of small target detection for high-resolution remote sensing data. After the comparison of prevailing simulation mechanism behind fly visual systems, we propose a fly-imitated visual system method of information processing for high-resolution remote sensing data. A small target detector and corresponding detection algorithm are designed by simulating the mechanism of information acquisition, compression, and fusion of fly visual system and the function of pool cell and the character of nonlinear self-adaption. Experiments verify the feasibility and rationality of the proposed small target detection model and fly-imitated visual perception method.

  4. High-resolution remotely sensed small target detection by imitating fly visual perception mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Fengchen; Xu, Lizhong; Li, Min; Tang, Min

    2012-01-01

    The difficulty and limitation of small target detection methods for high-resolution remote sensing data have been a recent research hot spot. Inspired by the information capture and processing theory of fly visual system, this paper endeavors to construct a characterized model of information perception and make use of the advantages of fast and accurate small target detection under complex varied nature environment. The proposed model forms a theoretical basis of small target detection for high-resolution remote sensing data. After the comparison of prevailing simulation mechanism behind fly visual systems, we propose a fly-imitated visual system method of information processing for high-resolution remote sensing data. A small target detector and corresponding detection algorithm are designed by simulating the mechanism of information acquisition, compression, and fusion of fly visual system and the function of pool cell and the character of nonlinear self-adaption. Experiments verify the feasibility and rationality of the proposed small target detection model and fly-imitated visual perception method.

  5. Comparison and application of wind retrieval algorithms for small unmanned aerial systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonin, T. A.; Chilson, P. B.; Zielke, B. S.; Klein, P. M.; Leeman, J. R.

    2013-07-01

    Recently, there has been an increase in use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) as platforms for conducting fundamental and applied research in the lower atmosphere due to their relatively low cost and ability to collect samples with high spatial and temporal resolution. Concurrent with this development comes the need for accurate instrumentation and measurement methods suitable for small meteorological UASs. Moreover, the instrumentation to be integrated into such platforms must be small and lightweight. Whereas thermodynamic variables can be easily measured using well-aspirated sensors onboard, it is much more challenging to accurately measure the wind with a UAS. Several algorithms have been developed that incorporate GPS observations as a means of estimating the horizontal wind vector, with each algorithm exhibiting its own particular strengths and weaknesses. In the present study, the performance of three such GPS-based wind-retrieval algorithms has been investigated and compared with wind estimates from rawinsonde and sodar observations. Each of the algorithms considered agreed well with the wind measurements from sounding and sodar data. Through the integration of UAS-retrieved profiles of thermodynamic and kinematic parameters, one can investigate the static and dynamic stability of the atmosphere and relate them to the state of the boundary layer across a variety of times and locations, which might be difficult to access using conventional instrumentation.

  6. Development and comparisons of wind retrieval algorithms for small unmanned aerial systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonin, T. A.; Chilson, P. B.; Zielke, B. S.; Klein, P. M.; Leeman, J. R.

    2012-12-01

    Recently, there has been an increase in use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) as platforms for conducting fundamental and applied research in the lower atmosphere due to their relatively low cost and ability to collect samples with high spatial and temporal resolution. Concurrent with this development comes the need for accurate instrumentation and measurement methods suitable for small meteorological UASs. Moreover, the instrumentation to be integrated into such platforms must be small and lightweight. Whereas thermodynamic variables can be easily measured using well aspirated sensors onboard, it is much more challenging to accurately measure the wind with a UAS. Several algorithms have been developed that incorporate GPS observations as a means of estimating the horizontal wind vector, with each algorithm exhibiting its own particular strengths and weaknesses. In the present study, the performance of three such GPS-based wind-retrieval algorithms has been investigated and compared with wind estimates from rawinsonde and sodar observations. Each of the algorithms considered agreed well with the wind measurements from sounding and sodar data. Through the integration of UAS-retrieved profiles of thermodynamic and kinematic parameters, one can investigate the static and dynamic stability of the atmosphere and relate them to the state of the boundary layer across a variety of times and locations, which might be difficult to access using conventional instrumentation.

  7. Small Internal Combustion Engine Testing for a Hybrid-Electric Remotely-Piloted Aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-01

    is relatively small in a mild system. It is used to aid in acceleration and utilizes regenerative braking to recharge batteries during decelerations...engine speed ............................... 82 Figure 45: Engine characteristic comparison bar graph with category contribution ........ 84 Page...Center BMEP Brake Mean Effective Pressure BSFC Brake Specific Fuel Consumption CEA Chemical Equilibrium with Applications CI Compression Ignition

  8. A comparison of small-area estimation techniques to estimate selected stand attributes using LiDAR-derived auxiliary variables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michael E. Goerndt; Vicente J. Monleon; Hailemariam. Temesgen

    2011-01-01

    One of the challenges often faced in forestry is the estimation of forest attributes for smaller areas of interest within a larger population. Small-area estimation (SAE) is a set of techniques well suited to estimation of forest attributes for small areas in which the existing sample size is small and auxiliary information is available. Selected SAE methods were...

  9. Vocabulary Learning in Collaborative Tasks: A Comparison of Pair and Small Group Work

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobao, Ana Fernández

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the opportunities that pair and small group interaction offer for collaborative dialogue and second language (L2) vocabulary learning. It compared the performance of the same collaborative writing task by learners working in groups of four (n = 60) and in pairs (n = 50), focusing on the occurrence of lexical language-related…

  10. THE TURN OF THE MONTH EFFECT CONTINUED: A COMPARISON OF SMALL CAP STOCKS AND LARGE CAP STOCKS

    OpenAIRE

    Ramsundhar, Shamman

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the turn of the month effect occurs in small cap and large cap stocks and if it occurs in both categories, to determine whether there is a difference in the magnitude. My research, for the period of 1963-2008, based on the CRSP value weighted index, shows that there is a significant turn of the month effect in small and large cap stocks, however the effect is larger in small cap stocks. Furthermore, this effect is not limited to a short time...

  11. Intrinsic respiratory gating in small-animal CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartling, Soenke H.; Dinkel, Julien; Kauczor, Hans-Ulrich; Stiller, Wolfram; Semmler, Wolfhard; Grasruck, Michael; Madisch, Ijad; Gupta, Rajiv; Kiessling, Fabian

    2008-01-01

    Gating in small-animal CT imaging can compensate artefacts caused by physiological motion during scanning. However, all published gating approaches for small animals rely on additional hardware to derive the gating signals. In contrast, in this study a novel method of intrinsic respiratory gating of rodents was developed and tested for mice (n=5), rats (n=5) and rabbits (n=2) in a flat-panel cone-beam CT system. In a consensus read image quality was compared with that of non-gated and retrospective extrinsically gated scans performed using a pneumatic cushion. In comparison to non-gated images, image quality improved significantly using intrinsic and extrinsic gating. Delineation of diaphragm and lung structure improved in all animals. Image quality of intrinsically gated CT was judged to be equivalent to extrinsically gated ones. Additionally 4D datasets were calculated using both gating methods. Values for expiratory, inspiratory and tidal lung volumes determined with the two gating methods were comparable and correlated well with values known from the literature. We could show that intrinsic respiratory gating in rodents makes additional gating hardware and preparatory efforts superfluous. This method improves image quality and allows derivation of functional data. Therefore it bears the potential to find wide applications in small-animal CT imaging. (orig.)

  12. Nonlinear correction to the longitudinal structure function at small x

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boroun, G.R.

    2010-01-01

    We computed the longitudinal proton structure function F L , using the nonlinear Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi (NLDGLAP) evolution equation approach at small x. For the gluon distribution, the nonlinear effects are related to the longitudinal structure function. As the very small-x behavior of the gluon distribution is obtained by solving the Gribov, Levin, Ryskin, Mueller and Qiu (GLR-MQ) evolution equation with the nonlinear shadowing term incorporated, we show that the strong rise that corresponds to the linear QCD evolution equations can be tamed by screening effects. Consequently, the obtained longitudinal structure function shows a tamed growth at small x. We computed the predictions for all details of the nonlinear longitudinal structure function in the kinematic range where it has been measured by the H1 Collaboration and made comparisons with the computation by Moch, Vermaseren and Vogt at the second order with input data from the MRST QCD fit. (orig.)

  13. Taking It to the Classroom: Number Board Games as a Small Group Learning Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramani, Geetha B.; Siegler, Robert S.; Hitti, Aline

    2012-01-01

    We examined whether a theoretically based number board game could be translated into a practical classroom activity that improves Head Start children's numerical knowledge. Playing the number board game as a small group learning activity promoted low-income children's number line estimation, magnitude comparison, numeral identification, and…

  14. The Role of Small Impoundments on Flow Alteration Within River Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brogan, C. O.; Keys, T.; Scott, D.; Burgholzer, R.; Kleiner, J.

    2017-12-01

    Numerous water quality and quantity models have been established to illustrate the ecologic and hydrologic effects of large reservoirs. Smaller, unregulated ponds are often assumed to have a negligible impact on watershed flow regimes even though they overwhelmingly outnumber larger waterbodies. Individually, these small impoundments impart merely a fraction of the flow alteration larger reservoirs do; however, a network of ponds may act cumulatively to alter the flow regime. Many models have attempted to study smaller impoundments but rely on selectively available rating curves or bathymetry surveys. This study created a generalized process to model impoundments of varying size across a 58 square mile watershed exclusively using satellite imagery and publicly available information as inputs. With information drawn from public Army Corps of Engineers databases and LiDAR surveys, it was found that impoundment surface and drainage area served as useful explanatory variables, capable of predicting both pond bathymetry and outlet structure area across the 37 waterbodies modeled within the study area. Working within a flow routing model with inputs from the Chesapeake Bay HSPF model and verified with USGS gauge data, flow simulations were conducted with increasing number of impoundments to quantify how small ponds affect the overall flow regime. As the total impounded volume increased, simulations showed a notable reduction in both low and peak flows. Medium-sized floods increased as the network of ponds and reservoirs stabilized the catchment's streamflow. The results of this study illustrate the importance of including ponded waters into river corridor models to improve downstream management of both water quantity and quality.

  15. Correlated, Static and Dynamic Polarizabilities of Small Molecules. Comparison of Four "Black Box" Methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dalskov, Erik K.; Sauer, Stephan P. A.

    1998-01-01

    Molecular static and dynamic polarizabilities for thirteen small molecules have been calculated using four "black box" ab initio methods, the random phase approximation, RPA, the second-order polarization propagator approximation, SOPPA, the second-order polarization propagator approximation...

