Capacity Drop on Freeways: Traffic Dynamics, Theory and Modeling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yuan, K.

2016-01-01

Earlier studies on the traffic flow on freeways reveal that queue discharge rate cannot
reach as high as the free-flow capacity. This important phenomenon is called the
“Capacity drop”, which indicates that the potential freeway capacity cannot be fully
utilized when discharging traffic

Capacity of Freeway Merge Areas with Different On-Ramp Traffic Flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinxing Shen

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper is aimed at investigating the influence of different types of traffic flows on the capacity of freeway merge areas. Based on the classical gap-acceptance model, two calculating models were established specifically considering randomly arriving vehicles and individual difference in driving behaviours. Monte-Carlo simulation was implemented to reproduce the maximum traffic volume on the designed freeway merge area under different situations. The results demonstrated that the proposed calculating models have better performance than the conventional gap-acceptance theory on accurately predicting the capacity of freeway merge areas. The findings of research could be helpful to improve the microscopic traffic flow simulation model from a more practical perspective and support the designing of freeway merge areas as well.

Economic evaluation of tehran-north freeway project with an ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Also, a variety of reports have been presented about Tehran-North Freeway, but since this freeway has shortened the link between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf and plays a major role in the development of transit and tourism activities in the region and due to its significance, the current study examines it with an ...

Traffic behavior at freeway bottlenecks.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

This study examines traffic behavior in the vicinity of a freeway bottleneck, revisiting commonly held : assumptions and uncovering systematic biases that likely have distorted empirical studies of bottleneck : formation, capacity drop, and the funda...

Freeway ramp management in Pennsylvania.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-31

This research identified the opportunities to implement ramp management strategies on freeways in Pennsylvania. The research : explored the need to integrate local arterial traffic signal systems with ramp management strategies to reduce the impacts ...

Development of a Traffic Management Decision Support Tool for Freeway Incident Traffic Management (FITM) Plan Deployment

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

Traffic incidents have long been recognized as the main contributor to congestion in highway networks. Thus, contending with non-recurrent congestion has been a priority task for most highway agencies over the past decades. Under most incident scenar...

Correlation Analysis of Freeway Traffic Status and Crashes with Nevada Data.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-11

This project is to study the correlation between freeway traffic status and crash risks with the historical freeway ITS data and related crash data in Nevada. With the comprehensive review of previous research results, the Center for Advanced Transpo...

Modeling Lane-Changing Behavior in Freeway Off-Ramp Areas from the Shanghai Naturalistic Driving Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lanfang Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to investigate lane-changing characteristics in freeway off-ramp areas using Shanghai Naturalistic Driving Study (SH-NDS data, considering a four-lane freeway stretch in various traffic conditions. In SH-NDS, the behavior of drivers is observed unobtrusively in a natural setting for a long period of time. We identified 433 lane-changing events with valid time series data from the whole dataset. Based on the logit model developed to analyze the choice of target lanes, a likelihood analysis of lane-changing behavior was graphed with respect to three traffic conditions: free flow, medium flow, and heavy flow. The results suggested that lane-changing behavior of exiting vehicles is the consequence of the balance between route plan (mandatory incentive and expectation to improve driving condition (discretionary incentive. In higher traffic density, the latter seems to play a significant role. Furthermore, we found that lane-change from the slow lane to the fast lane would lead to higher speed variance value, which indicates a higher crash risk. The findings contribute to a better understanding on drivers’ natural driving behavior in freeway off-ramp areas and can provide important insight into road network design and safety management strategies.

Implementing Estimation of Capacity for Freeway Sections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang-qiao Shao

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the stochastic concept for freeway capacity, the procedure of capacity estimation is developed. Due to the fact that it is impossible to observe the value of the capacity and to obtain the probability distribution of the capacity, the product-limit method is used in this paper to estimate the capacity. In order to implement estimation of capacity using this technology, the lifetime table based on statistical methods for lifetime data analysis is introduced and the corresponding procedure is developed. Simulated data based on freeway sections in Beijing, China, were analyzed and the results indicate that the methodology and procedure are applicable and validated.

Research on technology utilizing data freeway for base nuclear power materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, Mitsutane; Kurihara, Yutaka; Noda, Tetsuji; Shiraishi, Haruki; Kitajima, Masahiro; Nagakawa, Josei; Yamamoto, Norikazu

1997-01-01

In order to carry out the selection of the nuclear power materials which are used in radiation, from high temperature to very low temperature, and in corrosive environment, and the development of the materials effectively, the construction of huge material data base is indispensable. The development of the distributed type material data base called 'freeway' is advanced jointly by National Research Institute for Metals, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation and Japan Science and Technology Corporation. It has been aimed at that the results obtained in each research institute are made into a data base by that institute, and those data bases can be utilized mutually through network. In fiscal year 1996, the transfer to the system, by which the function showing the contents of system data and the function of data retrieval can be utilized from internet, was begun jointly. The present state of the data freeway, the operation environment of World Wide Web, and the trial making of the computation program for forecasting the change of the chemical composition of materials by neutron irradiation are reported. (K.I.)

Did mud contribute to freeway collapse?

Science.gov (United States)

Hough, Susan E.; Friberg, Paul A.; Busby, Robert; Field, Edward F.; Jacob, Klaus H.; Borcherdt, Roger D.

At least 41 people were killed October 17 when the upper tier of the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland, Calif., collapsed during the Ms = 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake. Seismologists studying aftershocks concluded that soil conditions and resulting ground motion amplification were important in the failure of the structure and should be considered in the reconstruction of the highway.Structural design weaknesses in the two-tiered freeway, known as the Cypress structure, had been identified before the tragedy. The seismologists, from Lamont Doherty Geological Observatory in Palisades, N.Y., and the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif., found that the collapsed section was built on fill over Bay mud. A southern section of the Cypress structure built on alluvium of Quaternary age did not collapse (see Figure 1).

Innovative methods for calculation of freeway travel time using limited data : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2008-01-01

Description: Travel time estimations created by processing of simulated freeway loop detector data using proposed method have been compared with travel times reported from VISSIM model. An improved methodology was proposed to estimate freeway corrido...

Ramp Metering Influence on Freeway Operational Safety near On-ramp Exits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiu Liu, PhD, PE, PTOE

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Ramp metering has been widely installed in urban areas where congestion on a freeway or an expressway may occur recurrently during weekday peak periods to enhance mainline throughput and reduce system-wide delay. These operational benefits may also help reduce vehicular emissions and improve air quality in urban areas. However, the impact on traffic safety due to ramp metering hasn't been explored in details before. Supported by physical understanding and arguments, we characterize the ramp metering influence on freeway safety by examining vehicular collisions near on-ramp exits within the ramp meter operating hours before and after the activation of the ramp metering. Collisions for a sample of 19 operating ramp meters along several freeways in northern California were collected and organized to show that ramp metering can help reduce freeway collisions at the vicinity of on-ramp exits. It was found that the average reductions on freeway collisions in the vicinity of an on-ramp exit are around 36%. Although most of the reduced collisions belong to the property damage only category, a 36% reduction shows the significant safety benefit of ramp metering. The traffic congestion induced by each collision, especially during peak hours when ramp metering is in operation, could last for an hour or two. Consequently, ramp metering must be contributing to the reduction of non-recurrent congestion in addition to mitigating recurrent congestion, which is better documented. This study strongly supports the implementation of ramp metering in California.

Assessing segment- and corridor-based travel-time reliability on urban freeways : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-01

Travel time and its reliability are intuitive performance measures for freeway traffic operations. The objective of this project was to quantify segment-based and corridor-based travel time reliability measures on urban freeways. To achieve this obje...

Integrated Variable Speed Limits Control and Ramp Metering for Bottleneck Regions on Freeway

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-hui Ma

2015-01-01

Full Text Available To enhance the efficiency of the existing freeway system and therefore to mitigate traffic congestion and related problems on the freeway mainline lane-drop bottleneck region, the advanced strategy for bottleneck control is essential. This paper proposes a method that integrates variable speed limits and ramp metering for freeway bottleneck region control to relieve the chaos in bottleneck region. To this end, based on the analyses of spatial-temporal patterns of traffic flow, a macroscopic traffic flow model is extended to describe the traffic flow operating characteristic by considering the impacts of variable speed limits in mainstream bottleneck region. In addition, to achieve the goal of balancing the priority of the vehicles on mainline and on-ramp, increasing capacity, and reducing travel delay on bottleneck region, an improved control model, as well as an advanced control strategy that integrates variable speed limits and ramp metering, is developed. The proposed method is tested in simulation for a real freeway infrastructure feed and calibrates real traffic variables. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can substantially improve the traffic flow efficiency of mainline and on-ramp and enhance the quality of traffic flow at the investigated freeway mainline bottleneck.

Freeway project to link east and west

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

1992-01-01

<正> Construction work on aWorld Bank-financed sectionof a 1,400-kilometre freewaywill break ground in CentralChina’s Henan Province. Contracts for the earthwork of the Zhengzhou-Luoyang section of the freeway,backed by 120 million in

Freeway bottleneck removals : workshop enhancement and technology transfer.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-01

As transportation improvement projects become increasingly costly and complex and as funding sources are not : keeping pace with needs in highly urbanized areas, it becomes critical that existing freeway systems be finetuned to : maximize capacity...

Estimation of Crash Severity on Mountainous Freeways in Chongqing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunwei Meng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Mountainous freeways always suffer from accidents due to special terrain, weather conditions, driving environment, and so on. Based on the records of 898 accidents that occurred on mountainous freeways in Chongqing during the past 6 years, the partial proportional odds model is used to identify the factors affecting the accident severity. The time of the accident, season, involvement of trucks, accident characteristics, speeding, maximum driving experience of involved drivers, and weather and road conditions are found to be important for the levels of accident severity. Zero to 6 a.m. and 19 to 24 p.m. are the times prone to serious traffic accidents. The probability of serious traffic accidents in summer and autumn is greater than that in spring and winter. Once a truck is involved in an accident, the consequence is often more severe. Turnover and speeding will result in a grave accident. When there is an experienced driver, the probability of serious traffic accidents is low. The fog is extremely unfavorable weather conditions. The probability of serious accident happening in the downgrade, ramp, curve, bridge, and tunnel sections is greater than the others. The results aim to provide valuable reference for traffic safety on mountainous freeways.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of ATM messages used during incidents : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

This project investigated the use of Intelligent Lane Control Signs based Active Traffic Management for : Incident Management on a heavily traveled urban freeway. The subject of the research was the ILCS : system on I-94 westbound in downtown Minneap...

Assessment of freeway work zone safety with improved cellular automata model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guohua Liang

2014-08-01

Full Text Available To accurately assess the safety of freeway work zones, this paper investigates the safety of vehicle lane change maneuvers with improved cellular automata model. Taking the traffic conflict and standard deviation of operating speed as the evaluation indexes, the study evaluates the freeway work zone safety. With improved deceleration probability in car-following raies and the addition of lanechanging rules under critical state, the lane-changing behavior under critical state is defined as a conflict count. Through 72 schemes of simulation runs, the possible states of the traffic flow are carefully studied. The results show that under the condition of constant saturation traffic conflict count and vehicle speed standard deviation reach their maximums when the mixed rate of heave vehicles is 40%. Meanwhile, in the case of constant heavy vehicles mix, traffic conflict count and vehicle speed standard deviation reach maximum values when saturation rate is 0. 75. Integrating ail simulation results, it is known the traffic safety in freeway work zones is classified into four levels : safe, relatively safe, relatively dangerous, and dangerous.

Freeway geometric design for active traffic management in Europe

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

Continued growth in travel on congested urban freeway corridors exceeds the ability of agencies to provide sufficient solutions and alternatives based on traditional roadway expansion and improvement projects. Several countries are implementing manag...

Review of heavy metal bio-remediation in contaminated freeway facilitated by adsorption

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Chaocheng

2017-08-01

Toxicity around biological systems is a significant issue for environmental health in a long term. Recent biotechnological approaches for bio-remediation of heavy metals in freeway frequently include mineralization, bio-adsorption or even remediation. Thus, adequate restoration in freeway requiring cooperation, integration and assimilation of such biotechnological advances along with traditional and ethical wisdom to unravel the mystery of nature in the emerging field of bio-remediation was reviewed with highlights to better understand problems associated with toxicity of heavy metals and eco-friendly technologies.

Development and testing of incident detection algorithms. Vol. 2, research methodology and detailed results.

Science.gov (United States)

1976-04-01

The development and testing of incident detection algorithms was based on Los Angeles and Minneapolis freeway surveillance data. Algorithms considered were based on times series and pattern recognition techniques. Attention was given to the effects o...

Cellular automata model for use with real freeway data

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

The exponential rate of increase in freeway traffic is expanding the need for accurate and : realistic methods to model and predict traffic flow. Traffic modeling and simulation facilitates an : examination of both microscopic and macroscopic views o...

Modeling vehicle interior noise exposure dose on freeways: Considering weaving segment designs and engine operation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qing; Qiao, Fengxiang; Yu, Lei; Shi, Junqing

2017-07-05

Vehicle interior noise functions at the dominant frequencies of 500 Hz below and around 800 Hz, which fall into the bands that may impair hearing. Recent studies demonstrated that freeway commuters are chronically exposed to vehicle interior noise, bearing the risk of hearing impairment. The interior noise evaluation process is mostly conducted in a laboratory environment. The test results and the developed noise models may underestimate or ignore the noise effects from dynamic traffic and road conditions and configuration. However, the interior noise is highly associated with vehicle maneuvering. The vehicle maneuvering on a freeway weaving segment is more complex because of its nature of conflicting areas. This research is intended to explore the risk of the interior noise exposure on freeway weaving segments for freeway commuters and to improve the interior noise estimation by constructing a decision tree learning-based noise exposure dose (NED) model, considering weaving segment designs and engine operation. On-road driving tests were conducted on 12 subjects on State Highway 288 in Houston, Texas. On-board Diagnosis (OBD) II, a smartphone-based roughness app, and a digital sound meter were used to collect vehicle maneuvering and engine information, International Roughness Index, and interior noise levels, respectively. Eleven variables were obtainable from the driving tests, including the length and type of a weaving segment, serving as predictors. The importance of the predictors was estimated by their out-of-bag-permuted predictor delta errors. The hazardous exposure level of the interior noise on weaving segments was quantified to hazard quotient, NED, and daily noise exposure level, respectively. Results showed that the risk of hearing impairment on freeway is acceptable; the interior noise level is the most sensitive to the pavement roughness and is subject to freeway configuration and traffic conditions. The constructed NED model shows high predictive

Operations-oriented performance measures for freeway management systems : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2008-12-01

This report describes the second and final year activities of the project titled Using Operations-Oriented Performance Measures to Support Freeway Management Systems. Work activities included developing a prototype system architecture for testi...

Development of freeway service patrol program in china: a new Perspective from funds and institutional management

OpenAIRE

Sun, Zhentian; Xuhong, Li; Ruoxi, Wu

2013-01-01

This paper analyzed institutional issues especially on funding sources and institutional management that are very critical to successful building up and operating freeway service patrols (FSPs) Programs. The goal of this research was to determine the suitable funding sources and institutional management structures for FSPs considering the real institutional situation in different provinces. To achieve this objective, we first classified the freeway financial and investment institutional struc...

Learning in the Fast Lane: The Freeway Game

Science.gov (United States)

Giraud-Carrier, François C.; Schmidt, Glen M.

2015-01-01

When deciding whether to get on the freeway during rush hour, did you ever stop to consider that if you did so, you would slow everybody ELSE down? When we ask our students that question, they typically laugh--their only consideration is how long their own trip will take. When a decision maker does not account for all the costs or benefits…

Low Cost Wireless Network Camera Sensors for Traffic Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-01

Many freeways and arterials in major cities in Texas are presently equipped with video detection cameras to : collect data and help in traffic/incident management. In this study, carefully controlled experiments determined : the throughput and output...

Freeway travel time estimation using existing fixed traffic sensors : phase 2.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

Travel time, one of the most important freeway performance metrics, can be easily estimated using the : data collected from fixed traffic sensors, avoiding the need to install additional travel time data collectors. : This project is aimed at fully u...

Social network, social support, and risk of incident stroke: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagayoshi, Mako; Everson-Rose, Susan A; Iso, Hiroyasu; Mosley, Thomas H; Rose, Kathryn M; Lutsey, Pamela L

2014-10-01

Having a small social network and lack of social support have been associated with incident coronary heart disease; however, epidemiological evidence for incident stroke is limited. We assessed the longitudinal association of a small social network and lack of social support with risk of incident stroke and evaluated whether the association was partly mediated by vital exhaustion and inflammation. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study measured social network and social support in 13 686 men and women (mean, 57 years; 56% women; 24% black; 76% white) without a history of stroke. Social network was assessed by the 10-item Lubben Social Network Scale and social support by a 16-item Interpersonal Support Evaluation List-Short Form. During a median follow-up of 18.6 years, 905 incident strokes occurred. Relative to participants with a large social network, those with a small social network had a higher risk of stroke (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.44 [1.02-2.04]) after adjustment for demographics, socioeconomic variables, marital status, behavioral risk factors, and major stroke risk factors. Vital exhaustion, but not inflammation, partly mediated the association between a small social network and incident stroke. Social support was unrelated to incident stroke. In this sample of US community-dwelling men and women, having a small social network was associated with excess risk of incident stroke. As with other cardiovascular conditions, having a small social network may be associated with a modestly increased risk of incident stroke. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Simulation-Based Testbed Development for Analyzing Toll Impacts on Freeway Travel

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

Traffic congestion has been a world-wide problem in metropolitan areas all over the world. Toll-based traffic management is one of the most applicable solutions against freeway congestion. This research chooses two toll roads, the SR-167 HOT Lane and...

Freeway travel time estimation using existing fixed traffic sensors : phase 1.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-01

Freeway travel time is one of the most useful pieces of information for road users and an : important measure of effectiveness (MOE) for traffic engineers and policy makers. In the Greater : St. Louis area, Gateway Guide, the St. Louis Transportation...

Model Development for Risk Assessment of Driving on Freeway under Rainy Weather Conditions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaonan Cai

Full Text Available Rainy weather conditions could result in significantly negative impacts on driving on freeways. However, due to lack of enough historical data and monitoring facilities, many regions are not able to establish reliable risk assessment models to identify such impacts. Given the situation, this paper provides an alternative solution where the procedure of risk assessment is developed based on drivers' subjective questionnaire and its performance is validated by using actual crash data. First, an ordered logit model was developed, based on questionnaire data collected from Freeway G15 in China, to estimate the relationship between drivers' perceived risk and factors, including vehicle type, rain intensity, traffic volume, and location. Then, weighted driving risk for different conditions was obtained by the model, and further divided into four levels of early warning (specified by colors using a rank order cluster analysis. After that, a risk matrix was established to determine which warning color should be disseminated to drivers, given a specific condition. Finally, to validate the proposed procedure, actual crash data from Freeway G15 were compared with the safety prediction based on the risk matrix. The results show that the risk matrix obtained in the study is able to predict driving risk consistent with actual safety implications, under rainy weather conditions.

Lane changing and speed interaction on freeways : An analytical microscopic study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keyvan Ekbatani, M.; Grebert, V.; Daamen, W.; Knoop, V.L.

2015-01-01

Understanding the influence of lane changing manoeuvre on the capacity, stability, and breakdown of traffic flows is a crucial issue. In a recent study, four distinct lane change strategies on freeways have been empirically found: (1) Speed Leading; (2) Speed Leading with Overtaking; (3) Lane

Dynamic mobility applications policy analysis : policy and institutional issues for intelligent network flow optimization (INFLO).

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-01

The report documents policy considerations for the Intelligent Network Flow Optimization (INFLO) connected vehicle applications : bundle. INFLO aims to optimize network flow on freeways and arterials by informing motorists of existing and impen...

Longitudinal safety evaluation of electric vehicles with the partial wireless charging lane on freeways.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ye; Wang, Wei; Xing, Lu; Fan, Qi; Wang, Hao

2018-02-01

As an environment friendly transportation mode, the electric vehicle (EV) has drawn an increasing amount of attention from governments, vehicle manufactories and researchers recently. One of the biggest issue impeding EV's popularization associates with the charging process. The wireless charging lane (WCL) has been proposed as a convenient charging facility for EVs. Due to the high costs, the application of WCL on the entire freeways is impractical in the near future, while the partial WCL (PWCL) may be a feasible solution. This study aims to evaluate longitudinal safety of EVs with PWCL on freeways based on simulations. The simulation experiments are firstly designed, including deployment of PWCL on freeways and distribution of state of charge (SOC) of EVs. Then, a vehicle behavior model for EVs is proposed based on the intelligent driver model (IDM). Two surrogate safety measures, derived from time-to-collision (TTC), are utilized as indicators for safety evaluations. Sensitivity analysis is also conducted for related factors. Results show that the distribution of EVs' SOC significantly affect longitudinal safety when the PWCL is utilized. The low SOC in traffic consisting of EVs has the negative effect on longitudinal safety. The randomness and incompliance of EV drivers worsens the safety performance. The sensitivity analysis indicates that the larger maximum deceleration rate results in the higher longitudinal crash risks of EVs, while the length of PWCL has no monotonous effect. Different TTC thresholds also show no impact on results. A case study shows the consistent results. Based on the findings, several suggestions are discussed for EVs' safety improvement. Results of this study provide useful information for freeway safety when EVs are applied in the future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of ERTS imagery in estimating the environmental impact of a freeway through the Knysna area of South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, D. T.; Gilbertson, B.

1974-01-01

In the coastal areas north-east and south-west of Knysna, South Africa lie natural forests, lakes and lagoons highly regarded by many for their aesthetic and ecological richness. A freeway construction project has given rise to fears of the degradation or destruction of these natural features. The possibility was investigated of using ERTS imagery to estimate the environmental impact of the freeway and found that: (1) All threatened features could readily be identified on the imagery. (2) It was possible within a short time to provide an area estimate of damage to indigenous forest. (3) In several important respects the imagery has advantages over maps and aerial photos for this type of work. (4) The imagery will enable monitoring of the actual environmental impact of the freeway when completed.

The nuisance due to the noise of automobile traffic: An investigation in the neighborhoods of freeways

Science.gov (United States)

Lamure, C.; Bacelon, M.

1980-01-01

An inquiry was held among 400 people living near freeways in an attempt to determine the characteristics of traffic noise nuisance. A nuisance index was compiled, based on the answers to a questionnaire. Nuisance expressed in these terms was then compared with the noise level measured on the most exposed side of each building. Correlation between the nuisance indexes and the average noise levels is quite good for dwellings with facades parallel to the freeway. At equal noise levels on the most exposed side, the nuisance given for these latter dwellings is lower than for others.

Sediment-induced amplification and the collapse of the Nimitz Freeway

Science.gov (United States)

Hough, S.E.; Friberg, P.A.; Busby, R.; Field, E.F.; Jacob, K.H.; Borcherdt, R.D.

1990-01-01

THE amplification of ground motion by low-seismic-velocity surface sediments is an important factor in determining the seismic hazard specific to a given site. The Ms = 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake of 17 October 1989 was the largest event in the contiguous United States in 37 years, and yielded an unparalleled volume of seismic data from the main shock and aftershock sequence1. These data can be used to image the seismic source, to study detailed Earth structure, and to study the propagation of seismic waves both through bedrock at depth and through sediment layers near the surface. Near the edge of San Francisco Bay, site conditions vary considerably on scales of hundreds of metres. The collapsed section of the two-tiered Nimitz Freeway in Oakland was built on San Francisco Bay mud, whereas stiffer alluvial sediments underlie a southern section that was damaged but did not collapse. Here we analyse high-quality, digital aftershock recordings from several sites near the Nimitz Freeway, and conclude that soil conditions and resulting ground-motion amplification may have contributed significantly to the failure of the structure.

Implementation elements for conversion of general-purpose freeway lane into high-occupancy-vehicle lane

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

Conversion of a general-purpose freeway into a high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lane is an alternative to infrastructure addition for HOV system implementation. Research indicates that lane conversion is feasible technically if sufficient HOV usage and m...

Freeway Driving Cycle Construction Based on Real-Time Traffic Information and Global Optimal Energy Management for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongwen He

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a freeway driving cycle (FDC construction method based on traffic information. A float car collected different type of roads in California and we built a velocity fragment database. We selected a real freeway driving cycle (RFDC and established the corresponding time traffic information tensor model by using the data in California Department of Transportation performance measure system (PeMS. The correlation of road velocity in the time dimension and spatial dimension are analyzed. According to the average velocity of road sections at different times, the kinematic fragments are stochastically selected in the velocity fragment database to construct a real-time FDC of each section. The comparison between construction freeway driving cycle (CFDC and real freeway driving cycle (RFDC show that the CFDC well reflects the RFDC characteristic parameters. Compared to its application in plug-in electric hybrid vehicle (PHEV optimal energy management based on a dynamic programming (DP algorithm, CFDC and RFDC fuel consumption are similar within approximately 5.09% error, and non-rush hour fuel economy is better than rush hour 3.51 (L/100 km at non-rush hour, 4.29 (L/km at rush hour. Moreover, the fuel consumption ratio can be up to 13.17% in the same CFDC at non-rush hour.

Decomposition analysis of energy consumption for an freeway during its operation period: A case study for Guangdong, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, DuoQi; Wang, DuanYi

2016-01-01

Freeways have become the main subject of energy conservation reviews in China because of their large energy consumption. Decomposition analysis has been widely applied in energy consumption studies. However, most studies have only analyzed the driving forces of energy consumption on the national level, and seldom at smaller levels, e.g. for departments like toll stations and maintenance centers. Based on the characteristics of the freeway operation period, this paper serves as a preliminary attempt at applying the logarithm mean Divisia index method I on the department level to analyze the energy consumption of freeways during the operation period. To elucidate the evolution of energy consumption during the operational period, the logarithm mean Divisia index analysis was performed to disentangle the energy consumption based on a real case in Guangdong from 2005 to 2013. The analyses establish that the traffic volume influences energy consumption. The results show that some departments can influence the total energy consumption. For example, the tunnels and toll stations are key factors that influence the total energy consumption of the whole road. The decomposition in the departments revealed that energy efficiency improvements caused by the use of alternate materials and energy-saving technologies mainly contributed to energy conservation. - Highlights: • Decomposition model was used to analyze energy consumption of freeway management. • This attempt finds the impact of traffic volume on management energy consumption. • Tunnels and toll stations mainly affect the management energy consumption. • Using alternate materials and energy-saving technology improved energy efficiency.

Incidents Prediction in Road Junctions Using Artificial Neural Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Hajji, Tarik; Alami Hassani, Aicha; Ouazzani Jamil, Mohammed

2018-05-01

The implementation of an incident detection system (IDS) is an indispensable operation in the analysis of the road traffics. However the IDS may, in no case, represent an alternative to the classical monitoring system controlled by the human eye. The aim of this work is to increase detection and prediction probability of incidents in camera-monitored areas. Knowing that, these areas are monitored by multiple cameras and few supervisors. Our solution is to use Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to analyze moving objects trajectories on captured images. We first propose a modelling of the trajectories and their characteristics, after we develop a learning database for valid and invalid trajectories, and then we carry out a comparative study to find the artificial neural network architecture that maximizes the rate of valid and invalid trajectories recognition.

Economic and quality of life impacts of route 21 freeway construction : final report, October 2009.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-10-01

Opened to traffic in December 2000, the missing section of the Route 21 Freeway in Clifton : and Passaic (Hope Ave. to the Route 46 Interchange) was designed utilizing the equivalent to : the Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) approach at ...

Integrated arterial and freeway operation control strategies for IVHS advanced traffic management systems : research report

Science.gov (United States)

1998-09-01

The main focus of this study is congestion, primarily that occurring on freeway corridors in metropolitan areas. Lack of coordination in the operation of various components of the system is often a major source of inefficiency, : resulting in greater...

Driver performance and attention allocation in use of logo signs on freeway exit ramps.

Science.gov (United States)

Zahabi, Maryam; Machado, Patricia; Lau, Mei Ying; Deng, Yulin; Pankok, Carl; Hummer, Joseph; Rasdorf, William; Kaber, David B

2017-11-01

The objective of this research was to quantify the effects of driver age, ramp signage configuration, including number of panels, logo format and sign familiarity, on driver performance and attention allocation when exiting freeways. Sixty drivers participated in a simulator study and analysis of variance models were used to assess response effects of the controlled manipulations. Results revealed elderly drivers to demonstrate worse performance and conservative control strategies as compared to middle-aged and young drivers. Elderly drivers also exhibited lower off-road fixation frequency and shorter off-road glance durations compared to middle-aged and young drivers. In general, drivers adopted a more conservative strategy when exposed to nine-panel signs as compared to six-panel signs and were more accurate in target detection when searching six-panels vs. nine and with familiar vs. unfamiliar logos. These findings provide an applicable guide for agency design of freeway ramp signage accounting for driver demographics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Data-Driven Control Design Approach for Freeway Traffic Ramp Metering with Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning

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Shangtai Jin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available ALINEA is a simple, efficient, and easily implemented ramp metering strategy. Virtual reference feedback tuning (VRFT is most suitable for many practical systems since it is a “one-shot” data-driven control design methodology. This paper presents an application of VRFT to a ramp metering problem of freeway traffic system. When there is not enough prior knowledge of the controlled system to select a proper parameter of ALINEA, the VRFT approach is used to optimize the ALINEA's parameter by only using a batch of input and output data collected from the freeway traffic system. The extensive simulations are built on both the macroscopic MATLAB platform and the microscopic PARAMICS platform to show the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed data-driven controller tuning approach.

The final girl on the freeway: Adaptation and appropriation of a fairy tale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Kloda

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Fairy tales and their adaptations transgress established social, cultural and temporal boundaries. This paper examines Matthew Bright’s Freeway (1996, an adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood that deliberately mirrors this transgression by setting the film within the generic type of horror cinema. In choosing this mode, Bright partly restores the fairy tale to its original purpose, once existing as a folktale full of high melodrama, but goes further, criticising the text of ‘known pattern’ and overhauling it to a story in which an innocent female under attack restores her own equilibrium: in effect, deploying the ‘final girl’ trope that is common in slasher movies. Freeway uses its adaptive status to radically reinterpret the source text, fomenting its oppositional assault through a genre most suited to subversion. Through textual analysis, the paper examines how Bright harnesses the potential of the cinematographic medium through a double interaction, one that not only allows a coded opening of the internal, intertextual space of the adaptation, but also an antagonistic encounter rooted in the context of horror cinema.

Landscape integration of freeways: how does it affect road kill rates?

OpenAIRE

Sanz, Luis

2001-01-01

Some ecological processes are affected by the transportation infrastructure development. The barrier effect caused by roads, which alters the movement patterns of terrestrial wildlife and increases its road kill risk, is just an example. Road kills must be considered both from environmental and highway safety perspectives, and are related to road permeability and to the surrounding environment. This paper compares the landscape fragmentation caused by two freeways in Navarra (north of Spain) ...

Dynamic analysis of a long span, cable-stayed freeway bridge using NASTRAN

Science.gov (United States)

Salus, W. L.; Jones, R. E.; Ice, M. W.

1973-01-01

The dynamic analysis for earthquake- and wind-induced response of a long span, cable-stayed freeway bridge by NASTRAN in conjunction with post-processors is described. Details of the structural modeling, the input data generation, and numerical results are given. The influence of the dynamic analysis on the bridge design is traced from the project initiation to the development of a successful earthquake and wind resistant configuration.

Simulation analysis of route diversion strategies for freeway incident management : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

1995-02-01

The purpose of this project was to investigate whether simulation models could : be used as decision aids for defining traffic diversion strategies for effective : incident management. A methodology was developed for using such a model to : determine...

Improving incidence estimation in practice-based sentinel surveillance networks using spatial variation in general practitioner density

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Cécile Souty

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In surveillance networks based on voluntary participation of health-care professionals, there is little choice regarding the selection of participants’ characteristics. External information about participants, for example local physician density, can help reduce bias in incidence estimates reported by the surveillance network. Methods There is an inverse association between the number of reported influenza-like illness (ILI cases and local general practitioners (GP density. We formulated and compared estimates of ILI incidence using this relationship. To compare estimates, we simulated epidemics using a spatially explicit disease model and their observation by surveillance networks with different characteristics: random, maximum coverage, largest cities, etc. Results In the French practice-based surveillance network – the “Sentinelles” network – GPs reported 3.6% (95% CI [3;4] less ILI cases as local GP density increased by 1 GP per 10,000 inhabitants. Incidence estimates varied markedly depending on scenarios for participant selection in surveillance. Yet accounting for change in GP density for participants allowed reducing bias. Applied on data from the Sentinelles network, changes in overall incidence ranged between 1.6 and 9.9%. Conclusions Local GP density is a simple measure that provides a way to reduce bias in estimating disease incidence in general practice. It can contribute to improving disease monitoring when it is not possible to choose the characteristics of participants.

Simulation of three lanes one-way freeway in low visibility weather by possible traffic accidents

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Ming-bao; Zheng, Sha-sha; Cai, Zhang-hui

2015-09-01

The aim of this work is to investigate the traffic impact of low visibility weather on a freeway including the fraction of real vehicle rear-end accidents and road traffic capacity. Based on symmetric two-lane Nagel-Schreckenberg (STNS) model, a cellular automaton model of three-lane freeway mainline with the real occurrence of rear-end accidents in low visibility weather, which considers delayed reaction time and deceleration restriction, was established with access to real-time traffic information of intelligent transportation system (ITS). The characteristics of traffic flow in different visibility weather were discussed via the simulation experiments. The results indicate that incoming flow control (decreasing upstream traffic volume) and inputting variable speed limits (VSL) signal are effective in accident reducing and road actual traffic volume's enhancing. According to different visibility and traffic demand the appropriate control strategies should be adopted in order to not only decrease the probability of vehicle accidents but also avoid congestion.