  16. Quantification of surface energy fluxes from a small water body using scintillometry and eddy covariance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    McGloin, Ryan; McGowan, Hamish; McJannet, David

    2014-01-01

    Accurate quantification of evaporation from small water storages is essential for water management and planning, particularly in water-scarce regions. In order to ascertain suitable methods for direct measurement of evaporation from small water bodies, this study presents a comparison of eddy......% greater than eddy covariance measurements. We suggest possible reasons for this difference and provide recommendations for further research for improving measurements of surface energy fluxes over small water bodies using eddy covariance and scintillometry. Key Points Source areas for Eddy covariance...... and scintillometry were on the water surface Reasonable agreement was shown between the sensible heat flux measurements Scintillometer estimates of latent heat flux were greater than eddy covariance...

  17. Therapeutic Efficacy Comparison of 5 Major EGFR-TKIs in Advanced EGFR-positive Non-Small-cell Lung Cancer: A Network Meta-analysis Based on Head-to-Head Trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yaxiong; Zhang, Zhonghan; Huang, Xiaodan; Kang, Shiyang; Chen, Gang; Wu, Manli; Miao, Siyu; Huang, Yan; Zhao, Hongyun; Zhang, Li

    2017-09-01

    Five major first- and second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), including erlotinib, gefitinib, icotinib, afatinib, and dacomitinib, are currently optional for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who harbor EGFR mutations. However, there was no head-to-head-based network meta-analysis among all the TKIs in EGFR-mutated populations. Eligible literature was searched from an electronic database. Data of objective response rate, disease control rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival were extracted from enrolled studies. Multiple treatment comparisons based on Bayesian network integrated the efficacy of all included treatments. Six phase III randomized trials involving 1055 EGFR-mutated patients with advanced NSCLC were enrolled. Multiple treatment comparisons showed that 5 different EGFR-TKIs shared equivalent therapeutic efficacy in terms of all outcome measures. Rank probabilities indicated that dacomitinib and afatinib had potentially better efficacy compared with erlotinib, gefitinib, and icotinib in the EGFR-mutated patients. When compared with other agents, potential survival benefits (progression-free and overall survival) were observed in dacomitinib, whereas afatinib showed a better rank probability in overall response rate and disease control rate. Our study indicated a preferable therapeutic efficacy in the second-generation TKIs (dacomitinib and afatinib) when compared with the first-generation TKIs (erlotinib, gefitinib, and icotinib). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Comparison of small-area deprivation measures as predictors of chronic disease burden in a low-income population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lòpez-De Fede, Ana; Stewart, John E; Hardin, James W; Mayfield-Smith, Kathy

    2016-06-10

    Measures of small-area deprivation may be valuable in geographically targeting limited resources to prevent, diagnose, and effectively manage chronic conditions in vulnerable populations. We developed a census-based small-area socioeconomic deprivation index specifically to predict chronic disease burden among publically insured Medicaid recipients in South Carolina, a relatively poor state in the southern United States. We compared the predictive ability of the new index with that of four other small-area deprivation indicators. To derive the ZIP Code Tabulation Area-Level Palmetto Small-Area Deprivation Index (Palmetto SADI), we evaluated ten census variables across five socioeconomic deprivation domains, identifying the combination of census indicators most highly correlated with a set of five chronic disease conditions among South Carolina Medicaid enrollees. In separate validation studies, we used both logistic and spatial regression methods to assess the ability of Palmetto SADI to predict chronic disease burden among state Medicaid recipients relative to four alternative small-area socioeconomic deprivation measures: the Townsend index of material deprivation; a single-variable poverty indicator; and two small-area designations of health care resource deprivation, Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area and Medically Underserved Area/Medically Underserved Population. Palmetto SADI was the best predictor of chronic disease burden (presence of at least one condition and presence of two or more conditions) among state Medicaid recipients compared to all alternative deprivation measures tested. A low-cost, regionally optimized socioeconomic deprivation index, Palmetto SADI can be used to identify areas in South Carolina at high risk for chronic disease burden among Medicaid recipients and other low-income Medicaid-eligible populations for targeted prevention, screening, diagnosis, disease self-management, and care coordination activities.

  19. Comparison of dengue virus type 2-specific small RNAs from RNA interference-competent and -incompetent mosquito cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaclyn C Scott

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available The exogenous RNA interference (RNAi pathway is an important antiviral defense against arboviruses in mosquitoes, and virus-specific small interfering (siRNAs are key components of this pathway. Understanding the biogenesis of siRNAs in mosquitoes could have important ramifications in using RNAi to control arbovirus transmission. Using deep sequencing technology, we characterized dengue virus type 2 (DENV2-specific small RNAs produced during infection of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and A. aegypti Aag2 cell cultures and compared them to those produced in the C6/36 Aedes albopictus cell line. We show that the size and mixed polarity of virus-specific small RNAs from DENV-infected A. aegypti cells indicate that they are products of Dicer-2 (Dcr2 cleavage of long dsRNA, whereas C6/36 cells generate DENV2-specific small RNAs that are longer and predominantly positive polarity, suggesting that they originate from a different small RNA pathway. Examination of virus-specific small RNAs after infection of the two mosquito cell lines with the insect-only flavivirus cell fusing agent virus (CFAV corroborated these findings. An in vitro assay also showed that Aag2 A. aegypti cells are capable of siRNA production, while C6/36 A. albopictus cells exhibit inefficient Dcr2 cleavage of long dsRNA. Defective expression or function of Dcr2, the key initiator of the RNAi pathway, might explain the comparatively robust growth of arthropod-borne viruses in the C6/36 cell line, which has been used frequently as a surrogate for studying molecular interactions between arboviruses and cells of their mosquito hosts.

  20. Small unmanned aerial vehicles (micro-UAVs, drones) in plant ecology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruzan, Mitchell B; Weinstein, Ben G; Grasty, Monica R; Kohrn, Brendan F; Hendrickson, Elizabeth C; Arredondo, Tina M; Thompson, Pamela G

    2016-09-01

    Low-elevation surveys with small aerial drones (micro-unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs]) may be used for a wide variety of applications in plant ecology, including mapping vegetation over small- to medium-sized regions. We provide an overview of methods and procedures for conducting surveys and illustrate some of these applications. Aerial images were obtained by flying a small drone along transects over the area of interest. Images were used to create a composite image (orthomosaic) and a digital surface model (DSM). Vegetation classification was conducted manually and using an automated routine. Coverage of an individual species was estimated from aerial images. We created a vegetation map for the entire region from the orthomosaic and DSM, and mapped the density of one species. Comparison of our manual and automated habitat classification confirmed that our mapping methods were accurate. A species with high contrast to the background matrix allowed adequate estimate of its coverage. The example surveys demonstrate that small aerial drones are capable of gathering large amounts of information on the distribution of vegetation and individual species with minimal impact to sensitive habitats. Low-elevation aerial surveys have potential for a wide range of applications in plant ecology.

  1. SU-E-T-427: Cell Surviving Fractions Derived From Tumor-Volume Variation During Radiotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Comparison with Predictive Assays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chvetsov, A; Schwartz, J; Mayr, N [University of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Yartsev, S [London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario (Canada)

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: To show that a distribution of cell surviving fractions S{sub 2} in a heterogeneous group of patients can be derived from tumor-volume variation curves during radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Our analysis was based on two data sets of tumor-volume variation curves for heterogeneous groups of 17 patients treated for nonsmall cell lung cancer with conventional dose fractionation. The data sets were obtained previously at two independent institutions by using megavoltage (MV) computed tomography (CT). Statistical distributions of cell surviving fractions S{sup 2} and cell clearance half-lives of lethally damaged cells T1/2 have been reconstructed in each patient group by using a version of the two-level cell population tumor response model and a simulated annealing algorithm. The reconstructed statistical distributions of the cell surviving fractions have been compared to the distributions measured using predictive assays in vitro. Results: Non-small cell lung cancer presents certain difficulties for modeling surviving fractions using tumor-volume variation curves because of relatively large fractional hypoxic volume, low gradient of tumor-volume response, and possible uncertainties due to breathing motion. Despite these difficulties, cell surviving fractions S{sub 2} for non-small cell lung cancer derived from tumor-volume variation measured at different institutions have similar probability density functions (PDFs) with mean values of 0.30 and 0.43 and standard deviations of 0.13 and 0.18, respectively. The PDFs for cell surviving fractions S{sup 2} reconstructed from tumor volume variation agree with the PDF measured in vitro. Comparison of the reconstructed cell surviving fractions with patient survival data shows that the patient survival time decreases as the cell surviving fraction increases. Conclusion: The data obtained in this work suggests that the cell surviving fractions S{sub 2} can be reconstructed from the tumor volume

  2. SU-E-T-101: Determination and Comparison of Correction Factors Obtained for TLDs in Small Field Lung Heterogenous Phantom Using Acuros XB and EGSnrc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soh, R; Lee, J; Harianto, F

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To determine and compare the correction factors obtained for TLDs in 2 × 2cm 2 small field in lung heterogenous phantom using Acuros XB (AXB) and EGSnrc. Methods: This study will simulate the correction factors due to the perturbation of TLD-100 chips (Harshaw/Thermoscientific, 3 × 3 × 0.9mm 3 , 2.64g/cm 3 ) in small field lung medium for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT). A physical lung phantom was simulated by a 14cm thick composite cork phantom (0.27g/cm 3 , HU:-743 ± 11) sandwiched between 4cm thick Plastic Water (CIRS,Norfolk). Composite cork has been shown to be a good lung substitute material for dosimetric studies. 6MV photon beam from Varian Clinac iX (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) with field size 2 × 2cm 2 was simulated. Depth dose profiles were obtained from the Eclipse treatment planning system Acuros XB (AXB) and independently from DOSxyznrc, EGSnrc. Correction factors was calculated by the ratio of unperturbed to perturbed dose. Since AXB has limitations in simulating actual material compositions, EGSnrc will also simulate the AXB-based material composition for comparison to the actual lung phantom. Results: TLD-100, with its finite size and relatively high density, causes significant perturbation in 2 × 2cm 2 small field in a low lung density phantom. Correction factors calculated by both EGSnrc and AXB was found to be as low as 0.9. It is expected that the correction factor obtained by EGSnrc wlll be more accurate as it is able to simulate the actual phantom material compositions. AXB have a limited material library, therefore it only approximates the composition of TLD, Composite cork and Plastic water, contributing to uncertainties in TLD correction factors. Conclusion: It is expected that the correction factors obtained by EGSnrc will be more accurate. Studies will be done to investigate the correction factors for higher energies where perturbation may be more pronounced

  3. SU-E-T-427: Cell Surviving Fractions Derived From Tumor-Volume Variation During Radiotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Comparison with Predictive Assays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chvetsov, A; Schwartz, J; Mayr, N; Yartsev, S

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To show that a distribution of cell surviving fractions S 2 in a heterogeneous group of patients can be derived from tumor-volume variation curves during radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Our analysis was based on two data sets of tumor-volume variation curves for heterogeneous groups of 17 patients treated for nonsmall cell lung cancer with conventional dose fractionation. The data sets were obtained previously at two independent institutions by using megavoltage (MV) computed tomography (CT). Statistical distributions of cell surviving fractions S 2 and cell clearance half-lives of lethally damaged cells T1/2 have been reconstructed in each patient group by using a version of the two-level cell population tumor response model and a simulated annealing algorithm. The reconstructed statistical distributions of the cell surviving fractions have been compared to the distributions measured using predictive assays in vitro. Results: Non-small cell lung cancer presents certain difficulties for modeling surviving fractions using tumor-volume variation curves because of relatively large fractional hypoxic volume, low gradient of tumor-volume response, and possible uncertainties due to breathing motion. Despite these difficulties, cell surviving fractions S 2 for non-small cell lung cancer derived from tumor-volume variation measured at different institutions have similar probability density functions (PDFs) with mean values of 0.30 and 0.43 and standard deviations of 0.13 and 0.18, respectively. The PDFs for cell surviving fractions S 2 reconstructed from tumor volume variation agree with the PDF measured in vitro. Comparison of the reconstructed cell surviving fractions with patient survival data shows that the patient survival time decreases as the cell surviving fraction increases. Conclusion: The data obtained in this work suggests that the cell surviving fractions S 2 can be reconstructed from the tumor volume variation curves measured

  4. Evaluation of Approaches to Analyzing Continuous Correlated Eye Data When Sample Size Is Small.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Jing; Huang, Jiayan; Chen, Yong; Ying, Gui-Shuang

    2018-02-01

    To evaluate the performance of commonly used statistical methods for analyzing continuous correlated eye data when sample size is small. We simulated correlated continuous data from two designs: (1) two eyes of a subject in two comparison groups; (2) two eyes of a subject in the same comparison group, under various sample size (5-50), inter-eye correlation (0-0.75) and effect size (0-0.8). Simulated data were analyzed using paired t-test, two sample t-test, Wald test and score test using the generalized estimating equations (GEE) and F-test using linear mixed effects model (LMM). We compared type I error rates and statistical powers, and demonstrated analysis approaches through analyzing two real datasets. In design 1, paired t-test and LMM perform better than GEE, with nominal type 1 error rate and higher statistical power. In design 2, no test performs uniformly well: two sample t-test (average of two eyes or a random eye) achieves better control of type I error but yields lower statistical power. In both designs, the GEE Wald test inflates type I error rate and GEE score test has lower power. When sample size is small, some commonly used statistical methods do not perform well. Paired t-test and LMM perform best when two eyes of a subject are in two different comparison groups, and t-test using the average of two eyes performs best when the two eyes are in the same comparison group. When selecting the appropriate analysis approach the study design should be considered.

  5. Bayesian Estimation of Small Effects in Exercise and Sports Science.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kerrie L Mengersen

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to provide a Bayesian formulation of the so-called magnitude-based inference approach to quantifying and interpreting effects, and in a case study example provide accurate probabilistic statements that correspond to the intended magnitude-based inferences. The model is described in the context of a published small-scale athlete study which employed a magnitude-based inference approach to compare the effect of two altitude training regimens (live high-train low (LHTL, and intermittent hypoxic exposure (IHE on running performance and blood measurements of elite triathletes. The posterior distributions, and corresponding point and interval estimates, for the parameters and associated effects and comparisons of interest, were estimated using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations. The Bayesian analysis was shown to provide more direct probabilistic comparisons of treatments and able to identify small effects of interest. The approach avoided asymptotic assumptions and overcame issues such as multiple testing. Bayesian analysis of unscaled effects showed a probability of 0.96 that LHTL yields a substantially greater increase in hemoglobin mass than IHE, a 0.93 probability of a substantially greater improvement in running economy and a greater than 0.96 probability that both IHE and LHTL yield a substantially greater improvement in maximum blood lactate concentration compared to a Placebo. The conclusions are consistent with those obtained using a 'magnitude-based inference' approach that has been promoted in the field. The paper demonstrates that a fully Bayesian analysis is a simple and effective way of analysing small effects, providing a rich set of results that are straightforward to interpret in terms of probabilistic statements.

  6. Bayesian Estimation of Small Effects in Exercise and Sports Science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mengersen, Kerrie L; Drovandi, Christopher C; Robert, Christian P; Pyne, David B; Gore, Christopher J

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to provide a Bayesian formulation of the so-called magnitude-based inference approach to quantifying and interpreting effects, and in a case study example provide accurate probabilistic statements that correspond to the intended magnitude-based inferences. The model is described in the context of a published small-scale athlete study which employed a magnitude-based inference approach to compare the effect of two altitude training regimens (live high-train low (LHTL), and intermittent hypoxic exposure (IHE)) on running performance and blood measurements of elite triathletes. The posterior distributions, and corresponding point and interval estimates, for the parameters and associated effects and comparisons of interest, were estimated using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations. The Bayesian analysis was shown to provide more direct probabilistic comparisons of treatments and able to identify small effects of interest. The approach avoided asymptotic assumptions and overcame issues such as multiple testing. Bayesian analysis of unscaled effects showed a probability of 0.96 that LHTL yields a substantially greater increase in hemoglobin mass than IHE, a 0.93 probability of a substantially greater improvement in running economy and a greater than 0.96 probability that both IHE and LHTL yield a substantially greater improvement in maximum blood lactate concentration compared to a Placebo. The conclusions are consistent with those obtained using a 'magnitude-based inference' approach that has been promoted in the field. The paper demonstrates that a fully Bayesian analysis is a simple and effective way of analysing small effects, providing a rich set of results that are straightforward to interpret in terms of probabilistic statements.

  7. Test-retest reliability of jump execution variables using mechanography: a comparison of jump protocols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitzgerald, John S; Johnson, LuAnn; Tomkinson, Grant; Stein, Jesse; Roemmich, James N

    2018-05-01

    Mechanography during the vertical jump may enhance screening and determining mechanistic causes underlying physical performance changes. Utility of jump mechanography for evaluation is limited by scant test-retest reliability data on force-time variables. This study examined the test-retest reliability of eight jump execution variables assessed from mechanography. Thirty-two women (mean±SD: age 20.8 ± 1.3 yr) and 16 men (age 22.1 ± 1.9 yr) attended a familiarization session and two testing sessions, all one week apart. Participants performed two variations of the squat jump with squat depth self-selected and controlled using a goniometer to 80º knee flexion. Test-retest reliability was quantified as the systematic error (using effect size between jumps), random error (using coefficients of variation), and test-retest correlations (using intra-class correlation coefficients). Overall, jump execution variables demonstrated acceptable reliability, evidenced by small systematic errors (mean±95%CI: 0.2 ± 0.07), moderate random errors (mean±95%CI: 17.8 ± 3.7%), and very strong test-retest correlations (range: 0.73-0.97). Differences in random errors between controlled and self-selected protocols were negligible (mean±95%CI: 1.3 ± 2.3%). Jump execution variables demonstrated acceptable reliability, with no meaningful differences between the controlled and self-selected jump protocols. To simplify testing, a self-selected jump protocol can be used to assess force-time variables with negligible impact on measurement error.

  8. Comparison of small mammal species diversity near wastewater outfalls, natural streams, and dry canyons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raymer, D.F.; Biggs, J.R.

    1994-03-01

    A wide range of plant and wildlife species utilizes water discharged from facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The purpose of this study was to compare nocturnal small mammal communities at wet areas created by wastewater outfalls with communities in naturally created wet and dry areas. Thirteen locations within LANL boundaries were selected for small mammal mark-recapture trapping. Three of these locations lacked surface water sources and were classified as open-quotes dry,close quotes while seven sites were associated with wastewater outfalls (open-quotes outfallclose quotes sites), and three were located near natural sources of surface water (open-quotes naturalclose quotes sites). Data was collected on site type (dry, outfall or natural), location, species trapped, and the tag number of each individual captured. This data was used to calculate mean number of species, percent capture rate, and species diversity at each type of site. When data from each type of site was pooled, there were no significant differences in these variables between dry, outfall, and natural types. However, when data from individual sites was compared, tests revealed significant differences. All sites in natural areas were significantly higher than dry areas in daily mean number of species, percent capture rate, and species diversity. Most outfall sites were significantly higher than dry areas in all three variables tested. When volume of water from each outfall site was considered, these data indicated that the number of species, percent capture rate, and species diversity of nocturnal small mammals were directly related to the volume of water at a given outfall

  9. Development prospects for future small and medium reactors (SMRs)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jianchi Huang

    2001-01-01

    In this paper, special advantages for SMRs were given. SMRs were emphasized for the developing countries and regions having only small installed capacities, for example, less than 10,000 MW(e). The development status for the perfect SMRs in China were introduced and the economy comparison was made among 4 nuclear projects under construction in China. Some improvements for SMRs to reduce the capital expenditure were proposed. A conclusion was made that SMRs can be expected to be chosen by many countries in next century. (author)

  10. Clinical observation and discussion of different surgical treatment on small-diopter intermittent exotropia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    En-Hui Yi

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available AIM:To discuss the clinical features and operation methods on small-diopter intermittent exotropia. METHODS:Totally 206 in-patients with small-diopter intermittent exotropia(IXTin different operation groups, from September 2013 to September 2014,were observed for the eyesight, refraction, dominant eye, exotropia degree, synoptophore and near stereopsis before and after operation. Three types were divided in 206 cases. One hundred and thirty-two cases of basic IXT were the first type, in which 52 cases underwent nondominant eye unilateral recess-resection(nondominant eye unilateral recess-resection, ndR& R, 40 cases underwent dominant eye unilateral recess-resection(dominant eye unilateral recess-resection, dR& R, 40 cases underwent bilateral lateral rectus recession(bilateral lateral rectus recession, BLR-rec. Sixty-one cases of convergence insufficiency IXT were the second type, in which 40 cases underwent ndR& R, 21 cases underwent bilateral medial rectus amputation. Thirteen cases of divergence excess IXT were the third type, in which 7 cases underwent ndR& R, 6 cases underwent BLR-rec. The rates of the orthophoria, undercorrection, overcorrection and the recovery of synoptophore and near stereopsis after surgery in 1, 6, 12, 24mo were compared in 3 types. RESULTS: The clinical features of 206 cases with small-diopter IXT were: in the most cases, between 5 and 12 years old; nondominant eye was left eye; the eyesight of nondominant eye was lower than another eye; refraction status were myopia, astigmatism and anisometropia; basic IXT was the most common type; exotropia degree was between 40△ and 60△; some cases owned binocular function and near stereopsis. Comparison of operation methods in 3 groups: orthophoria comparisons in basic IXT among ndR& R group, d R& R group and BLR-rec group were significant difference(PP>0.05after operation. The operation of divergence excess IXT was effective. Orthophoria comparison in ndR& R group between