The evaluation of high occupancy vehicle lanes on Sun Yat-Sen freeway in Taiwan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jou, R.C. [National Chi Nan Univ., Nantou, Taiwan (China). Dept. of Civil Engineering; Weng, M.C. [Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Taiwan (China); Chen, C.C. [National Central Univ., Taiwan (China)

2005-06-30

Travel demand in Taiwan, particularly intercity trips, has changed in response to the significant increase in domestic trade and economic activities. Most of Taiwan's population lives and works along the western corridor because there is a mountain range running north-south along the eastern coast. The existing transportation system includes highways, freeways, rail and aviation. The average travel time from Taipei to Koahsiung by the Sun Yat-Sen freeway can vary from 4 to 8 hours or more on weekends and holidays. The current capacity of the freeway is insufficient to accommodate the increasing travel demand. Many traffic management strategies such as ramp metering control, no tolls, and no tolls for high occupancy vehicles (HOV) have been proposed to alleviate traffic congestion. The government plans to reallocate one inner lane as an HOV lane in each direction at all times. However, this would require a preference survey to assess the drivers' decisions to use these HOV lanes at all times on the highway. In this study, 2 types of latent attributes, perceptions and attitudes were defined to analyze their effects on travelers' choice of HOV lanes. Revealed preference and stated preference data were collected and considered simultaneously to fully utilize the strength of each type. Travelers' decisions were found to be a function of socio-economic attributes, travel characteristics and perceptions of alternatives. A model system was developed to comprise a discrete choice model and the latent variable model's structural and measurement equations. It was concluded that the preferred choice was for the HOV lane to be used toll-free, by vehicles with 4 or more passengers, in which the HOV lane is separated from regular lanes with a guardrail. 8 tabs.

A Community Network of 100 Black Carbon Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Preble, C.; Kirchstetter, T.; Caubel, J.; Cados, T.; Keeling, C.; Chang, S.

2017-12-01

We developed a low-cost black carbon sensor, field tested its performance, and then built and deployed a network of 100 sensors in West Oakland, California. We operated the network for 100 days beginning mid-May 2017 to measure spatially resolved black carbon concentrations throughout the community. West Oakland is a San Francisco Bay Area mixed residential and industrial community that is adjacent to regional port and rail yard facilities and surrounded by major freeways. As such, the community is affected by diesel particulate matter emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks, locomotives, and ships associated with freight movement. In partnership with Environmental Defense Fund, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, we deployed the black carbon monitoring network outside of residences and business, along truck routes and arterial streets, and at upwind locations. The sensor employs the filter-based light transmission method to measure black carbon and has good precision and correspondence with current commercial black carbon instruments. Throughout the 100-day period, each of the 100 sensors transmitted data via a cellular network. A MySQL database was built to receive and manage the data in real-time. The database included diagnostic features to monitor each sensor's operational status and facilitate the maintenance of the network. Spatial and temporal patterns in black carbon concentrations will be presented, including patterns around industrial facilities, freeways, and truck routes, as well as the relationship between neighborhood concentrations and the BAAQMD's monitoring site. Lessons learned during this first of its kind black carbon monitoring network will also be shared.

Predicting Freeway Work Zone Delays and Costs with a Hybrid Machine-Learning Model

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Bo Du

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A hybrid machine-learning model, integrating an artificial neural network (ANN and a support vector machine (SVM model, is developed to predict spatiotemporal delays, subject to road geometry, number of lane closures, and work zone duration in different periods of a day and in the days of a week. The model is very user friendly, allowing the least inputs from the users. With that the delays caused by a work zone on any location of a New Jersey freeway can be predicted. To this end, tremendous amounts of data from different sources were collected to establish the relationship between the model inputs and outputs. A comparative analysis was conducted, and results indicate that the proposed model outperforms others in terms of the least root mean square error (RMSE. The proposed hybrid model can be used to calculate contractor penalty in terms of cost overruns as well as incentive reward schedule in case of early work competition. Additionally, it can assist work zone planners in determining the best start and end times of a work zone for developing and evaluating traffic mitigation and management plans.

Modeling, robust and distributed model predictive control for freeway networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, S.

2016-01-01

In Model Predictive Control (MPC) for traffic networks, traffic models are crucial since they are used as prediction models for determining the optimal control actions. In order to reduce the computational complexity of MPC for traffic networks, macroscopic traffic models are often used instead of

Field evaluation of vegetation and noise barriers for mitigation of near-freeway air pollution under variable wind conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Eon S.; Ranasinghe, Dilhara R.; Ahangar, Faraz Enayati; Amini, Seyedmorteza; Mara, Steven; Choi, Wonsik; Paulson, Suzanne; Zhu, Yifang

2018-02-01

Traffic-related air pollutants are a significant public health concern, particularly near freeways. Previous studies have suggested either soundwall or vegetation barriers might reduce the near-freeway air pollution. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a combination of both soundwall and vegetation barrier for reducing ultrafine particles (UFPs, diameter ≤ 100 nm) and PM2.5 (diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) concentrations. Concurrent data collection was carried out at both upwind and downwind fixed locations approximately 10-15 m away from the edge of two major freeways in California. This study observed that the reduction of UFP and PM2.5 was generally greater with the combination barrier than with either soundwall or vegetation alone. Since there were no non-barrier sites at the study locations, the reductions reported here are all in relative terms. The soundwall barrier was more effective for reducing PM2.5 (25-53%) than UFPs (0-5%), and was most effective (51-53% for PM2.5) when the wind speed ranged between 1 and 2 m/s. Under the same range of wind speed, the vegetation barrier had little effect (0-5%) on reducing PM2.5; but was effective at reducing UFP (up to 50%). For both types of roadside barrier, decreasing wind speed resulted in greater net reduction of UFPs (i.e., total number particle concentrations; inversely proportional). This trend was observed, however, only within specific particle size ranges (i.e., diameter pollution mitigation.

Comparing detection and disclosure of traffic incidents in social networks: an intelligent approach based on Twitter vs. Waze

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Sebastián Vallejos

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, social networks have become  in a  communication  medium widely  used to disseminate any type  of  information. In  particular,  the  shared  information  in  social  networks  usually  includes  a  considerable number of traffic incidents reports of specific cities. In light of this, specialized social networks have emerged for detecting and disseminating traffic incidents, differentiating from generic social networks in which a wide variety of  topics  are  communicated.  In this  context,  Twitter  is  a  case  in  point  of  a  generic  social  network  in  which  its users often share information about traffic incidents, while Waze is a social network specialized in traffic. In this paper we present a comparative study between Waze and an intelligent approach that detects traffic incidents by analyzing publications shared in Twitter. The comparative study was carried out considering Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos  Aires  (CABA,  Argentina,  as  the  region  of  interest.  The results of this work suggest that both social networks should be considered as complementary sources of information. This conclusion is based on the fact that the proportion of mutual detections, i.e. traffic incidents detected by both approaches, was considerably low since it did not exceed 6% of the cases. Moreover, the results do not show that any of the approaches tend to anticipate in time to the other one in the detection of traffic incidents.

PROACTIVE APPROACH TO THE INCIDENT AND PROBLEM MANAGEMENT IN COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

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Vjeran Strahonja

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Proactive approach to communication network maintenance has the capability of enhancing the integrity and reliability of communication networks, as well as of reducing maintenance costs and overall number of incidents. This paper presents approaches to problem and incident prevention with the help of root-cause analysis, aligning that with the goal to foresee software performance. Implementation of proactive approach requires recognition of enterprise's current level of maintenance better insights into available approaches and tools, as well as their comparison, interoperability, integration and further development. The approach we are proposing and elaborating in this paper lies on the construction of a metamodel of the problem management of information technology, particularly the proactive problem management. The metamodel is derived from the original ITIL specification and presented in an object-oriented fashion by using structure (class diagrams conform to UML notation. Based on current research, appropriate metrics based on the concept of Key Performance Indicators is suggested.

Multi-level Bayesian analyses for single- and multi-vehicle freeway crashes.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Rongjie; Abdel-Aty, Mohamed

2013-09-01

This study presents multi-level analyses for single- and multi-vehicle crashes on a mountainous freeway. Data from a 15-mile mountainous freeway section on I-70 were investigated. Both aggregate and disaggregate models for the two crash conditions were developed. Five years of crash data were used in the aggregate investigation, while the disaggregate models utilized one year of crash data along with real-time traffic and weather data. For the aggregate analyses, safety performance functions were developed for the purpose of revealing the contributing factors for each crash type. Two methodologies, a Bayesian bivariate Poisson-lognormal model and a Bayesian hierarchical Poisson model with correlated random effects, were estimated to simultaneously analyze the two crash conditions with consideration of possible correlations. Except for the factors related to geometric characteristics, two exposure parameters (annual average daily traffic and segment length) were included. Two different sets of significant explanatory and exposure variables were identified for the single-vehicle (SV) and multi-vehicle (MV) crashes. It was found that the Bayesian bivariate Poisson-lognormal model is superior to the Bayesian hierarchical Poisson model, the former with a substantially lower DIC and more significant variables. In addition to the aggregate analyses, microscopic real-time crash risk evaluation models were developed for the two crash conditions. Multi-level Bayesian logistic regression models were estimated with the random parameters accounting for seasonal variations, crash-unit-level diversity and segment-level random effects capturing unobserved heterogeneity caused by the geometric characteristics. The model results indicate that the effects of the selected variables on crash occurrence vary across seasons and crash units; and that geometric characteristic variables contribute to the segment variations: the more unobserved heterogeneity have been accounted, the better

Evaluating the safety impact of adaptive cruise control in traffic oscillations on freeways.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ye; Li, Zhibin; Wang, Hao; Wang, Wei; Xing, Lu

2017-07-01

Adaptive cruise control (ACC) has been considered one of the critical components of automated driving. ACC adjusts vehicle speeds automatically by measuring the status of the ego-vehicle and leading vehicle. Current commercial ACCs are designed to be comfortable and convenient driving systems. Little attention is paid to the safety impacts of ACC, especially in traffic oscillations when crash risks are the highest. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of ACC parameter settings on rear-end collisions on freeways. First, the occurrence of a rear-end collision in a stop-and-go wave was analyzed. A car-following model in an integrated ACC was developed for a simulation analysis. The time-to-collision based factors were calculated as surrogate safety measures of the collision risk. We also evaluated different market penetration rates considering that the application of ACC will be a gradual process. The results showed that the safety impacts of ACC were largely affected by the parameters. Smaller time delays and larger time gaps improved safety performance, but inappropriate parameter settings increased the collision risks and caused traffic disturbances. A higher reduction of the collision risk was achieved as the ACC vehicle penetration rate increased, especially in the initial stage with penetration rates of less than 30%. This study also showed that in the initial stage, the combination of ACC and a variable speed limit achieved better safety improvements on congested freeways than each single technique. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Bayesian network based framework for real-time crash prediction on the basic freeway segments of urban expressways.

Science.gov (United States)

Hossain, Moinul; Muromachi, Yasunori

2012-03-01

The concept of measuring the crash risk for a very short time window in near future is gaining more practicality due to the recent advancements in the fields of information systems and traffic sensor technology. Although some real-time crash prediction models have already been proposed, they are still primitive in nature and require substantial improvements to be implemented in real-life. This manuscript investigates the major shortcomings of the existing models and offers solutions to overcome them with an improved framework and modeling method. It employs random multinomial logit model to identify the most important predictors as well as the most suitable detector locations to acquire data to build such a model. Afterwards, it applies Bayesian belief net (BBN) to build the real-time crash prediction model. The model has been constructed using high resolution detector data collected from Shibuya 3 and Shinjuku 4 expressways under the jurisdiction of Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway Company Limited, Japan. It has been specifically built for the basic freeway segments and it predicts the chance of formation of a hazardous traffic condition within the next 4-9 min for a particular 250 meter long road section. The performance evaluation results reflect that at an average threshold value the model is able to successful classify 66% of the future crashes with a false alarm rate less than 20%. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Topology Visualization Early Warning Distribution Algorithm for Large-Scale Network Security Incidents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui He

2013-01-01

Full Text Available It is of great significance to research the early warning system for large-scale network security incidents. It can improve the network system’s emergency response capabilities, alleviate the cyber attacks’ damage, and strengthen the system’s counterattack ability. A comprehensive early warning system is presented in this paper, which combines active measurement and anomaly detection. The key visualization algorithm and technology of the system are mainly discussed. The large-scale network system’s plane visualization is realized based on the divide and conquer thought. First, the topology of the large-scale network is divided into some small-scale networks by the MLkP/CR algorithm. Second, the sub graph plane visualization algorithm is applied to each small-scale network. Finally, the small-scale networks’ topologies are combined into a topology based on the automatic distribution algorithm of force analysis. As the algorithm transforms the large-scale network topology plane visualization problem into a series of small-scale network topology plane visualization and distribution problems, it has higher parallelism and is able to handle the display of ultra-large-scale network topology.

Information sharing for effective IT incident resolving in IT service provider networks: A financial service case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vlietland, J.; Vliet, J.C.

2015-01-01

Information technology (IT)-enabled financial services are typically delivered by a network of interdependent IT service providers. Such networks need information to resolve IT incidents in their delivered IT services. The objective of this research is to identify the set of information that needs

Freeway Traffic Density and On-Ramp Queue Control via ILC Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronghu Chi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A new queue length information fused iterative learning control approach (QLIF-ILC is presented for freeway traffic ramp metering to achieve a better performance by utilizing the error information of the on-ramp queue length. The QLIF-ILC consists of two parts, where the iterative feedforward part updates the control input signal by learning from the past control data in previous trials, and the current feedback part utilizes the tracking error of the current learning iteration to stabilize the controlled plant. These two parts are combined in a complementary manner to enhance the robustness of the proposed QLIF-ILC. A systematic approach is developed to analyze the convergence and robustness of the proposed learning scheme. The simulation results are further given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed QLIF-ILC.

Public health assessment for Freeway Sanitary Landfill, Burnsville, Dakota County, Minnesota, Region 5. CERCLIS No. MND038384004. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Freeway Sanitary Landfill National Priorities List (NPL) site in Burnsville, Minnesota is situated in the Lower Minnesota River Valley. Shallow groundwater beneath the site is contaminated with low levels of volatile organic hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Under current conditions, no human exposures to site-related contaminants are known to occur at levels of health concern. Based on currently available information, the Minnesota Department of Health concludes that the site poses an indeterminate public health hazard under current conditions because exposure to volatile gases released to the air is possible, but cannot be evaluated from the very limited information available. There are also a few physical hazards on the site which pose a risk of accident or injury if trespassing occurs. Otherwise, there are no indications that people have been, or are being, exposed to site-related contaminants at levels that would be of health concern. The Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Health Activities Recommendation Panel has evaluated the Freeway Sanitary Landfill Public Health Assessment for appropriate follow-up activities. The Panel has recommended that health education be considered to assist site workers in better understanding their potential for exposure to landfill gases

Study of a Dynamic Cooperative Trading Queue Routing Control Scheme for Freeways and Facilities with Parallel Queues

OpenAIRE

Lloret-Batlle, Roger; Jayakrishnan, R.

2018-01-01

This article explores the coalitional stability of a new cooperative control policy for freeways and parallel queuing facilities with multiple servers. Based on predicted future delays per queue or lane, a VOT-heterogeneous population of agents can agree to switch lanes or queues and transfer payments to each other in order to minimize the total cost of the incoming platoon. The strategic interaction is captured by an n-level Stackelberg model with coalitions, while the cooperative structure ...

Using naturalistic driving study data to investigate the impact of driver distraction on driver's brake reaction time in freeway rear-end events in car-following situation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Jingru; Davis, Gary A

2017-12-01

The rear-end crash is one of the most common freeway crash types, and driver distraction is often cited as a leading cause of rear-end crashes. Previous research indicates that driver distraction could have negative effects on driving performance, but the specific association between driver distraction and crash risk is still not fully revealed. This study sought to understand the mechanism by which driver distraction, defined as secondary task distraction, could influence crash risk, as indicated by a driver's reaction time, in freeway car-following situations. A statistical analysis, exploring the causal model structure regarding drivers' distraction impacts on reaction times, was conducted. Distraction duration, distraction scenario, and secondary task type were chosen as distraction-related factors. Besides, exogenous factors including weather, visual obstruction, lighting condition, traffic density, and intersection presence and endogenous factors including driver age and gender were considered. There was an association between driver distraction and reaction time in the sample freeway rear-end events from SHRP 2 NDS database. Distraction duration, the distracted status when a leader braked, and secondary task type were related to reaction time, while all other factors showed no significant effect on reaction time. The analysis showed that driver distraction duration is the primary direct cause of the increase in reaction time, with other factors having indirect effects mediated by distraction duration. Longer distraction duration, the distracted status when a leader braked, and engaging in auditory-visual-manual secondary task tended to result in longer reaction times. Given drivers will be distracted occasionally, countermeasures which shorten distraction duration or avoid distraction presence while a leader vehicle brakes are worth considering. This study helps better understand the mechanism of freeway rear-end events in car-following situations, and

Wavelength prediction of laser incident on amorphous silicon detector by neural network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esmaeili Sani, V.; Moussavi-Zarandi, A.; Kafaee, M.

2011-01-01

In this paper we present a method based on artificial neural networks (ANN) and the use of only one amorphous semiconductor detector to predict the wavelength of incident laser. Amorphous semiconductors and especially amorphous hydrogenated silicon, a-Si:H, are now widely used in many electronic devices, such as solar cells, many types of position sensitive detectors and X-ray imagers for medical applications. In order to study the electrical properties and detection characteristics of thin films of a-Si:H, n-i-p structures have been simulated by SILVACO software. The basic electronic properties of most of the materials used are known, but device modeling depends on a large number of parameters that are not all well known. In addition, the relationship between the shape of the induced anode current and the wavelength of the incident laser leads to complicated calculations. Soft data-based computational methods can model multidimensional non-linear processes and represent the complex input-output relation between the form of the output signal and the wavelength of incident laser.

Wavelength prediction of laser incident on amorphous silicon detector by neural network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Esmaeili Sani, V., E-mail: vaheed_esmaeely80@yahoo.com [Amirkabir University of Technology, Faculty of Physics, P.O. Box 4155-4494, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Moussavi-Zarandi, A.; Kafaee, M. [Amirkabir University of Technology, Faculty of Physics, P.O. Box 4155-4494, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2011-10-21

In this paper we present a method based on artificial neural networks (ANN) and the use of only one amorphous semiconductor detector to predict the wavelength of incident laser. Amorphous semiconductors and especially amorphous hydrogenated silicon, a-Si:H, are now widely used in many electronic devices, such as solar cells, many types of position sensitive detectors and X-ray imagers for medical applications. In order to study the electrical properties and detection characteristics of thin films of a-Si:H, n-i-p structures have been simulated by SILVACO software. The basic electronic properties of most of the materials used are known, but device modeling depends on a large number of parameters that are not all well known. In addition, the relationship between the shape of the induced anode current and the wavelength of the incident laser leads to complicated calculations. Soft data-based computational methods can model multidimensional non-linear processes and represent the complex input-output relation between the form of the output signal and the wavelength of incident laser.

Trends in diabetes incidence from 1992 to 2015 and projections for 2024: A Portuguese General Practitioner's Network study.

Science.gov (United States)

de Sousa-Uva, Mafalda; Antunes, L; Nunes, B; Rodrigues, A P; Simões, J A; Ribeiro, R T; Boavida, J M; Matias-Dias, C

2016-10-01

Diabetes is known as a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Portugal is known as the European country with the highest prevalence of this disease. While diabetes prevalence data is updated annually in Portugal, the General Practitioner's (GP) Sentinel Network represents the only data source on diabetes incidence. This study describes the trends in Diabetes incidence, between 1992 and 2015, and estimate projections for the future incidence rates in Portugal until 2024. An ecological time-series study was conducted using data from GP Sentinel Network between 1992 and 2015. Family doctors reported all new cases of Diabetes in their patients' lists. Annual trends were estimated through Poisson regression models as well as the future incidence rates (until 2024), sex and age group stratified. Incidence rate projections were adjusted to the distribution of the resident Portuguese population given Statistics Portugal projections. The average increase in Diabetes incidence rate was in total 4.29% (CI95% 3.80-4.80) per year under study. Until 1998-2000, the annual incidence rate was higher in women, and from 1998-2000 to 2013-2015 turn out to be higher in men. The incidence rate projected for 2022-2024 was 972.77/10(5) inhabitants in total, and 846.74/10(5) and 1114.42/10(5), respectively, in women and men. This is the first study in Portugal to estimate diabetes incidence rate projections. The disturbing reported projections seem realistic if things continue as in the past. Actually, effective public health policies will need to be undertaken to minimize this alarming future scenario. Copyright © 2016 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A simulation study of the impact of the public-private partnership strategy on the performance of transport infrastructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Zhengfeng; Zheng, Pengjun; Ma, Yanqiang; Li, Xuan; Xu, Wenjun; Zhu, Wanlu

2016-01-01

The choice of investment strategy has a great impact on the performance of transport infrastructure. Positive projects such as the "Subway plus Property" model in Hong Kong have created sustainable financial profits for the public transport projects. Owing to a series of public debt and other constraints, public-private partnership (PPP) was introduced as an innovative investment model to address this issue and help develop transport infrastructure. Yet, few studies provide a deeper understanding of relationships between PPP strategy and the performance of such transport projects (particularly the whole transport system). This paper defines the research scope as a regional network of freeway. With a popular PPP model, travel demand prediction method, and relevant parameters as input, agents in a simulation framework can simulate the choice of PPP freeway over time. The simulation framework can be used to analyze the relationship between the PPP strategy and performance of the regional freeway network. This study uses the Freeway Network of Yangtze River Delta (FN-YRD) in China as the context. The results demonstrate the value of using simulation models of complex transportation systems to help decision makers choose the right PPP projects. Such a tool is viewed as particularly important given the ongoing transformation of functions of the Chinese transportation sector, including franchise rights of transport projects, and freeway charging mechanism.

Towards reducing traffic congestion using cooperative adaptive cruise control on a freeway with a ramp

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Georges Arnaout

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: In this paper, the impact of Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC systems on traffic performance is examined using microscopic agent-based simulation. Using a developed traffic simulation model of a freeway with an on-ramp - created to induce perturbations and to trigger stop-and-go traffic, the CACC system’s effect on the traffic performance is studied. The previously proposed traffic simulation model is extended and validated. By embedding CACC vehicles in different penetration levels, the results show significance and indicate the potential of CACC systems to improve traffic characteristics and therefore can be used to reduce traffic congestion. The study shows that the impact of CACC is positive but is highly dependent on the CACC market penetration. The flow rate of the traffic using CACC is proportional to the market penetration rate of CACC equipped vehicles and the density of the traffic.Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses microscopic simulation experiments followed by a quantitative statistical analysis. Simulation enables researchers manipulating the system variables to straightforwardly predict the outcome on the overall system, giving researchers the unique opportunity to interfere and make improvements to performance. Thus with simulation, changes to variables that might require excessive time, or be unfeasible to carry on real systems, are often completed within seconds.Findings: The findings of this paper are summarized as follow:•\tProvide and validate a platform (agent-based microscopic traffic simulator in which any CACC algorithm (current or future may be evaluated.•\tProvide detailed analysis associated with implementation of CACC vehicles on freeways.•\tInvestigate whether embedding CACC vehicles on freeways has a significant positive impact or not.Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this research is that it has been conducted solely in a computer laboratory. Laboratory

A comparative analysis of currently used microscopic and macroscopic traffic simulation software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratrout Nedal T; Rahman Syed Masiur

2009-01-01

The significant advancements of information technology have contributed to increased development of traffic simulation models. These include microscopic models and broadening the areas of applications ranging from the modeling of specific components of the transportation system to a whole network having different kinds of intersections and links, even in a few cases combining travel demand models. This paper mainly reviews the features of traditionally used macroscopic and microscopic traffic simulation models along with a comparative analysis focusing on freeway operations, urban congested networks, project-level emission modeling, and variations in delay and capacity estimates. The models AIMSUN, CORSIM, and VISSIM are found to be suitable for congested arterials and freeways, and integrated networks of freeways and surface streets. The features of AIMSUN are favorable for creating large urban and regional networks. The models AIMSUN, PARAMICS, INTEGRATION, and CORSIM are potentially useful for Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). There are a few simulation models which are developed focusing on ITS such as MITSIMLab. The TRAF-family and HUTSIM models attempt a system-level simulation approach and develop open environments where several analysis models can be used interactively to solve traffic simulation problems. In Saudi Arabia, use of simulation software with the capability of analyzing an integrated system of freeways and surface streets has not been reported. Calibration and validation of simulation software either for freeways or surface streets has been reported. This paper suggests that researchers evaluate the state-of-the-art simulation tools and find out the suitable tools or approaches for the local conditions of Saudi Arabia. (author)

Creating an African HIV clinical research and prevention trials network: HIV prevalence, incidence and transmission.

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Anatoli Kamali

Full Text Available HIV epidemiology informs prevention trial design and program planning. Nine clinical research centers (CRC in sub-Saharan Africa conducted HIV observational epidemiology studies in populations at risk for HIV infection as part of an HIV prevention and vaccine trial network. Annual HIV incidence ranged from below 2% to above 10% and varied by CRC and risk group, with rates above 5% observed in Zambian men in an HIV-discordant relationship, Ugandan men from Lake Victoria fishing communities, men who have sex with men, and several cohorts of women. HIV incidence tended to fall after the first three months in the study and over calendar time. Among suspected transmission pairs, 28% of HIV infections were not from the reported partner. Volunteers with high incidence were successfully identified and enrolled into large scale cohort studies. Over a quarter of new cases in couples acquired infection from persons other than the suspected transmitting partner.

Depression and unemployment incidence rate evolution in Portugal, 1995-2013: General Practitioner Sentinel Network data.

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Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Sousa-Uva, Mafalda; Fonseca, Rita; Marques, Sara; Pina, Nuno; Matias-Dias, Carlos

2017-11-17

Quantify, for both genders, the correlation between the depression incidence rate and the unemployment rate in Portugal between 1995 and 2013. An ecological study was developed to correlate the evolution of the depression incidence rates estimated by the General Practitioner Sentinel Network and the annual unemployment rates provided by the National Statistical Institute in official publications. There was a positive correlation between the depression incidence rate and the unemployment rate in Portugal, which was significant only for males (R2 = 0.83, p = 0.04). For this gender, an increase of 37 new cases of depression per 100,000 inhabitants was estimated for each 1% increase in the unemployment rate between 1995 and 2013. Although the study design does not allow the establishment of a causal association between unemployment and depression, the results suggest that the evolution of unemployment in Portugal may have had a significant impact on the level of mental health of the Portuguese, especially among men.

Creating an African HIV Clinical Research and Prevention Trials Network: HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Transmission

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Kamali, Anatoli; Price, Matt A.; Lakhi, Shabir; Karita, Etienne; Inambao, Mubiana; Sanders, Eduard J.; Anzala, Omu; Latka, Mary H.; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Kaleebu, Pontiano; Asiki, Gershim; Ssetaala, Ali; Ruzagira, Eugene; Allen, Susan; Farmer, Paul; Hunter, Eric; Mutua, Gaudensia; Makkan, Heeran; Tichacek, Amanda; Brill, Ilene K.; Fast, Pat; Stevens, Gwynn; Chetty, Paramesh; Amornkul, Pauli N.; Gilmour, Jill

2015-01-01

HIV epidemiology informs prevention trial design and program planning. Nine clinical research centers (CRC) in sub-Saharan Africa conducted HIV observational epidemiology studies in populations at risk for HIV infection as part of an HIV prevention and vaccine trial network. Annual HIV incidence ranged from below 2% to above 10% and varied by CRC and risk group, with rates above 5% observed in Zambian men in an HIV-discordant relationship, Ugandan men from Lake Victoria fishing communities, men who have sex with men, and several cohorts of women. HIV incidence tended to fall after the first three months in the study and over calendar time. Among suspected transmission pairs, 28% of HIV infections were not from the reported partner. Volunteers with high incidence were successfully identified and enrolled into large scale cohort studies. Over a quarter of new cases in couples acquired infection from persons other than the suspected transmitting partner. PMID:25602351

Development of a Traffic Management Decision Support Tool for Freeway Incident Traffic Management (FITM) Plan Deployment : Research Summary

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2017-12-01

In designing an effective traffic management plan for non-recurrent congestion, it is critical for responsible highway agencies to have some vital information, such as estimated incident duration, resulting traffic queues, and the expected delays. Ov...

A comparison of freeway median crash frequency, severity, and barrier strike outcomes by median barrier type.

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Russo, Brendan J; Savolainen, Peter T

2018-08-01

Median-crossover crashes are among the most hazardous events that can occur on freeways, often resulting in severe or fatal injuries. The primary countermeasure to reduce the occurrence of such crashes is the installation of a median barrier. When installation of a median barrier is warranted, transportation agencies are faced with the decision among various alternatives including concrete barriers, beam guardrail, or high-tension cable barriers. Each barrier type differs in terms of its deflection characteristics upon impact, the required installation and maintenance costs, and the roadway characteristics (e.g., median width) where installation would be feasible. This study involved an investigation of barrier performance through an in-depth analysis of crash frequency and severity data from freeway segments where high-tension cable, thrie-beam, and concrete median barriers were installed. A comprehensive manual review of crash reports was conducted to identify crashes in which a vehicle left the roadway and encroached into the median. This review also involved an examination of crash outcomes when a barrier strike occurred, which included vehicle containment, penetration, or re-direction onto the travel lanes. The manual review of crash reports provided critical supplementary information through narratives and diagrams not normally available through standard fields on police crash report forms. Statistical models were estimated to identify factors that affect the frequency, severity, and outcomes of median-related crashes, with particular emphases on differences between segments with varying median barrier types. Several roadway-, traffic-, and environmental-related characteristics were found to affect these metrics, with results varying across the different barrier types. The results of this study provide transportation agencies with important guidance as to the in-service performance of various types of median barrier. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Gastrointestinal illness linked to incidents in drinking water distribution networks in Sweden.

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Säve-Söderbergh, Melle; Bylund, John; Malm, Annika; Simonsson, Magnus; Toljander, Jonas

2017-10-01

During recent years, knowledge gaps on drinking water-related gastrointestinal illness have been identified, especially for non-epidemic cases. Pathogen contamination of drinking water during distribution has been suggested to contribute to these cases, but the risk factors are not yet fully understood. During 2014-2015, we conducted an epidemiological study in five municipalities in Sweden, to assess whether incidents in the drinking water distribution system influence the risk of gastrointestinal illness. Telephone interviews were conducted in the affected areas and in reference areas 7-14 days after a reported incident. Symptoms of gastrointestinal illness occurring during the period were documented for each household member. The results showed a significantly elevated risk of vomiting and acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) in the affected areas, compared to the reference areas (OR vom.  = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.2-3.3; OR AGI  = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-3.0). Certain conditions, or risk factors, during the incidents, such as sewage and drinking water pipelines at the same level in the trench, were associated with an elevated risk of AGI and vomiting. Safety measures taken during repair work, like flushing, were also associated with an elevated risk of AGI and vomiting. These results show that incidents in the drinking water distribution network contribute to endemic gastrointestinal illness, especially AGI and vomiting, and that external pathogen contamination of the drinking water is a likely cause of these cases of gastrointestinal illness. The results also indicate that safety measures used today may not be sufficient for eliminating the risk of gastrointestinal illness. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Beyond Risk Compensation: Clusters of Antiretroviral Treatment (ART Users in Sexual Networks Can Modify the Impact of ART on HIV Incidence.

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Wim Delva

Full Text Available Concerns about risk compensation-increased risk behaviours in response to a perception of reduced HIV transmission risk-after the initiation of ART have largely been dispelled in empirical studies, but other changes in sexual networking patterns may still modify the effects of ART on HIV incidence.We developed an exploratory mathematical model of HIV transmission that incorporates the possibility of ART clusters, i.e. subsets of the sexual network in which the density of ART patients is much higher than in the rest of the network. Such clusters may emerge as a result of ART homophily-a tendency for ART patients to preferentially form and maintain relationships with other ART patients. We assessed whether ART clusters may affect the impact of ART on HIV incidence, and how the influence of this effect-modifying variable depends on contextual variables such as HIV prevalence, HIV serosorting, coverage of HIV testing and ART, and adherence to ART.ART homophily can modify the impact of ART on HIV incidence in both directions. In concentrated epidemics and generalized epidemics with moderate HIV prevalence (≈ 10%, ART clusters can enhance the impact of ART on HIV incidence, especially when adherence to ART is poor. In hyperendemic settings (≈ 35% HIV prevalence, ART clusters can reduce the impact of ART on HIV incidence when adherence to ART is high but few people living with HIV (PLWH have been diagnosed. In all contexts, the effects of ART clusters on HIV epidemic dynamics are distinct from those of HIV serosorting.Depending on the programmatic and epidemiological context, ART clusters may enhance or reduce the impact of ART on HIV incidence, in contrast to serosorting, which always leads to a lower impact of ART on HIV incidence. ART homophily and the emergence of ART clusters should be measured empirically and incorporated into more refined models used to plan and evaluate ART programmes.

Beyond Risk Compensation: Clusters of Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) Users in Sexual Networks Can Modify the Impact of ART on HIV Incidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Delva, Wim; Helleringer, Stéphane

Concerns about risk compensation-increased risk behaviours in response to a perception of reduced HIV transmission risk-after the initiation of ART have largely been dispelled in empirical studies, but other changes in sexual networking patterns may still modify the effects of ART on HIV incidence. We developed an exploratory mathematical model of HIV transmission that incorporates the possibility of ART clusters, i.e. subsets of the sexual network in which the density of ART patients is much higher than in the rest of the network. Such clusters may emerge as a result of ART homophily-a tendency for ART patients to preferentially form and maintain relationships with other ART patients. We assessed whether ART clusters may affect the impact of ART on HIV incidence, and how the influence of this effect-modifying variable depends on contextual variables such as HIV prevalence, HIV serosorting, coverage of HIV testing and ART, and adherence to ART. ART homophily can modify the impact of ART on HIV incidence in both directions. In concentrated epidemics and generalized epidemics with moderate HIV prevalence (≈ 10%), ART clusters can enhance the impact of ART on HIV incidence, especially when adherence to ART is poor. In hyperendemic settings (≈ 35% HIV prevalence), ART clusters can reduce the impact of ART on HIV incidence when adherence to ART is high but few people living with HIV (PLWH) have been diagnosed. In all contexts, the effects of ART clusters on HIV epidemic dynamics are distinct from those of HIV serosorting. Depending on the programmatic and epidemiological context, ART clusters may enhance or reduce the impact of ART on HIV incidence, in contrast to serosorting, which always leads to a lower impact of ART on HIV incidence. ART homophily and the emergence of ART clusters should be measured empirically and incorporated into more refined models used to plan and evaluate ART programmes.