  11. Analysis of methods commonly used in biomedicine for treatment versus control comparison of very small samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ristić-Djurović, Jasna L; Ćirković, Saša; Mladenović, Pavle; Romčević, Nebojša; Trbovich, Alexander M

    2018-04-01

    A rough estimate indicated that use of samples of size not larger than ten is not uncommon in biomedical research and that many of such studies are limited to strong effects due to sample sizes smaller than six. For data collected from biomedical experiments it is also often unknown if mathematical requirements incorporated in the sample comparison methods are satisfied. Computer simulated experiments were used to examine performance of methods for qualitative sample comparison and its dependence on the effectiveness of exposure, effect intensity, distribution of studied parameter values in the population, and sample size. The Type I and Type II errors, their average, as well as the maximal errors were considered. The sample size 9 and the t-test method with p = 5% ensured error smaller than 5% even for weak effects. For sample sizes 6-8 the same method enabled detection of weak effects with errors smaller than 20%. If the sample sizes were 3-5, weak effects could not be detected with an acceptable error; however, the smallest maximal error in the most general case that includes weak effects is granted by the standard error of the mean method. The increase of sample size from 5 to 9 led to seven times more accurate detection of weak effects. Strong effects were detected regardless of the sample size and method used. The minimal recommended sample size for biomedical experiments is 9. Use of smaller sizes and the method of their comparison should be justified by the objective of the experiment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Comparison of laser-induced surface damage density measurements with small and large beams: toward representativeness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamaignere, Laurent; Dupuy, Gabriel; Donval, Thierry; Grua, Pierre; Bercegol, Herve

    2011-01-01

    Pulsed laser damage density measurements obtained with diverse facilities are difficult to compare, due to the interplay of numerous parameters, such as beam area and pulse geometry, which, in operational large beam conditions, are very different from laboratory measurements. This discrepancy could have a significant impact; if so, one could not even pretend that laser damage density control is a real measurement process. In this paper, this concern is addressed. Tests with large beams of centimeter size on a high-power laser facility have beam performed according to a parametric study and are compared to small beam laboratory tests. It is shown that laser damage densities obtained with large and small beams are equal, within calculated error bars.

  13. The 1980-81 AFOSR-HTTM (Heat Transfer and Turbulence Mechanics)-Stanford Conference on Complex Turbulent Flows: Comparison of Computation and Experiment. Volume 1. Objectives, Evaluation of Data, Specifications of Test Cases, Discussion, and Position Papers

    Science.gov (United States)

    1980-09-01

    research community on provision for accu- racy and oil the difficulties of laboratory control of fluid flow been brought to bear in a timely manner...numbnr)I. 2. Constitutive (e.g., polymers) 3. Energy release (e.g., chemical reactions) 4.Surface tension (e.g., oil -slick calming) 5.Cryogenic...thp following flows: a. In "thin shear layer" flows, i.e., having small d6/dx and negligible ;p/3y, the equations are essencially parabolic, and the

  14. Code comparison for accelerator design and analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parsa, Z.

    1988-01-01

    We present a comparison between results obtained from standard accelerator physics codes used for the design and analysis of synchrotrons and storage rings, with programs SYNCH, MAD, HARMON, PATRICIA, PATPET, BETA, DIMAD, MARYLIE and RACE-TRACK. In our analysis we have considered 5 (various size) lattices with large and small angles including AGS Booster (10/degree/ bend), RHIC (2.24/degree/), SXLS, XLS (XUV ring with 45/degree/ bend) and X-RAY rings. The differences in the integration methods used and the treatment of the fringe fields in these codes could lead to different results. The inclusion of nonlinear (e.g., dipole) terms may be necessary in these calculations specially for a small ring. 12 refs., 6 figs., 10 tabs

  15. Modeling single-scattering properties of small cirrus particles by use of a size-shape distribution of ice spheroids and cylinders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Li; Mishchenko, Michael I.; Cairns, Brian; Carlson, Barbara E.; Travis, Larry D.

    2006-01-01

    In this study, we model single-scattering properties of small cirrus crystals using mixtures of polydisperse, randomly oriented spheroids and cylinders with varying aspect ratios and with a refractive index representative of water ice at a wavelength of 1.88 μm. The Stokes scattering matrix elements averaged over wide shape distributions of spheroids and cylinders are compared with those computed for polydisperse surface-equivalent spheres. The shape-averaged phase function for a mixture of oblate and prolate spheroids is smooth, featureless, and nearly flat at side-scattering angles and closely resembles those typically measured for cirrus. Compared with the ensemble-averaged phase function for spheroids, that for a shape distribution of cylinders shows a relatively deeper minimum at side-scattering angles. This may indicate that light scattering from realistic cirrus crystals can be better represented by a shape mixture of ice spheroids. Interestingly, the single-scattering properties of shape-averaged oblate and prolate cylinders are very similar to those of compact cylinders with a diameter-to-length ratio of unity. The differences in the optical cross sections, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry parameter between the spherical and the nonspherical particles studied appear to be relatively small. This may suggest that for a given optical thickness, the influence of particle shape on the radiative forcing caused by a cloud composed of small ice crystals can be negligible

  16. Comparison of X-ray and neutron small-angle scattering from an Al-Zn alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerold, V.; Epperson, J.E.; Gerstenberg, K.W.

    1978-01-01

    The normalized integrated small-angle scattered intensity for Al-Zn alloys should be independent of whether the measurements are made with X-rays or neutrons. In order to check this, and thus the correction and standardization processes, the small-angle scattering from an Al-5.05 at.% Zn alloy containing GP zones was measured with these two types of radiation. The data were corrected and converted to absolute units with reference to the commonly accepted secondary standards: vanadium for the neutron data and polyethylene (Lupolen) for the X-ray data. The results are shown to differ by, at best, 6% if reasonable values for the change in atomic volume with alloy composition are taken into account. These findings are compared with those available from the literature, and the consistency is found to be somewhat lacking. Additional careful work is clearly needed to determine if the difficulty is traceable to the data correction or to the conversion to absolute units. (Auth.)

  17. 48 CFR 970.1907 - Subcontracting with Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business and Woman-Owned Small Business...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... MANAGEMENT AND OPERATING CONTRACTS Small, Small Disadvantaged and Women-Owned Small Business Concerns 970.1907 Subcontracting with Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business and Woman-Owned Small Business... Business, Small Disadvantaged Business and Woman-Owned Small Business Concerns. 970.1907 Section 970.1907...

  18. 77 FR 28520 - Small Business Size Regulations, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-15

    ... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 13 CFR Part 121 RIN 3245-AG46 Small Business Size Regulations, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program AGENCY: Small Business Administration. ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: The U.S. Small Business Administration...

  19. Comparison groups on bills: Automated, personalized energy information

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iyer, Maithili; Kempton, Willett; Payne, Christopher

    2006-07-01

    A program called ``Innovative Billing?? has been developed to provide individualized energy information for a mass audience?the entireresidential customer base of an electric or gas utility. Customers receive a graph on the bill that compares that customer?s consumption with othersimilar customers for the same month. The program aims to stimulate customers to make ef?ciency improvements. To group as many as severalmillion customers into small ``comparison groups??, an automated method must be developed drawing solely from the data available to the utility.This paper develops and applies methods to compare the quality of resulting comparison groups.A data base of 114,000 customers from a utility billing system was used to evaluate Innovative Billing comparison groups, comparing fouralternative criteria: house characteristics (?oor area, housing type, and heating fuel); street; meter read route; billing cycle. Also, customers wereinterviewed to see what forms of comparison graphs made most sense and led to fewest errors of interpretation. We ?nd that good qualitycomparison groups result from using street name, meter book, or multiple house characteristics. Other criteria we tested, such as entire cycle, entiremeter book, or single house characteristics such as ?oor area, resulted in poor quality comparison groups. This analysis provides a basis forchoosing comparison groups based on extensive user testing and statistical analysis. The result is a practical set of guidelines that can be used toimplement realistic, inexpensive innovative billing for the entire customer base of an electric or gas utility.

  20. Grandi e piccole imprese industriali in Italia: dinamica e performance negli anni '80 a confronto. ( Large and small industrial enterprises in Italy: a comparison of dynamics and performance in the 1980s

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. CONTINI

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available L' articolo esamina lo stato dell'industria italiana nel 1980 . Lo sviluppo delle piccole imprese e l'evoluzione delle piccole e medie imprese sono analizzate prima l'integrazione tra i servizi e l'industria è considerata . L'autore esamina quindi lo sviluppo della divisione del lavoro nell'industria italiana e l' ascesa e la caduta di piccole imprese . I processi di creazione di occupazione e posti di lavoro di distruzione attribuibile alle piccole imprese vengono trattati prima di un confronto internazionale dello sviluppo delle piccole e medie imprese e il loro contributo al mondo del lavoro è fornito. Dinamiche di confronto tra grandi e piccole imprese nel recente esperienza italiana sono considerati , prima che vengano forniti i risultati di una ricerca econometrica sulle imprese da un campione di 1984The article looks at the state of Italian industry in the 1980s. The development of the small businesses and the evolution of medium-sized enterprises are analysed before the integration between services and industry is considered. The author then looks at the development of the division of labor in Italian industry and the rise and fall of small businesses. Processes of job-creation and job-destruction attributable to small businesses are dealt with before an international comparison of the development of SMEs and their contribution to employment is provided. Comparative dynamics between large and small businesses in the recent Italian experience are considered, before the results of an econometric investigation on firms from a 1984 sample are provided.JEL: L16, O14, O52

  1. The Development of the Concept of Contributory Negligence in Civil and Common Law : A Comparison

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Dongen, E.G.D.; Verdam, Henriëtte P.

    2016-01-01

    The injured party’s own conduct contributing to the damage suffered has been a bar to the recovery of damages in delictual liability for centuries, both in the traditions of civil as well as common law. This article describes and compares the historical development, from (classical) Roman law up to

  2. Comparison of manufactured and black carbon nanoparticle concentrations in aquatic sediments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koelmans, A.A.; Nowack, B.; Wiesner, M.R.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, we show that concentrations of manufactured carbon-based nanoparticles (MCNPs) in aquatic sediments will be negligible compared to levels of black carbon nanoparticles (BCNPs). This is concluded from model calculations accounting for MCNP sedimentation fluxes, removal rates due to aggregation or degradation, and MCNP burial in deeper sediment layers. The resultant steady state MCNP levels are compared with BCNP levels calculated from soot levels in sediments and weight fractions of nanosized fractions of these soot particles. MCNP/BCNP ratios range from 10 -7 to 10 -4 (w:w). This suggests that the often acclaimed effect of MCNPs on organic pollutant binding and bioavailability will likely be below the level of detection if natural BCNPs are present, even if binding to MCNP is one to two orders of magnitude stronger than to BCNPs. Furthermore, exposure and toxic effects of MCNPs in sediments and soils will be negligible compared to that of BCNPs. - Concentrations of manufactured carbon-based nanoparticles in sediments and soils will be negligible compared to levels of black carbon (soot) nanoparticles

  3. CHOOSING BETWEEN SMALL AND MIDDLE ENTERPRISES AND SELFEMPLOYED PERSON IN TERMS OF TAXATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ISPAS ROXANA

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the advantages and disadvantages of small and middle enterprises (SMEs in relation with a registered sole trader (RST. This comparison is necessary since from the 1 st of January 2016, all registered sole traders are required to pay CAS (10.5% or 26.3% according to their option calculated the net revenue gained, besides the CASS of 5.5% and the income tax of 16%. At the same time, a part of the private entrepreneurs will have to choose if they suspend or cease their activity under the form of registered sole trader or establish a small enterprise.

  4. Fracture toughness evaluation of Eurofer'97 by testing small specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serrano, M.; Fernandez, P.; Lapena, J.

    2006-01-01

    The Eurofer'97 is the structural reference material that will be tested in the ITER modules. Its metallurgical properties have been well characterized during the last years. However, more investigations related with the fracture toughness of this material are necessary because this property is one of the most important to design structural components and to study their integrity assessment. In the case of structural materials for fusion reactor the small specimen technology (SSTT) are being actively developed to investigate the fracture toughness among other mechanical properties. The use of small specimens is due to the small available irradiation volume of IFMIF and also due to the high fluence expected in the fusion reactor. The aim of this paper is to determine the fracture toughness of the Eurofer'97 steel by testing small specimens of different geometry in the ductile to brittle transition region, with the application of the Master Curve methodology, and to evaluate this method to assess the decrease in fracture toughness due to neutron irradiation. The tests and data analysis have been performed following the Master Curve approach included in the ASTM Standard E1921-05. Specimen size effect and comparison of the fracture toughness results with data available in the literature are also considered. (author)

  5. Worrying about What Others Think: A Social-Comparison Concern Intervention in Small Learning Groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Micari, Marina; Pazos, Pilar

    2014-01-01

    Small-group learning has become commonplace in education at all levels. While it has been shown to have many benefits, previous research has demonstrated that it may not always work to the advantage of every student. One potential problem is that less-prepared students may feel anxious about participating, for fear of looking "dumb" in…

  6. SPT0346-52: NEGLIGIBLE AGN ACTIVITY IN A COMPACT, HYPER-STARBURST GALAXY AT z = 5.7

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Jingzhe; Gonzalez, Anthony H. [Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Vieira, J. D.; Sreevani, J. [Department of Astronomy and Department of Physics, University of Illinois, 1002 West Green St., Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Aravena, M. [Núcleo de Astronomía, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Diego Portales, Av. Ejército 441, Santiago (Chile); Ashby, M. L. N. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Béthermin, M.; Breuck, C. de; Gullberg, B. [European Southern Observatory, Karl Schwarzschild Straße 2, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Bothwell, M. S. [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thompson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Brandt, W. N. [Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Carlstrom, J. E. [Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Chapman, S. C. [Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada); Hezaveh, Y. [Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Litke, K.; Marrone, D. P.; Spilker, J. S. [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Malkan, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547 (United States); McDonald, M. [Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 37-582C, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Murphy, E. J., E-mail: jingzhema@ufl.edu [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); and others

    2016-12-01

    We present Chandra ACIS-S and Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio continuum observations of the strongly lensed dusty, star-forming galaxy SPT-S J034640-5204.9 (hereafter SPT0346-52) at z = 5.656. This galaxy has also been observed with ALMA, HST , Spitzer , Herschel , Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment, and the Very Large Telescope. Previous observations indicate that if the infrared (IR) emission is driven by star formation, then the inferred lensing-corrected star formation rate (SFR) (∼4500 M {sub ☉} yr{sup −1}) and SFR surface density Σ{sub SFR} (∼2000 M {sub ☉} yr{sup −1} kpc{sup −2}) are both exceptionally high. It remained unclear from the previous data, however, whether a central active galactic nucleus (AGN) contributes appreciably to the IR luminosity. The Chandra upper limit shows that SPT0346-52 is consistent with being star formation dominated in the X-ray, and any AGN contribution to the IR emission is negligible. The ATCA radio continuum upper limits are also consistent with the FIR-to-radio correlation for star-forming galaxies with no indication of an additional AGN contribution. The observed prodigious intrinsic IR luminosity of (3.6 ± 0.3) × 10{sup 13} L {sub ☉} originates almost solely from vigorous star formation activity. With an intrinsic source size of 0.61 ± 0.03 kpc, SPT0346-52 is confirmed to have one of the highest Σ{sub SFR} of any known galaxy. This high Σ{sub SFR}, which approaches the Eddington limit for a radiation pressure supported starburst, may be explained by a combination of very high star formation efficiency and gas fraction.

  7. SPT0346-52: NEGLIGIBLE AGN ACTIVITY IN A COMPACT, HYPER-STARBURST GALAXY AT z = 5.7

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, Jingzhe; Gonzalez, Anthony H.; Vieira, J. D.; Sreevani, J.; Aravena, M.; Ashby, M. L. N.; Béthermin, M.; Breuck, C. de; Gullberg, B.; Bothwell, M. S.; Brandt, W. N.; Carlstrom, J. E.; Chapman, S. C.; Hezaveh, Y.; Litke, K.; Marrone, D. P.; Spilker, J. S.; Malkan, M.; McDonald, M.; Murphy, E. J.

    2016-01-01

    We present Chandra ACIS-S and Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio continuum observations of the strongly lensed dusty, star-forming galaxy SPT-S J034640-5204.9 (hereafter SPT0346-52) at z = 5.656. This galaxy has also been observed with ALMA, HST , Spitzer , Herschel , Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment, and the Very Large Telescope. Previous observations indicate that if the infrared (IR) emission is driven by star formation, then the inferred lensing-corrected star formation rate (SFR) (∼4500 M ☉ yr −1 ) and SFR surface density Σ SFR (∼2000 M ☉ yr −1 kpc −2 ) are both exceptionally high. It remained unclear from the previous data, however, whether a central active galactic nucleus (AGN) contributes appreciably to the IR luminosity. The Chandra upper limit shows that SPT0346-52 is consistent with being star formation dominated in the X-ray, and any AGN contribution to the IR emission is negligible. The ATCA radio continuum upper limits are also consistent with the FIR-to-radio correlation for star-forming galaxies with no indication of an additional AGN contribution. The observed prodigious intrinsic IR luminosity of (3.6 ± 0.3) × 10 13 L ☉ originates almost solely from vigorous star formation activity. With an intrinsic source size of 0.61 ± 0.03 kpc, SPT0346-52 is confirmed to have one of the highest Σ SFR of any known galaxy. This high Σ SFR , which approaches the Eddington limit for a radiation pressure supported starburst, may be explained by a combination of very high star formation efficiency and gas fraction.

  8. Negligible risk of inducing resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis with single-dose rifampicin as post-exposure prophylaxis for leprosy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mieras, Liesbeth; Anthony, Richard; van Brakel, Wim; Bratschi, Martin W; van den Broek, Jacques; Cambau, Emmanuelle; Cavaliero, Arielle; Kasang, Christa; Perera, Geethal; Reichman, Lee; Richardus, Jan Hendrik; Saunderson, Paul; Steinmann, Peter; Yew, Wing Wai

    2016-06-08

    Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for leprosy is administered as one single dose of rifampicin (SDR) to the contacts of newly diagnosed leprosy patients. SDR reduces the risk of developing leprosy among contacts by around 60 % in the first 2-3 years after receiving SDR. In countries where SDR is currently being implemented under routine programme conditions in defined areas, questions were raised by health authorities and professional bodies about the possible risk of inducing rifampicin resistance among the M. tuberculosis strains circulating in these areas. This issue has not been addressed in scientific literature to date. To produce an authoritative consensus statement about the risk that SDR would induce rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis, a meeting was convened with tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy experts. The experts carefully reviewed and discussed the available evidence regarding the mechanisms and risk factors for the development of (multi) drug-resistance in M. tuberculosis with a view to the special situation of the use of SDR as PEP for leprosy. They concluded that SDR given to contacts of leprosy patients, in the absence of symptoms of active TB, poses a negligible risk of generating resistance in M. tuberculosis in individuals and at the population level. Thus, the benefits of SDR prophylaxis in reducing the risk of developing leprosy in contacts of new leprosy patients far outweigh the risks of generating drug resistance in M. tuberculosis.

  9. The Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Data Analysis of the Phospholipid Transport Nanosystem Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zemlyanaya, E. V.; Kiselev, M. A.; Zhabitskaya, E. I.; Aksenov, V. L.; Ipatova, O. M.; Ivankov, O. I.

    2018-05-01

    The small-angle neutron scattering technique (SANS) is employed for investigation of structure of the phospholipid transport nanosystem (PTNS) elaborated in the V.N.Orekhovich Institute of Biomedical Chemistry (Moscow, Russia). The SANS spectra have been measured at the YuMO small-angle spectrometer of IBR-2 reactor (Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia). Basic characteristics of polydispersed population of PTNS unilamellar vesicles (average radius of vesicles, polydispersity, thickness of membrane, etc.) have been determined in three cases of the PTNS concentrations in D2O: 5%, 10%, and 25%. Numerical analysis is based on the separated form factors method (SFF). The results are discussed in comparison with the results of analysis of the small-angle X-ray scattering spectra collected at the Kurchatov Synchrotron Radiation Source of the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” (Moscow, Russia).