Beyond Risk Compensation: Clusters of Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) Users in Sexual Networks Can Modify the Impact of ART on HIV Incidence

Science.gov (United States)

Delva, Wim; Helleringer, Stéphane

2016-01-01

Introduction Concerns about risk compensation—increased risk behaviours in response to a perception of reduced HIV transmission risk—after the initiation of ART have largely been dispelled in empirical studies, but other changes in sexual networking patterns may still modify the effects of ART on HIV incidence. Methods We developed an exploratory mathematical model of HIV transmission that incorporates the possibility of ART clusters, i.e. subsets of the sexual network in which the density of ART patients is much higher than in the rest of the network. Such clusters may emerge as a result of ART homophily—a tendency for ART patients to preferentially form and maintain relationships with other ART patients. We assessed whether ART clusters may affect the impact of ART on HIV incidence, and how the influence of this effect-modifying variable depends on contextual variables such as HIV prevalence, HIV serosorting, coverage of HIV testing and ART, and adherence to ART. Results ART homophily can modify the impact of ART on HIV incidence in both directions. In concentrated epidemics and generalized epidemics with moderate HIV prevalence (≈ 10%), ART clusters can enhance the impact of ART on HIV incidence, especially when adherence to ART is poor. In hyperendemic settings (≈ 35% HIV prevalence), ART clusters can reduce the impact of ART on HIV incidence when adherence to ART is high but few people living with HIV (PLWH) have been diagnosed. In all contexts, the effects of ART clusters on HIV epidemic dynamics are distinct from those of HIV serosorting. Conclusions Depending on the programmatic and epidemiological context, ART clusters may enhance or reduce the impact of ART on HIV incidence, in contrast to serosorting, which always leads to a lower impact of ART on HIV incidence. ART homophily and the emergence of ART clusters should be measured empirically and incorporated into more refined models used to plan and evaluate ART programmes. PMID:27657492

Multi-year remote-sensing measurements of gasoline light-duty vehicle emissions on a freeway ramp

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sjoedin, A.; Andreasson, K.

2000-01-01

On-road optical remote-sensing measurements of gasoline light-duty vehicle (LDV) emissions - CO, HC, NO - were conducted on a freeway ramp in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1991, 1995 and 1998. Based on almost 30,000 emission measurements, the results show that both catalyst cars and non-catalyst cars emissions deteriorate over time, but also that the emission performance of new TWC-cars has improved significantly in recent years. Furthermore, it was found that fleet age rather than model year determines the rate of emission deterioration for TWC-cars for both CO and NO. The study demonstrates that remote sensing may constitute a powerful tool to evaluate real-world LDV emissions; however, daily field calibration procedures need to be developed in order to assure that the evolution in fleet average emissions can be accurately measured. (author)

Hybrid methodology for tuberculosis incidence time-series forecasting based on ARIMA and a NAR neural network.

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Wang, K W; Deng, C; Li, J P; Zhang, Y Y; Li, X Y; Wu, M C

2017-04-01

Tuberculosis (TB) affects people globally and is being reconsidered as a serious public health problem in China. Reliable forecasting is useful for the prevention and control of TB. This study proposes a hybrid model combining autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) with a nonlinear autoregressive (NAR) neural network for forecasting the incidence of TB from January 2007 to March 2016. Prediction performance was compared between the hybrid model and the ARIMA model. The best-fit hybrid model was combined with an ARIMA (3,1,0) × (0,1,1)12 and NAR neural network with four delays and 12 neurons in the hidden layer. The ARIMA-NAR hybrid model, which exhibited lower mean square error, mean absolute error, and mean absolute percentage error of 0·2209, 0·1373, and 0·0406, respectively, in the modelling performance, could produce more accurate forecasting of TB incidence compared to the ARIMA model. This study shows that developing and applying the ARIMA-NAR hybrid model is an effective method to fit the linear and nonlinear patterns of time-series data, and this model could be helpful in the prevention and control of TB.

Review of literature and practices for incident management programs : technical report.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

The project team examined project evaluations, best practice summaries, and synthesis documents, and derived a summary of key elements of programs to speed the time to find and clear stalled vehicles and crashes from freeway shoulders and main lanes....

An open-closed-loop iterative learning control approach for nonlinear switched systems with application to freeway traffic control

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Sun, Shu-Ting; Li, Xiao-Dong; Zhong, Ren-Xin

2017-10-01

For nonlinear switched discrete-time systems with input constraints, this paper presents an open-closed-loop iterative learning control (ILC) approach, which includes a feedforward ILC part and a feedback control part. Under a given switching rule, the mathematical induction is used to prove the convergence of ILC tracking error in each subsystem. It is demonstrated that the convergence of ILC tracking error is dependent on the feedforward control gain, but the feedback control can speed up the convergence process of ILC by a suitable selection of feedback control gain. A switched freeway traffic system is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed ILC law.

Understanding characteristics in multivariate traffic flow time series from complex network structure

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Yan, Ying; Zhang, Shen; Tang, Jinjun; Wang, Xiaofei

2017-07-01

Discovering dynamic characteristics in traffic flow is the significant step to design effective traffic managing and controlling strategy for relieving traffic congestion in urban cities. A new method based on complex network theory is proposed to study multivariate traffic flow time series. The data were collected from loop detectors on freeway during a year. In order to construct complex network from original traffic flow, a weighted Froenius norm is adopt to estimate similarity between multivariate time series, and Principal Component Analysis is implemented to determine the weights. We discuss how to select optimal critical threshold for networks at different hour in term of cumulative probability distribution of degree. Furthermore, two statistical properties of networks: normalized network structure entropy and cumulative probability of degree, are utilized to explore hourly variation in traffic flow. The results demonstrate these two statistical quantities express similar pattern to traffic flow parameters with morning and evening peak hours. Accordingly, we detect three traffic states: trough, peak and transitional hours, according to the correlation between two aforementioned properties. The classifying results of states can actually represent hourly fluctuation in traffic flow by analyzing annual average hourly values of traffic volume, occupancy and speed in corresponding hours.

Medication incidents in primary care medicine: a prospective study in the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network (Sentinella).

Science.gov (United States)

Gnädinger, Markus; Conen, Dieter; Herzig, Lilli; Puhan, Milo A; Staehelin, Alfred; Zoller, Marco; Ceschi, Alessandro

2017-07-26

To describe the type, frequency, seasonal and regional distribution of medication incidents in primary care in Switzerland and to elucidate possible risk factors for medication incidents. Prospective surveillance study. Swiss primary healthcare, Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network. Patients with drug treatment who experienced any erroneous event related to the medication process and interfering with normal treatment course, as judged by their physician. The 180 physicians in the study were general practitioners or paediatricians participating in the Swiss Federal Sentinel reporting system in 2015. Primary: medication incidents; secondary: potential risk factors like age, gender, polymedication, morbidity, care-dependency, previous hospitalisation. The mean rates of detected medication incidents were 2.07 per general practitioner per year (46.5 per 1 00 000 contacts) and 0.15 per paediatrician per year (2.8 per 1 00 000 contacts), respectively. The following factors were associated with medication incidents (OR, 95% CI): higher age 1.004 per year (1.001; 1.006), care by community nurse 1.458 (1.025; 2.073) and care by an institution 1.802 (1.399; 2.323), chronic conditions 1.052 (1.029; 1.075) per condition, medications 1.052 (1.030; 1.074) per medication, as well as Thurgau Morbidity Index for stage 4: 1.292 (1.004; 1.662), stage 5: 1.420 (1.078; 1.868) and stage 6: 1.680 (1.178; 2.396), respectively. Most cases were linked to an incorrect dosage for a given patient, while prescription of an erroneous medication was the second most common error. Medication incidents are common in adult primary care, whereas they rarely occur in paediatrics. Older and multimorbid patients are at a particularly high risk for medication incidents. Reasons for medication incidents are diverse but often seem to be linked to communication problems. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No

Comparisons of mandatory and discretionary lane changing behavior on freeways

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Matthew Vechione

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This research performs comparative analyses on drivers’ behavior during mandatory and discretionary lane changes. We do this by examining the statistical properties of four lane changing decision variables that describe the gaps between the subject vehicle and the surrounding vehicles. Mandatory and discretionary lane changes in NGSIM’s I-80 Freeway and U.S. Highway 101 data collection sites were identified. First, for each variable at the same site, descriptive statistics for the two types of lane changes were compared, and hypothesis tests on the difference between two means were conducted. Then, for each decision variable at the same site, the observed cumulative distributions between the mandatory and discretionary lane changes were compared by means of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. This test was repeated for the fitted distributions of the same decision variable at the same site. The results show that, for the three decision variables associated with gaps in the target lane, the means and distributions between the two types of lane changes are not significantly different. The only variable found to have significant differences in means and distributions is the gap between the subject vehicle and the preceding vehicle in the original lane. This may be because this variable is not an important input in mandatory lane change decisions. This finding provides statistical justification for researchers to develop models with different inputs for mandatory and discretionary lane changes in driver assist systems, in autonomous vehicles, and in microscopic traffic simulation tools.

A Space-Time Network-Based Modeling Framework for Dynamic Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Routing in Traffic Incident Monitoring Applications

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Jisheng Zhang

2015-06-01

Full Text Available It is essential for transportation management centers to equip and manage a network of fixed and mobile sensors in order to quickly detect traffic incidents and further monitor the related impact areas, especially for high-impact accidents with dramatic traffic congestion propagation. As emerging small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs start to have a more flexible regulation environment, it is critically important to fully explore the potential for of using UAVs for monitoring recurring and non-recurring traffic conditions and special events on transportation networks. This paper presents a space-time network- based modeling framework for integrated fixed and mobile sensor networks, in order to provide a rapid and systematic road traffic monitoring mechanism. By constructing a discretized space-time network to characterize not only the speed for UAVs but also the time-sensitive impact areas of traffic congestion, we formulate the problem as a linear integer programming model to minimize the detection delay cost and operational cost, subject to feasible flying route constraints. A Lagrangian relaxation solution framework is developed to decompose the original complex problem into a series of computationally efficient time-dependent and least cost path finding sub-problems. Several examples are used to demonstrate the results of proposed models in UAVs’ route planning for small and medium-scale networks.

Quantifying travel time variability in transportation networks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

Nonrecurring congestion creates significant delay on freeways in urban areas, lending importance : to the study of facility reliability. In locations where traffic detectors record and archive data, : approximate probability distributions for travel ...

The interaction evolution model of mass incidents with delay in a social network

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Huo, Liang'an; Ma, Chenyang

2017-10-01

Recent years have witnessed rapid development of information technology. Today, modern media is widely used for the purpose of spreading information rapidly and widely. In particular, through micro-blog promotions, individuals tend to express their viewpoints and spread information on the internet, which could easily lead to public opinions. Moreover, government authorities also disseminate official information to guide public opinion and eliminate any incorrect conjecture. In this paper, a dynamical model with two delays is investigated to exhibit the interaction evolution between the public and official opinion fields in network mass incidents. Based on the theory of differential equations, the interaction mechanism between two public opinion fields in a micro-blog environment is analyzed. Two delays are proposed in the model to depict the response delays of public and official opinion fields. Some stable conditions are obtained, which shows that Hopf bifurcation can occur as delays cross critical values. Further, some numerical simulations are carried out to verify theoretical results. Our model indicates that there exists a golden time for government intervention, which should be emphasized given the impact of modern media and inaccurate rumors. If the government releases official information during the golden time, mass incidents on the internet can be controlled effectively.

Costs and benefits of MDOT intelligent transportation system deployments.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-07-01

This report analyses costs and benefits of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) deployed by : the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). MDOT ITS focuses on traffic incident : management and also provide Freeway Courtesy Patrol services. A...

Facebook, stress, and incidence of upper respiratory infection in undergraduate college students.

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Campisi, Jay; Bynog, Pamela; McGehee, Hope; Oakland, Joshua C; Quirk, Shannon; Taga, Carlee; Taylor, Morgan

2012-12-01

Having a large social network is generally beneficial to health. However, it is unclear how Internet-based social networks might influence health. Chronic stress can have negative health consequences, and some data suggest that Facebook could be a new source of psychological stress. Thus, we examined undergraduate college student perceptions of Facebook use and incidence of upper respiratory infections (URIs). We hypothesized that subjects with more diverse networks (i.e., more friends on Facebook) would have fewer URIs than their less diverse counterparts; that subjects reporting Facebook-induced stress would be more susceptible to URIs; and that subjects with more diverse networks who report Facebook-induced stress would be less susceptible to URIs than subjects with less diverse social networks who reported Facebook-induced stress. In this prospective study, healthy college students completed online questionnaires that assessed use and perceptions of Facebook and technology, and then were interviewed weekly for 10 weeks to track incidence of URI. URI episodes were defined by a symptom-based criterion. The social network size was significantly related to the rate of URI, such that, the larger the social network, the greater the incidence rate of URI. Most (85.7 percent) respondents experienced some degree of Facebook-induced stress. The effects of Facebook-induced stress on incidence of URI varied across the social network size, such that, the impact of stress on the URI incidence rate increased with the size of the social network. These results are largely in contrast to our hypotheses, but clearly suggest an association between Facebook use, psychological stress, and health.

Regional variations of basal cell carcinoma incidence in the U.K. using The Health Improvement Network database (2004-10).

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Musah, A; Gibson, J E; Leonardi-Bee, J; Cave, M R; Ander, E L; Bath-Hextall, F

2013-11-01

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common types of nonmelanoma skin cancer affecting the white population; however, little is known about how the incidence varies across the U.K. To determine the variation in BCC throughout the U.K. Data from 2004 to 2010 were obtained from The Health Improvement Network database. European and world age-standardized incidence rates (EASRs and WASRs, respectively) were obtained for country-level estimates and levels of socioeconomic deprivation, while strategic health-authority-level estimates were directly age and sex standardized to the U.K. standard population. Incidence-rate ratios were estimated using multivariable Poisson regression models. The overall EASR and WASR of BCC in the U.K. were 98.6 per 100,000 person-years and 66.9 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Regional-level incidence rates indicated a significant geographical variation in the distribution of BCC, which was more pronounced in the southern parts of the country. The South East Coast had the highest BCC rate followed by South Central, Wales and the South West. Incidence rates were substantially higher in the least deprived groups and we observed a trend of decreasing incidence with increasing levels of deprivation (P < 0.001). Finally, in terms of age groups, the largest annual increase was observed among those aged 30-49 years. Basal cell carcinoma is an increasing health problem in the U.K.; the southern regions of the U.K. and those in the least deprived groups had a higher incidence of BCC. Our findings indicate an increased incidence of BCC for younger age groups below 49 years. © 2013 British Association of Dermatologists.

47 CFR 68.108 - Incidence of harm.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Incidence of harm. 68.108 Section 68.108 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) CONNECTION OF TERMINAL EQUIPMENT TO THE TELEPHONE NETWORK Conditions on Use of Terminal Equipment § 68.108 Incidence of...

SPEED COMPLIANCE IN FREEWAY VARIABLE SPEED LIMIT SYSTEM – CASE STUDY OF THE PRAGUE CITY RING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michał MATOWICKI

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Many previous studies have confirmed the strong relationship between speed compliance and the frequency and severity of traffic accidents. Variable speed limit (VSL system as a measure to improve traffic safety enables the freeway system to change its posted speed limit based on various traffic and environmental conditions. Such system helps drivers to recognize the upcoming events, to adjust their driving style and in such way to address speed variation of the traffic flow. This is called speed harmonization. Although many studies researching the effect of VSL system on the traffic stream can be found, there are only few addressing its influence on the drivers behavior, particularly focusing on their tolerance limit and compliance, which has crucial meaning for future design of controlling algorithms. This study was prepared to inspect this grey area by studying the data from the VSL system at Prague city ring, describing the influence of the highway management system and its influence on drivers.

Incidence of intracranial bleeds in new users of low-dose aspirin: a cohort study using The Health Improvement Network.

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Cea Soriano, L; Gaist, D; Soriano-Gabarró, M; García Rodríguez, L A

2017-06-01

Essentials Intracranial bleeds (ICB) are serious clinical events that have been associated with aspirin use. Incidence rates of ICB were calculated among new-users of low-dose aspirin in the UK (2000-2012). Over a median follow-up of 5.58 years, the incidence of ICB was 0.08 per 100 person-years. Our estimates are valuable for inclusion in risk-benefit assessments of low-dose aspirin use. Background Low-dose aspirin protects against both ischemic cardiovascular (CV) events and colorectal cancer (CRC). However, low-dose aspirin may be associated with a slightly increased risk of intracranial bleeds (ICBs). Objectives To obtain the incidence rates of ICBs overall and by patient subgroups among new users of low-dose aspirin. Patients/Methods Using The Health Improvement Network (THIN) UK primary-care database (2000-2012), we identified a cohort of new users of low-dose aspirin aged 40-84 years (N = 199 079; mean age at start of follow-up, 63.9 years) and followed them for up to 14 years (median 5.58 years). Incident ICB cases were identified and validated through linkage to hospitalization data and/or review of THIN records with free-text comments. Incidence rates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results Eight hundred and eighty-one incident ICBs cases were identified: 407 cases of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), 283 cases of subdural hematoma (SDH), and 191 cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Incidence rates per 100 person-years were 0.08 (95% CI 0.07-0.08) for all ICBs, 0.04 (95% CI 0.03-0.04) for ICH, 0.03 (95% CI 0.02-0.03) for SDH, and 0.02 (95% CI 0.01-0.02) for SAH. The ICB incidence rates per 100 person-years for individuals with an indication of primary CV disease prevention were 0.07 (95% CI 0.06-0.07) and 0.09 (95% CI 0.08-0.10) for secondary CV disease prevention. Incidence rates were higher in men for SDH, and higher in women for ICH and SAH. Conclusions Our results provide valuable estimates of the absolute ICB risk for

Traveling waves in an optimal velocity model of freeway traffic

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Berg, Peter; Woods, Andrew

2001-03-01

Car-following models provide both a tool to describe traffic flow and algorithms for autonomous cruise control systems. Recently developed optimal velocity models contain a relaxation term that assigns a desirable speed to each headway and a response time over which drivers adjust to optimal velocity conditions. These models predict traffic breakdown phenomena analogous to real traffic instabilities. In order to deepen our understanding of these models, in this paper, we examine the transition from a linear stable stream of cars of one headway into a linear stable stream of a second headway. Numerical results of the governing equations identify a range of transition phenomena, including monotonic and oscillating travelling waves and a time- dependent dispersive adjustment wave. However, for certain conditions, we find that the adjustment takes the form of a nonlinear traveling wave from the upstream headway to a third, intermediate headway, followed by either another traveling wave or a dispersive wave further downstream matching the downstream headway. This intermediate value of the headway is selected such that the nonlinear traveling wave is the fastest stable traveling wave which is observed to develop in the numerical calculations. The development of these nonlinear waves, connecting linear stable flows of two different headways, is somewhat reminiscent of stop-start waves in congested flow on freeways. The different types of adjustments are classified in a phase diagram depending on the upstream and downstream headway and the response time of the model. The results have profound consequences for autonomous cruise control systems. For an autocade of both identical and different vehicles, the control system itself may trigger formations of nonlinear, steep wave transitions. Further information is available [Y. Sugiyama, Traffic and Granular Flow (World Scientific, Singapore, 1995), p. 137].

Real time estimation of arterial travel time and operational measures through integration of real time fixed sensor data and simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

A wide variety of advanced technological tools have been implemented throughout Georgias : transportation network to increase its efficiency. These systems are credited with reducing or : maintaining freeway congestion levels in light of increasin...

Analysis of environmental contamination resulting from catastrophic incidents: part 1. Building and sustaining capacity in laboratory networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnuson, Matthew; Ernst, Hiba; Griggs, John; Fitz-James, Schatzi; Mapp, Latisha; Mullins, Marissa; Nichols, Tonya; Shah, Sanjiv; Smith, Terry; Hedrick, Elizabeth

2014-11-01

Catastrophic incidents, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and industrial accidents, can occur suddenly and have high impact. However, they often occur at such a low frequency and in unpredictable locations that planning for the management of the consequences of a catastrophe can be difficult. For those catastrophes that result in the release of contaminants, the ability to analyze environmental samples is critical and contributes to the resilience of affected communities. Analyses of environmental samples are needed to make appropriate decisions about the course of action to restore the area affected by the contamination. Environmental samples range from soil, water, and air to vegetation, building materials, and debris. In addition, processes used to decontaminate any of these matrices may also generate wastewater and other materials that require analyses to determine the best course for proper disposal. This paper summarizes activities and programs the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has implemented to ensure capability and capacity for the analysis of contaminated environmental samples following catastrophic incidents. USEPA's focus has been on building capability for a wide variety of contaminant classes and on ensuring national laboratory capacity for potential surges in the numbers of samples that could quickly exhaust the resources of local communities. USEPA's efforts have been designed to ensure a strong and resilient laboratory infrastructure in the United States to support communities as they respond to contamination incidents of any magnitude. The efforts include not only addressing technical issues related to the best-available methods for chemical, biological, and radiological contaminants, but also include addressing the challenges of coordination and administration of an efficient and effective response. Laboratory networks designed for responding to large scale contamination incidents can be sustained by applying

Review of Public Safety in Viewpoint of Complex Networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gai Chengcheng; Weng Wenguo; Yuan Hongyong

2010-01-01

In this paper, a brief review of public safety in viewpoint of complex networks is presented. Public safety incidents are divided into four categories: natural disasters, industry accidents, public health and social security, in which the complex network approaches and theories are need. We review how the complex network methods was developed and used in the studies of the three kinds of public safety incidents. The typical public safety incidents studied by the complex network methods in this paper are introduced, including the natural disaster chains, blackouts on electric power grids and epidemic spreading. Finally, we look ahead to the application prospects of the complex network theory on public safety.

Roadway network productivity assessment : system-wide analysis under variant travel demand

Science.gov (United States)

2008-11-01

The analysis documented in this report examines the hypothesis that the system-wide productivity of a metropolitan freeway system in peak periods is higher in moderate travel demand conditions than in excessive travel demand conditions. The approach ...

Simulation of Automated Vehicles' Drive Cycles

Science.gov (United States)

2018-02-28

This research has two objectives: 1) To develop algorithms for plausible and legally-justifiable freeway car-following and arterial-street gap acceptance driving behavior for AVs 2) To implement these algorithms on a representative road network, in o...

Cyber Incidents Involving Control Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert J. Turk

2005-10-01

The Analysis Function of the US-CERT Control Systems Security Center (CSSC) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has prepared this report to document cyber security incidents for use by the CSSC. The description and analysis of incidents reported herein support three CSSC tasks: establishing a business case; increasing security awareness and private and corporate participation related to enhanced cyber security of control systems; and providing informational material to support model development and prioritize activities for CSSC. The stated mission of CSSC is to reduce vulnerability of critical infrastructure to cyber attack on control systems. As stated in the Incident Management Tool Requirements (August 2005) ''Vulnerability reduction is promoted by risk analysis that tracks actual risk, emphasizes high risk, determines risk reduction as a function of countermeasures, tracks increase of risk due to external influence, and measures success of the vulnerability reduction program''. Process control and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, with their reliance on proprietary networks and hardware, have long been considered immune to the network attacks that have wreaked so much havoc on corporate information systems. New research indicates this confidence is misplaced--the move to open standards such as Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, and Web technologies is allowing hackers to take advantage of the control industry's unawareness. Much of the available information about cyber incidents represents a characterization as opposed to an analysis of events. The lack of good analyses reflects an overall weakness in reporting requirements as well as the fact that to date there have been very few serious cyber attacks on control systems. Most companies prefer not to share cyber attack incident data because of potential financial repercussions. Uniform reporting requirements will do much to make this

Technical Network

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

In order to optimise the management of the Technical Network (TN), to facilitate understanding of the purpose of devices connected to the TN and to improve security incident handling, the Technical Network Administrators and the CNIC WG have asked IT/CS to verify the "description" and "tag" fields of devices connected to the TN. Therefore, persons responsible for systems connected to the TN will receive e-mails from IT/CS asking them to add the corresponding information in the network database at "network-cern-ch". Thank you very much for your cooperation. The Technical Network Administrators & the CNIC WG

Technical Network

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

In order to optimize the management of the Technical Network (TN), to ease the understanding and purpose of devices connected to the TN, and to improve security incident handling, the Technical Network Administrators and the CNIC WG have asked IT/CS to verify the "description" and "tag" fields of devices connected to the TN. Therefore, persons responsible for systems connected to the TN will receive email notifications from IT/CS asking them to add the corresponding information in the network database. Thank you very much for your cooperation. The Technical Network Administrators & the CNIC WG

Road and Street Centerlines, Average Freeway/Arterial/Low Speed Arterial Travel Speeds - Spring and Fall 2010 Data collected during PM Peak period (4:30 - 6:30pm) and AM Peak Period (7 - 9am) on selected roadways - GPS travel speeds at 1,000 ft interval, Published in 2010, 1:2400 (1in=200ft) scale, Baltimore Metropolitan Council.

Data.gov (United States)

NSGIC Local Govt | GIS Inventory — Road and Street Centerlines dataset current as of 2010. Average Freeway/Arterial/Low Speed Arterial Travel Speeds - Spring and Fall 2010 Data collected during PM...

Incident Duration Modeling Using Flexible Parametric Hazard-Based Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruimin Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Assessing and prioritizing the duration time and effects of traffic incidents on major roads present significant challenges for road network managers. This study examines the effect of numerous factors associated with various types of incidents on their duration and proposes an incident duration prediction model. Several parametric accelerated failure time hazard-based models were examined, including Weibull, log-logistic, log-normal, and generalized gamma, as well as all models with gamma heterogeneity and flexible parametric hazard-based models with freedom ranging from one to ten, by analyzing a traffic incident dataset obtained from the Incident Reporting and Dispatching System in Beijing in 2008. Results show that different factors significantly affect different incident time phases, whose best distributions were diverse. Given the best hazard-based models of each incident time phase, the prediction result can be reasonable for most incidents. The results of this study can aid traffic incident management agencies not only in implementing strategies that would reduce incident duration, and thus reduce congestion, secondary incidents, and the associated human and economic losses, but also in effectively predicting incident duration time.

Ramp - Metering Algorithms Evaluated within Simplified Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Janota, Aleš; Holečko, Peter; Gregor, Michal; Hruboš, Marián

2017-12-01

Freeway networks reach their limits, since it is usually impossible to increase traffic volumes by indefinitely extending transport infrastructure through adding new traffic lanes. One of the possible solutions is to use advanced intelligent transport systems, particularly ramp metering systems. The paper shows how two particular algorithms of local and traffic-responsive control (Zone, ALINEA) can be adapted to simplified conditions corresponding to Slovak freeways. Both control strategies are modelled and simulated using PTV Vissim software, including the module VisVAP. Presented results demonstrate the properties of both control strategies, which are compared mutually as well as with the initial situation in which no control strategy is applied

Ramp - Metering Algorithms Evaluated within Simplified Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janota Aleš

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Freeway networks reach their limits, since it is usually impossible to increase traffic volumes by indefinitely extending transport infrastructure through adding new traffic lanes. One of the possible solutions is to use advanced intelligent transport systems, particularly ramp metering systems. The paper shows how two particular algorithms of local and traffic-responsive control (Zone, ALINEA can be adapted to simplified conditions corresponding to Slovak freeways. Both control strategies are modelled and simulated using PTV Vissim software, including the module VisVAP. Presented results demonstrate the properties of both control strategies, which are compared mutually as well as with the initial situation in which no control strategy is applied

Cancer incidence in Spain, 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Galceran, J; Ameijide, A; Carulla, M; Mateos, A; Quirós, J R; Rojas, D; Alemán, A; Torrella, A; Chico, M; Vicente, M; Díaz, J M; Larrañaga, N; Marcos-Gragera, R; Sánchez, M J; Perucha, J; Franch, P; Navarro, C; Ardanaz, E; Bigorra, J; Rodrigo, P; Bonet, R Peris

2017-07-01

Periodic cancer incidence estimates of Spain from all existing population-based cancer registries at any given time are required. The objective of this study was to present the current situation of cancer incidence in Spain. The Spanish Network of Cancer Registries (REDECAN) estimated the numbers of new cancer cases occurred in Spain in 2015 by applying the incidence-mortality ratios method. In the calculus, incidence data from population-based cancer registries and mortality data of all Spain were used. In 2015, nearly a quarter of a million new invasive cancer cases were diagnosed in Spain, almost 149,000 in men (60.0%) and 99,000 in women. Globally, the five most common cancers were those of colon-rectum, prostate, lung, breast and urinary bladder. By gender, the four most common cancers in men were those of prostate (22.4%), colon-rectum (16.6%), lung (15.1%) and urinary bladder (11.7%). In women, the most common ones were those of breast (28.0%), colon-rectum (16.9%), corpus uteri (6.2%) and lung (6.0%). In recent years, cancer incidence in men seems to have stabilized due to the fact that the decrease in tobacco-related cancers compensates for the increase in other types of cancer like those of colon and prostate. In women, despite the stabilization of breast cancer incidence, increased incidence is due, above all, to the rise of colorectal and tobacco-related cancers. To reduce these incident cancer cases, improvement of smoking control policies and extension of colorectal cancer screening should be the two priorities in cancer prevention for the next years.

Participatory Democracy, Community Organizing and the Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health (CAFEH) Partnership.

Science.gov (United States)

Sprague Martinez, Linda; Reisner, Ellin; Campbell, Maria; Brugge, Doug

2017-02-04

Background: Conflicting interests, power imbalance and relationships characterized by distrust are just a few of the many challenges community-academic research partnerships face. In addition, the time it takes to build relationships is often overlooked, which further complicates matters and can leave well-intentioned individuals re-creating oppressive conditions through inauthentic partnerships. This paper presents a novel approach of using meeting minutes to explore partnership dynamics. The Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health (CAFEH) partnership is used as an illustrative case study to identify how community academic partnerships overcome the challenges associated with community-based participatory research (CBPR). CAFEH is a study of ultrafine particle exposure (UFP) near highways in the Boston, MA area. Methods: Qualitative analysis was applied to meeting minutes and process evaluation reports from the first three years of the CAFEH study ( n = 73 files). In addition, a group meeting was held with project partners in order to contextualize the findings from the document analysis. Results: The three most commonly referenced challenges included language barriers, the overall project structure and budgetary constraints. Meanwhile, a heavy emphasis on process and an approach steeped in participatory democracy facilitated CAFEH's ability to overcome these challenges, as well as sustain and augment strong partnership ties. Conclusions: This experience suggests that leadership that incorporates an organizing approach and a transformational style facilitates CBPR processes and helps teams surmount challenges.

Development of a queue warning system utilizing ATM infrastructure system development and field-testing : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-13

MnDOT has already deployed an extensive infrastructure for Active Traffic Management (ATM) on I-35W and I-94 with plans to expand on other segments of the Twin Cities freeway network. The ATM system includes intelligent lane control signals (ILCS) sp...

Integrated Control of Mixed Traffic Networks using Model Predictive Control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van den Berg, M.

2010-01-01

Motivation The growth of our road infrastructure cannot keep up with the growing mobility of people, and the corresponding increase in traffic demand. This results in daily congestion on the freeways. It is an illusion that the problem of congestion can be solved completely within a few years, but

Incident Type 2 Diabetes Risk is Influenced by Obesity and Diabetes in Social Contacts: a Social Network Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Raghavan, Sridharan; Pachucki, Mark C; Chang, Yuchiao; Porneala, Bianca; Fox, Caroline S; Dupuis, Josée; Meigs, James B

2016-10-01

Obesity and diabetes family history are the two strongest risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Prior work shows that an individual's obesity risk is associated with obesity in social contacts, but whether T2D risk follows similar patterns is unknown. We aimed to estimate the relationship between obesity or diabetes in an individual's social contacts and his/her T2D risk. We hypothesized that obesity and diabetes in social contacts would increase an individual's T2D risk. This was a retrospective analysis of the community-based Framingham Offspring Study (FOS). FOS participants with T2D status, height and weight, and at least one social contact were eligible for this study (n = 4797 at Exam 1). Participants' interpersonal ties, cardiometabolic and demographic variables were available at eight exams from 1971 to 2008, and a T2D additive polygenic risk score was measured at the fifth exam. Primary exposures were T2D (fasting glucose ≥ 7 mmol/L or taking diabetes medications) and obesity status (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) of social contacts at a prior exam. Primary outcome was incident T2D in participants. Incident T2D was associated with having a social contact with diabetes (OR 1.32, p = 0.004) or with obesity (OR 1.21, p = 0.004). In stratified analyses, incident T2D was associated with diabetes in siblings (OR 1.64, p = 0.001) and obesity in spouses (OR 1.54, p = 0.0004). The associations between diabetes and obesity in social contacts and an individual's incident diabetes risk were stronger in individuals with a high diabetes genetic risk score. T2D and obesity in social contacts, particularly siblings and spouses, were associated with an individual's risk of incident diabetes even after accounting for parental T2D history. Assessing risk factors in an individual's siblings and spouses can inform T2D risk; furthermore, social network based lifestyle interventions involving spouses and siblings might be a novel T2D prevention approach.