  10. Comparative study of probabilistic methodologies for small signal stability assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rueda, J.L.; Colome, D.G. [Universidad Nacional de San Juan (IEE-UNSJ), San Juan (Argentina). Inst. de Energia Electrica], Emails: joseluisrt@iee.unsj.edu.ar, colome@iee.unsj.edu.ar

    2009-07-01

    Traditional deterministic approaches for small signal stability assessment (SSSA) are unable to properly reflect the existing uncertainties in real power systems. Hence, the probabilistic analysis of small signal stability (SSS) is attracting more attention by power system engineers. This paper discusses and compares two probabilistic methodologies for SSSA, which are based on the two point estimation method and the so-called Monte Carlo method, respectively. The comparisons are based on the results obtained for several power systems of different sizes and with different SSS performance. It is demonstrated that although with an analytical approach the amount of computation of probabilistic SSSA can be reduced, the different degrees of approximations that are adopted, lead to deceptive results. Conversely, Monte Carlo based probabilistic SSSA can be carried out with reasonable computational effort while holding satisfactory estimation precision. (author)

  11. A Comparison of Customer Relationships between Large Chain Stores and Small Local Stores in the Fashion Industry

    OpenAIRE

    Krstevska, Biljana

    2017-01-01

    This research investigates customer relationships of two distinct store formats (small local stores and large chain stores) in the fashion industry. The aim is to find out if there are differences between the store formats regarding customer relationships. Relationship marketing theory was used to formulate hypotheses. Shoppers of small local stores and large chain stores in Würzburg, Germany, were surveyed to test the hypotheses. Results indicate that customer relationships significantly dif...

  12. The Physics of Small Molecule Acceptors for Efficient and Stable Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Gasparini, Nicola

    2018-01-29

    Organic bulk heterojunction solar cells based on small molecule acceptors have recently seen a rapid rise in the power conversion efficiency with values exceeding 13%. This impressive achievement has been obtained by simultaneous reduction of voltage and charge recombination losses within this class of materials as compared to fullerene-based solar cells. In this contribution, the authors review the current understanding of the relevant photophysical processes in highly efficient nonfullerene acceptor (NFA) small molecules. Charge generation, recombination, and charge transport is discussed in comparison to fullerene-based composites. Finally, the authors review the superior light and thermal stability of nonfullerene small molecule acceptor based solar cells, and highlight the importance of NFA-based composites that enable devices without early performance loss, thus resembling so-called burn-in free devices.

  13. The Physics of Small Molecule Acceptors for Efficient and Stable Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Gasparini, Nicola; Wadsworth, Andrew; Moser, Maximilian; Baran, Derya; McCulloch, Iain; Brabec, Christoph J.

    2018-01-01

    Organic bulk heterojunction solar cells based on small molecule acceptors have recently seen a rapid rise in the power conversion efficiency with values exceeding 13%. This impressive achievement has been obtained by simultaneous reduction of voltage and charge recombination losses within this class of materials as compared to fullerene-based solar cells. In this contribution, the authors review the current understanding of the relevant photophysical processes in highly efficient nonfullerene acceptor (NFA) small molecules. Charge generation, recombination, and charge transport is discussed in comparison to fullerene-based composites. Finally, the authors review the superior light and thermal stability of nonfullerene small molecule acceptor based solar cells, and highlight the importance of NFA-based composites that enable devices without early performance loss, thus resembling so-called burn-in free devices.

  14. Small angle neutron scattering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cousin Fabrice

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS is a technique that enables to probe the 3-D structure of materials on a typical size range lying from ∼ 1 nm up to ∼ a few 100 nm, the obtained information being statistically averaged on a sample whose volume is ∼ 1 cm3. This very rich technique enables to make a full structural characterization of a given object of nanometric dimensions (radius of gyration, shape, volume or mass, fractal dimension, specific area… through the determination of the form factor as well as the determination of the way objects are organized within in a continuous media, and therefore to describe interactions between them, through the determination of the structure factor. The specific properties of neutrons (possibility of tuning the scattering intensity by using the isotopic substitution, sensitivity to magnetism, negligible absorption, low energy of the incident neutrons make it particularly interesting in the fields of soft matter, biophysics, magnetic materials and metallurgy. In particular, the contrast variation methods allow to extract some informations that cannot be obtained by any other experimental techniques. This course is divided in two parts. The first one is devoted to the description of the principle of SANS: basics (formalism, coherent scattering/incoherent scattering, notion of elementary scatterer, form factor analysis (I(q→0, Guinier regime, intermediate regime, Porod regime, polydisperse system, structure factor analysis (2nd Virial coefficient, integral equations, characterization of aggregates, and contrast variation methods (how to create contrast in an homogeneous system, matching in ternary systems, extrapolation to zero concentration, Zero Averaged Contrast. It is illustrated by some representative examples. The second one describes the experimental aspects of SANS to guide user in its future experiments: description of SANS spectrometer, resolution of the spectrometer, optimization of

  15. Unique Piezoelectric Properties of the Monoclinic Phase in Pb (Zr ,Ti )O3 Ceramics: Large Lattice Strain and Negligible Domain Switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Longlong; Chen, Jun; Ren, Yang; Pan, Zhao; Zhang, Linxing; Xing, Xianran

    2016-01-01

    The origin of the excellent piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary is generally attributed to the existence of a monoclinic phase in various piezoelectric systems. However, there exist no experimental studies that reveal the role of the monoclinic phase in the piezoelectric behavior in phase-pure ceramics. In this work, a single monoclinic phase has been identified in Pb (Zr ,Ti )O3 ceramics at room temperature by in situ high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction, and its response to electric field has been characterized for the first time. Unique piezoelectric properties of the monoclinic phase in terms of large intrinsic lattice strain and negligible domain switching have been observed. The extensional strain constant d33 and the transverse strain constant d31 are calculated to be 520 and -200 pm /V , respectively. These large piezoelectric coefficients are mainly due to the large intrinsic lattice strain, with very little extrinsic contribution from domain switching. The unique properties of the monoclinic phase provide new insights into the mechanisms responsible for the piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary.

  16. Unique Piezoelectric Properties of the Monoclinic Phase in Pb(Zr,Ti)O_{3} Ceramics: Large Lattice Strain and Negligible Domain Switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Longlong; Chen, Jun; Ren, Yang; Pan, Zhao; Zhang, Linxing; Xing, Xianran

    2016-01-15

    The origin of the excellent piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary is generally attributed to the existence of a monoclinic phase in various piezoelectric systems. However, there exist no experimental studies that reveal the role of the monoclinic phase in the piezoelectric behavior in phase-pure ceramics. In this work, a single monoclinic phase has been identified in Pb(Zr,Ti)O_{3} ceramics at room temperature by in situ high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction, and its response to electric field has been characterized for the first time. Unique piezoelectric properties of the monoclinic phase in terms of large intrinsic lattice strain and negligible domain switching have been observed. The extensional strain constant d_{33} and the transverse strain constant d_{31} are calculated to be 520 and -200  pm/V, respectively. These large piezoelectric coefficients are mainly due to the large intrinsic lattice strain, with very little extrinsic contribution from domain switching. The unique properties of the monoclinic phase provide new insights into the mechanisms responsible for the piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary.

  17. QUANTATIVE SET COMPARISONS WITH COMPONENT MONEY IN MODERN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE CONTRASTED WITH SLAVIC LANGUAGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zinovieva, E.I.

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The article provides a detailed analysis of semantics and functioning of Russian set comparisons according to dictionaries, literary context, periodicals and the Internet and studies stereotypical perception of what is considered small or large amounts of money and the way it is reflected in consciousness of native speakers and the Russian language on the basis of survey. Set comparisons in Russian language are contrasted with other Slavic languages to identify their universal and distinctive features.

  18. OFDM versus Single Carrier: A Realistic Multi-Antenna Comparison

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moonen Marc

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available There is an ongoing discussion in the broadband wireless world about the respective benefits of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM and single carrier with frequency domain equalization (SC-FD. SC-FD allows for more relaxed front-end requirements, of which the power amplifier efficiency is very important for battery-driven terminals. OFDM, on the other hand, can yield improved BER performance at low complexity. Both schemes have extensions to multiple antennas to enhance the spectral efficiency and/or the link reliability. Moreover, both schemes have nonlinear versions using decision feedback equalization (DFE to further improve performance of the linear equalizers. In this paper, we compare these high-performance OFDM and SC-FD schemes using multiple antennas and DFE, while also accounting for the power amplifier efficiency. To make a realistic comparison, we also consider most important digital imperfections, such as channel and noise estimation, transmit and receive filtering, clipping and quantization, as well as link layer impact. Our analysis shows that for frequency-selective channels the relative performance impact of the power amplifier is negligible compared to the frequency diversity impact. The higher frequency diversity exploitation of SC-FD allows it to outperform OFDM in most cases. Therefore, SC-FD is a suitable candidate for broadband wireless communication.

  19. The role of small and medium reactors in the energy security of a country, IRIS example

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cavlina, N.

    2010-01-01

    Nuclear options for electricity generations are assessed in this paper. Probabilistic (stochastic) method is used for economic comparison of nuclear power plants, wind plants and natural gas fired plants. Optimal nuclear power plant size is also discussed. IRIS is presented as a representative of small and medium reactors

  20. Characterization of a high-purity germanium detector for small-animal SPECT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Lindsay C; Campbell, Desmond L; Hull, Ethan L; Peterson, Todd E

    2011-09-21

    We present an initial evaluation of a mechanically cooled, high-purity germanium double-sided strip detector as a potential gamma camera for small-animal SPECT. It is 90 mm in diameter and 10 mm thick with two sets of 16 orthogonal strips that have a 4.5 mm width with a 5 mm pitch. We found an energy resolution of 0.96% at 140 keV, an intrinsic efficiency of 43.3% at 122 keV and a FWHM spatial resolution of approximately 1.5 mm. We demonstrated depth-of-interaction estimation capability through comparison of pinhole acquisitions with a point source on and off axes. Finally, a flood-corrected flood image exhibited a strip-level uniformity of less than 1%. This high-purity germanium offers many desirable properties for small-animal SPECT.

  1. Extraction of the gluon density of the proton at small χ

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Derrick, M.; Krakauer, D.; Magill, S.

    1994-10-01

    The gluon momentum density xg(x, Q 2 ) of the proton was extracted at Q 2 =20 GeV 2 for small values of x between 4x10 -4 and 10 -2 from the scaling violations of the proton structure function F 2 measured recently by ZEUS in deep inelastic neutral current ep scattering at HERA. The extraction was performed in two ways. Firstly, using a global NLO fit to the ZEUS data on F 2 at low x constrained by measurements from NMC at larger x; and secondly using published approximate methods for the solution of the GLAP QCD evolution equations. Consistent results are obtained. A substantial increase of the gluon density is found at small x in comparison with the NMC result obtained at larger values of x. (orig.)

  2. Convolution method and CTV-to-PTV margins for finite fractions and small systematic errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gordon, J J; Siebers, J V

    2007-01-01

    The van Herk margin formula (VHMF) relies on the accuracy of the convolution method (CM) to determine clinical target volume (CTV) to planning target volume (PTV) margins. This work (1) evaluates the accuracy of the CM and VHMF as a function of the number of fractions N and other parameters, and (2) proposes an alternative margin algorithm which ensures target coverage for a wider range of parameter values. Dose coverage was evaluated for a spherical target with uniform margin, using the same simplified dose model and CTV coverage criterion as were used in development of the VHMF. Systematic and random setup errors were assumed to be normally distributed with standard deviations Σ and σ. For clinically relevant combinations of σ, Σ and N, margins were determined by requiring that 90% of treatment course simulations have a CTV minimum dose greater than or equal to the static PTV minimum dose. Simulation results were compared with the VHMF and the alternative margin algorithm. The CM and VHMF were found to be accurate for parameter values satisfying the approximate criterion: σ[1 - γN/25] 0.2, because they failed to account for the non-negligible dose variability associated with random setup errors. These criteria are applicable when σ ∼> σ P , where σ P = 0.32 cm is the standard deviation of the normal dose penumbra. (Qualitative behaviour of the CM and VHMF will remain the same, though the criteria might vary if σ P takes values other than 0.32 cm.) When σ P , dose variability due to random setup errors becomes negligible, and the CM and VHMF are valid regardless of the values of Σ and N. When σ ∼> σ P , consistent with the above criteria, it was found that the VHMF can underestimate margins for large σ, small Σ and small N. A potential consequence of this underestimate is that the CTV minimum dose can fall below its planned value in more than the prescribed 10% of treatments. The proposed alternative margin algorithm provides better margin

  3. Small Hydropower - The comeback of small hydropower stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niederhaeusern, A.

    2008-01-01

    This issue of the 'Erneuerbare Energien' (renewable energies) magazine published by the Swiss Solar Energy Society takes a look at small hydropower projects in Switzerland. In a number of interviews and articles, various topics concerning small hydropower are dealt with. First of all, an interview with Bruno Guggisberg, previously responsible for small hydro at the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, examines the potential of small hydro and the various political, technical and economic influences on such projects. Further articles provide an overview of the various types of small hydro schemes, including power generation using height differences in drinking-water and wastewater installations. As far as the components of small hydro schemes are concerned, various types of turbines and further system components that are needed are examined. A further article takes a look at the small hydro market and the market players involved. Ecological aspects and research activities are discussed in further articles. In a second interview with Martin Boelli, presently responsible for small hydropower at the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the unused potential for the use of hydropower in Switzerland is discussed. Examples of small-scale hydro schemes are examined and the support offered by the Small Hydropower Program is discussed. Finally the question is asked, if the small hydro market in Switzerland is overheated as a result of promotion schemes such as cost-covering remuneration for electricity from renewable energy sources.

  4. Analysis of a small Fast Sodium Reactor concept

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gilberti, Mauricio, E-mail: mgilber@eletronuclear.gov.br [Eletrobrás Termonuclear S.A. (ELETRONUCLEAR), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Velasquez, Carlos E.; Vargas, Matheus L.; Martins, Felipe; Costa, Antonella L.; Veloso, Maria Auxiliadora F.; Pereira, Claubia, E-mail: claubia@nuclear.ufmg.br [Universidade Federal de Minas gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Nuclear

    2017-07-01

    This paper presents the analyses and initial results of a Small Fast Sodium Reactor (SFSR) simulated using MCNPX. The goal is to build a nuclear model and determine the main core neutronic parameters over the cycle. Neutronics parameters such as burnup neutronic behavior, depletion fuel composition, absorbing elements, core reactivity control and reactivity coefficients that affect the reactor cooled by sodium along its operation cycle have been analyzed. The parameters are evaluated in terms of the reactivity coefficients at different cycle stages. The results present a comparison and discussion of the differences found between the model developed and some information available in the literature for a similar project. (author)

  5. Atmospheric dispersion modelling over complex terrain at small scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nosek, S.; Janour, Z.; Kukacka, L.; Jurcakova, K.; Kellnerova, R.; Gulikova, E.

    2014-03-01

    Previous study concerned of qualitative modelling neutrally stratified flow over open-cut coal mine and important surrounding topography at meso-scale (1:9000) revealed an important area for quantitative modelling of atmospheric dispersion at small-scale (1:3300). The selected area includes a necessary part of the coal mine topography with respect to its future expansion and surrounding populated areas. At this small-scale simultaneous measurement of velocity components and concentrations in specified points of vertical and horizontal planes were performed by two-dimensional Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) and Fast-Response Flame Ionization Detector (FFID), respectively. The impact of the complex terrain on passive pollutant dispersion with respect to the prevailing wind direction was observed and the prediction of the air quality at populated areas is discussed. The measured data will be used for comparison with another model taking into account the future coal mine transformation. Thus, the impact of coal mine transformation on pollutant dispersion can be observed.

  6. Efficient, Robust and Constant-Round Distributed RSA Key Generation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Damgård, Ivan Bjerre; Mikkelsen, Gert Læssøe

    2010-01-01

    We present the first protocol for distributed RSA key generation which is constant round, secure against malicious adversaries and has a negligibly small bound on the error probability, even using only one iteration of the underlying primality test on each candidate number.......We present the first protocol for distributed RSA key generation which is constant round, secure against malicious adversaries and has a negligibly small bound on the error probability, even using only one iteration of the underlying primality test on each candidate number....

  7. Comparison of subset-based local and FE-based global digital image correlation: Theoretical error analysis and validation

    KAUST Repository

    Pan, B.

    2016-03-22

    Subset-based local and finite-element-based (FE-based) global digital image correlation (DIC) approaches are the two primary image matching algorithms widely used for full-field displacement mapping. Very recently, the performances of these different DIC approaches have been experimentally investigated using numerical and real-world experimental tests. The results have shown that in typical cases, where the subset (element) size is no less than a few pixels and the local deformation within a subset (element) can be well approximated by the adopted shape functions, the subset-based local DIC outperforms FE-based global DIC approaches because the former provides slightly smaller root-mean-square errors and offers much higher computation efficiency. Here we investigate the theoretical origin and lay a solid theoretical basis for the previous comparison. We assume that systematic errors due to imperfect intensity interpolation and undermatched shape functions are negligibly small, and perform a theoretical analysis of the random errors or standard deviation (SD) errors in the displacements measured by two local DIC approaches (i.e., a subset-based local DIC and an element-based local DIC) and two FE-based global DIC approaches (i.e., Q4-DIC and Q8-DIC). The equations that govern the random errors in the displacements measured by these local and global DIC approaches are theoretically derived. The correctness of the theoretically predicted SD errors is validated through numerical translation tests under various noise levels. We demonstrate that the SD errors induced by the Q4-element-based local DIC, the global Q4-DIC and the global Q8-DIC are 4, 1.8-2.2 and 1.2-1.6 times greater, respectively, than that associated with the subset-based local DIC, which is consistent with our conclusions from previous work. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Role of EPI in diagnosing cavernous hemangioma and small HCC : comparison with fast T2-weighted MR Imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Suk; Lee, Jun Woo; Kim, Chang Won; Jung, Hyun Woo; Choi, Sang Yoel; Lee, Suck Hong; Kim, Byung Soo

    1998-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to compare single-shot echo-planar MR imaging (EPI) with breath-hold fast T2-weighted imaging (HASTE or Turbo spin-echo T2WI) for evaluation of the role of EPI in distinguishing small hepatocellular carcinoma from cavernous hemangioma. We retrospectively evaluated MR images of 35 patients (21 cases of small HCC and 14 cases of cavernous hemangioma). EPI and breath-hold fast T2WI images were obtained and compared on the basis of lesion detection sensitivity, lesion-to-liver signal intensity ratio (SIR), contrast ratio (CR), and lesion-to-liver contrast to noise ratio (CNR). For the detection of small HCC, the sensitivity of EPI and breath-hold fast T2WI were equal in 14 of 21 cases (71.4%). The detection sensitivity of cavernous hemangioma with EPI and breath-hold fast T2WI was 100 % (14/14). Mean SIR on breath-hold fast T2WI was 2.02 ± 0.45 for small HCC and 3.65 ± 0.97 for cavernous hemangioma; on EPI, the corresponding figures were 2.91 ± 0.57 for cavernous hemangioma; On EPI, the figures obtained were 2.27 ± 0.52 and 6.26 ± 2.19, respectively. Mean CNR on breath-hold fast T2WI was 14.24 ± 4.098 for small HCC and 50.28 ± 10.96 for cavernous hemangioma, while on EPI, the corresponding figures were 13.84 ± 3.02 and 45.44 ± 11.21. In detecting focal hepatic mass, the sensitivity of EPI and breath-hold fast T2WI are comparable for the diagnosis of small HCC and cavernous hemangioma, EPI can provided additional information. (author). 20 refs., 2 tabs., 4 figs

  9. Comparative study of dust and young stars in three small galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Price, J.S.