Bribery games on interdependent complex networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Prateek; Nandi, Anjan K; Sengupta, Supratim

2018-08-07

Bribe demands present a social conflict scenario where decisions have wide-ranging economic and ethical consequences. Nevertheless, such incidents occur daily in many countries across the globe. Harassment bribery constitute a significant sub-set of such bribery incidents where a government official demands a bribe for providing a service to a citizen legally entitled to it. We employ an evolutionary game-theoretic framework to analyse the evolution of corrupt and honest strategies in structured populations characterized by an interdependent complex network. The effects of changing network topology, average number of links and asymmetry in size of the citizen and officer population on the proliferation of incidents of bribery are explored. A complex network topology is found to be beneficial for the dominance of corrupt strategies over a larger region of phase space when compared with the outcome for a regular network, for equal citizen and officer population sizes. However, the extent of the advantage depends critically on the network degree and topology. A different trend is observed when there is a difference between the citizen and officer population sizes. Under those circumstances, increasing randomness of the underlying citizen network can be beneficial to the fixation of honest officers up to a certain value of the network degree. Our analysis reveals how the interplay between network topology, connectivity and strategy update rules can affect population level outcomes in such asymmetric games. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimal and Robust Switching Control Strategies : Theory, and Applications in Traffic Management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hajiahmadi, M.

2015-01-01

Macroscopic modeling, predictive and robust control and route guidance for large-scale freeway and urban traffic networks are the main focus of this thesis. In order to increase the efficiency of our control strategies, we propose several mathematical and optimization techniques. Moreover, in the

Scalable data-driven short-term traffic prediction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Friso, K.; Wismans, L. J.J.; Tijink, M. B.

2017-01-01

Short-term traffic prediction has a lot of potential for traffic management. However, most research has traditionally focused on either traffic models-which do not scale very well to large networks, computationally-or on data-driven methods for freeways, leaving out urban arterials completely. Urban

Addressing water incidents by using pipe network models

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Yoyo, Sonwabiso

2016-05-01

Full Text Available quantities like flow rate and pressure with water meters. Such an approach provides a highly exact and realistic understanding, but is potentially very expensive to implement. This is especially so in view of the large number water infrastructure networks...

Privacy in social networking sites

OpenAIRE

Λεονάρδος, Γεώργιος; Leonardos, Giorgos

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the aspects of privacy over the use of social networks web sites. More specific, we will show the types of social networks, their privacy mechanisms that are different in each social network site, their privacy options that are offered to users. We will report some serious privacy violations incidents of the most popular social networks sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Also, we will report some important surveys about social networks and pr...

The national response plan and radioactive incident monitoring network (RIMNET)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, M.W.

1989-01-01

The Department of the Environment is responsible through Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution for co-ordination of the Government's response to overseas nuclear incidents. This paper describes the contingency arrangements that have been set up for this purpose. (author)

Making the Traffic Operations Case for Congestion Pricing: Operational Impacts of Congestion Pricing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chin, Shih-Miao [ORNL; Hu, Patricia S [ORNL; Davidson, Diane [ORNL

2011-02-01

Congestion begins when an excess of vehicles on a segment of roadway at a given time, resulting in speeds that are significantly slower than normal or 'free flow' speeds. Congestion often means stop-and-go traffic. The transition occurs when vehicle density (the number of vehicles per mile in a lane) exceeds a critical level. Once traffic enters a state of congestion, recovery or time to return to a free-flow state is lengthy; and during the recovery process, delay continues to accumulate. The breakdown in speed and flow greatly impedes the efficient operation of the freeway system, resulting in economic, mobility, environmental and safety problems. Freeways are designed to function as access-controlled highways characterized by uninterrupted traffic flow so references to freeway performance relate primarily to the quality of traffic flow or traffic conditions as experienced by users of the freeway. The maximum flow or capacity of a freeway segment is reached while traffic is moving freely. As a result, freeways are most productive when they carry capacity flows at 60 mph, whereas lower speeds impose freeway delay, resulting in bottlenecks. Bottlenecks may be caused by physical disruptions, such as a reduced number of lanes, a change in grade, or an on-ramp with a short merge lane. This type of bottleneck occurs on a predictable or 'recurrent' basis at the same time of day and same day of week. Recurrent congestion totals 45% of congestion and is primarily from bottlenecks (40%) as well as inadequate signal timing (5%). Nonrecurring bottlenecks result from crashes, work zone disruptions, adverse weather conditions, and special events that create surges in demand and that account for over 55% of experienced congestion. Figure 1.1 shows that nonrecurring congestion is composed of traffic incidents (25%), severe weather (15%), work zones, (10%), and special events (5%). Between 1995 and 2005, the average percentage change in increased peak traveler

Macroscopic travel time reliability diagrams for freeway networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tu, H.; Li, H.; Van Lint, J.W.C.; Knoop, V.L.; Sun, L.

2013-01-01

Travel time reliability is considered to be one of the key indicators of transport system performance. Knowledge of the mechanisms of travel time unreliability enables the derivation of explanatory models with which travel time reliability can be predicted and utilized in traffic management.

Incidence of colorectal cancer in new users and non-users of low-dose aspirin without existing cardiovascular disease: A cohort study using The Health Improvement Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Cea Soriano, Lucía; Soriano-Gabarró, Montse; García Rodríguez, Luis A

2017-12-01

Evidence regarding the chemo-protective effects of aspirin has influenced expert opinion in favour of low-dose aspirin use in certain patient populations without cardiovascular disease (CVD). The effects of aspirin in reducing the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) may be a large contributor to this favourable risk-benefit profile of low-dose aspirin in primary CVD prevention. Using The Health Improvement Network, we estimated the incidence of CRC in individuals free of CVD and either prescribed or not prescribed prophylactic low-dose aspirin. Two cohorts - new-users of low-dose aspirin (N=109,426) and a comparator cohort of non-users (N=154,056) at start of follow-up - were followed (maximum 13years) to identify incident CRC cases. Individuals with a record of CVD, cancer or low-dose aspirin prescription before start of follow-up were excluded. 2330 incident cases of CRC occurred; 885 in the aspirin cohort and 1445 in the comparator cohort, after mean follow-ups of 5.43years and 5.17years, respectively. Incidence rates of CRC per 10,000 person-years (95% confidence interval) were 14.90 (13.95-15.92) in the aspirin cohort and 18.15 (17.24-19.12) in the comparator cohort; incidence rate ratio 0.82 (0.76-0.89) adjusted for age, sex and primary care practitioner (PCP) visits in the previous year. Lower incidence rates were seen in the aspirin cohort for all strata evaluated (gender, age group and number of PCP visits in the previous year) except those aged ≥80years. Among most individuals without established CVD, initiation of low-dose aspirin is associated with a reduced incidence of CRC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Link State Relationships Under Incident Conditions: Using a CTM-Based Linear Programming Dynamic Traffic Assignment Model

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

Urban transportation networks, consisting of numerous links and nodes, experience traffic incidents such as accidents and road maintenance work. A typical consequence of incidents is congestion which results in long queues and causes high travel time...

Link state relationships under incident conditions : using a CTM-based linear programming dynamic traffic assignment model.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

Urban transportation networks, consisting of numerous links and nodes, experience traffic incidents such as accidents and road : maintenance work. A typical consequence of incidents is congestion which results in long queues and causes high travel ti...

Scrub Typhus Incidence Modeling with Meteorological Factors in South Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Jaewon; Kim, Soojun; Kim, Gilho; Singh, Vijay P; Hong, Seungjin; Kim, Hung Soo

2015-06-29

Since its recurrence in 1986, scrub typhus has been occurring annually and it is considered as one of the most prevalent diseases in Korea. Scrub typhus is a 3rd grade nationally notifiable disease that has greatly increased in Korea since 2000. The objective of this study is to construct a disease incidence model for prediction and quantification of the incidences of scrub typhus. Using data from 2001 to 2010, the incidence Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model, which considers the time-lag between scrub typhus and minimum temperature, precipitation and average wind speed based on the Granger causality and spectral analysis, is constructed and tested for 2011 to 2012. Results show reliable simulation of scrub typhus incidences with selected predictors, and indicate that the seasonality in meteorological data should be considered.

Scrub Typhus Incidence Modeling with Meteorological Factors in South Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaewon Kwak

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Since its recurrence in 1986, scrub typhus has been occurring annually and it is considered as one of the most prevalent diseases in Korea. Scrub typhus is a 3rd grade nationally notifiable disease that has greatly increased in Korea since 2000. The objective of this study is to construct a disease incidence model for prediction and quantification of the incidences of scrub typhus. Using data from 2001 to 2010, the incidence Artificial Neural Network (ANN model, which considers the time-lag between scrub typhus and minimum temperature, precipitation and average wind speed based on the Granger causality and spectral analysis, is constructed and tested for 2011 to 2012. Results show reliable simulation of scrub typhus incidences with selected predictors, and indicate that the seasonality in meteorological data should be considered.

Exploiting the return on experience of incidents in the field of industrial radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bataille, C.; Crouail, P.; Gauron, C.; Abela, G.; Martin, E.

2008-01-01

After a presentation of the RELIR network (a French system of return on experience on radiological incidents), the aim of which is to collect typical incidents in different activity sectors (industry, medicine, veterinary, research, teaching, transports) in order to report them during professional training sessions, the authors briefly present some new files which have been recently produced. They deal with incidents due to a failing marking-out, intentional marking overstepping during non destructive testing, incomplete evacuation of the exclusion zone during non destructive testing and irradiation of an operator during a gamma-graphic shot, incident during a training session

Comparative study of four time series methods in forecasting typhoid fever incidence in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xingyu; Liu, Yuanyuan; Yang, Min; Zhang, Tao; Young, Alistair A; Li, Xiaosong

2013-01-01

Accurate incidence forecasting of infectious disease is critical for early prevention and for better government strategic planning. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study of different forecasting methods based on the monthly incidence of typhoid fever. The seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model and three different models inspired by neural networks, namely, back propagation neural networks (BPNN), radial basis function neural networks (RBFNN), and Elman recurrent neural networks (ERNN) were compared. The differences as well as the advantages and disadvantages, among the SARIMA model and the neural networks were summarized and discussed. The data obtained for 2005 to 2009 and for 2010 from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention were used as modeling and forecasting samples, respectively. The performances were evaluated based on three metrics: mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and mean square error (MSE). The results showed that RBFNN obtained the smallest MAE, MAPE and MSE in both the modeling and forecasting processes. The performances of the four models ranked in descending order were: RBFNN, ERNN, BPNN and the SARIMA model.

Comparative study of four time series methods in forecasting typhoid fever incidence in China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingyu Zhang

Full Text Available Accurate incidence forecasting of infectious disease is critical for early prevention and for better government strategic planning. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study of different forecasting methods based on the monthly incidence of typhoid fever. The seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA model and three different models inspired by neural networks, namely, back propagation neural networks (BPNN, radial basis function neural networks (RBFNN, and Elman recurrent neural networks (ERNN were compared. The differences as well as the advantages and disadvantages, among the SARIMA model and the neural networks were summarized and discussed. The data obtained for 2005 to 2009 and for 2010 from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention were used as modeling and forecasting samples, respectively. The performances were evaluated based on three metrics: mean absolute error (MAE, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE, and mean square error (MSE. The results showed that RBFNN obtained the smallest MAE, MAPE and MSE in both the modeling and forecasting processes. The performances of the four models ranked in descending order were: RBFNN, ERNN, BPNN and the SARIMA model.

Safety performance evaluation of cable median barriers on freeways in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Alluri, Priyanka; Haleem, Kirolos; Gan, Albert; Mauthner, John

2016-07-03

This article aims to evaluate the safety performance of cable median barriers on freeways in Florida. The safety performance evaluation was based on the percentages of barrier and median crossovers by vehicle type, crash severity, and cable median barrier type (Trinity Cable Safety System [CASS] and Gibraltar system). Twenty-three locations with cable median barriers totaling about 101 miles were identified. Police reports of 6,524 crashes from years 2005-2010 at these locations were reviewed to verify and obtain detailed crash information. A total of 549 crashes were determined to be barrier related (i.e., crashes involving vehicles hitting the cable median barrier) and were reviewed in further detail to identify crossover crashes and the manner in which the vehicles crossed the barriers; that is, by either overriding, underriding, or penetrating the barriers. Overall, 2.6% of vehicles that hit the cable median barrier crossed the median and traversed into the opposite travel lane. Overall, 98.1% of cars and 95.5% of light trucks that hit the barrier were prevented from crossing the median. In other words, 1.9% of cars and 4.5% of light trucks that hit the barrier had crossed the median and encroached on the opposite travel lanes. There is no significant difference in the performance of cable median barrier for cars versus light trucks in terms of crossover crashes. In terms of severity, overrides were more severe compared to underrides and penetrations. The statistics showed that the CASS and Gibraltar systems performed similarly in terms of crossover crashes. However, the Gibraltar system experienced a higher proportion of penetrations compared to the CASS system. The CASS system resulted in a slightly higher percentage of moderate and minor injury crashes compared to the Gibraltar system. Cable median barriers are successful in preventing median crossover crashes; 97.4% of the cable median barrier crashes were prevented from crossing over the median. Of all of

Measurement of repeat effects in Chicago’s criminal social network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Kump

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The “near-repeat” effect is a well-known criminological phenomenon in which the occurrence of a crime incident gives rise to a temporary elevation of crime risk within close physical proximity to an initial incident. Adopting a social network perspective, we instead define a near repeat in terms of geodesic distance within a criminal social network, rather than spatial distance. Specifically, we report a statistical analysis of repeat effects in arrest data for Chicago during the years 2003–2012. We divide the arrest data into two sets (violent crimes and other crimes and, for each set, we compare the distributions of time intervals between repeat incidents to theoretical distributions in which repeat incidents occur only by chance. We first consider the case of the same arrestee participating in repeat incidents (“exact repeats” and then extend the analysis to evaluate repeat risks of those arrestees near one another in the social network. We observe repeat effects that diminish as a function of geodesic distance and time interval, and we estimate typical time scales for repeat crimes in Chicago.

A comparative assessment of PM2.5 exposures in light-rail, subway, freeway, and surface street environments in Los Angeles and estimated lung cancer risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Kam, Winnie; Delfino, Ralph J; Schauer, James J; Sioutas, C

2013-01-01

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 570000+ commuters in Los Angeles travel for over 60 minutes to work. Studies have shown that a substantial portion of particulate matter (PM) exposure can occur during this commute. This study represents the integration of the results from five commute environments in Los Angeles. Personal PM exposures are discussed for the: (1) METRO gold line, a ground-level light-rail route, (2) METRO red line, a subway line, (3) the 110, a high volume freeway with low heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) fraction, (4) the 710, a major corridor for HDVs from the Port of Los Angeles, and (5) Wilshire/Sunset Boulevards, major surface streets. Chemical analysis including total and water-soluble metals and trace elements, elemental and organic carbon (EC/OC), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was performed. The focus of this study is to compare the composition and estimated lung cancer risk of PM2.5 (dp subway), most likely from abrasion processes between the rail and brakes; elements associated with tire and brake wear and oil additives (Ca, Ti, Sn, Sb, and Pb) were elevated on roadways. Elemental concentrations on the gold line (light-rail) were the lowest. For water-solubility, metals observed on the red line (subway) were the least soluble. PAHs are primarily derived from vehicular emissions. Overall, the 710 exhibited high levels of PAHs (3.0 ng m−3), most likely due to its high volume of HDVs, while the red and gold lines exhibited low PAH concentrations (0.6 and 0.8 ng m−3 for red and gold lines, respectively). Lastly, lung cancer risk due to inhalation of PAHs was calculated based on a commuter lifetime (45 years for 2 hours per workday). Results showed that lung cancer risk for the 710 is 3.8 and 4.5 times higher than the light-rail (gold line) and subway (red line), respectively. With low levels of both metal and PAH pollutants, our results indicate that commuting on the light-rail (gold line) may have potential health benefits when

Two Quarantine Models on the Attack of Malicious Objects in Computer Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bimal Kumar Mishra

2012-01-01

Full Text Available SEIQR (Susceptible, Exposed, Infectious, Quarantined, and Recovered models for the transmission of malicious objects with simple mass action incidence and standard incidence rate in computer network are formulated. Threshold, equilibrium, and their stability are discussed for the simple mass action incidence and standard incidence rate. Global stability and asymptotic stability of endemic equilibrium for simple mass action incidence have been shown. With the help of Poincare Bendixson Property, asymptotic stability of endemic equilibrium for standard incidence rate has been shown. Numerical methods have been used to solve and simulate the system of differential equations. The effect of quarantine on recovered nodes is analyzed. We have also analyzed the behavior of the susceptible, exposed, infected, quarantine, and recovered nodes in the computer network.

Solving Minimum Cost Multi-Commodity Network Flow Problem ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ADOWIE PERE

2018-03-23

Mar 23, 2018 ... network-based modeling framework for integrated fixed and mobile ... Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP) and some ..... Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Routing in Traffic. Incident ... Ph.D. Thesis, Dept. of Surveying &.

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2016-07-16

Jul 16, 2016 ... ing science in the format of aerial imaging within two large scie .... The data analysis method is based on the survey of the points where the ... perspective, the geographical information system is a collection of the tools for ... to the degree 1outer-city road network into freeway, highway and carriageway.

Device-associated infections among neonatal intensive care unit patients: incidence and associated pathogens reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network, 2006-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Hocevar, Susan N; Edwards, Jonathan R; Horan, Teresa C; Morrell, Gloria C; Iwamoto, Martha; Lessa, Fernanda C

2012-12-01

To describe rates and pathogen distribution of device-associated infections (DAIs) in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients and compare differences in infection rates by hospital type (children's vs general hospitals). Neonates in NICUs participating in the National Healthcare Safety Network from 2006 through 2008. We analyzed central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), umbilical catheter-associated bloodstream infections (UCABs), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among 304 NICUs. Differences in pooled mean incidence rates were examined using Poisson regression; nonparametric tests for comparing medians and rate distributions were used. Pooled mean incidence rates by birth weight category (750 g or less, 751-1,000 g, 1,001-1,500 g, 1,501-2,500 g, and more than 2,500 g, respectively) were 3.94, 3.09, 2.25, 1.90, and 1.60 for CLABSI; 4.52, 2.77, 1.70, 0.91, and 0.92 for UCAB; and 2.36, 2.08, 1.28, 0.86, and 0.72 for VAP. When rates of infection between hospital types were compared, only pooled mean VAP rates were significantly lower in children's hospitals than in general hospitals among neonates weighing 1,000 g or less; no significant differences in medians or rate distributions were noted. Pathogen frequencies were coagulase-negative staphylococci (28%), Staphylococcus aureus (19%), and Candida species (13%) for bloodstream infections and Pseudomonas species (16%), S. aureus (15%), and Klebsiella species (14%) for VAP. Of 673 S. aureus isolates with susceptibility results, 33% were methicillin resistant. Neonates weighing 750 g or less had the highest DAI incidence. With the exception of VAP, pooled mean NICU incidence rates did not differ between children's and general hospitals. Pathogens associated with these infections can pose treatment challenges; continued efforts at prevention need to be applied to all NICU settings.

A quantification of the effectiveness of EPID dosimetry and software-based plan verification systems in detecting incidents in radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bojechko, Casey; Phillps, Mark; Kalet, Alan; Ford, Eric C., E-mail: eford@uw.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington, 1959 N. E. Pacific Street, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States)

2015-09-15

Purpose: Complex treatments in radiation therapy require robust verification in order to prevent errors that can adversely affect the patient. For this purpose, the authors estimate the effectiveness of detecting errors with a “defense in depth” system composed of electronic portal imaging device (EPID) based dosimetry and a software-based system composed of rules-based and Bayesian network verifications. Methods: The authors analyzed incidents with a high potential severity score, scored as a 3 or 4 on a 4 point scale, recorded in an in-house voluntary incident reporting system, collected from February 2012 to August 2014. The incidents were categorized into different failure modes. The detectability, defined as the number of incidents that are detectable divided total number of incidents, was calculated for each failure mode. Results: In total, 343 incidents were used in this study. Of the incidents 67% were related to photon external beam therapy (EBRT). The majority of the EBRT incidents were related to patient positioning and only a small number of these could be detected by EPID dosimetry when performed prior to treatment (6%). A large fraction could be detected by in vivo dosimetry performed during the first fraction (74%). Rules-based and Bayesian network verifications were found to be complimentary to EPID dosimetry, able to detect errors related to patient prescriptions and documentation, and errors unrelated to photon EBRT. Combining all of the verification steps together, 91% of all EBRT incidents could be detected. Conclusions: This study shows that the defense in depth system is potentially able to detect a large majority of incidents. The most effective EPID-based dosimetry verification is in vivo measurements during the first fraction and is complemented by rules-based and Bayesian network plan checking.

Network traffic anomaly prediction using Artificial Neural Network

Science.gov (United States)

Ciptaningtyas, Hening Titi; Fatichah, Chastine; Sabila, Altea

2017-03-01

As the excessive increase of internet usage, the malicious software (malware) has also increase significantly. Malware is software developed by hacker for illegal purpose(s), such as stealing data and identity, causing computer damage, or denying service to other user[1]. Malware which attack computer or server often triggers network traffic anomaly phenomena. Based on Sophos's report[2], Indonesia is the riskiest country of malware attack and it also has high network traffic anomaly. This research uses Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to predict network traffic anomaly based on malware attack in Indonesia which is recorded by Id-SIRTII/CC (Indonesia Security Incident Response Team on Internet Infrastructure/Coordination Center). The case study is the highest malware attack (SQL injection) which has happened in three consecutive years: 2012, 2013, and 2014[4]. The data series is preprocessed first, then the network traffic anomaly is predicted using Artificial Neural Network and using two weight update algorithms: Gradient Descent and Momentum. Error of prediction is calculated using Mean Squared Error (MSE) [7]. The experimental result shows that MSE for SQL Injection is 0.03856. So, this approach can be used to predict network traffic anomaly.

Evaluation of the impacts of cooperative adaptive cruise control on reducing rear-end collision risks on freeways.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ye; Wang, Hao; Wang, Wei; Xing, Lu; Liu, Shanwen; Wei, Xueyan

2017-01-01

Although plenty of studies have been conducted recently about the impacts of cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) system on traffic efficiency, there are few researches analyzing the safety effects of this advanced driving-assistant system. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to evaluate the impacts of the CACC system on reducing rear-end collision risks on freeways. The CACC model is firstly developed, which is based on the Intelligent Driver Model (IDM). Then, two surrogated safety measures, derived from the time-to-collision (TTC), denoting time exposed time-to-collision (TET) and time integrated time-to-collision (TIT), are introduced for quantifying the collision risks. And the safety effects are analyzed both theoretically and experimentally, by the linear stability analysis and simulations. The theoretical and simulation results conformably indicate that the CACC system brings dramatic benefits for reducing rear-end collision risks (TET and TIT are reduced more than 90%, respectively), when the desired time headway and time delay are set properly. The sensitivity analysis indicates there are few differences among different values of the threshold of TTC and the length of a CACC platoon. The results also show that the safety improvements weaken with the decrease of the penetration rates of CACC on the market and the increase of time delay between platoons. We also evaluate the traffic efficiency of the CACC system with different desired time headway. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Support surfaces for pressure ulcer prevention: A network meta-analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Dumville, Jo C.; Cullum, Nicky

2018-01-01

Background Pressure ulcers are a prevalent and global issue and support surfaces are widely used for preventing ulceration. However, the diversity of available support surfaces and the lack of direct comparisons in RCTs make decision-making difficult. Objectives To determine, using network meta-analysis, the relative effects of different support surfaces in reducing pressure ulcer incidence and comfort and to rank these support surfaces in order of their effectiveness. Methods We conducted a systematic review, using a literature search up to November 2016, to identify randomised trials comparing support surfaces for pressure ulcer prevention. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction. We grouped the support surfaces according to their characteristics and formed evidence networks using these groups. We used network meta-analysis to estimate the relative effects and effectiveness ranking of the groups for the outcomes of pressure ulcer incidence and participant comfort. GRADE was used to assess the certainty of evidence. Main results We included 65 studies in the review. The network for assessing pressure ulcer incidence comprised evidence of low or very low certainty for most network contrasts. There was moderate-certainty evidence that powered active air surfaces and powered hybrid air surfaces probably reduce pressure ulcer incidence compared with standard hospital surfaces (risk ratios (RR) 0.42, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.29 to 0.63; 0.22, 0.07 to 0.66, respectively). The network for comfort suggested that powered active air-surfaces are probably slightly less comfortable than standard hospital mattresses (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.94; moderate-certainty evidence). Conclusions This is the first network meta-analysis of the effects of support surfaces for pressure ulcer prevention. Powered active air-surfaces probably reduce pressure ulcer incidence, but are probably less comfortable than standard

Support surfaces for pressure ulcer prevention: A network meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Chunhu; Dumville, Jo C; Cullum, Nicky

2018-01-01

Pressure ulcers are a prevalent and global issue and support surfaces are widely used for preventing ulceration. However, the diversity of available support surfaces and the lack of direct comparisons in RCTs make decision-making difficult. To determine, using network meta-analysis, the relative effects of different support surfaces in reducing pressure ulcer incidence and comfort and to rank these support surfaces in order of their effectiveness. We conducted a systematic review, using a literature search up to November 2016, to identify randomised trials comparing support surfaces for pressure ulcer prevention. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction. We grouped the support surfaces according to their characteristics and formed evidence networks using these groups. We used network meta-analysis to estimate the relative effects and effectiveness ranking of the groups for the outcomes of pressure ulcer incidence and participant comfort. GRADE was used to assess the certainty of evidence. We included 65 studies in the review. The network for assessing pressure ulcer incidence comprised evidence of low or very low certainty for most network contrasts. There was moderate-certainty evidence that powered active air surfaces and powered hybrid air surfaces probably reduce pressure ulcer incidence compared with standard hospital surfaces (risk ratios (RR) 0.42, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.29 to 0.63; 0.22, 0.07 to 0.66, respectively). The network for comfort suggested that powered active air-surfaces are probably slightly less comfortable than standard hospital mattresses (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.94; moderate-certainty evidence). This is the first network meta-analysis of the effects of support surfaces for pressure ulcer prevention. Powered active air-surfaces probably reduce pressure ulcer incidence, but are probably less comfortable than standard hospital surfaces. Most prevention evidence was of low or

Support surfaces for pressure ulcer prevention: A network meta-analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunhu Shi

Full Text Available Pressure ulcers are a prevalent and global issue and support surfaces are widely used for preventing ulceration. However, the diversity of available support surfaces and the lack of direct comparisons in RCTs make decision-making difficult.To determine, using network meta-analysis, the relative effects of different support surfaces in reducing pressure ulcer incidence and comfort and to rank these support surfaces in order of their effectiveness.We conducted a systematic review, using a literature search up to November 2016, to identify randomised trials comparing support surfaces for pressure ulcer prevention. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction. We grouped the support surfaces according to their characteristics and formed evidence networks using these groups. We used network meta-analysis to estimate the relative effects and effectiveness ranking of the groups for the outcomes of pressure ulcer incidence and participant comfort. GRADE was used to assess the certainty of evidence.We included 65 studies in the review. The network for assessing pressure ulcer incidence comprised evidence of low or very low certainty for most network contrasts. There was moderate-certainty evidence that powered active air surfaces and powered hybrid air surfaces probably reduce pressure ulcer incidence compared with standard hospital surfaces (risk ratios (RR 0.42, 95% confidence intervals (CI 0.29 to 0.63; 0.22, 0.07 to 0.66, respectively. The network for comfort suggested that powered active air-surfaces are probably slightly less comfortable than standard hospital mattresses (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.94; moderate-certainty evidence.This is the first network meta-analysis of the effects of support surfaces for pressure ulcer prevention. Powered active air-surfaces probably reduce pressure ulcer incidence, but are probably less comfortable than standard hospital surfaces. Most prevention evidence was

People’s Motivation to Participate in Social Network Sites, Subsequent Behaviours, and Situation Self-Awareness following a Crisis: Evidence from the MH370 Flight Incident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuequn Wang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available As people increasingly integrate social network sites (SNSs into their daily lives, they also turn to these sites for timely information following crises. To date, few studies have examined the effects of different types of motivation on participatory behaviours within SNSs following crises. In this study, self-determination theory (SDT is applied to examine how individuals are motivated to participate in SNSs following a crisis and how individuals’ participatory behaviours can better assist them understand a crisis. The Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370 incident is selected as the context for this study, and data is collected following the incident. The results show that different types of motivation result in different participatory behaviours. Controlled motivation is positively related to browsing content, commenting and sharing content. Conversely, autonomous motivation is positively associated with browsing and sharing content. Besides, browsing content and commenting are positively related to people’s situational self-awareness. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

RECOVERY ACT - Robust Optimization for Connectivity and Flows in Dynamic Complex Networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balasundaram, Balabhaskar [Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK (United States); Butenko, Sergiy [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Boginski, Vladimir [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States); Uryasev, Stan [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

2013-12-25

The goal of this project was to study robust connectivity and flow patterns of complex multi-scale systems modeled as networks. Networks provide effective ways to study global, system level properties, as well as local, multi-scale interactions at a component level. Numerous applications from power systems, telecommunication, transportation, biology, social science, and other areas have benefited from novel network-based models and their analysis. Modeling and optimization techniques that employ appropriate measures of risk for identifying robust clusters and resilient network designs in networks subject to uncertain failures were investigated in this collaborative multi-university project. In many practical situations one has to deal with uncertainties associated with possible failures of network components, thereby affecting the overall efficiency and performance of the system (e.g., every node/connection has a probability of partial or complete failure). Some extreme examples include power grid component failures, airline hub failures due to weather, or freeway closures due to emergencies. These are also situations in which people, materials, or other resources need to be managed efficiently. Important practical examples include rerouting flow through power grids, adjusting flight plans, and identifying routes for emergency services and supplies, in the event network elements fail unexpectedly. Solutions that are robust under uncertainty, in addition to being economically efficient, are needed. This project has led to the development of novel models and methodologies that can tackle the optimization problems arising in such situations. A number of new concepts, which have not been previously applied in this setting, were investigated in the framework of the project. The results can potentially help decision-makers to better control and identify robust or risk-averse decisions in such situations. Formulations and optimal solutions of the considered problems need

Rural and urban distribution of trauma incidents in Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, J J; McConnell, N J; Orman, J A; Egan, G; Jansen, J O

2013-02-01

Trauma systems reduce mortality and improve functional outcomes from injury. Regional trauma networks have been established in several European regions to address longstanding deficiencies in trauma care. A perception of the geography and population distribution as challenging has delayed the introduction of a trauma system in Scotland. The characteristics of trauma incidents attended by the Scottish Ambulance Service were analysed, to gain a better understanding of the geospatial characteristics of trauma in Scotland. Data on trauma incidents collected by the Scottish Ambulance Service between November 2008 and October 2010 were obtained. Incident location was analysed by health board region, rurality and social deprivation. The results are presented as number of patients, average annual incidence rates and relative risks. Of the 141,668 incidents identified, 72·1 per cent occurred in urban regions. The risk of being involved in an incident was similar across the most populous regions, and decreased slightly with increasing rurality. Social deprivation was associated with greater numbers and risk. A total of 53·1 per cent of patients were taken to a large general hospital, and 38·6 per cent to a teaching hospital; the distribution was similar for the subset of incidents involving patients with physiological derangements. The majority of trauma incidents in Scotland occur in urban and deprived areas. A regionalized system of trauma care appears plausible, although the precise configuration of such a system requires further study. Copyright © 2012 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A new, accurate predictive model for incident hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Völzke, Henry; Fung, Glenn; Ittermann, Till; Yu, Shipeng; Baumeister, Sebastian E; Dörr, Marcus; Lieb, Wolfgang; Völker, Uwe; Linneberg, Allan; Jørgensen, Torben; Felix, Stephan B; Rettig, Rainer; Rao, Bharat; Kroemer, Heyo K

2013-11-01

Data mining represents an alternative approach to identify new predictors of multifactorial diseases. This work aimed at building an accurate predictive model for incident hypertension using data mining procedures. The primary study population consisted of 1605 normotensive individuals aged 20-79 years with 5-year follow-up from the population-based study, that is the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP). The initial set was randomly split into a training and a testing set. We used a probabilistic graphical model applying a Bayesian network to create a predictive model for incident hypertension and compared the predictive performance with the established Framingham risk score for hypertension. Finally, the model was validated in 2887 participants from INTER99, a Danish community-based intervention study. In the training set of SHIP data, the Bayesian network used a small subset of relevant baseline features including age, mean arterial pressure, rs16998073, serum glucose and urinary albumin concentrations. Furthermore, we detected relevant interactions between age and serum glucose as well as between rs16998073 and urinary albumin concentrations [area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC 0.76)]. The model was confirmed in the SHIP validation set (AUC 0.78) and externally replicated in INTER99 (AUC 0.77). Compared to the established Framingham risk score for hypertension, the predictive performance of the new model was similar in the SHIP validation set and moderately better in INTER99. Data mining procedures identified a predictive model for incident hypertension, which included innovative and easy-to-measure variables. The findings promise great applicability in screening settings and clinical practice.

Online Learning Solutions for Freeway Travel Time Prediction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Lint, J.W.C.

2008-01-01

Providing travel time information to travelers on available route alternatives in traffic networks is widely believed to yield positive effects on individual drive behavior and (route/departure time) choice behavior, as well as on collective traffic operations in terms of, for example, overall time

Medication incidents reported to an online incident reporting system.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Alrwisan, Adel

2011-01-15

AIMS: Approximately 20% of deaths from adverse events are related to medication incidents, costing the NHS an additional £500 million annually. Less than 5% of adverse events are reported. This study aims to assess the reporting rate of medication incidents in NHS facilities in the north east of Scotland, and to describe the types and outcomes of reported incidents among different services. Furthermore, we wished to quantify the proportion of reported incidents according to the reporters\\' profession. METHODS: A retrospective description was made of medication incidents reported to an online reporting system (DATIX) over a 46-month-period (July 2005 to April 2009). Reports originated from acute and community hospitals, mental health, and primary care facilities. RESULTS: Over the study period there were 2,666 incidents reported with a mean monthly reporting rate of 78.2\\/month (SD±16.9). 6.1% of all incidents resulted in harm, with insulin being the most commonly implicated medication. Nearly three-quarters (74.2%, n=1,978) of total incidents originated from acute hospitals. Administration incidents were implicated in the majority of the reported medication incidents (59%), followed by prescribing (10.8%) and dispensing (9.9%), while the nondescript "other medication incidents" accounted for 20.3% of total incidents. The majority of reports were made by nursing and midwifery staff (80%), with medical and dental professionals reporting the lowest number of incidents (n=56, 2%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of medication incidents in this study were reported by nursing and midwifery staff, and were due to administration incidents. There is a clear need to elucidate the reasons for the limited contribution of the medical and dental professionals to reporting medication incidents.

Social relationships, inflammation markers, and breast cancer incidence in the Women's Health Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Busch, Evan L; Whitsel, Eric A; Kroenke, Candyce H; Yang, Yang C

2018-06-01

Previous research has reported associations between social relationships and carcinogenesis. Inflammation is a potential mediator of these associations. To clarify these links for one tumor site, we examined associations between social relationships, circulating inflammation markers, and breast cancer incidence. Among 132,262 participants from the prospective Women's Health Initiative, we used linear and logistic regression to evaluate associations between social relationship characteristics (social support, social strain, social network size) and inflammation markers of C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell count (WBC). Cox regression was used to evaluate associations between inflammation markers and breast cancer incidence, as well as associations between social relationship characteristics and breast cancer incidence with and without adjustment for inflammation markers. Larger social networks were associated with lower continuous CRP (beta = -0.22, 95% CI -0.36, -0.08) and WBC (beta = -0.23, 95% CI -0.31, -0.16). Greater social strain was associated with higher continuous CRP (beta = 0.24, 95% CI 0.14, 0.33) and WBC (beta = 0.09, 95% CI 0.04, 0.14). When WBC was dichotomized at 10,000 cells/uL, high WBC was associated with greater hazards of in situ breast cancer (HR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.17, 2.33) but not invasive breast cancer. Social relationship characteristics were not associated with incidence of invasive or in situ breast cancer. Larger social networks were associated with lower inflammation and greater social strain was associated with higher inflammation. Higher inflammation might be associated with development of in situ breast cancer, but this appeared to be due to factors other than social relationships. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social networks in cardiovascular disease management.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaya, Fadia T; Yan, Xia; Farshid, Maryam; Barakat, Samer; Jung, Miah; Low, Sara; Fedder, Donald

2010-12-01

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the USA. Social networks have a positive association with obesity, smoking cessation and weight loss. This article summarizes studies evaluating the impact of social networks on the management of cardiovascular disease. The 35 studies included in the article describe the impact of social networks on a decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease, depression and mortality. In addition, having a large-sized social network is also associated with better outcomes and improved health. The role of pharmacists is beginning to play an important role in the patient-centered medical home, which needs to be incorporated into social networks. The patient-centered medical home can serve as an adaptive source for social network evolvement.

A kinematic wave model in Lagrangian coordinates incorporating capacity drop: Application to homogeneous road stretches and discontinuities

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Kai; Knoop, Victor L.; Hoogendoorn, Serge P.

2017-01-01

On freeways, congestion always leads to capacity drop. This means the queue discharge rate is lower than the pre-queue capacity. Our recent research findings indicate that the queue discharge rate increases with the speed in congestion, that is the capacity drop is strongly correlated with the congestion state. Incorporating this varying capacity drop into a kinematic wave model is essential for assessing consequences of control strategies. However, to the best of authors' knowledge, no such a model exists. This paper fills the research gap by presenting a Lagrangian kinematic wave model. "Lagrangian" denotes that the new model is solved in Lagrangian coordinates. The new model can give capacity drops accompanying both of stop-and-go waves (on homogeneous freeway section) and standing queues (at nodes) in a network. The new model can be applied in a network operation. In this Lagrangian kinematic wave model, the queue discharge rate (or the capacity drop) is a function of vehicular speed in traffic jams. Four case studies on links as well as at lane-drop and on-ramp nodes show that the Lagrangian kinematic wave model can give capacity drops well, consistent with empirical observations.

Community Size Effects on Epidemic Spreading in Multiplex Social Networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ting Liu

Full Text Available The dynamical process of epidemic spreading has drawn much attention of the complex network community. In the network paradigm, diseases spread from one person to another through the social ties amongst the population. There are a variety of factors that govern the processes of disease spreading on the networks. A common but not negligible factor is people's reaction to the outbreak of epidemics. Such reaction can be related information dissemination or self-protection. In this work, we explore the interactions between disease spreading and population response in terms of information diffusion and individuals' alertness. We model the system by mapping multiplex networks into two-layer networks and incorporating individuals' risk awareness, on the assumption that their response to the disease spreading depends on the size of the community they belong to. By comparing the final incidence of diseases in multiplex networks, we find that there is considerable mitigation of diseases spreading for full phase of spreading speed when individuals' protection responses are introduced. Interestingly, the degree of community overlap between the two layers is found to be critical factor that affects the final incidence. We also analyze the consequences of the epidemic incidence in communities with different sizes and the impacts of community overlap between two layers. Specifically, as the diseases information makes individuals alert and take measures to prevent the diseases, the effective protection is more striking in small community. These phenomena can be explained by the multiplexity of the networked system and the competition between two spreading processes.

Community Size Effects on Epidemic Spreading in Multiplex Social Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ting; Li, Ping; Chen, Yan; Zhang, Jie

2016-01-01

The dynamical process of epidemic spreading has drawn much attention of the complex network community. In the network paradigm, diseases spread from one person to another through the social ties amongst the population. There are a variety of factors that govern the processes of disease spreading on the networks. A common but not negligible factor is people's reaction to the outbreak of epidemics. Such reaction can be related information dissemination or self-protection. In this work, we explore the interactions between disease spreading and population response in terms of information diffusion and individuals' alertness. We model the system by mapping multiplex networks into two-layer networks and incorporating individuals' risk awareness, on the assumption that their response to the disease spreading depends on the size of the community they belong to. By comparing the final incidence of diseases in multiplex networks, we find that there is considerable mitigation of diseases spreading for full phase of spreading speed when individuals' protection responses are introduced. Interestingly, the degree of community overlap between the two layers is found to be critical factor that affects the final incidence. We also analyze the consequences of the epidemic incidence in communities with different sizes and the impacts of community overlap between two layers. Specifically, as the diseases information makes individuals alert and take measures to prevent the diseases, the effective protection is more striking in small community. These phenomena can be explained by the multiplexity of the networked system and the competition between two spreading processes.

Dynamical Interplay between Awareness and Epidemic Spreading in Multiplex Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Granell, Clara; Gómez, Sergio; Arenas, Alex

2013-09-01

We present the analysis of the interrelation between two processes accounting for the spreading of an epidemic, and the information awareness to prevent its infection, on top of multiplex networks. This scenario is representative of an epidemic process spreading on a network of persistent real contacts, and a cyclic information awareness process diffusing in the network of virtual social contacts between the same individuals. The topology corresponds to a multiplex network where two diffusive processes are interacting affecting each other. The analysis using a microscopic Markov chain approach reveals the phase diagram of the incidence of the epidemics and allows us to capture the evolution of the epidemic threshold depending on the topological structure of the multiplex and the interrelation with the awareness process. Interestingly, the critical point for the onset of the epidemics has a critical value (metacritical point) defined by the awareness dynamics and the topology of the virtual network, from which the onset increases and the epidemics incidence decreases.

Dynamical interplay between awareness and epidemic spreading in multiplex networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Granell, Clara; Gómez, Sergio; Arenas, Alex

2013-09-20

We present the analysis of the interrelation between two processes accounting for the spreading of an epidemic, and the information awareness to prevent its infection, on top of multiplex networks. This scenario is representative of an epidemic process spreading on a network of persistent real contacts, and a cyclic information awareness process diffusing in the network of virtual social contacts between the same individuals. The topology corresponds to a multiplex network where two diffusive processes are interacting affecting each other. The analysis using a microscopic Markov chain approach reveals the phase diagram of the incidence of the epidemics and allows us to capture the evolution of the epidemic threshold depending on the topological structure of the multiplex and the interrelation with the awareness process. Interestingly, the critical point for the onset of the epidemics has a critical value (metacritical point) defined by the awareness dynamics and the topology of the virtual network, from which the onset increases and the epidemics incidence decreases.

Answering the request for emergency assistance worldwide. The Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

In 2005, the IAEA announced the establishment of a fully integrated Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC). The functions of the IEC include coordinating prompt assistance to requesting States in the case of a nuclear security incident. As the global focal point for international preparedness, communication and response to nuclear and radiological incidents or emergencies irrespective of their cause, the IEC stands at the centre of coordinating effective and efficient activities worldwide. The IEC's work includes the evaluation of emergency plans and assistance in their development. The Centre also develops accident classifications based on plant conditions and supports effective communication between neighbouring countries. In addition, it develops various response procedures and facilitates national exercises on response to reactor emergencies. This includes training a broad range of IAEA staff to respond to emergencies as well as training of external experts. Response to incidents and emergencies can involve the exchange of information, provision of advice and/or the coordination of field response. In order to coordinate a global response, the IEC hosts a Response Assistance Network (RANET) under which Member States, Parties to the Emergency Conventions and relevant international organizations are able to register their response capabilities. This network aims to facilitate assistance in case of a nuclear or radiological incident or emergency in a timely and effective manner. An important component of the global emergency response system is the notification and reporting arrangements and systems operated by the IEC. The IEC operates systems that are reliable and secure. Member States, Non-Member States and international organizations have historically reported events and requests for assistance to the IAEA through the ENATOM arrangements using the ENAC web site, phone or fax. Under these arrangements, States have nominated Competent Authorities and National Warning

Managing Cisco network security

CERN Document Server

Knipp, Eric

2002-01-01

An in-depth knowledge of how to configure Cisco IP network security is a MUST for anyone working in today''s internetworked world"There''s no question that attacks on enterprise networks are increasing in frequency and sophistication..."-Mike Fuhrman, Cisco Systems Manager, Security ConsultingManaging Cisco Network Security, Second Edition offers updated and revised information covering many of Cisco''s security products that provide protection from threats, detection of network security incidents, measurement of vulnerability and policy compliance and management of security policy across an extended organization. These are the tools that network administrators have to mount defenses against threats. Chapters also cover the improved functionality and ease of the Cisco Secure Policy Manger software used by thousands of small-to-midsized businesses and a special section on the Cisco Aironet Wireless Security Solutions.Security from a real-world perspectiveKey coverage of the new technologies offered by the Cisc...

Malware Propagation and Prevention Model for Time-Varying Community Networks within Software Defined Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lan Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available As the adoption of Software Defined Networks (SDNs grows, the security of SDN still has several unaddressed limitations. A key network security research area is in the study of malware propagation across the SDN-enabled networks. To analyze the spreading processes of network malware (e.g., viruses in SDN, we propose a dynamic model with a time-varying community network, inspired by research models on the spread of epidemics in complex networks across communities. We assume subnets of the network as communities and links that are dense in subnets but sparse between subnets. Using numerical simulation and theoretical analysis, we find that the efficiency of network malware propagation in this model depends on the mobility rate q of the nodes between subnets. We also find that there exists a mobility rate threshold qc. The network malware will spread in the SDN when the mobility rate q>qc. The malware will survive when q>qc and perish when qnetwork malware and provide a theoretical basis to reduce and prevent network security incidents.

The API petroassist network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boortz, M.J.; Jardim, G.M.; Horn, S.A.; Disbennett, D.B.

1993-01-01

Past spill responses, such as those in the Exxon Valdez and American Trader incidents, demonstrated the value of companies volunteering their in-house experts and local knowledge to help other companies in spill response. The American Petroleum Institute (API) formed the PetroAssist Network to provide a means for oil companies to readily gain access to the expertise and communications equipment of other oil companies when needed for spill responses. An API work group developed the PetroAssist Network legal agreement and management and activation procedures. To minimize red tape and reduce the burden on members, existing systems were used whenever possible. The network became operational on January 1, 1992, with more than 40 members

Optical implementation of (3, 3, 2) regular rectangular CC-Banyan optical network

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Junbo; Su, Xianyu

2007-07-01

CC-Banyan network plays an important role in the optical interconnection network. Based on previous reports of (2, 2, 3) the CC-Banyan network, another rectangular-Banyan network, i.e. (3, 3, 2) rectangular CC-Banyan network, has been discussed. First, according to its construction principle, the topological graph and the routing rule of (3, 3, 2) rectangular CC-Banyan network have been proposed. Then, the optically experimental setup of (3, 3, 2) rectangular CC-Banyan network has been designed and achieved. Each stage of node switch consists of phase spatial light modulator (PSLM) and polarizing beam-splitter (PBS), and fiber has been used to perform connection between adjacent stages. PBS features that s-component (perpendicular to the incident plane) of the incident light beam is reflected, and p-component (parallel to the incident plane) passes through it. According to switching logic, under the control of external electrical signals, PSLM functions to control routing paths of the signal beams, i.e. the polarization of each optical signal is rotated or not rotated 90° by a programmable PSLM. Finally, the discussion and analysis show that the experimental setup designed here can realize many functions such as optical signal switch and permutation. It has advantages of large number of input/output-ports, compact in structure, and low energy loss. Hence, the experimental setup can be used in optical communication and optical information processing.

Alternative approaches to condition monitoring in freeway management systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

In response to growing concerns over traffic congestion, traffic management systems have been built in large urban areas in an effort to improve the efficiency and safety of the transportation network. This research effort developed an automated cond...

Relating coccidioidomycosis (valley fever) incidence to soil moisture conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Coopersmith, E J; Bell, J E; Benedict, K; Shriber, J; McCotter, O; Cosh, M H

2017-04-17

Coccidioidomycosis (also called Valley fever) is caused by a soilborne fungus, Coccidioides spp. , in arid regions of the southwestern United States. Though some who develop infections from this fungus remain asymptomatic, others develop respiratory disease as a consequence. Less commonly, severe illness and death can occur when the infection spreads to other regions of the body. Previous analyses have attempted to connect the incidence of coccidioidomycosis to broadly available climatic measurements, such as precipitation or temperature. However, with the limited availability of long-term, in situ soil moisture data sets, it has not been feasible to perform a direct analysis of the relationships between soil moisture levels and coccidioidomycosis incidence on a larger temporal and spatial scale. Utilizing in situ soil moisture gauges throughout the southwest from the U.S. Climate Reference Network and a model with which to extend those estimates, this work connects periods of higher and lower soil moisture in Arizona and California between 2002 and 2014 to the reported incidence of coccidioidomycosis. The results indicate that in both states, coccidioidomycosis incidence is related to soil moisture levels from previous summers and falls. Stated differently, a higher number of coccidioidomycosis cases are likely to be reported if previous bands of months have been atypically wet or dry, depending on the location.

Incidence of insects, diseases, and other damaging agents in Oregon forests.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul A. Dunham

2008-01-01

This report uses data from a network of forest inventory plots sampled at two points in time, annual aerial insect and disease surveys, and specialized pest damage surveys to quantify the incidence and impact of insects, diseases, and other damaging agents on Oregon's forests. The number and volume of trees damaged or killed by various agents is summarized....

Sensitivity Analysis Based SVM Application on Automatic Incident Detection of Rural Road in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingliang Liu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Traditional automatic incident detection methods such as artificial neural networks, backpropagation neural network, and Markov chains are not suitable for addressing the incident detection problem of rural roads in China which have a relatively high accident rate and a low reaction speed caused by the character of small traffic volume. This study applies the support vector machine (SVM and parameter sensitivity analysis methods to build an accident detection algorithm in a rural road condition, based on real-time data collected in a field experiment. The sensitivity of four parameters (speed, front distance, vehicle group time interval, and free driving ratio is analyzed, and the data sets of two parameters with a significant sensitivity are chosen to form the traffic state feature vector. The SVM and k-fold cross validation (K-CV methods are used to build the accident detection algorithm, which shows an excellent performance in detection accuracy (98.15% of the training data set and 87.5% of the testing data set. Therefore, the problem of low incident reaction speed of rural roads in China could be solved to some extent.

Reflection of Lamb waves obliquely incident on the free edge of a plate.

Science.gov (United States)

Santhanam, Sridhar; Demirli, Ramazan

2013-01-01

The reflection of obliquely incident symmetric and anti-symmetric Lamb wave modes at the edge of a plate is studied. Both in-plane and Shear-Horizontal (SH) reflected wave modes are spawned by an obliquely incident in-plane Lamb wave mode. Energy reflection coefficients are calculated for the reflected wave modes as a function of frequency and angle of incidence. This is done by using the method of orthogonal mode decomposition and by enforcing traction free conditions at the plate edge using the method of collocation. A PZT sensor network, affixed to an Aluminum plate, is used to experimentally verify the predictions of the analysis. Experimental results provide support for the analytically determined results. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A network security situation prediction model based on wavelet neural network with optimized parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haibo Zhang

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The security incidents ion networks are sudden and uncertain, it is very hard to precisely predict the network security situation by traditional methods. In order to improve the prediction accuracy of the network security situation, we build a network security situation prediction model based on Wavelet Neural Network (WNN with optimized parameters by the Improved Niche Genetic Algorithm (INGA. The proposed model adopts WNN which has strong nonlinear ability and fault-tolerance performance. Also, the parameters for WNN are optimized through the adaptive genetic algorithm (GA so that WNN searches more effectively. Considering the problem that the adaptive GA converges slowly and easily turns to the premature problem, we introduce a novel niche technology with a dynamic fuzzy clustering and elimination mechanism to solve the premature convergence of the GA. Our final simulation results show that the proposed INGA-WNN prediction model is more reliable and effective, and it achieves faster convergence-speed and higher prediction accuracy than the Genetic Algorithm-Wavelet Neural Network (GA-WNN, Genetic Algorithm-Back Propagation Neural Network (GA-BPNN and WNN.

Long-term changes in fusiform rust incidence in the southeastern United States

Science.gov (United States)

KaDonna C. Randolph; Ellis B. Cowling; Dale A. Starkey

2015-01-01

Fusiform rust is the most devastating disease of slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) in the southeastern United States. Since the 1970s, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program has assessed fusiform rust incidence on its network of ground plots in 13 states across the...

Social relations, depressive symptoms, and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, Karin Rosenkilde; Hulman, Adam; Witte, Daniel

2017-01-01

of Ageing” (3398 men) aged 50–91 years were followed until 2012/2013, after baseline assessment of depressive symptoms, social support, relational strain, and network size. Hazard ratios (HR) for incident diabetes were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models, adjusting for relevant confounders...... behaviour, and body mass index the associations were attenuated and were no longer statistically significant. Depressive symptoms were associated with higher diabetes risk. This effect was not modified by any of the social variables. Conclusions People with stronger social relations are at lower risk...... of developing T2DM; however, this effect is largely explained by known diabetes risk factors. No evidence was found that stronger social relations reduce the association between depressive symptoms and incident T2DM....

Incidence, treatment and recurrence of endometriosis in a UK-based population analysis using data from The Health Improvement Network and the Hospital Episode Statistics database.

Science.gov (United States)

Cea Soriano, Lucia; López-Garcia, Esther; Schulze-Rath, Renate; Garcia Rodríguez, Luis A

2017-10-01

This retrospective study used medical records from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database to evaluate endometriosis (incidence, treatment and need for recurrent invasive procedures) in the general UK population. Women aged 12-54 years between January 2000 and December 2010, with a Read code for endometriosis, were identified in THIN. Cases were validated by manual review of free-text comments in medical records and responses to physician questionnaires. False-negative cases were identified among women with Read codes for hysterectomy or dysmenorrhea. Prescriptions of medical therapies for endometriosis were identified in THIN. Cases of single and recurrent invasive procedures were identified in women with medical records in both THIN and HES. Overall, 5087 women had a Read code for endometriosis, corresponding to an incidence of 1.02 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.99-1.05) per 1000 person-years. After case validation, the estimate was 1.46 (95% CI: 1.43-1.50) per 1000 person-years. Medical therapy was prescribed to 55.5% of women with endometriosis in the first year after diagnosis. In total, 48.3% of women received invasive treatment during the study period; approximately one-fifth of these women required further invasive treatment, mainly in the 3 years after the index procedure. Using Read codes as the only method to identify women with endometriosis underestimates incidence. Over half of women with recorded endometriosis are prescribed medical therapy in the first year after diagnosis. Women with diagnosed endometriosis are at risk of requiring recurrent invasive procedures.

Towards Incidence Management in 5G Based on Situational Awareness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lorena Isabel Barona López

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The fifth generation mobile network, or 5G, moves towards bringing solutions to deploying faster networks, with hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections and massive data transfer. For this purpose, several emerging technologies are implemented, resulting in virtualization and self-organization of most of their components, which raises important challenges related to safety. In order to contribute to their resolution, this paper proposes a novel architecture for incident management on 5G. The approach combines the conventional risk management schemes with the Endsley Situational Awareness model, thus improving effectiveness in different aspects, among them the ability to adapt to complex and dynamical monitoring environments, and countermeasure tracking or the role of context when decision-making. The proposal takes into account all layers for information processing in 5G mobile networks, ranging from infrastructure to the actuators responsible for deploying corrective measures.

Application of Real-Time Automated Traffic Incident Response Plan Management System: A Web Structure for the Regional Highway Network in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongfeng Ma

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Traffic incidents, caused by various factors, may lead to heavy traffic delay and be harmful to traffic capacity of downstream sections. Traffic incident management (TIM systems have been developed widely to respond to traffic incidents intelligently and reduce the losses. Traffic incident response plans, as an important component of TIM, can effectively guide responders as to what and how to do in traffic incidents. In the paper, a real-time automated traffic incident response plan management system was developed, which could generate and manage traffic incident response plans timely and automatically. A web application structure and a physical structure were designed to implement and show these functions. A standard framework of data storage was also developed to save information about traffic incidents and generated response plans. Furthermore, a conformation survey and case-based reasoning (CBR were introduced to identify traffic incident and generate traffic incident response plans automatically, respectively. Twenty-three traffic crash-related incidents were selected and three indicators were used to measure the system performance. Results showed that 20 of 23 cases could be retrieved effectively and accurately. The system is practicable to generate traffic incident response plans and has been implemented in China.

[Multicentre study of infection incidence in knee prosthesis].

Science.gov (United States)

Jaén, F; Sanz-Gallardo, M I; Arrazola, M P; García de Codes, A; de Juanes, A; Resines, C

2012-01-01

To determine the incidence of surgical site infection in knee prosthesis surgical procedure for a follow-up period of one year in twelve hospitals in Madrid region. A prospective study was carried out from January to December 2009 using a national surveillance system called Indicadores Clínicos de Mejora Continua de Calidad. Primary and revision knee joint replacements in patients operated on in the previous year were included. Criteria used to define surgical site infection and patient risk index categories were those established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance. The incidence rates were worked out crude and adjusted by hazard ratio. 2,088 knee prosthesis procedures were analyzed. The overall incidence of surgical site infection was 2.1%. Sixty-five percent of the infections were organ/space. Sixty percent of the infections were identified in the early postoperative period. Of all surgical site infections, 41.9% were microbiologically confirmed. Antibiotic prophylaxis was implemented correctly in 63.3% of the cases. The most important cause of inappropriate prophylaxis was an unsuitable duration in 85.7% of the cases. The presurgical preparation was carried out correctly in 50.3% of surgical operations. The incidence of knee arthroplasty infection was twice as high as in the National Healthcare Safety Network and similar to national rates. In this study, the incidence of infection was within the range of infection rates in other published European studies. Surveillance and control strategies of health care for associated infections allow us to assess trends and the impact of preventive measures. Copyright © 2011 SECOT. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Reduction of Uncertainty Propagation in the Airport Operations Network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodriguez Sanz, A.; Gomez Comendador, F.; Arnaldo Valdes, R.

2016-07-01

Airport operations are a complex system involving multiple elements (ground access, landside, airside and airspace), stakeholders (ANS providers, airlines, airport managers, policy makers and ground handling companies) and interrelated processes. To ensure appropriate and safe operation it is necessary to understand these complex relationships and how the effects of potential incidents, failures and delays (due to unexpected events or capacity constraints) may propagate throughout the different stages of the system. An incident may easily ripple through the network and affect the operation of the airport as a whole, making the entire system vulnerable. A holistic view of the processes that also takes all of the parties (and the connections between them) into account would significantly reduce the risks associated with airport operations, while at the same time improving efficiency. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework to integrate all relevant stakeholders and reduce uncertainty in delay propagation, thereby lowering the cause-effect chain probability of the airport system (which is crucial for the operation and development of air transport). Firstly, we developed a model (map) to identify the functional relationships and interdependencies between the different stakeholders and processes that make up the airport operations network. This will act as a conceptual framework. Secondly, we reviewed and characterised the main causes of delay. Finally, we extended the system map to create a probabilistic graphical model, using a Bayesian Network approach and influence diagrams, in order to predict the propagation of unexpected delays across the airport operations network. This will enable us to learn how potential incidents may spread throughout the network creating unreliable, uncertain system states. Policy makers, regulators and airport managers may use this conceptual framework (and the associated indicators) to understand how delays propagate across the airport

Interconnection and power transportation networks: operation; Reseaux d'interconnexion et de transport: fonctionnement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bornard, P. [Reseau de Transport d' Electricite (RTE), Div. Systeme Electrique, 92 - Paris la Defense (France); Pavard, M. [Electricite de France (EDF), 75 - Paris (France); Testud, G. [Reseau de Transport d' Electricite (RTE), Dept. Exploitation du Systeme Electrique, 92 - Paris la Defense (France)

2005-10-01

For economical or technical reasons, the power generation units are in general grouped together in the same geographical areas, while the consumption points are much more dispersed. The power transportation and interconnection networks ensure the link between the big generation areas and the big consumption areas, and also with other foreign networks. The network manager must keep the balance between the available offer and the potential demand and ensures the transit of energy between the production units and the end-users with respecting the contractual voltage and frequency ranges. Incidents must be mastered to limit the inconvenience to users and to avoid the complete collapse of the power transportation system. This article describes the operation of such systems: 1 - problems linked with networks operation; 2 - transits distribution: general problem, transmissible power in a power line, voltage drop, calculations of power distributions; 3 - voltage and frequency adjustments; 4 - operation in disturbed regime: mastery of common incidents, mechanisms of major incidents (operation of a power system in strongly disturbed regime), protection of the power system, recovery; 5 - conclusion. (J.S.)

Data Mining of Network Logs

Science.gov (United States)

Collazo, Carlimar

2011-01-01

The statement of purpose is to analyze network monitoring logs to support the computer incident response team. Specifically, gain a clear understanding of the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and its structure, and provide a way to breakdown a URL based on protocol, host name domain name, path, and other attributes. Finally, provide a method to perform data reduction by identifying the different types of advertisements shown on a webpage for incident data analysis. The procedures used for analysis and data reduction will be a computer program which would analyze the URL and identify and advertisement links from the actual content links.

Network Security Hacks Tips & Tools for Protecting Your Privacy

CERN Document Server

Lockhart, Andrew

2009-01-01

This second edition of Network Security Hacks offers 125 concise and practical hacks, including more information for Windows administrators, hacks for wireless networking (such as setting up a captive portal and securing against rogue hotspots), and techniques to ensure privacy and anonymity, including ways to evade network traffic analysis, encrypt email and files, and protect against phishing attacks. System administrators looking for reliable answers will also find concise examples of applied encryption, intrusion detection, logging, trending, and incident response.

Network Coordinator Report

Science.gov (United States)

Himwich, Ed; Strand, Richard

2013-01-01

This report includes an assessment of the network performance in terms of lost observing time for the 2012 calendar year. Overall, the observing time loss was about 12.3%, which is in-line with previous years. A table of relative incidence of problems with various subsystems is presented. The most significant identified causes of loss were electronics rack problems (accounting for about 21.8% of losses), antenna reliability (18.1%), RFI (11.8%), and receiver problems (11.7%). About 14.2% of the losses occurred for unknown reasons. New antennas are under development in the USA, Germany, and Spain. There are plans for new telescopes in Norway and Sweden. Other activities of the Network Coordinator are summarized.

Incident Wave Climate at the OWC Pico Plant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Le Crom, I.; Cabrera Bermejo, H.; Pecher, Arthur

2011-01-01

The aim of the study is to retrieve the incident wave information that coincides with former Pico plant operation periods. The recent implementation of a directional pressure sensor for wave measurement as well as the recovery of the data gathered by a directional wave rider buoy allowed embarkin...... on the validation of two different models by using both wave measurements: a model for wave propagation (SWAN) and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). This paper, as a first step of a comprehensive study, leads to several recommendations to improve both methodologies in future works....

Real-time visual communication to aid disaster recovery in a multi-segment hybrid wireless networking system

Science.gov (United States)

Al Hadhrami, Tawfik; Wang, Qi; Grecos, Christos

2012-06-01

When natural disasters or other large-scale incidents occur, obtaining accurate and timely information on the developing situation is vital to effective disaster recovery operations. High-quality video streams and high-resolution images, if available in real time, would provide an invaluable source of current situation reports to the incident management team. Meanwhile, a disaster often causes significant damage to the communications infrastructure. Therefore, another essential requirement for disaster management is the ability to rapidly deploy a flexible incident area communication network. Such a network would facilitate the transmission of real-time video streams and still images from the disrupted area to remote command and control locations. In this paper, a comprehensive end-to-end video/image transmission system between an incident area and a remote control centre is proposed and implemented, and its performance is experimentally investigated. In this study a hybrid multi-segment communication network is designed that seamlessly integrates terrestrial wireless mesh networks (WMNs), distributed wireless visual sensor networks, an airborne platform with video camera balloons, and a Digital Video Broadcasting- Satellite (DVB-S) system. By carefully integrating all of these rapidly deployable, interworking and collaborative networking technologies, we can fully exploit the joint benefits provided by WMNs, WSNs, balloon camera networks and DVB-S for real-time video streaming and image delivery in emergency situations among the disaster hit area, the remote control centre and the rescue teams in the field. The whole proposed system is implemented in a proven simulator. Through extensive simulations, the real-time visual communication performance of this integrated system has been numerically evaluated, towards a more in-depth understanding in supporting high-quality visual communications in such a demanding context.

Application of a Combined Model with Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA and Generalized Regression Neural Network (GRNN in Forecasting Hepatitis Incidence in Heng County, China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wudi Wei

Full Text Available Hepatitis is a serious public health problem with increasing cases and property damage in Heng County. It is necessary to develop a model to predict the hepatitis epidemic that could be useful for preventing this disease.The autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA model and the generalized regression neural network (GRNN model were used to fit the incidence data from the Heng County CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention from January 2005 to December 2012. Then, the ARIMA-GRNN hybrid model was developed. The incidence data from January 2013 to December 2013 were used to validate the models. Several parameters, including mean absolute error (MAE, root mean square error (RMSE, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE and mean square error (MSE, were used to compare the performance among the three models.The morbidity of hepatitis from Jan 2005 to Dec 2012 has seasonal variation and slightly rising trend. The ARIMA(0,1,2(1,1,112 model was the most appropriate one with the residual test showing a white noise sequence. The smoothing factor of the basic GRNN model and the combined model was 1.8 and 0.07, respectively. The four parameters of the hybrid model were lower than those of the two single models in the validation. The parameters values of the GRNN model were the lowest in the fitting of the three models.The hybrid ARIMA-GRNN model showed better hepatitis incidence forecasting in Heng County than the single ARIMA model and the basic GRNN model. It is a potential decision-supportive tool for controlling hepatitis in Heng County.

Learning to Detect Traffic Incidents from Data Based on Tree Augmented Naive Bayesian Classifiers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dawei Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study develops a tree augmented naive Bayesian (TAN classifier based incident detection algorithm. Compared with the Bayesian networks based detection algorithms developed in the previous studies, this algorithm has less dependency on experts’ knowledge. The structure of TAN classifier for incident detection is learned from data. The discretization of continuous attributes is processed using an entropy-based method automatically. A simulation dataset on the section of the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE in Singapore is used to demonstrate the development of proposed algorithm, including wavelet denoising, normalization, entropy-based discretization, and structure learning. The performance of TAN based algorithm is evaluated compared with the previous developed Bayesian network (BN based and multilayer feed forward (MLF neural networks based algorithms with the same AYE data. The experiment results show that the TAN based algorithms perform better than the BN classifiers and have a similar performance to the MLF based algorithm. However, TAN based algorithm would have wider vista of applications because the theory of TAN classifiers is much less complicated than MLF. It should be found from the experiment that the TAN classifier based algorithm has a significant superiority over the speed of model training and calibration compared with MLF.

Intelligent Hybrid Vehicle Power Control - Part 1: Machine Learning of Optimal Vehicle Power

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-30

the motor or both can provide the traction power to the drivetrain. During vehicle deceleration, the regenerative braking power is captured to charge...and Amax is the maximum acceleration. The 11 drive cycles are divided into four categories of roadway types and traffic congestion levels, freeway...freeway ramp, arterial, and local. Two of the categories , freeway and arterial, are further divided into subcategories based on a qualitative measure

Time trends in the incidence of eating disorders: a primary care study in The Netherlands.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Son, G.E. van; Hoeken, D. van; Bartelds, A.I.; Furth, E.F. van; Hoek, H.W.

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVE: This Dutch epidemiological study used primary care-based data to examine changes in the incidence of eating disorders in the 1990s compared to the 1980s. METHOD: A nationwide network of general practitioners, serving a representative sample of the total Dutch population, recorded newly

Time trends in the incidence of eating disorders : A primary care study in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Son, Gabrielle E.; van Hoeken, Daphne; Bartelds, Aad I. M.; van Furth, Eric F.; Hoek, Hans W.