    1984-01-01

    A comparative study is presented of dust and young stars in the central regions of the three small galaxies NGC 205, NGC 185, and NGC 3077 in the U, B, V, and K filters, and at six additional optical wavelengths. All three program galaxies have been successfully modeled with the empirical models of Oemler (1976); NGC 205 and NGC 3077 were also modeled with unsharp mask models. Subtracting model galaxies from the data enabled the authors to isolate clusters of young stars and dust clouds in the central regions of each galaxy. A comparison of the colors of the young clusters in NGC 3077 and those in NGC 205 reveals that the colors of the clusters in these two small galaxies are different. In NGC 185, diffuse emission after subtracting an Oemler model was discovered. NGC 205 also showed this remnant emission, with very similar colors to those of the remnant in NGC 185, but NGC 3077 did not. The colors of this diffuse remnant emission in NGC 205 and NGC 185 are interpreted as being due to previous episodes of star formation in the two dwarf ellipticals. A comparison of the author's data with that of Caldwell (1983) on a sample of 33 dwarf elliptical galaxies in Virgo indicates that star formation in dwarf elliptical galaxies is a common phenomenon. The study of dust in NGC 185 and NGC 205 at optical wavelengths shows that the properties of dust in NGC 205 are very similar to those of galactic dust, while the dust in NGC 185 is distinctly different. The optical and 2.2 micron centers of NGC 3077 are found to be different. From comparison of the three galaxies studied here, the author concludes that it is unlikely that NGC 205 and NGC 185 tidally interacted with M31

  10. Comparison of cellular toxicity between multi-walled carbon nanotubes and onion-like shell-shaped carbon nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, Seunghyon [Seoul National University, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ji-Eun [Korea Research Institute of Standard and Science, Center for NanoSafety Metrology, Division of Convergence Technology (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Daegyu [LG Electronics (Korea, Republic of); Woo, Chang Gyu [Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, Environmental and Energy Systems Research Division (Korea, Republic of); Pikhitsa, Peter V. [Seoul National University, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Myung-Haing, E-mail: mchotox@snu.ac.kr [Seoul National University, Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Mansoo, E-mail: mchoi@snu.ac.kr [Seoul National University, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-09-15

    The cellular toxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and onion-like shell-shaped carbon nanoparticles (SCNPs) was investigated by analyzing the comparative cell viability. For the reasonable comparison, physicochemical characteristics were controlled thoroughly such as crystallinity, carbon bonding characteristic, hydrodynamic diameter, and metal contents of the particles. To understand relation between cellular toxicity of the particles and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), we measured unpaired singlet electrons of the particles and intracellular ROS, and analyzed cellular toxicity with/without the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Regardless of the presence of NAC, the cellular toxicity of SCNPs was found to be lower than that of MWCNTs. Since both particles show similar crystallinity, hydrodynamic size, and Raman signal with negligible contribution of remnant metal particles, the difference in cell viability would be ascribed to the difference in morphology, i.e., spherical shape (aspect ratio of one) for SCNP and elongated shape (high aspect ratio) for MWCNT.

  11. Comparison of cellular toxicity between multi-walled carbon nanotubes and onion-like shell-shaped carbon nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Seunghyon; Kim, Ji-Eun; Kim, Daegyu; Woo, Chang Gyu; Pikhitsa, Peter V.; Cho, Myung-Haing; Choi, Mansoo

    2015-01-01

    The cellular toxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and onion-like shell-shaped carbon nanoparticles (SCNPs) was investigated by analyzing the comparative cell viability. For the reasonable comparison, physicochemical characteristics were controlled thoroughly such as crystallinity, carbon bonding characteristic, hydrodynamic diameter, and metal contents of the particles. To understand relation between cellular toxicity of the particles and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), we measured unpaired singlet electrons of the particles and intracellular ROS, and analyzed cellular toxicity with/without the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Regardless of the presence of NAC, the cellular toxicity of SCNPs was found to be lower than that of MWCNTs. Since both particles show similar crystallinity, hydrodynamic size, and Raman signal with negligible contribution of remnant metal particles, the difference in cell viability would be ascribed to the difference in morphology, i.e., spherical shape (aspect ratio of one) for SCNP and elongated shape (high aspect ratio) for MWCNT

  12. Long-term clearance from small airways in subjects with ciliary dysfunction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hjelte Lena

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate if long-term clearance from small airways is dependent on normal ciliary function. Six young adults with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD inhaled 111 Indium labelled Teflon particles of 4.2 μm geometric and 6.2 μm aerodynamic diameter with an extremely slow inhalation flow, 0.05 L/s. The inhalation method deposits particles mainly in the small conducting airways. Lung retention was measured immediately after inhalation and at four occasions up to 21 days after inhalation. Results were compared with data from ten healthy controls. For additional comparison three of the PCD subjects also inhaled the test particles with normal inhalation flow, 0.5 L/s, providing a more central deposition. The lung retention at 24 h in % of lung deposition (Ret24 was higher (p 24 with slow inhalation flow was 73.9 ± 1.9 % compared to 68.9 ± 7.5 % with normal inhalation flow in the three PCD subjects exposed twice. During day 7–21 the three PCD subjects exposed twice cleared 9 % with normal flow, probably representing predominantly alveolar clearance, compared to 19 % with slow inhalation flow, probably representing mainly small airway clearance. This study shows that despite ciliary dysfunction, clearance continues in the small airways beyond 24 h. There are apparently additional clearance mechanisms present in the small airways.

  13. Proliferation resistance of small modular reactors fuels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polidoro, F.; Parozzi, F. [RSE - Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico,Via Rubattino 54, 20134, Milano (Italy); Fassnacht, F.; Kuett, M.; Englert, M. [IANUS, Darmstadt University of Technology, Alexanderstr. 35, D-64283 Darmstadt (Germany)

    2013-07-01

    In this paper the proliferation resistance of different types of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) has been examined and classified with criteria available in the literature. In the first part of the study, the level of proliferation attractiveness of traditional low-enriched UO{sub 2} and MOX fuels to be used in SMRs based on pressurized water technology has been analyzed. On the basis of numerical simulations both cores show significant proliferation risks. Although the MOX core is less proliferation prone in comparison to the UO{sub 2} core, it still can be highly attractive for diversion or undeclared production of nuclear material. In the second part of the paper, calculations to assess the proliferation attractiveness of fuel in typical small sodium cooled fast reactor show that proliferation risks from spent fuel cannot be neglected. The core contains a highly attractive plutonium composition during the whole life cycle. Despite some aspects of the design like the sealed core that enables easy detection of unauthorized withdrawal of fissile material and enhances proliferation resistance, in case of open Non-Proliferation Treaty break-out, weapon-grade plutonium in sufficient quantities could be extracted from the reactor core.

  14. THE CHOICE OF THE GENERATOR AND ELECTRICITY STABILIZATION FOR SMALL HYDROPOWER PLANTS

    OpenAIRE

    Kvitko A. V.; Daybova L. A.; Kondratenko Y. E.

    2015-01-01

    The article analyzes the main characteristics of the electricity generators to use them as a part of small hydroelectric power plants. It is shown, that contactless asynchronous generators in comparison with synchronous generators and DC generators have improved their operational and technical characteristics, and above all, their reliability and performance efficiency. We have shown graphic dependences of the cost and the weight of power generators. It is proposed using direct frequency conv...

  15. A critical analysis of quality managment implementation in a small brazilian company

    OpenAIRE

    Schmitz Rauber, Jonathan; Viana Borges, Marco Antonio; Manoel Júnior, Márcio Laênio; Pacheco, Diego Augusto de Jesus

    2014-01-01

    This project involves identifying major organizational changes occurred in a small company in the printing supplies sector as it implemented the ISO 9001:2000 standard. The case study methodology was used through exploratory research to conduct semi-structured interviews with six employees in addition to participant observation. The desired outcome of this article is the identification of the benefits and difficulties encountered in the implementation process and a comparison between the new ...

  16. Diffusion of Electronic Commerce in Small and Medium Enterprises

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robyn Lawson

    2002-05-01

    Full Text Available Using the Internet for electronic business has become an area of action for the Australian Government. This paper presents research results from two regional areas which indicate that while most manufacturing SMEs use email, very few are involved in elecronic commerce activities. Major barriers are concern about security and privacy of transactions, cost of consultants, and lack of IT expertise of staff. Employing people with appropriate knowledge has been added to current training methods such as on-the-job training. Results from the two regional areas are found to be consistent. Comparisons between small and medium organisations highlight some differences.

  17. Comparison of bone age in small-for-gestationalage children vs appropriate-for-getational-age children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lionardus Edward

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundAbout 10-15% small-for-gestational-age children are in higher risk for having linear growth retardation due to growth hormone-insulin like growth factor 1 axis defect (GH-IGF 1 which causes bone age delay.ObjectivesTo compare bone age in 24-36 month old children born small-for-gestational-age (SGA to that in children born appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, from January to April 2009.Subjects consisted of50 healthy children of 24-36 months old (25 children born at term, SGA, 25 children born at term, AGA. We compared the appropriateness and delay of bone age between the two groups. ResultsMean bone age in the SGA group was 20.8 (SD 7.7 months, and in the AGA group was 25.7 (SD 7.1 months (P=0.022. Mean bone age deficit was -10.5 (6.5 months in the SGA group and -5.5 (SD 5.7 months in the AGA group (P=0.009. The prevalence ratio was 1.77 (95% CI: 1.19–2.62. Bone age delay was found to be higher in children born SGA than that in children of the other group (23 vs 13. On the contrary, appropriate bone age was found more in children born AGA (12 vs 2 (P=0.002.Conclusion Bone age delay in 24-36 months old children born small-for-gestational-age was found to be higher than in those born appropriate-for-gestational-age.

  18. 77 FR 30227 - Small Business Size Regulations, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-22

    ... Business Size Regulations, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small Business Technology... public Webinar and Roundtable Meetings regarding its proposal to amend its regulations governing size and eligibility for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR...

  19. Small-scale structure and the Lyman-α forest baryon acoustic oscillation feature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirata, Christopher M.

    2018-02-01

    The baryon-acoustic oscillation (BAO) feature in the Lyman-α forest is a key probe of the cosmic expansion rate at redshifts z ˜ 2.5, well before dark energy is believed to have become significant. A key advantage of the BAO as a standard ruler is that it is a sharp feature and hence is more robust against broad-band systematic effects than other cosmological probes. However, if the Lyman-α forest transmission is sensitive to the initial streaming velocity of the baryons relative to the dark matter, then the BAO peak position can be shifted. Here we investigate this sensitivity using a suite of hydrodynamic simulations of small regions of the intergalactic medium with a range of box sizes and physics assumptions; each simulation starts from initial conditions at the kinematic decoupling era (z ˜ 1059), undergoes a discrete change from neutral gas to ionized gas thermal evolution at reionization (z ˜ 8), and is finally processed into a Lyman-α forest transmitted flux cube. Streaming velocities suppress small-scale structure, leading to less violent relaxation after reionization. The changes in the gas distribution and temperature-density relation at low redshift are more subtle, due to the convergent temperature evolution in the ionized phase. The change in the BAO scale is estimated to be of the order of 0.12 per cent at z = 2.5; some of the major uncertainties and avenues for future improvement are discussed. The predicted streaming velocity shift would be a subdominant but not negligible effect (of order 0.26σ) for the upcoming DESI Lyman-α forest survey, and exceeds the cosmic variance floor.

  20. RELAP5/MOD2 blind calculation of GERDA small break test and data comparison

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogden, D.M.; Steiner, J.L.; Waterman, M.E.

    1985-01-01

    The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), in support of the USNRC, has developed a RELAP5/MOD2 model of the GERDA facility to be used for analysis of the GERDA data, particularly relative to the phenomena of natural circulation and the boiler condenser mode of heat transfer. A blind calculation of GERDA Test 1605AA and a preliminary comparison with experimental data has been performed. The GERDA facility is a single loop integral facility with an electrically heated core. A general arrangement diagram of the facility is shown. The GERDA facility was designed for the performance of both separate effects and overall systems tests