Objective: This Dutch epidemiological study used primary care-based data to examine changes in the incidence of eating disorders in the 1990s compared to the 1980s. Method: A nationwide network of general practitioners, serving a representative sample of the total Dutch population, recorded newly

Computer incident response and forensics team management conducting a successful incident response

CERN Document Server

Johnson, Leighton

2013-01-01

Computer Incident Response and Forensics Team Management provides security professionals with a complete handbook of computer incident response from the perspective of forensics team management. This unique approach teaches readers the concepts and principles they need to conduct a successful incident response investigation, ensuring that proven policies and procedures are established and followed by all team members. Leighton R. Johnson III describes the processes within an incident response event and shows the crucial importance of skillful forensics team management, including when and where the transition to forensics investigation should occur during an incident response event. The book also provides discussions of key incident response components. Provides readers with a complete handbook on computer incident response from the perspective of forensics team management Identify the key steps to completing a successful computer incident response investigation Defines the qualities necessary to become a succ...

The evaluation of a web-based incident reporting system.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Ya-Hui; Lee, Ting-Ting; Mills, Mary Etta; Lin, Kuan-Chia

2012-07-01

A Web-based reporting system is essential to report incident events anonymously and confidentially. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a Web-based reporting system in Taiwan. User satisfaction and impact of system use were evaluated through a survey answered by 249 nurses. Incident events reported in paper and electronic systems were collected for comparison purposes. Study variables included system user satisfaction, willingness to report, number of reports, severity of the events, and efficiency of the reporting process. Results revealed that senior nurses were less willing to report events, nurses on internal medicine units had higher satisfaction than others, and lowest satisfaction was related to the time it took to file a report. In addition, the Web-based reporting system was used more often than the paper system. The percentages of events reported were significantly higher in the Web-based system in laboratory, environment/device, and incidents occurring in other units, whereas the proportions of reports involving bedsores and dislocation of endotracheal tubes were decreased. Finally, moderate injury event reporting decreased, whereas minor or minimal injury event reporting increased. The study recommends that the data entry process be simplified and the network system be improved to increase user satisfaction and reporting rates.

Incidence of medically attended influenza infection and cases averted by vaccination, 2011/12 and 2012/13 influenza seasons

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Michael L.; Jackson, Lisa A.; Kieke, Burney; McClure, David; Gaglani, Manjusha; Murthy, Kempapura; Malosh, Ryan; Monto, Arnold; Zimmerman, Richard K.; Foppa, Ivo M.; Flannery, Brendan; Thompson, Mark G.

2018-01-01

Background We estimated the burden of outpatient influenza and cases prevented by vaccination during the 2011/12 and 2012/13 influenza seasons using data from the United States Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness (US Flu VE) Network. Methods We defined source populations of persons who could seek care for acute respiratory illness (ARI) at each of the five US Flu VE Network sites. We identified all members of the source population who were tested for influenza during US Flu VE influenza surveillance. Each influenza-positive subject received a sampling weight based on the proportion of source population members who were tested for influenza, stratified by site, age, and other factors. We used the sampling weights to estimate the cumulative incidence of medically attended influenza in the source populations. We estimated cases averted by vaccination using estimates of cumulative incidence, vaccine coverage, and vaccine effectiveness. Results Cumulative incidence of medically attended influenza ranged from 0.8% to 2.8% across sites during 2011/12 and from 2.6% to 6.5% during the 2012/13 season. Stratified by age, incidence ranged from 1.2% among adults 50 years of age and older in 2011/12 to 10.9% among children 6 months to 8 years of age in 2012/13. Cases averted by vaccination ranged from 4 to 41 per 1,000 vaccinees, depending on the study site and year. Conclusions The incidence of medically attended influenza varies greatly by year and even by geographic region within the same year. The number of cases averted by vaccination varies greatly based on overall incidence and on vaccine coverage. PMID:26271827

Applied network security monitoring collection, detection, and analysis

CERN Document Server

Sanders, Chris

2013-01-01

Applied Network Security Monitoring is the essential guide to becoming an NSM analyst from the ground up. This book takes a fundamental approach to NSM, complete with dozens of real-world examples that teach you the key concepts of NSM. Network security monitoring is based on the principle that prevention eventually fails. In the current threat landscape, no matter how much you try, motivated attackers will eventually find their way into your network. At that point, it is your ability to detect and respond to that intrusion that can be the difference between a small incident and a major di

Applications of Machine learning in Prediction of Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helal, N.; Sarwat, E.

2012-01-01

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths for the female population in both developed and developing countries. In this work we have used the baseline descriptive data about the incidence (new cancer cases) of in situ breast cancer among Wisconsin females. The documented data were from the most recent 12-years period for which data are available. Wiscons in cancer incidence and mortality (deaths due to cancer) that occurred were also considered in this work. Artificial Neural network (ANN) have been successfully applied to problems in the prediction of the number of new cancer cases and mortality. Using artificial intelligence (AI) in this study, the numbers of new cancer cases and mortality that may occur are predicted.

Hiding Critical Targets in Smart Grid Networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bao, Wei [Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR (United States); Li, Qinghua

2017-10-23

With the integration of advanced communication technologies, the power grid is expected to greatly enhance efficiency and reliability of future power systems. However, since most electrical devices in power grid substations are connected via communication networks, cyber security of these communication networks becomes a critical issue. Real-World incidents such as Stuxnet have shown the feasibility of compromising a device in the power grid network to further launch more sophisticated attacks. To deal with security attacks of this spirit, this paper aims to hide critical targets from compromised internal nodes and hence protect them from further attacks launched by those compromised nodes. In particular, we consider substation networks and propose to add carefully-controlled dummy traffic to a substation network to make critical target nodes indistinguishable from other nodes in network traffic patterns. This paper describes the design and evaluation of such a scheme. Evaluations show that the scheme can effectively protect critical nodes with acceptable communication cost.

Controlled neural network application in track-match problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baginyan, S.A.; Ososkov, G.A.

1993-01-01

Track-match problem of high energy physics (HEP) data handling is formulated in terms of incidence matrices. The corresponding Hopfield neural network is developed to solve this type of constraint satisfaction problems (CSP). A special concept of the controlled neural network is proposed as a basis of an algorithm for the effective CSP solution. Results of comparable calculations show the very high performance of this algorithm against conventional search procedures. 8 refs.; 1 fig.; 1 tab

Scrutinizing incident reporting in anaesthesia: why is an incident perceived as critical?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maaløe, R; la Cour, M; Hansen, A

2006-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to measure the incidence and type of incidents that occurred in relation to anaesthesia and surgery during a 1-year period in six Danish hospitals. Furthermore, we wanted to identify risk factors for incidents, as well as risk factors for incidents being deeme...... critical....

Nervous System and Intracranial Tumour Incidence by Ethnicity in England, 2001–2007: A Descriptive Epidemiological Study

Science.gov (United States)

Maile, Edward J.; Barnes, Isobel; Finlayson, Alexander E.; Sayeed, Shameq; Ali, Raghib

2016-01-01

Background There is substantial variation in nervous system and intracranial tumour incidence worldwide. UK incidence data have limited utility because they group these diverse tumours together and do not provide data for individual ethnic groups within Blacks and South Asians. Our objective was to determine the incidence of individual tumour types for seven individual ethnic groups. Methods We used data from the National Cancer Intelligence Network on tumour site, age, sex and deprivation to identify 42,207 tumour cases. Self-reported ethnicity was obtained from the Hospital Episode Statistics database. We used mid-year population estimates from the Office for National Statistics. We analysed tumours by site using Poisson regression to estimate incidence rate ratios comparing non-White ethnicities to Whites after adjustment for sex, age and deprivation. Results Our study showed differences in tumour incidence by ethnicity for gliomas, meningiomas, pituitary tumours and cranial and paraspinal nerve tumours. Relative to Whites; South Asians, Blacks and Chinese have a lower incidence of gliomas (pethnicities. Blacks have a higher incidence of pituitary tumours relative to Whites (pethnicities. Conclusions We present incidence data of individual tumour types for seven ethnic groups. Current understanding of the aetiology of these tumours cannot explain our results. These findings suggest avenues for further work. PMID:27135830

Safety evaluation for communication network software modifications of PCS in Ulchin NPP unit 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, S. H.; Koh, J. S.; Kim, B. R.; Oh, S. H.

1999-01-01

On February 2, 1999, an incident occurred at the Ulchin Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 which resulted in the corruption of data on Perform Net of Plant Control System. This incident was caused by the ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) chip on the Rehostable Module which is a part of Network Interface Module. Regarding this incident, we required that the utility should propose new algorithms to detect the hardware failure of ASIC chip and evaluated the appropriateness of network software modifications. As a result of this evaluation process, we required that the safety related interlock signals using data communication path be hardwired to make up for the vulnerability of the system architecture. In this paper, we will discuss the system architecture of PCS and fault analysis and evaluation findings

Efficient determination of vehicle emission factors by fuel use category using on-road measurements: downward trends on Los Angeles freight corridor I-710

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Hudda

2013-01-01

Full Text Available To evaluate the success of vehicle emissions regulations, trends in both fleet-wide average emissions as well as high-emitter emissions are needed, but it is challenging to capture the full spread of vehicle emission factors (EFs with chassis dynamometer or tunnel studies, and remote sensing studies cannot evaluate particulate compounds. We developed an alternative method that links real-time on-road pollutant measurements from a mobile platform with real-time traffic data, and allows efficient calculation of both the average and the spread of EFs for light-duty gasoline-powered vehicles (LDG and heavy-duty diesel-powered vehicles (HDD. This is the first study in California to report EFs under a full range of real-world driving conditions on multiple freeways. Fleet average LDG EFs were in agreement with most recent studies and an order of magnitude lower than observed HDD EFs. HDD EFs reflected the relatively rapid decreases in diesel emissions that have recently occurred in Los Angeles/California, and on I-710, a primary route used for goods movement and a focus of additional truck fleet turnover incentives, HDD EFs were often lower than on other freeways. When freeway emission rates (ER were quantified as the product of EF and vehicle miles traveled (VMT per time per mile of freeway, despite a two- to three-fold difference in HDD fractions between freeways, ERs were found to be generally similar in magnitude. Higher LDG VMT on low HDD fraction freeways largely offset the difference. Therefore, the conventional assumption that freeways with the highest HDD fractions are significantly worse sources of total emissions in Los Angeles may no longer be~true.

Incidence of irradiated foods in the distribution network of Prague

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohačenko, I.; Kopicova, Z.; Zamecnikova, I.

2005-01-01

The samples, 29 in total, of poultry, rabbit meat, cheese and exotic fruits were taken from the distribution network of Prague. None of the samples was declared as irradiated according to the Decree of the Ministry of Health, CR, No. 133/2004 Sb. The check of their possible exposure to irradiation was made by means of two methods, i.e. the procedure according to EN 1784 (determination of hydrocarbons generated by irradiation using gas chromatography) and the determination of non-bonded o-tyrosine by means of HPLC with electrochemical detection. Neither method brought evidence for the exposure to irradiation, i.e. the purchased foodstuffs concerned were not labelled deceitfully. (author)

Exploring the Buruli Ulcer Incidence across a socio-ecological landscape in Ghana

Science.gov (United States)

Naithani, K. J.; Konzelman, C.; Tschakert, P.; Smithwick, E. A. H.

2016-12-01

The Buruli Ulcer (BU) disease is one of the most prevalent, but poorly understood mycobacterial infections in the world. Fundamental ecological aspects of the disease causing bacteria (Mycobacterium ulcerans) are not understood completely, but its emergence is attributed to unidentified thresholds in human and natural systems. We explored the network of these interactions across socio-ecological landscapes of Ghana to understand the movement of bacteria and the emergence of BU in response to climate, disturbance, social and economic factors. We chose five communities, three endemic and two control, and explored the correlations of disease incidence with climate, landscape disturbance, water quality and social factors using path analysis. Our results show that water quality is strongly linked to disease emergence with high alkalinity, PO43-, NH4+, F, Mn, S, Cd, Fe, Pb, and Se were associated with higher disease incidents and high Cu concentration was associated with low or healthy communities. Contrary to previous studies, arsenic concentration in water was not linked to higher disease incidence. Water quality was linked to climate, type of mining, and agricultural practices. Higher annual precipitation and lower air temperature were found linked to higher disease incidence across communities. Our exploratory work provides insight into how human land use, social practices, demographics, and climatic factors influence the BU disease spread.

Complex quantum network geometries: Evolution and phase transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Bianconi, Ginestra; Rahmede, Christoph; Wu, Zhihao

2015-08-01

Networks are topological and geometric structures used to describe systems as different as the Internet, the brain, or the quantum structure of space-time. Here we define complex quantum network geometries, describing the underlying structure of growing simplicial 2-complexes, i.e., simplicial complexes formed by triangles. These networks are geometric networks with energies of the links that grow according to a nonequilibrium dynamics. The evolution in time of the geometric networks is a classical evolution describing a given path of a path integral defining the evolution of quantum network states. The quantum network states are characterized by quantum occupation numbers that can be mapped, respectively, to the nodes, links, and triangles incident to each link of the network. We call the geometric networks describing the evolution of quantum network states the quantum geometric networks. The quantum geometric networks have many properties common to complex networks, including small-world property, high clustering coefficient, high modularity, and scale-free degree distribution. Moreover, they can be distinguished between the Fermi-Dirac network and the Bose-Einstein network obeying, respectively, the Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics. We show that these networks can undergo structural phase transitions where the geometrical properties of the networks change drastically. Finally, we comment on the relation between quantum complex network geometries, spin networks, and triangulations.

Incidents with hazardous radiation sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoenhacker, Stefan

2016-01-01

Incidents with hazardous radiation sources can occur in any country, even those without nuclear facilities. Preparedness for such incidents is supposed to fulfill globally agreed minimum standards. Incidents are categorized in incidents with licensed handling of radiation sources as for material testing, transport accidents of hazardous radiation sources, incidents with radionuclide batteries, incidents with satellites containing radioactive inventory, incidents wit not licensed handling of illegally acquired hazardous radiation sources. The emergency planning in Austria includes a differentiation according to the consequences: incidents with release of radioactive materials resulting in restricted contamination, incidents with release of radioactive materials resulting in local contamination, and incidents with the hazard of e@nhanced exposure due to the radiation source.

Evaluating the effectiveness of active vehicle safety systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Eunbi; Oh, Cheol

2017-03-01

Advanced vehicle safety systems have been widely introduced in transportation systems and are expected to enhance traffic safety. However, these technologies mainly focus on assisting individual vehicles that are equipped with them, and less effort has been made to identify the effect of vehicular technologies on the traffic stream. This study proposed a methodology to assess the effectiveness of active vehicle safety systems (AVSSs), which represent a promising technology to prevent traffic crashes and mitigate injury severity. The proposed AVSS consists of longitudinal and lateral vehicle control systems, which corresponds to the Level 2 vehicle automation presented by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA). The effectiveness evaluation for the proposed technology was conducted in terms of crash potential reduction and congestion mitigation. A microscopic traffic simulator, VISSIM, was used to simulate freeway traffic stream and collect vehicle-maneuvering data. In addition, an external application program interface, VISSIM's COM-interface, was used to implement the AVSS. A surrogate safety assessment model (SSAM) was used to derive indirect safety measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the AVSS. A 16.7-km freeway stretch between the Nakdong and Seonsan interchanges on Korean freeway 45 was selected for the simulation experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of AVSS. A total of five simulation runs for each evaluation scenario were conducted. For the non-incident conditions, the rear-end and lane-change conflicts were reduced by 78.8% and 17.3%, respectively, under the level of service (LOS) D traffic conditions. In addition, the average delay was reduced by 55.5%. However, the system's effectiveness was weakened in the LOS A-C categories. Under incident traffic conditions, the number of rear-end conflicts was reduced by approximately 9.7%. Vehicle delays were reduced by approximately 43.9% with 100% of market penetration rate (MPR). These results

Incidents analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francois, P.

1996-01-01

We undertook a study programme at the end of 1991. To start with, we performed some exploratory studies aimed at learning some preliminary lessons on this type of analysis: Assessment of the interest of probabilistic incident analysis; possibility of using PSA scenarios; skills and resources required. At the same time, EPN created a working group whose assignment was to define a new approach for analysis of incidents on NPPs. This working group gave thought to both aspects of Operating Feedback that EPN wished to improve: Analysis of significant incidents; analysis of potential consequences. We took part in the work of this group, and for the second aspects, we proposed a method based on an adaptation of the event-tree method in order to establish a link between existing PSA models and actual incidents. Since PSA provides an exhaustive database of accident scenarios applicable to the two most common types of units in France, they are obviously of interest for this sort of analysis. With this method we performed some incident analyses, and at the same time explores some methods employed abroad, particularly ASP (Accident Sequence Precursor, a method used by the NRC). Early in 1994 EDF began a systematic analysis programme. The first, transient phase will set up methods and an organizational structure. 7 figs

Incidents analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Francois, P

1997-12-31

We undertook a study programme at the end of 1991. To start with, we performed some exploratory studies aimed at learning some preliminary lessons on this type of analysis: Assessment of the interest of probabilistic incident analysis; possibility of using PSA scenarios; skills and resources required. At the same time, EPN created a working group whose assignment was to define a new approach for analysis of incidents on NPPs. This working group gave thought to both aspects of Operating Feedback that EPN wished to improve: Analysis of significant incidents; analysis of potential consequences. We took part in the work of this group, and for the second aspects, we proposed a method based on an adaptation of the event-tree method in order to establish a link between existing PSA models and actual incidents. Since PSA provides an exhaustive database of accident scenarios applicable to the two most common types of units in France, they are obviously of interest for this sort of analysis. With this method we performed some incident analyses, and at the same time explores some methods employed abroad, particularly ASP (Accident Sequence Precursor, a method used by the NRC). Early in 1994 EDF began a systematic analysis programme. The first, transient phase will set up methods and an organizational structure. 7 figs.

A simple approach to measure transmissibility and forecast incidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Nouvellet, Pierre; Cori, Anne; Garske, Tini; Blake, Isobel M; Dorigatti, Ilaria; Hinsley, Wes; Jombart, Thibaut; Mills, Harriet L; Nedjati-Gilani, Gemma; Van Kerkhove, Maria D; Fraser, Christophe; Donnelly, Christl A; Ferguson, Neil M; Riley, Steven

2018-03-01

Outbreaks of novel pathogens such as SARS, pandemic influenza and Ebola require substantial investments in reactive interventions, with consequent implementation plans sometimes revised on a weekly basis. Therefore, short-term forecasts of incidence are often of high priority. In light of the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa, a forecasting exercise was convened by a network of infectious disease modellers. The challenge was to forecast unseen "future" simulated data for four different scenarios at five different time points. In a similar method to that used during the recent Ebola epidemic, we estimated current levels of transmissibility, over variable time-windows chosen in an ad hoc way. Current estimated transmissibility was then used to forecast near-future incidence. We performed well within the challenge and often produced accurate forecasts. A retrospective analysis showed that our subjective method for deciding on the window of time with which to estimate transmissibility often resulted in the optimal choice. However, when near-future trends deviated substantially from exponential patterns, the accuracy of our forecasts was reduced. This exercise highlights the urgent need for infectious disease modellers to develop more robust descriptions of processes - other than the widespread depletion of susceptible individuals - that produce non-exponential patterns of incidence. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GRAPH-BASED POST INCIDENT INTERNAL AUDIT METHOD OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. S. Pantiukhin

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Graph-based post incident internal audit method of computer equipment is proposed. The essence of the proposed solution consists in the establishing of relationships among hard disk damps (image, RAM and network. This method is intended for description of information security incident properties during the internal post incident audit of computer equipment. Hard disk damps receiving and formation process takes place at the first step. It is followed by separation of these damps into the set of components. The set of components includes a large set of attributes that forms the basis for the formation of the graph. Separated data is recorded into the non-relational database management system (NoSQL that is adapted for graph storage, fast access and processing. Damps linking application method is applied at the final step. The presented method gives the possibility to human expert in information security or computer forensics for more precise, informative internal audit of computer equipment. The proposed method allows reducing the time spent on internal audit of computer equipment, increasing accuracy and informativeness of such audit. The method has a development potential and can be applied along with the other components in the tasks of users’ identification and computer forensics.

Developing an area-wide system for coordinated ramp meter control.

Science.gov (United States)

2008-12-01

Ramp metering has been broadly accepted and deployed as an effective countermeasure : against both recurrent and non-recurrent congestion on freeways. However, many current ramp : metering algorithms tend to improve only freeway travels using local d...

Wheelchair incidents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Drongelen AW van; Roszek B; Hilbers-Modderman ESM; Kallewaard M; Wassenaar C; LGM

2002-01-01

This RIVM study was performed to gain insight into wheelchair-related incidents with powered and manual wheelchairs reported to the USA FDA, the British MDA and the Dutch Center for Quality and Usability Research of Technical Aids (KBOH). The data in the databases do not indicate that incidents with

Incidence of Larval Anisakiosis in Ocean Fish Sold Through Network of Supermarket Stores

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Octavian Negrea

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Investigations conducted on a sample of 33 ocean fish of consumption, mackerel and herring uneviscerated and frosen, packed in plastic bags, different weights and purchased from supermarket chain stores, concerning the incidence and intensity of parasitism by larvae of Anisakis sp. to gut and visceral level, lesion picture caused and also some morphological measurements, reveals an incidence of anisakiasis of 60.0% to 72.2% in mackerel and respectively in herring. Regarding the infestation intensity of Anisakis larvae sp., infestations dominate weakly the mackerel (44.4%, followed by medium (33.3% and massive (22.0%. In contrast to the herring are dominant the medium infestations (46.1%, followed by massive (30.7% and low infestations (23.1%.Table of lesion caused by larval stages in gut and visceral level is characterized by intestinal congestion, hemorrhagic enteritis and hemoragico – necrotic and the presence of larval cystic foci on serous of gut, kidneys, liver and gonads. Morphological investigations carried out on a sample of 20 larvae, collected from herring and mackerel, regarding biometric aspects, cuticular and of color, body size variables highlights from 13.0 mm / 0.6 mm minimum to 27.0 / 0.6 mm maximum, with an average of 20.0 mm / 0.5 mm, comparable to those presented in the speciality literature.

Vulnerability in the power network - a pre study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kjoelle, Gerd H.; Uhlen, Kjetil; Rolfseng, Lars; Stene, Birger

2006-02-01

Vulnerability in the power distribution network has been made a current topic because of various factors, from terror attacks to a strained power balance, large breakdowns in the power system in Europe and North America in recent time and an anticipated increase in climate-related challenges in the coming years; all related to the modern society's critical dependence on reliable power supply. Several questions are posed; whether there is a foundation to say that the vulnerability in the power network is increasing because of factors like cuts in staffing, reduced investments and increased exploitation of the capacity in the power systems, or increased average age on the air network. Different development features can indicate that the power network's ability to resist high stress is about to weaken. Examples of this is the slowly increasing trend in the number of non-reported interruptions, as well as an increase in the error frequency for power lines in the distribution network and for distribution transformers. In the pre-study there has not been found enough evidence to give a clear answer to whether the vulnerability in the power network is in fact on the rise. This is mainly due to the lack of good indicators, measuring methods and the foundation for documentation. Suggestions for methodology in order to identify unwanted incidents, estimate the probability and classify consequences for vulnerability analyses of power networks are presented. The methodology is concretised and exemplified in relation to a specific case: Power loss in the southern Norway affecting more than 250 000 people for 8-12 hours. Such a consequence is classified as critical. For four sub areas it has been exemplified which incidents may potentially cause such breaks. A summary is made of the most important challenges related to making vulnerability analyses of power networks. Comprised here are appropriate concepts, definitions, standards and measuring scales as well as data foundation

Influence of social relationship domains and their combinations on incident dementia: a prospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Tami; Murata, Chiyoe; Saito, Masashige; Takeda, Tokunori; Kondo, Katsunori

2018-01-01

Social relationships consist of mutually related but distinct dimensions. It remains unclear how these domains independently contribute to incident dementia. This large-scale, prospective cohort study examines associations between the social relationship domains as well as their combinations and incident dementia among community-dwelling older adults. We analysed data from 13 984 community-dwelling adults aged 65+ without long-term care needs living in Aichi prefecture in Japan. Incident dementia was assessed based on the Long-term Care Insurance records, followed for 3436 days from the baseline survey conducted in 2003. Three social relationships domains (social support, social networks and social activities) were further divided into a total of eight subdomains. A social relationship diversity score was calculated using the social relationship domains which were significantly related to incident dementia. A Cox proportional hazards model showed that being married, exchanging support with family members, having contact with friends, participating in community groups and engaging in paid work were related to a lower likelihood of developing incident dementia, controlling for covariates and other social relationship domains. The diversity scores, ranging from 0 to 5, were linearly associated with incident dementia (psocial relationship subdomains which were negatively related to incident dementia, suggesting that dementia may potentially be prevented by enhancing these social relationships. Future studies should examine independent pathways between each social relationship domain and incident dementia. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Molecular dynamics study of radiation damage and microstructure evolution of zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes under carbon ion incidence

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Huan; Tang, Xiaobin; Chen, Feida; Huang, Hai; Liu, Jian; Chen, Da

2016-07-01

The radiation damage and microstructure evolution of different zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were investigated under incident carbon ion by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The radiation damage of SWCNTs under incident carbon ion with energy ranging from 25 eV to 1 keV at 300 K showed many differences at different incident sites, and the defect production increased to the maximum value with the increase in incident ion energy, and slightly decreased but stayed fairly stable within the majority of the energy range. The maximum damage of SWCNTs appeared when the incident ion energy reached 200 eV and the level of damage was directly proportional to incident ion fluence. The radiation damage was also studied at 100 K and 700 K and the defect production decreased distinctly with rising temperature because radiation-induced defects would anneal and recombine by saturating dangling bonds and reconstructing carbon network at the higher temperature. Furthermore, the stability of a large-diameter tube surpassed that of a thin one under the same radiation environments.

Bribery games on inter-dependent regular networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Prateek; Nandi, Anjan K; Sengupta, Supratim

2017-02-16

We examine a scenario of social conflict that is manifest during an interaction between government servants providing a service and citizens who are legally entitled to the service, using evolutionary game-theory in structured populations characterized by an inter-dependent network. Bribe-demands by government servants during such transactions, called harassment bribes, constitute a widespread form of corruption in many countries. We investigate the effect of varying bribe demand made by corrupt officials and the cost of complaining incurred by harassed citizens, on the proliferation of corrupt strategies in the population. We also examine how the connectivity of the various constituent networks affects the spread of corrupt officials in the population. We find that incidents of bribery can be considerably reduced in a network-structured populations compared to mixed populations. Interestingly, we also find that an optimal range for the connectivity of nodes in the citizen's network (signifying the degree of influence a citizen has in affecting the strategy of other citizens in the network) as well as the interaction network aids in the fixation of honest officers. Our results reveal the important role of network structure and connectivity in asymmetric games.

Bribery games on inter-dependent regular networks

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Prateek; Nandi, Anjan K.; Sengupta, Supratim

2017-02-01

We examine a scenario of social conflict that is manifest during an interaction between government servants providing a service and citizens who are legally entitled to the service, using evolutionary game-theory in structured populations characterized by an inter-dependent network. Bribe-demands by government servants during such transactions, called harassment bribes, constitute a widespread form of corruption in many countries. We investigate the effect of varying bribe demand made by corrupt officials and the cost of complaining incurred by harassed citizens, on the proliferation of corrupt strategies in the population. We also examine how the connectivity of the various constituent networks affects the spread of corrupt officials in the population. We find that incidents of bribery can be considerably reduced in a network-structured populations compared to mixed populations. Interestingly, we also find that an optimal range for the connectivity of nodes in the citizen’s network (signifying the degree of influence a citizen has in affecting the strategy of other citizens in the network) as well as the interaction network aids in the fixation of honest officers. Our results reveal the important role of network structure and connectivity in asymmetric games.

Cholera Incidence and Mortality in Sub-Saharan African Sites during Multi-country Surveillance.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauvageot, Delphine; Njanpop-Lafourcade, Berthe-Marie; Akilimali, Laurent; Anne, Jean-Claude; Bidjada, Pawou; Bompangue, Didier; Bwire, Godfrey; Coulibaly, Daouda; Dengo-Baloi, Liliana; Dosso, Mireille; Orach, Christopher Garimoi; Inguane, Dorteia; Kagirita, Atek; Kacou-N'Douba, Adele; Keita, Sakoba; Kere Banla, Abiba; Kouame, Yao Jean-Pierre; Landoh, Dadja Essoya; Langa, Jose Paulo; Makumbi, Issa; Miwanda, Berthe; Malimbo, Muggaga; Mutombo, Guy; Mutombo, Annie; NGuetta, Emilienne Niamke; Saliou, Mamadou; Sarr, Veronique; Senga, Raphael Kakongo; Sory, Fode; Sema, Cynthia; Tante, Ouyi Valentin; Gessner, Bradford D; Mengel, Martin A

2016-05-01

Cholera burden in Africa remains unknown, often because of weak national surveillance systems. We analyzed data from the African Cholera Surveillance Network (www.africhol.org). During June 2011-December 2013, we conducted enhanced surveillance in seven zones and four outbreak sites in Togo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique and Cote d'Ivoire. All health facilities treating cholera cases were included. Cholera incidences were calculated using culture-confirmed cholera cases and culture-confirmed cholera cases corrected for lack of culture testing usually due to overwhelmed health systems and imperfect test sensitivity. Of 13,377 reported suspected cases, 34% occurred in Conakry, Guinea, 47% in Goma, DRC, and 19% in the remaining sites. From 0-40% of suspected cases were aged under five years and from 0.3-86% had rice water stools. Within surveillance zones, 0-37% of suspected cases had confirmed cholera compared to 27-38% during outbreaks. Annual confirmed incidence per 10,000 population was cholera incidence, age distribution, clinical presentation, culture confirmation, and testing frequency. These results can help guide preventive activities, including vaccine use.

Intrusion detection techniques for plant-wide network in a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajasekhar, P.; Shrikhande, S.V.; Biswas, B.B.; Patil, R.K.

2012-01-01

Nuclear power plants have a lot of critical data to be sent to the operator workstations. A plant wide integrated communication network, with high throughput, determinism and redundancy, is required between the workstations and the field. Switched Ethernet network is a promising prospect for such an integrated communication network. But for such an integrated system, intrusion is a major issue. Hence the network should have an intrusion detection system to make the network data secure and enhance the network availability. Intrusion detection is the process of monitoring the events occurring in a network and analyzing them for signs of possible incidents, which are violations or imminent threats of violation of network security policies, acceptable user policies, or standard security practices. This paper states the various intrusion detection techniques and approaches which are applicable for analysis of a plant wide network. (author)

Spatial Analysis Along Networks Statistical and Computational Methods

CERN Document Server

Okabe, Atsuyuki

2012-01-01

In the real world, there are numerous and various events that occur on and alongside networks, including the occurrence of traffic accidents on highways, the location of stores alongside roads, the incidence of crime on streets and the contamination along rivers. In order to carry out analyses of those events, the researcher needs to be familiar with a range of specific techniques. Spatial Analysis Along Networks provides a practical guide to the necessary statistical techniques and their computational implementation. Each chapter illustrates a specific technique, from Stochastic Point Process

Model of Cholera Forecasting Using Artificial Neural Network in Chabahar City, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Pezeshki

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Cholera as an endemic disease remains a health issue in Iran despite decrease in incidence. Since forecasting epidemic diseases provides appropriate preventive actions in disease spread, different forecasting methods including artificial neural networks have been developed to study parameters involved in incidence and spread of epidemic diseases such as cholera. Objectives: In this study, cholera in rural area of Chabahar, Iran was investigated to achieve a proper forecasting model. Materials and Methods: Data of cholera was gathered from 465 villages, of which 104 reported cholera during ten years period of study. Logistic regression modeling and correlate bivariate were used to determine risk factors and achieve possible predictive model one-hidden-layer perception neural network with backpropagation training algorithm and the sigmoid activation function was trained and tested between the two groups of infected and non-infected villages after preprocessing. For determining validity of prediction, the ROC diagram was used. The study variables included climate conditions and geographical parameters. Results: After determining significant variables of cholera incidence, the described artificial neural network model was capable of forecasting cholera event among villages of test group with accuracy up to 80%. The highest accuracy was achieved when model was trained with variables that were significant in statistical analysis describing that the two methods confirm the result of each other. Conclusions: Application of artificial neural networking assists forecasting cholera for adopting protective measures. For a more accurate prediction, comprehensive information is required including data on hygienic, social and demographic parameters.

Cholera Incidence and Mortality in Sub-Saharan African Sites during Multi-country Surveillance

Science.gov (United States)

Sauvageot, Delphine; Njanpop-Lafourcade, Berthe-Marie; Akilimali, Laurent; Anne, Jean-Claude; Bidjada, Pawou; Bompangue, Didier; Bwire, Godfrey; Coulibaly, Daouda; Dengo-Baloi, Liliana; Dosso, Mireille; Orach, Christopher Garimoi; Inguane, Dorteia; Kagirita, Atek; Kacou-N’Douba, Adele; Keita, Sakoba; Kere Banla, Abiba; Kouame, Yao Jean-Pierre; Landoh, Dadja Essoya; Langa, Jose Paulo; Makumbi, Issa; Miwanda, Berthe; Malimbo, Muggaga; Mutombo, Guy; Mutombo, Annie; NGuetta, Emilienne Niamke; Saliou, Mamadou; Sarr, Veronique; Senga, Raphael Kakongo; Sory, Fode; Sema, Cynthia; Tante, Ouyi Valentin; Gessner, Bradford D.; Mengel, Martin A.

2016-01-01

Background Cholera burden in Africa remains unknown, often because of weak national surveillance systems. We analyzed data from the African Cholera Surveillance Network (www.africhol.org). Methods/ Principal findings During June 2011–December 2013, we conducted enhanced surveillance in seven zones and four outbreak sites in Togo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique and Cote d’Ivoire. All health facilities treating cholera cases were included. Cholera incidences were calculated using culture-confirmed cholera cases and culture-confirmed cholera cases corrected for lack of culture testing usually due to overwhelmed health systems and imperfect test sensitivity. Of 13,377 reported suspected cases, 34% occurred in Conakry, Guinea, 47% in Goma, DRC, and 19% in the remaining sites. From 0–40% of suspected cases were aged under five years and from 0.3–86% had rice water stools. Within surveillance zones, 0–37% of suspected cases had confirmed cholera compared to 27–38% during outbreaks. Annual confirmed incidence per 10,000 population was Conakry had corrected incidences of 20.2 and 5.8 respectively, while the other zones a median of 0.3. During outbreaks, corrected incidence varied from 2.6 to 13.0. Case fatality ratios ranged from 0–10% (median, 1%) by country. Conclusions/Significance Across different African epidemiological contexts, substantial variation occurred in cholera incidence, age distribution, clinical presentation, culture confirmation, and testing frequency. These results can help guide preventive activities, including vaccine use. PMID:27186885

Incident Information Management Tool

CERN Document Server

Pejovic, Vladimir

2015-01-01

Flaws of\tcurrent incident information management at CMS and CERN\tare discussed. A new data\tmodel for future incident database is\tproposed and briefly described. Recently developed draft version of GIS-­‐based tool for incident tracking is presented.

Understanding Traveler Behavior : The Psychology Behind Managed Lane Use

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-01

Recent analysis of Katy Freeway/Managed Lane (ML) travelers and I-394 Freeway/High : Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane traveler data has found that many travelers pay to use these HOT : lanes and MLs when adjacent toll-free lanes are operating at nearly the ...

Radiological incidents in radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hobzova, L.; Novotny, J.

2008-01-01

In many countries a reporting system of radiological incidents to national regulatory body exists and providers of radiotherapy treatment are obliged to report all major and/or in some countries all incidents occurring in institution. State Office for Nuclear Safety (SONS) is providing a systematic guidance for radiotherapy departments from 1997 by requiring inclusion of radiation safety problems into Quality assurance manual, which is the basic document for obtaining a license of SONS for handling with sources of ionizing radiation. For that purpose SONS also issued the recommendation 'Introduction of QA system for important sources in radiotherapy-radiological incidents' in which the radiological incidents are defined and the basic guidance for their classification (category A, B, C, D), investigation and reporting are given. At regular periods the SONS in co-operation with radiotherapy centers is making a survey of all radiological incidents occurring in institutions and it is presenting obtained information in synoptic communication (2003 Motolske dny, 2005 Novy Jicin). This presentation is another summary report of radiological incidents that occurred in our radiotherapy institutions during last 3 years. Emphasis is given not only to survey and statistics, but also to analysis of reasons of the radiological incidents and to their detection and prevention. Analyses of incidents in radiotherapy have led to a much broader understanding of incident causation. Information about the error should be shared as early as possible during or after investigation by all radiotherapy centers. Learning from incidents, errors and near misses should be a part of improvement of the QA system in institutions. Generally, it is recommended that all radiotherapy facilities should participate in the reporting, analyzing and learning system to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge throughout the whole country to prevent errors in radiotherapy.(authors)

A Case for Open Network Health Systems: Systems as Networks in Public Mental Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Grant Rhodes

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Increases in incidents involving so-called confused persons have brought attention to the potential costs of recent changes to public mental health (PMH services in the Netherlands. Decentralized under the (Community Participation Act (2014, local governments must find resources to compensate for reduced central funding to such services or “innovate.” But innovation, even when pressure for change is intense, is difficult. This perspective paper describes experience during and after an investigation into a particularly violent incident and murder. The aim was to provide recommendations to improve the functioning of local PMH services. The investigation concluded that no specific failure by an individual professional or service provider facility led to the murder. Instead, also as a result of the Participation Act that severed communication lines between individuals and organizations, information sharing failures were likely to have reduced system level capacity to identify risks. The methods and analytical frameworks employed to reach this conclusion, also lead to discussion as to the plausibility of an unconventional solution. If improving communication is the primary problem, non-hierarchical information, and organizational networks arise as possible and innovative system solutions. The proposal for debate is that traditional “health system” definitions, literature and narratives, and operating assumptions in public (mental health are ‘locked in’ constraining technical and organization innovations. If we view a “health system” as an adaptive system of economic and social “networks,” it becomes clear that the current orthodox solution, the so-called integrated health system, typically results in a “centralized hierarchical” or “tree” network. An overlooked alternative that breaks out of the established policy narratives is the view of a ‘health systems’ as a non-hierarchical organizational structure or �

[Decrease in the incidence of chickenpox in the Community of Madrid after universal childhood immunization. Years 2001-2015].

Science.gov (United States)

García Comas, Luis; Latasa Zamalloa, Pello; Alemán Vega, Guadalupe; Ordobás Gavín, María; Arce Arnáez, Araceli; Rodero Garduño, Inmaculada; Estirado Gómez, Alicia; Marisquerena, Ester Insúa

2018-01-01

Varicella vaccine was recommended in the Community of Madrid (CM) at 15months of age between November 2006 and December 2013. The objective was to describe the impact of vaccination on the incidence of varicella in the CM during the period 2001-2015. A descriptive study of cases of varicella reported to the Sentinel Physician Network of the CM and the cases recorded in the Minimum Basic Data Set at hospital discharge was carried out. Total incidence of cases and of hospital admissions were calculated, as well as specific incidence by age and sex. The incidence was 94.0% lower between 2012 and 2013 than between 2001 and 2003. Between 2014 and 2015 the incidence was 61.8% higher than between 2012 and 2013. The highest incidence was observed in children aged 0 to 4years except for 2010-2014, which was exceeded by the incidence in children aged 5 to 9. The trend in hospital admissions was also decreasing, with the highest incidence in children aged 0 to 1year, followed by 1-4years. There has been a significant decrease in the incidence of cases and of hospital admissions by varicella in all age groups after the recommendation to vaccinate at 15months of age, which is compatible with the effectiveness of a dose and its ability to produce immunity group. The withdrawal of this recommendation between 2014 and 2015 has led to an increase in the incidence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Predictive Index The Incidence Of Tuberculosis Children In South Kalimantan Province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahrul Ilmi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The research objective to formulate predictive index of Tuberculosis Children in South Kalimantan province. Research methods combined mixed methods with a combination of research model Sequential Exploratory Design qualitative approach to support quantitative and centered on quantitative Sugiono 2012 case control design. The number of qualitative sample was 16 respondents to interviews and 48 respondents for FGD. The number of quantitative research sample was 216 consisted of 62 cases and 154 controls. Qualitative sampling by purposive sampling and quantitative Multi-stage Cluster random sampling on 3 stages. The analysis technique used is descriptive qualitative and Confirmatory Factor Analysis Confirmatory Factor Analysis measure the latent of variables by using path analysis path analysis with the program Linear Structural Relationships LISREL. The results showed a positive effect on the socio-cultural environment and significantly associated with the incidence of Tuberculosis Children. While the physical environment of the house positively and significantly with biological environments and the incidence of Tuberculosis Children and immunization and nutrition status of children positively and significantly to the incidence of Tuberculosis of the Child as well as to the biological environment positive and significant effect on the incidence of TB Children. Formulation Predictive Index of Tuberculosis Children in South Kalimantan province. is index 019 Physical Environment Home 044 053 Biological Environment Social Environment Culture 019 Status Immunization and Child Nutrition. The results of all the R-square value indicates that all of the R-square values 0.5. This means that a predictive model of TB Kids index has met the required Goodness of Fit. New findings from research of this dissertation are 1. Research Variable of social networks social support and collective efficacy were associated with the incidence of Tuberculosis Children. 2

Predictors of incident and recurrent participation in the sale or delivery of drugs for profit amongst young methamphetamine users in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, 2005-2006.

Science.gov (United States)

Latimore, Amanda D; Rudolph, Abby; German, Danielle; Sherman, Susan G; Srirojn, Bangorn; Aramrattana, Apinun; Celentano, David D

2011-07-01

Despite Thailand's war on drugs, methamphetamine ("yaba" in Thai) use and the drug economy both thrive. This analysis identifies predictors of incident and recurrent involvement in the sale or delivery of drugs for profit amongst young Thai yaba users. Between April 2005 and June 2006, 983 yaba users, ages 18-25, were enrolled in a randomized behavioural intervention in Chiang Mai Province (415 index and 568 of their drug network members). Questionnaires administered at baseline, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up visits assessed socio-demographic factors, current and prior drug use, social network characteristics, sexual risk behaviours and drug use norms. Exposures were lagged by three months (prior visit). Outcomes included incident and recurrent drug economy involvement. Generalized linear mixed models were fit using GLIMMIX (SASv9.1). Incident drug economy involvement was predicted by yaba use frequency (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01, 1.10), recent incarceration (AOR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.07, 5.25) and the proportion of yaba-using networks who quit recently (AOR: .34; 95% CI: .15, .78). Recurrent drug economy involvement was predicted by age (AOR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.68, 0.96), frequency of yaba use (AOR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.09), drug economy involvement at the previous visit (AOR: 2.61; CI: 1.59, 4.28), incarceration in the prior three months (AOR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.07, 4.86), and the proportion of yaba-users in his/her network who quit recently (AOR: .38; 95% CI: .20, .71). Individual drug use, drug use in social networks and recent incarceration were predictors of incident and recurrent involvement in the drug economy. These results suggest that interrupting drug use and/or minimizing the influence of drug-using networks may help prevent further involvement in the drug economy. The emergence of recent incarceration as a predictor for both models highlights the need for more appropriate drug rehabilitation programmes and

Digital journalism in the Network Society: innovating in a competitive environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José-Alberto García-Avilés

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Internet’s rise as a dominant medium has transformed the ecosystem of the Network Society, bringing about deep changes in the economy, politics, culture, leisure and the public sphere (Castells, 1997. As a result, millions of communicators are connected to a Network increasingly intertwined, reaching global dimensions. Network communication pushes the limits and breaks frontiers: any isolated incident might originate international consequences, such as we have seen with Fidel Castro’s death, the victory of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential elections, the referendum about the peace process in Colombia or the “Brexit” in the United Kingdom.

Expert knowledge for automatic detection of bullies in social networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dadvar, M.; Trieschnigg, Rudolf Berend; de Jong, Franciska M.G.

2013-01-01

Cyberbullying is a serious social problem in online environments and social networks. Current approaches to tackle this problem are still inadequate for detecting bullying incidents or to flag bullies. In this study we used a multi-criteria evaluation system to obtain a better understanding of

A comparative study of generalized linear mixed modelling and artificial neural network approach for the joint modelling of survival and incidence of Dengue patients in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Hapugoda, J. C.; Sooriyarachchi, M. R.

2017-09-01

Survival time of patients with a disease and the incidence of that particular disease (count) is frequently observed in medical studies with the data of a clustered nature. In many cases, though, the survival times and the count can be correlated in a way that, diseases that occur rarely could have shorter survival times or vice versa. Due to this fact, joint modelling of these two variables will provide interesting and certainly improved results than modelling these separately. Authors have previously proposed a methodology using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) by joining the Discrete Time Hazard model with the Poisson Regression model to jointly model survival and count model. As Aritificial Neural Network (ANN) has become a most powerful computational tool to model complex non-linear systems, it was proposed to develop a new joint model of survival and count of Dengue patients of Sri Lanka by using that approach. Thus, the objective of this study is to develop a model using ANN approach and compare the results with the previously developed GLMM model. As the response variables are continuous in nature, Generalized Regression Neural Network (GRNN) approach was adopted to model the data. To compare the model fit, measures such as root mean square error (RMSE), absolute mean error (AME) and correlation coefficient (R) were used. The measures indicate the GRNN model fits the data better than the GLMM model.

Incidence of retinal complications in a cohort of newly diagnosed diabetic patients.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisa Martín-Merino

Full Text Available PURPOSE: We aimed at estimating the incidence of diabetic retinopathy (DR and maculopathy (DMP among newly diagnosed type 1 (t1DM and type 2 diabetic patients (t2DM in the United Kingdom primary care system. The incidence of DMP among patients with DR was also estimated. METHOD: We conducted a cohort study using The Health Improvement Network database. The cohort included 64,983 incident diabetic patients (97.3% were t2DM aged 1-84 years diagnosed between 2000 and 2007. This cohort was followed from the date of diabetes diagnosis until recording of DR or DMP in two separate follow-ups. Follow-up was censored at 85 years of age, death, or end of 2008. An additional follow-up was conducted from DR to DMP diagnosis using similar censoring reasons. DR and DMP cumulative incidences were calculated as well as incidence rates (IR; cases per 1,000 person-years per calendar period (2000-2001 and 2006-2007. RESULTS: Follow-up for DR: 9 years after diabetes diagnosis, 28% of t2DM and 24% of t1DM patients had developed DR (7,899 incident DR cases. During the first 2 years with diabetes, the IR was almost 2 times higher in patients diagnosed with diabetes in 2006-2007 (47.7 than among those diagnosed in 2000-2001 (24.5. Follow-up for DMP: 9 years after diabetes diagnosis, 3.6% of t2DM and 4.4% of t2DM patients had developed DMP (912 incident DMP cases. During the first 2 years with diabetes, the IR was three times higher in patients diagnosed with diabetes in 2006-2007 (5.8 than among those diagnosed in 2000-2001 (1.8. Macular oedema occurred in 0.8% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of incident diabetes, 28% of patients developed retinopathy and 4% maculopathy within the first 9 years. The 2-year IRs of DR and DMP were higher in patients diagnosed with diabetes during the period 2006-2007 than in those diagnosed during the 2000-2001 period.

Cholera Incidence and Mortality in Sub-Saharan African Sites during Multi-country Surveillance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delphine Sauvageot

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Cholera burden in Africa remains unknown, often because of weak national surveillance systems. We analyzed data from the African Cholera Surveillance Network (www.africhol.org.During June 2011-December 2013, we conducted enhanced surveillance in seven zones and four outbreak sites in Togo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique and Cote d'Ivoire. All health facilities treating cholera cases were included. Cholera incidences were calculated using culture-confirmed cholera cases and culture-confirmed cholera cases corrected for lack of culture testing usually due to overwhelmed health systems and imperfect test sensitivity. Of 13,377 reported suspected cases, 34% occurred in Conakry, Guinea, 47% in Goma, DRC, and 19% in the remaining sites. From 0-40% of suspected cases were aged under five years and from 0.3-86% had rice water stools. Within surveillance zones, 0-37% of suspected cases had confirmed cholera compared to 27-38% during outbreaks. Annual confirmed incidence per 10,000 population was <0.5 in surveillance zones, except Goma where it was 4.6. Goma and Conakry had corrected incidences of 20.2 and 5.8 respectively, while the other zones a median of 0.3. During outbreaks, corrected incidence varied from 2.6 to 13.0. Case fatality ratios ranged from 0-10% (median, 1% by country.Across different African epidemiological contexts, substantial variation occurred in cholera incidence, age distribution, clinical presentation, culture confirmation, and testing frequency. These results can help guide preventive activities, including vaccine use.

Thyroid cancer incidence in the Ukraine after the Chernobyl accident: comparison with spontaneous incidences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobolev, B.; Kairo, I.; Likhtarev, I.; Heidenreich, W.F.; Jacob, P.; Goulko, G.

1997-01-01

The thyroid cancer incidence in the Ukraine among those born in the period 1968-1986 was analyzed with the aim to identify the enhancement due to the Chernobyl accident. Since any Ukrainian data referring to the time period before the accident are scarce and the variation of spontaneous incidences in other countries is immense, the Ukrainian incidences in the period 1986-1989 were used to estimate the baseline risk. Following 1990, the incidence in the southern part of the Ukraine increased by about 30%, independent of age. In the other parts the increase of the incidence depended on age at exposure. In the age group of 9-year-old children, the incidences in three regions defined as the 'high-dose area', the northern, and the middle oblasts, increased by factors of 50, 20, and 6, respectively. These rates (1991-1995) are well above spontaneous rates in other countries. In the age group of 17-year-old juveniles, the incidence increased by a factor of 6 for the 'high dose area' and in the three northern oblasts, whereas in the nine 'middle' oblasts it was similar to the incidence of the 'southern' Ukraine. These rates are within the range found in other countries. (orig.)

Efficient determination of vehicle emission factors by fuel use category using on-road measurements: downward trends on Los Angeles freight corridor I-710.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudda, N; Fruin, S; Delfino, R J; Sioutas, C

2013-01-11

To evaluate the success of vehicle emissions regulations, trends in both fleet-wide average emissions as well as high-emitter emissions are needed, but it is challenging to capture the full spread of vehicle emission factors (EFs) with chassis dynamometer or tunnel studies, and remote sensing studies cannot evaluate particulate compounds. We developed an alternative method that links real-time on-road pollutant measurements from a mobile platform with real-time traffic data, and allows efficient calculation of both the average and the spread of EFs for light-duty gasoline-powered vehicles (LDG) and heavy-duty diesel-powered vehicles (HDD). This is the first study in California to report EFs under a full range of real-world driving conditions on multiple freeways. Fleet average LDG EFs were in agreement with most recent studies and an order of magnitude lower than observed HDD EFs. HDD EFs reflected the relatively rapid decreases in diesel emissions that have recently occurred in Los Angeles/California, and on I-710, a primary route used for goods movement and a focus of additional truck fleet turnover incentives, HDD EFs were often lower than on other freeways. When freeway emission rates (ER) were quantified as the product of EF and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per time per mile of freeway, despite a twoto three-fold difference in HDD fractions between freeways, ERs were found to be generally similar in magnitude. Higher LDG VMT on low HDD fraction freeways largely offset the difference. Therefore, the conventional assumption that free ways with the highest HDD fractions are significantly worse sources of total emissions in Los Angeles may no longer be true.

Cancer incidence among waiters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reijula, Jere; Kjaerheim, Kristina; Lynge, Elsebeth

2015-01-01

AIMS: To study cancer risk patterns among waiters in the Nordic countries. METHODS: We identified a cohort of 16,134 male and 81,838 female waiters from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. During the follow-up period from 1961 to 2005, we found that 19,388 incident cancer cases were...... diagnosed. Standardised incidence ratio (SIR) was defined as the observed number of cancer cases divided by the expected number, based on national age, time period and gender-specific cancer incidence rates in the general population. RESULTS: The SIR of all cancers in waiters, in the five countries combined...... INCIDENCE IN SOME CANCER SITES CAN LIKELY BE EXPLAINED BY HIGHER ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, THE PREVALENCE OF SMOKING AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO TOBACCO SMOKE HOPEFULLY, THE INCIDENCE OF CANCER AMONG WAITERS WILL DECREASE IN THE FUTURE, DUE TO THE BANNING OF TOBACCO SMOKING IN RESTAURANTS AND BARS IN THE NORDIC...

Critical incidents and critical incident stress management (CISM) - an employee assistance programme (EAP) perspective

OpenAIRE

Terblanche, Lourie; van Wyk, André

2014-01-01

Employees are increasingly becoming victims of critical incidents. From a systems theory point of view, it is necessary to acknowledge the impact of critical incidents not only on the personal life of the employee, but on the workplace itself. Employees respond differently to critical incidents, which makes it even more complicated when this reaches the point of requiring therapeutic intervention. The most common response to critical incidents may be the risk of developing post-traumatic s...

Psychological Trauma in the Workplace: Variation of Incident Severity among Industry Settings and between Recurring vs Isolated Incidents.

Science.gov (United States)

DeFraia, G S

2015-07-01

Psychologically traumatic workplace events (known as critical incidents) occur within various work environments, with workgroups in certain industries vulnerable to multiple incidents. With the increasing prevalence of incidents in the USA, incident response is a growing practice area within occupational medicine, industrial psychology, occupational social work and other occupational health professions. To analyze a measure of incident severity based on level of disruption to the workplace and explore whether incident severity varied among different industry settings or between workgroups experiencing multiple vs single traumatic incidents. Administrative data mining was employed to examine practice data from a workplace trauma response unit in the USA. Bivariate analyses were conducted to test whether scores from an instrument measuring incident severity level varied among industry settings or between workgroups impacted by multiple vs isolated events. Incident severity level differed among various industry settings. Banks, retail stores and fast food restaurants accounted for the most severe incidents, while industrial and manufacturing sites reported less severe incidents. Workgroups experiencing multiple incidents reported more severe incidents than workgroups experiencing a single incident. Occupational health practitioners should be alert to industry differences in several areas: pre-incident resiliency training, the content of business recovery plans, assessing worker characteristics, strategies to assist continuous operations and assisting workgroups impacted by multiple or severe incidents.

Moving EVs (Electric vehicles) into a mass transit scenario

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petrie, D [Petrie Transit Consultants (United States)

1996-12-31

In this futuristic scenario electric microcars, providing local mobility, would be automatically loaded onto maglev trucks for longer commutes on a guideway located on a barriered inside lane of existing freeways. Stations are located above the freeway and an elegant Command and Control subsystem would be matched to traffic requirements. (Author)

The incidence of congenital heart disease: Previous findings and perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miranović Vesna

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Congenital heart defects (CHD are the most common of all congenital anomalies, and represent a significant global health problem. Involvement of medical professionals of different profiles has led to drastic changes in survival and quality of life of children with CHD. The motivation for the implementation of the first large population studies on this subject was not only to obtain answers to the question on the level of incidence of CHD, but the harmonization of criteria and protocols for monitoring and treatment of certain defects as well as the planning of medical staff dealing with children with CHD. Data on the incidence varies from 4-10/1000 live births. Fetal echocardiography can have potential impact on decrease of CHD incidence. The increase in incidence may be due to the possibility that children with CHD will grow up and have offsprings. Owing to the progress that has been made, an increasing number of patients experiences adulthood, creating an entirely new and growing population of patients: patients with “adult” CHD. Survivors suffer morbidity resulting from their circulatory abnormalities as well as from medical and surgical therapies they have been subjected to. Application of the achievements of human genome projects will in time lead to drastic changes in the approach to the patients with CHD. Until the time when it is possible, the goal will be further improvement of the existing system of service: networking in a unique, multicenter clinical registry of patients with CHD, as well as upgrading of technical and non-technical conditions for the treatment of patients with CHD. We are in an unprecedented time of change, but are actually at the end of the beginning of making pediatric cardiac care a highly reliable institution.

Preliminary Calculation of the Energy Budget of the Radio Lines Orbital Method of Monitoring of Incidents caused by the Operator of the GLONASS system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikhail Yurievich Senatorov

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The calculation of the power transmitter onboard GLONASS satellites is submitted for the operation method of orbital monitoring of incidents caused by the system operator. Article is devoted to the description of actual ways of possible distribution of malwares such, as “Easter eggs”, client network applications (torrent-client and service of digital distribution. As the experiment description on distribution of malwares is provided in the simulated virtual network by means of service of digital distribution. Rules on safety of the user computers in a network are developed.

Psychological Trauma in the Workplace: Variation of Incident Severity among Industry Settings and between Recurring vs Isolated Incidents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GS DeFraia

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Psychologically traumatic workplace events (known as critical incidents occur within various work environments, with workgroups in certain industries vulnerable to multiple incidents. With the increasing prevalence of incidents in the USA, incident response is a growing practice area within occupational medicine, industrial psychology, occupational social work and other occupational health professions. Objective: To analyze a measure of incident severity based on level of disruption to the workplace and explore whether incident severity varied among different industry settings or between workgroups experiencing multiple vs single traumatic incidents. Methods: Administrative data mining was employed to examine practice data from a workplace trauma response unit in the USA. Bivariate analyses were conducted to test whether scores from an instrument measuring incident severity level varied among industry settings or between workgroups impacted by multiple vs isolated events. Results: Incident severity level differed among various industry settings. Banks, retail stores and fast food restaurants accounted for the most severe incidents, while industrial and manufacturing sites reported less severe incidents. Workgroups experiencing multiple incidents reported more severe incidents than workgroups experiencing a single incident. Conclusion: Occupational health practitioners should be alert to industry differences in several areas: pre-incident resiliency training, the content of business recovery plans, assessing worker characteristics, strategies to assist continuous operations and assisting workgroups impacted by multiple or severe incidents.

Using Web Crawler Technology for Geo-Events Analysis: A Case Study of the Huangyan Island Incident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Hu

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Social networking and network socialization provide abundant text information and social relationships into our daily lives. Making full use of these data in the big data era is of great significance for us to better understand the changing world and the information-based society. Though politics have been integrally involved in the hyperlinked world issues since the 1990s, the text analysis and data visualization of geo-events faced the bottleneck of traditional manual analysis. Though automatic assembly of different geospatial web and distributed geospatial information systems utilizing service chaining have been explored and built recently, the data mining and information collection are not comprehensive enough because of the sensibility, complexity, relativity, timeliness, and unexpected characteristics of political events. Based on the framework of Heritrix and the analysis of web-based text, word frequency, sentiment tendency, and dissemination path of the Huangyan Island incident were studied by using web crawler technology and the text analysis. The results indicate that tag cloud, frequency map, attitudes pie, individual mention ratios, and dissemination flow graph, based on the crawled information and data processing not only highlight the characteristics of geo-event itself, but also implicate many interesting phenomenon and deep-seated problems behind it, such as related topics, theme vocabularies, subject contents, hot countries, event bodies, opinion leaders, high-frequency vocabularies, information sources, semantic structure, propagation paths, distribution of different attitudes, and regional difference of net citizens’ response in the Huangyan Island incident. Furthermore, the text analysis of network information with the help of focused web crawler is able to express the time-space relationship of crawled information and the information characteristic of semantic network to the geo-events. Therefore, it is a useful tool to

Factors with regard to computerisation of the Dutch and the Belgian national general practitioner sentinel networks: a comparative analysis.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schweikardt, C.; Casteren, V. van; Verheij, R.A.; Coppieters, Y.

2013-01-01

Background: A general practitioner (GP) sentinel network observes a sample of the population by supplying reports on the incidence and epidemiological characteristics of specific diseases and on procedures in primary health care. In the 1970s, the Dutch and the Belgian national GP sentinel networks

Increasing incidence of pyogenic spondylodiscitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kehrer, Michala; Pedersen, Court; Jensen, Thøger G

2014-01-01

Smaller studies indicate that the incidence of pyogenic spondylodiscitis is increasing, possible related to a growing elderly population. Data supporting this is sparse, and we therefore studied patient characteristics and changes in spondylodiscitis incidence 1995-2008.......Smaller studies indicate that the incidence of pyogenic spondylodiscitis is increasing, possible related to a growing elderly population. Data supporting this is sparse, and we therefore studied patient characteristics and changes in spondylodiscitis incidence 1995-2008....

Hip fracture incidence is decreasing in the high incidence area of Oslo, Norway.

Science.gov (United States)

Støen, R O; Nordsletten, L; Meyer, H E; Frihagen, J F; Falch, J A; Lofthus, C M

2012-10-01

This study reports a significant decrease in age-adjusted incidence rates of hip fracture for women in Oslo, Norway, even compared with data from 1978/1979. Use of bisphosphonate may explain up to one third of the decline in the incidence. The aims of the present study were to report the current incidence of hip fractures in Oslo and to estimate the influence of bisphosphonates on the current incidence. Using the electronic diagnosis registers and lists from the operating theaters of the hospitals of Oslo, all patients with ICD-10 codes S72.0 and S72.1 (hip fracture) in 2007 were identified. Medical records of all identified patients were reviewed to verify the diagnosis. Age- and gender-specific annual incidence rates were calculated using the population of Oslo on January 1, 2007 as the population at risk. Data on the use of bisphosphonates were obtained from official registers. A total number of 1,005 hip fractures, 712 (71%) in women, were included. The age-adjusted fracture rates per 10,000 for the age group >50 years were 82.0 for women and 39.1 for men in 2007, compared with 110.8 and 41.4 in 1996/1997, 116.5 and 42.9 in 1988/1989, and 97.5 and 34.5 in 1978/1979, respectively. It was estimated that the use of bisphosphonates may explain up to 13% of the decline in incidence in women aged 60-69 years and up to 34% in women aged 70-79 years. The incidence of hip fractures in women in Oslo has decreased significantly during the last decade and is now at a lower level than in 1978/1979. This reduction was not evident in men. The incidence of hip fractures in Oslo is, however, still the highest in the world.

Situational Awareness of Network System Roles (SANSR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huffer, Kelly M [ORNL; Reed, Joel W [ORNL

2017-01-01

In a large enterprise it is difficult for cyber security analysts to know what services and roles every machine on the network is performing (e.g., file server, domain name server, email server). Using network flow data, already collected by most enterprises, we developed a proof-of-concept tool that discovers the roles of a system using both clustering and categorization techniques. The tool's role information would allow cyber analysts to detect consequential changes in the network, initiate incident response plans, and optimize their security posture. The results of this proof-of-concept tool proved to be quite accurate on three real data sets. We will present the algorithms used in the tool, describe the results of preliminary testing, provide visualizations of the results, and discuss areas for future work. Without this kind of situational awareness, cyber analysts cannot quickly diagnose an attack or prioritize remedial actions.

77 FR 48203 - Final Federal Agency Actions on Proposed Highway in North Carolina

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-13

..., from I-277 (Brookshire Freeway) to West Catawba Avenue (Exit 28), Mecklenburg County, North Carolina...) lanes, Federal Aid No. NHF-077-1(209)9, from I-277 (Brookshire Freeway) to West Catawba Avenue (Exit 28... southbound HOT lanes from their northern terminus to West Catawba Avenue (Exit 28). (3) Inclusion of a second...

Trends in Incidence and Factors Affecting Survival of Patients With Cholangiocarcinoma in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukkamalla, Shiva Kumar R; Naseri, Hussain M; Kim, Byung M; Katz, Steven C; Armenio, Vincent A

2018-04-01

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) includes cancers arising from the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. The etiology and pathogenesis of CCA remain poorly understood. This is the first study investigating both incidence patterns of CCA from 1973 through 2012 and demographic, clinical, and treatment variables affecting survival of patients with CCA. Patients and Methods: Using the SEER database, age-adjusted incidence rates were evaluated from 1973-2012 using SEER*Stat software. A retrospective cohort of 26,994 patients diagnosed with CCA from 1973-2008 was identified for survival analysis. Cox proportional hazards models were used to perform multivariate survival analysis. Results: Overall incidence of CCA increased by 65% from 1973-2012. Extrahepatic CCA (ECC) remained more common than intrahepatic CCA (ICC), whereas the incidence rates for ICC increased by 350% compared with a 20% increase seen with ECC. Men belonging to non-African American and non-Caucasian ethnicities had the highest incidence rates of CCA. This trend persisted throughout the study period, although African Americans and Caucasians saw 50% and 59% increases in incidence rates, respectively, compared with a 9% increase among other races. Median overall survival (OS) was 8 months in patients with ECC compared with 4 months in those with ICC. Our survival analysis found Hispanic women to have the best 5-year survival outcome ( P better survival outcomes compared with ICC ( P better survival outcomes compared with others ( P <.0001). Conclusions: This is the most up-to-date study of CCA from the SEER registry that shows temporal patterns of increasing incidence of CCA across different races, sexes, and ethnicities. We identified age, sex, race, marital status, income, smoking status, anatomic location of CCA, tumor grade, tumor stage, radiation, and surgery as independent prognostic factors for OS in patients with CCA. Copyright © 2018 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

CRITICAL INCIDENTS AND CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT (CISM – AN EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (EAP PERSPECTIVE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terblanche, Lourie

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Employees are increasingly becoming victims of critical incidents. From a systems theory point of view, it is necessary to acknowledge the impact of critical incidents not only on the personal life of the employee, but on the workplace itself. Employees respond differently to critical incidents, which makes it even more complicated when this reaches the point of requiring therapeutic intervention. The most common response to critical incidents may be the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD and/or depression. This reality requires management – through the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP – to be able to effectively deal with such critical incidents.

Safety culture and learning from incidents: the role of incident reporting and causal analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilpert, B.

1994-01-01

Nuclear industry more than any other industrial branch has developed and used predictive risk analysis as a method of feedforward control of safety and reliability. Systematic evaluation of operating experience, statistical documentation of component failures, systematic documentation and analysis of incidents are important complementary elements of feedback control: we are dealing here with adjustment and learning from experience, in particular from past incidents. Using preliminary findings from ongoing research at the Research Center Systems Safety at the Berlin University of Technology the contribution discusses preconditions for an effective use of lessons to be learnt from closely matched incident reporting and in depth analyses of causal chains leading to incidents. Such conditions are especially standardized documentation, reporting and analyzing methods of incidents; structured information flows and feedback loops; abstaining from culpability search; mutual trust of employees and management; willingness of all concerned to continually evaluate and optimize the established learning system. Thus, incident related reporting and causal analyses contribute to safety culture, which is seen to emerge from tightly coupled organizational measures and respective change in attitudes and behaviour. (author) 2 figs., 7 refs

Expecting the unexpected [The IAEA's Incident and Emergency Centre helps prepare States to face radiological emergencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, W.; Buglova, E.

2007-01-01

operational, efficient and effective. This includes training a broad range of IAEA staff to respond to emergencies as well as training external experts. In order to coordinate global response, the IEC hosts a Response Assistance Network (RANET) under which IAEA Member States and Parties to the Emergency Conventions register their response capabilities. This network aims to facilitate assistance in case of a nuclear or radiological incident or emergency in a timely and effective manner

Extension of mixture-of-experts networks for binary classification of hierarchical data.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Shu-Kay; McLachlan, Geoffrey J

2007-09-01

For many applied problems in the context of medically relevant artificial intelligence, the data collected exhibit a hierarchical or clustered structure. Ignoring the interdependence between hierarchical data can result in misleading classification. In this paper, we extend the mechanism for mixture-of-experts (ME) networks for binary classification of hierarchical data. Another extension is to quantify cluster-specific information on data hierarchy by random effects via the generalized linear mixed-effects model (GLMM). The extension of ME networks is implemented by allowing for correlation in the hierarchical data in both the gating and expert networks via the GLMM. The proposed model is illustrated using a real thyroid disease data set. In our study, we consider 7652 thyroid diagnosis records from 1984 to early 1987 with complete information on 20 attribute values. We obtain 10 independent random splits of the data into a training set and a test set in the proportions 85% and 15%. The test sets are used to assess the generalization performance of the proposed model, based on the percentage of misclassifications. For comparison, the results obtained from the ME network with independence assumption are also included. With the thyroid disease data, the misclassification rate on test sets for the extended ME network is 8.9%, compared to 13.9% for the ME network. In addition, based on model selection methods described in Section 2, a network with two experts is selected. These two expert networks can be considered as modeling two groups of patients with high and low incidence rates. Significant variation among the predicted cluster-specific random effects is detected in the patient group with low incidence rate. It is shown that the extended ME network outperforms the ME network for binary classification of hierarchical data. With the thyroid disease data, useful information on the relative log odds of patients with diagnosed conditions at different periods can be

Measurements and predictors of on-road ultrafine particle concentrations and associated pollutants in Los Angeles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fruin, S. [California Air Resources Board, Sacramento (United States); University of Southern California, Los Angeles (United States). Keck School of Medicine, Department of Preventive Medicine; Westerdahl, D.; Sax, T. [California Air Resources Board, Sacramento (United States); Sioutas, C. [University of Southern California, Los Angeles (United States). Civil and Environmental Engineering; Fine, P.M. [University of Southern California, Los Angeles (United States). Civil and Environmental Engineering; South Coast Air Quality Management District, Diamond Bar, CA (United States)

2008-01-15

Motor vehicles are the dominant source of oxides of nitrogen (NO{sub x}), particulate matter(PM), and certain air toxics (e.g., benzene, 1,3-butadiene) in urban areas. On roadways, motor vehicle-related pollutant concentrations are typically many times higher than ambient concentrations. Due to high air exchange rates typical of moving vehicles, this makes time spent in vehicles on roadways a major source of exposure. This paper presents on-road measurements for Los Angeles freeways and arterial roads taken from a zero-emission electric vehicle outfitted with real-time instruments. The objective was to characterize air pollutant concentrations on roadways and identify the factors associated with the highest concentrations. Our analysis demonstrated that on freeways, concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFPs), black carbon, nitric oxide, and PM-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PM-PAH) are generated primarily by diesel-powered vehicles, despite the relatively low fraction ({approx}6%) of diesel-powered vehicles on Los Angeles freeways. However, UFP concentrations on arterial roads appeared to be driven primarily by proximity to gasoline-powered vehicles undergoing hard accelerations. Concentrations were roughly one-third of those on freeways. By using a multiple regression model for the freeway measurements, we were able to explain 60-70% of the variability in concentrations of UFP, black carbon, nitric oxide, and PM-PAH using measures of diesel truck density and hour of day (as an indicator of wind speed). Freeway concentrations of these pollutants were also well correlated wth readily available annual average daily truck counts, potentially allowing improved population exposure estimates for epidemiology studies. Based on these roadway measurements and average driving time, it appears that 33-45% of total UFP exposure for Los Angeles residents occurs due to time spent traveling in vehicles. (author)

Measurements and predictors of on-road ultrafine particle concentrations and associated pollutants in Los Angeles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fruin, S.; Sioutas, C.

2008-01-01

Motor vehicles are the dominant source of oxides of nitrogen (NO x ), particulate matter(PM), and certain air toxics (e.g., benzene, 1,3-butadiene) in urban areas. On roadways, motor vehicle-related pollutant concentrations are typically many times higher than ambient concentrations. Due to high air exchange rates typical of moving vehicles, this makes time spent in vehicles on roadways a major source of exposure. This paper presents on-road measurements for Los Angeles freeways and arterial roads taken from a zero-emission electric vehicle outfitted with real-time instruments. The objective was to characterize air pollutant concentrations on roadways and identify the factors associated with the highest concentrations. Our analysis demonstrated that on freeways, concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFPs), black carbon, nitric oxide, and PM-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PM-PAH) are generated primarily by diesel-powered vehicles, despite the relatively low fraction (∼6%) of diesel-powered vehicles on Los Angeles freeways. However, UFP concentrations on arterial roads appeared to be driven primarily by proximity to gasoline-powered vehicles undergoing hard accelerations. Concentrations were roughly one-third of those on freeways. By using a multiple regression model for the freeway measurements, we were able to explain 60-70% of the variability in concentrations of UFP, black carbon, nitric oxide, and PM-PAH using measures of diesel truck density and hour of day (as an indicator of wind speed). Freeway concentrations of these pollutants were also well correlated wth readily available annual average daily truck counts, potentially allowing improved population exposure estimates for epidemiology studies. Based on these roadway measurements and average driving time, it appears that 33-45% of total UFP exposure for Los Angeles residents occurs due to time spent traveling in vehicles. (author)

Measurements and predictors of on-road ultrafine particle concentrations and associated pollutants in Los Angeles

Science.gov (United States)

Fruin, S.; Westerdahl, D.; Sax, T.; Sioutas, C.; Fine, P. M.

Motor vehicles are the dominant source of oxides of nitrogen (NO x), particulate matter (PM), and certain air toxics (e.g., benzene, 1,3-butadiene) in urban areas. On roadways, motor vehicle-related pollutant concentrations are typically many times higher than ambient concentrations. Due to high air exchange rates typical of moving vehicles, this makes time spent in vehicles on roadways a major source of exposure. This paper presents on-road measurements for Los Angeles freeways and arterial roads taken from a zero-emission electric vehicle outfitted with real-time instruments. The objective was to characterize air pollutant concentrations on roadways and identify the factors associated with the highest concentrations. Our analysis demonstrated that on freeways, concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFPs), black carbon, nitric oxide, and PM-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PM-PAH) are generated primarily by diesel-powered vehicles, despite the relatively low fraction (˜6%) of diesel-powered vehicles on Los Angeles freeways. However, UFP concentrations on arterial roads appeared to be driven primarily by proximity to gasoline-powered vehicles undergoing hard accelerations. Concentrations were roughly one-third of those on freeways. By using a multiple regression model for the freeway measurements, we were able to explain 60-70% of the variability in concentrations of UFP, black carbon, nitric oxide, and PM-PAH using measures of diesel truck density and hour of day (as an indicator of wind speed). Freeway concentrations of these pollutants were also well correlated with readily available annual average daily truck counts, potentially allowing improved population exposure estimates for epidemiology studies. Based on these roadway measurements and average driving time, it appears that 33-45% of total UFP exposure for Los Angeles residents occurs due to time spent traveling in vehicles.

A Case for Open Network Health Systems: Systems as Networks in Public Mental Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Michael Grant; de Vries, Marten W

2017-01-08

Increases in incidents involving so-called confused persons have brought attention to the potential costs of recent changes to public mental health (PMH) services in the Netherlands. Decentralized under the (Community) Participation Act (2014), local governments must find resources to compensate for reduced central funding to such services or "innovate." But innovation, even when pressure for change is intense, is difficult. This perspective paper describes experience during and after an investigation into a particularly violent incident and murder. The aim was to provide recommendations to improve the functioning of local PMH services. The investigation concluded that no specific failure by an individual professional or service provider facility led to the murder. Instead, also as a result of the Participation Act that severed communication lines between individuals and organizations, information sharing failures were likely to have reduced system level capacity to identify risks. The methods and analytical frameworks employed to reach this conclusion, also lead to discussion as to the plausibility of an unconventional solution. If improving communication is the primary problem, non-hierarchical information, and organizational networks arise as possible and innovative system solutions. The proposal for debate is that traditional "health system" definitions, literature and narratives, and operating assumptions in public (mental) health are 'locked in' constraining technical and organization innovations. If we view a "health system" as an adaptive system of economic and social "networks," it becomes clear that the current orthodox solution, the so-called integrated health system, typically results in a "centralized hierarchical" or "tree" network. An overlooked alternative that breaks out of the established policy narratives is the view of a 'health systems' as a non-hierarchical organizational structure or 'Open Network.' In turn, this opens new technological and

40 CFR 52.263 - Priority treatment for buses and carpools-Los Angeles Region.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... converted from existing lanes. (3) “Preferential treatment” for any class of vehicles, means either the.../carpool lanes: (1) Contraflow lane on the Golden State Freeway (I-5) from junction of Ventura Freeway...” means a vehicle containing three or more persons. (2) “Bus/carpool lane” means a lane on a street or...

Precursor incident program at EDF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fourest, B.; Maliverney, B.; Rozenholc, M.; Piovesan, C.

1998-01-01

The precursor program was started by EDF in 1994, after an investigation of the US NRC's Accident Sequence Precursor Program. Since then, reported operational events identified as Safety Outstanding Events have been analyzed whenever possible using probabilistic methods based on PSAs. Analysis provides an estimate of the remaining protection against core damage at the time the incident occurred. Measuring the incidents' severity enables to detect incidents important regarding safety. Moreover, the most efficient feedback actions can be derived from the main accident sequences identified through the analysis. Therefore, incident probabilistic analysis provides a way to assess priorities in terms of treatment and resource allocation, and so, to implement countermeasures preventing further occurrence and development of the most significant incidents. As some incidents cannot be analyzed using this method, probabilistic analysis can only be one among the methods used to assess the nuclear power plants' safety level. Nevertheless, it provides an interesting complement to classical methods of deterministic studies. (author)

A Network Diffusion Model of Food Safety Scare Behavior considering Information Transparency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tingqiang Chen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study constructs the network diffusion model of food safety scare behavior under the effect of information transparency and examines the network topology and evolution characteristics of food safety scare behavior in a numerical simulation. The main conclusions of this study are as follows. (1 Under the effect of information transparency, the network degree distribution of food safety scare behavior diffusion demonstrates the decreasing characteristics of diminishing margins. (2 Food safety scare behavior diffusion increases with the information dissemination rate and consumer concern about food safety incidents and shows the characteristics of monotone increasing. And with the increasing of the government food safety supervision information transparency and media food safety supervision information transparency, the whole is declining characteristic of diminishing marginal. In addition, the extinction of food safety scare behavior cannot be achieved gradually given a single regulation of government food safety supervision information transparency and media food safety supervision information transparency. (3 The interaction effects between improving government food safety supervision information transparency or media food safety supervision information transparency and declining consumer concerns about food safety incidents or information transmission rate can engender the suppression of food safety scare behavior diffusion.

Modeling geomagnetic induced currents in Australian power networks

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, R. A.; Kelly, A.; Van Der Walt, T.; Honecker, A.; Ong, C.; Mikkelsen, D.; Spierings, A.; Ivanovich, G.; Yoshikawa, A.

2017-07-01

Geomagnetic induced currents (GICs) have been considered an issue for high-latitude power networks for some decades. More recently, GICs have been observed and studied in power networks located in lower latitude regions. This paper presents the results of a model aimed at predicting and understanding the impact of geomagnetic storms on power networks in Australia, with particular focus on the Queensland and Tasmanian networks. The model incorporates a "geoelectric field" determined using a plane wave magnetic field incident on a uniform conducting Earth, and the network model developed by Lehtinen and Pirjola (1985). Model results for two intense geomagnetic storms of solar cycle 24 are compared with transformer neutral monitors at three locations within the Queensland network and one location within the Tasmanian network. The model is then used to assess the impacts of the superintense geomagnetic storm of 29-31 October 2003 on the flow of GICs within these networks. The model results show good correlation with the observations with coefficients ranging from 0.73 to 0.96 across the observing sites. For Queensland, modeled GIC magnitudes during the superstorm of 29-31 October 2003 exceed 40 A with the larger GICs occurring in the south-east section of the network. Modeled GICs in Tasmania for the same storm do not exceed 30 A. The larger distance spans and general east-west alignment of the southern section of the Queensland network, in conjunction with some relatively low branch resistance values, result in larger modeled GICs despite Queensland being a lower latitude network than Tasmania.

Effective communication of public health guidance to emergency department clinicians in the setting of emerging incidents: a qualitative study and framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Yasmin; Sanford, Sarah; Sider, Doug; Moore, Kieran; Garber, Gary; de Villa, Eileen; Schwartz, Brian

2017-04-28

Evidence to inform communication between emergency department clinicians and public health agencies is limited. In the context of diverse, emerging public health incidents, communication is urgent, as emergency department clinicians must implement recommendations to protect themselves and the public. The objectives of this study were to: explore current practices, barriers and facilitators at the local level for communicating public health guidance to emergency department clinicians in emerging public health incidents; and develop a framework that promotes effective communication of public health guidance to clinicians during emerging incidents. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 26 key informants from emergency departments and public health agencies in Ontario, Canada. Data were analyzed inductively and the analytic approach was guided by concepts of complexity theory. Emergent themes corresponded to challenges and strategies for effective communication of public health guidance. Important challenges related to the coordination of communication across institutions and jurisdictions, and differences in work environments across sectors. Strategies for effective communication were identified as the development of partnerships and collaboration, attention to specific methods of communication used, and the importance of roles and relationship-building prior to an emerging public health incident. Following descriptive analysis, a framework was developed that consists of the following elements: 1) Anticipate; 2) Invest in building relationships and networks; 3) Establish liaison roles and redundancy; 4) Active communication; 5) Consider and respond to the target audience; 6) Leverage networks for coordination; and 7) Acknowledge and address uncertainty. The qualities inherent in local relationships cut across framework elements. This research indicates that relationships are central to effective communication between public health

Regional comparison of cancer incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obralic, N.; Gavrankapetanovic, F.; Dizdarevic, Z.; Duric, O.; Sisic, F.; Selak, I.; Balta, S.; Nakas, B.

2004-01-01

Background. Due to specific war and post-war situation in Balkan region, differences in the number, type, development, biological course, treatment of malignant tumours and its outcome are possible. In order to perceive the situation realistically, it is necessary to gather continuously exact data about malignant tumours and compare them with the data from other European and world countries.The aim of the study was to collect and analyse the data on cancer incidence in the region of Sarajevo city, which represents a symbol of difficult times in the recent past, and to compare it to the incidence in the neighbouring countries. Patients and methods. Data on all newly diagnosed cancer cases, permanent residents of Sarajevo Canton, in the years 1999 and 2000 were collected. Crude incidence rate has been calculated according to the years observed, gender and localizations of the disease The data were compared to the cancer registries of Slovenia and Croatia and were observed in the light of specific local situation. Results. The crude cancer incidence of all sites but skin was the highest in both years and by both genders in Croatia. The incidence of the most common tumours (lung and breast cancer) was similar in all three countries. The differences in the incidence between both genders in the Sarajevo canton were registered in laryngeal and urinary bladder cancer, as well as in bone and cartilage sarcoma. Cervical cancer had extremely high incidence and was high up on the incidence list in the Sarajevo canton, which correlates with the data in developing countries. The incidence of other tumours in the post-war period is reaching expected numbers. Conclusions. It is difficult to identify whether the war and post-war stress, irregular and insufficient nutrition during and after the siege of the city of Sarajevo or some other factor influenced the cancer incidence among exposed population. The prevalence of smoking in the whole region is extremely high, in Bosnia and

Integrated Incident Management System (IIMS) web client application development, deployment and evaluation: an evaluation of a potential IIMS deployment in Western New York : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-30

Incident Management (IM) is an area of transportation management that can significantly decrease the congestion and increase the : efficiency of transportation networks in non-ideal conditions. In this study, the existing state of the Integrated Inci...

Incident Management: Process into Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Isaac, Gayle; Moore, Brian

2011-01-01

Tornados, shootings, fires--these are emergencies that require fast action by school district personnel, but they are not the only incidents that require risk management. The authors have introduced the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS) and assured that these systems can help educators plan for and…

Dementia incidence trend over 1992-2014 in the Netherlands: Analysis of primary care data

Science.gov (United States)

van Bussel, Emma F.; Richard, Edo; Coloma, Preciosa M.; de Waal, Margot W. M.; van den Akker, Marjan; Nielen, Markus M. J.; van Boven, Kees; Busschers, Wim B.; van Gool, Willem A.

2017-01-01

Background Recent reports have suggested declining age-specific incidence rates of dementia in high-income countries over time. Improved education and cardiovascular health in early age have been suggested to be bringing about this effect. The aim of this study was to estimate the age-specific dementia incidence trend in primary care records from a large population in the Netherlands. Methods and findings A dynamic cohort representative of the Dutch population was composed using primary care records from general practice registration networks (GPRNs) across the country. Data regarding dementia incidence were obtained using general-practitioner-recorded diagnosis of dementia within the electronic health records. Age-specific dementia incidence rates were calculated for all persons aged 60 y and over; negative binomial regression analysis was used to estimate the time trend. Nine out of eleven GPRNs provided data on more than 800,000 older people for the years 1992 to 2014, corresponding to over 4 million person-years and 23,186 incident dementia cases. The annual growth in dementia incidence rate was estimated to be 2.1% (95% CI 0.5% to 3.8%), and incidence rates were 1.08 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.13) times higher for women compared to men. Despite their relatively low numbers of person-years, the highest age groups contributed most to the increasing trend. There was no significant overall change in incidence rates since the start of a national dementia program in 2003 (−0.025; 95% CI −0.062 to 0.011). Increased awareness of dementia by patients and doctors in more recent years may have influenced dementia diagnosis by general practitioners in electronic health records, and needs to be taken into account when interpreting the data. Conclusions Within the clinical records of a large, representative sample of the Dutch population, we found no evidence for a declining incidence trend of dementia in the Netherlands. This could indicate true stability in incidence rates, or

Dementia incidence trend over 1992-2014 in the Netherlands: Analysis of primary care data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emma F van Bussel

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Recent reports have suggested declining age-specific incidence rates of dementia in high-income countries over time. Improved education and cardiovascular health in early age have been suggested to be bringing about this effect. The aim of this study was to estimate the age-specific dementia incidence trend in primary care records from a large population in the Netherlands.A dynamic cohort representative of the Dutch population was composed using primary care records from general practice registration networks (GPRNs across the country. Data regarding dementia incidence were obtained using general-practitioner-recorded diagnosis of dementia within the electronic health records. Age-specific dementia incidence rates were calculated for all persons aged 60 y and over; negative binomial regression analysis was used to estimate the time trend. Nine out of eleven GPRNs provided data on more than 800,000 older people for the years 1992 to 2014, corresponding to over 4 million person-years and 23,186 incident dementia cases. The annual growth in dementia incidence rate was estimated to be 2.1% (95% CI 0.5% to 3.8%, and incidence rates were 1.08 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.13 times higher for women compared to men. Despite their relatively low numbers of person-years, the highest age groups contributed most to the increasing trend. There was no significant overall change in incidence rates since the start of a national dementia program in 2003 (-0.025; 95% CI -0.062 to 0.011. Increased awareness of dementia by patients and doctors in more recent years may have influenced dementia diagnosis by general practitioners in electronic health records, and needs to be taken into account when interpreting the data.Within the clinical records of a large, representative sample of the Dutch population, we found no evidence for a declining incidence trend of dementia in the Netherlands. This could indicate true stability in incidence rates, or a balance between increased

A Novel Low-Cost Approach to Estimate the Incidence of Japanese Encephalitis in the Catchment Area of Three Hospitals in Bangladesh

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Repon C.; Rahman, Mahmudur; Gurley, Emily S.; Hossain, M. Jahangir; Diorditsa, Serguei; Hasan, ASM Mainul; Banu, Sultana S.; Alamgir, ASM; Rahman, Muhammad Aziz; Sandhu, Hardeep; Fischer, Marc; Luby, Stephen P.

2011-01-01

Acute meningoencephalitis syndrome surveillance was initiated in three medical college hospitals in Bangladesh in October 2007 to identify Japanese encephalitis (JE) cases. We estimated the population-based incidence of JE in the three hospitals' catchment areas by adjusting the hospital-based crude incidence of JE by the proportion of catchment area meningoencephalitis cases who were admitted to surveillance hospitals. Instead of a traditional house-to-house survey, which is expensive for a disease with low frequency, we attempted a novel approach to identify meningoencephalitis cases in the hospital catchment area through social networks among the community residents. The estimated JE incidence was 2.7/100,000 population in Rajshahi (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.8–4.9), 1.4 in Khulna (95% CI = 0.9–4.1), and 0.6 in Chittagong (95% CI = 0.4–0.9). Bangladesh should consider a pilot project to introduce JE vaccine in high-incidence areas. PMID:21813862

Measuring structural similarity in large online networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Yongren; Macy, Michael

2016-09-01

Structural similarity based on bipartite graphs can be used to detect meaningful communities, but the networks have been tiny compared to massive online networks. Scalability is important in applications involving tens of millions of individuals with highly skewed degree distributions. Simulation analysis holding underlying similarity constant shows that two widely used measures - Jaccard index and cosine similarity - are biased by the distribution of out-degree in web-scale networks. However, an alternative measure, the Standardized Co-incident Ratio (SCR), is unbiased. We apply SCR to members of Congress, musical artists, and professional sports teams to show how massive co-following on Twitter can be used to map meaningful affiliations among cultural entities, even in the absence of direct connections to one another. Our results show how structural similarity can be used to map cultural alignments and demonstrate the potential usefulness of social media data in the study of culture, politics, and organizations across the social and behavioral sciences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Network Level Carbon Dioxide Emissions From On-road Sources in the Portland OR, (USA) Metropolitan Area

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, J.; Butenhoff, C. L.; Rice, A. L.

2014-12-01

To mitigate climate change, governments at multiple levels are developing policies to decrease anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The City of Portland (Oregon) and Multnomah County have adopted a Climate Action Plan with a stated goal of reducing emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. The transportation sector alone accounts for about 40% of total emissions in the Portland metropolitan area. Here we show a new street-level model of on-road mobile CO2 emissions for the Portland, OR metropolitan region. The model uses hourly traffic counter recordings made by the Portland Bureau of Transportation at 9,352 sites over 21 years (1986-2006), augmented with freeway loop detector data from the Portland Regional Transportation Archive Listing (PORTAL) transportation data archive. We constructed a land use regression model to fill in traffic network gaps with traffic counts as the dependent variable using GIS data such as road class (32 categories) and population density. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) MOtor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model was used to estimate transportation CO2 emissions. The street-level emissions can be aggregated and gridded and used as input to atmospheric transport models for comparison with atmospheric measurements. This model also provides an independent assessment of top-down inventories that determine emissions from fuel sales, while being an important component of our ongoing effort to assess the effectiveness of emission mitigation strategies at the urban scale.

Maximum Parsimony on Phylogenetic networks

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Phylogenetic networks are generalizations of phylogenetic trees, that are used to model evolutionary events in various contexts. Several different methods and criteria have been introduced for reconstructing phylogenetic trees. Maximum Parsimony is a character-based approach that infers a phylogenetic tree by minimizing the total number of evolutionary steps required to explain a given set of data assigned on the leaves. Exact solutions for optimizing parsimony scores on phylogenetic trees have been introduced in the past. Results In this paper, we define the parsimony score on networks as the sum of the substitution costs along all the edges of the network; and show that certain well-known algorithms that calculate the optimum parsimony score on trees, such as Sankoff and Fitch algorithms extend naturally for networks, barring conflicting assignments at the reticulate vertices. We provide heuristics for finding the optimum parsimony scores on networks. Our algorithms can be applied for any cost matrix that may contain unequal substitution costs of transforming between different characters along different edges of the network. We analyzed this for experimental data on 10 leaves or fewer with at most 2 reticulations and found that for almost all networks, the bounds returned by the heuristics matched with the exhaustively determined optimum parsimony scores. Conclusion The parsimony score we define here does not directly reflect the cost of the best tree in the network that displays the evolution of the character. However, when searching for the most parsimonious network that describes a collection of characters, it becomes necessary to add additional cost considerations to prefer simpler structures, such as trees over networks. The parsimony score on a network that we describe here takes into account the substitution costs along the additional edges incident on each reticulate vertex, in addition to the substitution costs along the other edges which are

Cancer incidence in atomic bomb survivors. Part IV: Comparison of cancer incidence and mortality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ron, E.; Preston, D.L.; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko; Thompson, D.E.; Soda, Midori

1994-01-01

This report compares cancer incidence and mortality among atomic bomb survivors in the Radiation Effects Research Foundation Life Span Study (LSS) cohort. Because the incidence data are derived from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki tumor registries, case ascertainment is limited to the time (1958-1987) and geographic restrictions (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) of the registries, whereas mortality data are available from 1950-1987 anywhere in Japan. With these conditions, there were 9,014 first primary incident cancer cases identified among LSS cohort members compared with 7,308 deaths for which cancer was listed as the underlying cause of death on death certificates. When deaths were limited to those occurring between 1958-1987 in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, there were 3,155 more incident cancer cases overall, and 1,262 more cancers of the digestive system. For cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, skin, breast, female and male genital organs, urinary system and thyroid, the incidence series was at least twice as large as the comparable mortality series. Although the incidence and mortality data are dissimilar in many ways, the overall conclusions regarding which solid cancers provide evidence of a significant dose response generally confirm the mortality findings. When either incidence or mortality data are evaluated, significant excess risks are observed for all solid cancers, stomach, colon, liver (when it is defined as primary liver cancer or liver cancer not otherwise specified on the death certificate), lung, breast, ovary and urinary bladder. No significant radiation effect is seen for cancers of the pharynx, rectum, gallbladder, pancreas, nose, larynx, uterus, prostate or kidney in either series. There is evidence of a significant excess of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the incidence data, but not in the mortality series. 19 refs., 2 figs., 10 tabs

Technologies, Methodologies and Challenges in Network Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicoleta STANCIU

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an overview of the technologies and the methodologies used in Network Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (NIDPS. Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS technologies are differentiated by types of events that IDPSs can recognize, by types of devices that IDPSs monitor and by activity. NIDPSs monitor and analyze the streams of network packets in order to detect security incidents. The main methodology used by NIDPSs is protocol analysis. Protocol analysis requires good knowledge of the theory of the main protocols, their definition, how each protocol works.

Social networking-based simulations for nuclear security: Strategy assessment following nuclear cyber terror on South Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woo, Tae Ho; Kwak, Sang Man

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The cyber terror modeling is made by the social networking algorithm. • This is applicable by the social networking service (SNS). • Security of nuclear industry could be controlled by the network theory. • Newly developed complex algorithm can be introduced. • Simplified graphics show the operator easily. - Abstract: Nuclear energy has been studied for the secure power productions, which is based on the simulation study following the incident of nuclear cyber terror attack on South Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs). The social networking is used for the terror incident modeling and its prevention strategies. The nuclear industry could be investigated in the aspect of minimizing the dangerous situations caused by possible terror attacks which are considered by the society oriented connectivity among the related people or groups. The social networking circle by system dynamics diagram (SNCSD) is constructed, where the configuration of a model social networking example by system dynamics (SD) is applied. From A to H regions, the values are obtained by the random numbers incorporated with the designed algorithms. The results show the comparative values of terror possibilities which are based on the proposed social networking algorithm. It is possible to prepare for potential terrorism in the nuclear industry

Decreasing incidence rates of bacteremia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Stig Lønberg; Pedersen, C; Jensen, T G

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown that the incidence rate of bacteremia has been increasing over time. However, few studies have distinguished between community-acquired, healthcare-associated and nosocomial bacteremia. METHODS: We conducted a population-based study among adults with first......-time bacteremia in Funen County, Denmark, during 2000-2008 (N = 7786). We reported mean and annual incidence rates (per 100,000 person-years), overall and by place of acquisition. Trends were estimated using a Poisson regression model. RESULTS: The overall incidence rate was 215.7, including 99.0 for community......-acquired, 50.0 for healthcare-associated and 66.7 for nosocomial bacteremia. During 2000-2008, the overall incidence rate decreased by 23.3% from 254.1 to 198.8 (3.3% annually, p incidence rate of community-acquired bacteremia decreased by 25.6% from 119.0 to 93.8 (3.7% annually, p

Small Numbers, Big Challenges: Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Incidence and Survival in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Ballantine, Kirsten R; Watson, Heidi; Macfarlane, Scott; Winstanley, Mark; Corbett, Robin P; Spearing, Ruth; Stevanovic, Vladimir; Yi, Ma; Sullivan, Michael J

2017-06-01

This study was undertaken to determine cancer survival and describe the unique spectrum of cancers diagnosed among New Zealand's adolescents and young adult (AYA) population. Registrations for 1606 15-24 year olds diagnosed with a new primary malignant tumor between 2000 and 2009 were obtained from the New Zealand Cancer Registry and classified according to AYA diagnostic group and subgroup, age, sex, and prioritized ethnicity. Age-standardized incidence rates (IRs) per million person years and 5-year relative survival ratios were calculated. Cancer incidence was 228.6 per million for adolescents aged 15-19 years and 325.7 per million for young adults aged 20-24 years. Overall IRs were consistent across all ethnic groups but there were unique ethnic differences by tumor group including a higher incidence of bone tumors, carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract, and gonadal germ cell tumors among Maori, a higher incidence of leukemia among Pacific peoples, and a higher incidence of melanoma among non-Maori/non-Pacific peoples. Five-year relative survival for adolescents (75.1%) and AYA overall (80.6%) appeared poorer than had been achieved in other high-income countries. Maori (69.5%) and Pacific (71.3%) AYA had lower 5-year survival compared to non-Maori/non-Pacific peoples (84.2%). The survival disparities observed require further investigation to identify and address the causes of these inferior outcomes. The newly established AYA Cancer Network Aotearoa has been tasked with improving cancer survival and care and ensuring equality of access for New Zealand AYAs with cancer.

Survey of the WHO-REMPAN network's capability for strengthening preparedness for radiological and nuclear emergencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumagai, A [Takashi Nagai Memorial International Hibakusha Medical Centre, Nagasaki Univ. Hospital, Nagasaki (Japan); Carr, Z [Dept. of Public Health and Environment, Health Security and Environment Cluster, World Health Organization, Geneva (Switzerland); Akira, O [Takashi Nagai Memorial International Hibakusha Medical Centre, Nagasaki Univ. Hospital, Nagasaki (Japan); Christie, D [Dept. of Public Health and Environment, Health Security and Environment Cluster, World Health Organization, Geneva (Switzerland); Yamashita, S [Takashi Nagai Memorial International Hibakusha Medical Centre, Nagasaki Univ. Hospital, Nagasaki (Japan); Fukushima Medical Univ. (Japan)

2012-07-01

This paper investigates the capacity of the World Health Organization (WHO)-REMPAN network in responding to radiological incidents and nuclear emergencies. A survey developed by the WHO Secretariat and Nagasaki Univ. was sent to all 40 WHO-REMPAN collaborating centres and liaison institutes in order to verify the current situation of the network, identify needs and collect suggestions for future improvements. Most of the responding institutions said they were satisfied with the current status of the network. However, several responses to the survey indicate that better internal communication is needed, as well as a position document to specify the roles, rights and responsibilities of the network members. (authors)

Survey of the WHO-REMPAN network's capability for strengthening preparedness for radiological and nuclear emergencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumagai, A.; Carr, Z.; Akira, O.; Christie, D.; Yamashita, S.

2012-01-01

This paper investigates the capacity of the World Health Organization (WHO)-REMPAN network in responding to radiological incidents and nuclear emergencies. A survey developed by the WHO Secretariat and Nagasaki Univ. was sent to all 40 WHO-REMPAN collaborating centres and liaison institutes in order to verify the current situation of the network, identify needs and collect suggestions for future improvements. Most of the responding institutions said they were satisfied with the current status of the network. However, several responses to the survey indicate that better internal communication is needed, as well as a position document to specify the roles, rights and responsibilities of the network members. (authors)

The Micro-Pulse Lidar Network (MPLNET): A Federated Network of Micro-pulse Lidars and AERONET Sunphotometers

Science.gov (United States)

Welton, Ellsworth J.; Campbell, James R.; Spinhirne, James D.; Berkoff, Timothy A.; Holben, Brent; Tsay, Si-Chee

2004-01-01

We present the formation of a new global-ground based eye-safe lidar network, the NASA Micro-Pulse Lidar Network (MPLNET). The aim of MPLNET is to acquire long- term observations of aerosol and cloud vertical profiles at unique geographic sites within the NASA Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). MPLNET utilizes standard instrumentation and data processing algorithms for efficient network operations and direct comparison of data between each site. The micro-pulse lidar is eye-safe, compact, and commercially available, and most easily allows growth of the network without sacrificing standardized instrumentation goals. Network growth follows a federated approach, pioneered by AERONET, wherein independent research groups may join MPLNET with their own instrument and site. MPLNET sites produce not only vertical profile data, but also column-averaged products already available from AERONET (aerosol optical depth, sky radiance, size distributions). Algorithms are presented for each MPLNET data product. Real-time Level 1 data products (next-day) include daily lidar signal images from the surface to -2Okm, and Level 1.5 aerosol extinction profiles at times co-incident with AERONET observations. Quality assured Level 2 aerosol extinction profiles are generated after screening the Level 1.5 results and removing bad data. Level 3 products include continuous day/night aerosol extinction profiles, and are produced using Level 2 calibration data. Rigorous uncertainty calculations are presented for all data products. Analysis of MPLNET data show the MPL and our analysis routines are capable of successfully retrieving aerosol profiles, with the strenuous accounting of uncertainty necessary for accurate interpretation of the results.

Two 238Pu inhalation incidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleming, R.R.; Hall, R.M.

1978-06-01

Two employees inhaled significant amounts of 238 Pu in separate unrelated contamination incidents in 1977. Both acute exposure incidents are described and the urine, feces, and in-vivo chest count data for each employee. Case B ( 238 PuNO 3 ) received 24 DTPA treatments beginning the day of the incident while, for medical reasons, Case A ( 238 PuO 2 ) received no therapy

Information sharing for traffic incident management.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

Traffic incident management focuses on developing procedures, implementing policies, and deploying technologies to more quickly identify incidents, improve response times, and more effectively and efficiently manage the incident scene. Because so man...

Quantitative design of emergency monitoring network for river chemical spills based on discrete entropy theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Bin; Jiang, Jiping; Sivakumar, Bellie; Zheng, Yi; Wang, Peng

2018-05-01

Field monitoring strategy is critical for disaster preparedness and watershed emergency environmental management. However, development of such is also highly challenging. Despite the efforts and progress thus far, no definitive guidelines or solutions are available worldwide for quantitatively designing a monitoring network in response to river chemical spill incidents, except general rules based on administrative divisions or arbitrary interpolation on routine monitoring sections. To address this gap, a novel framework for spatial-temporal network design was proposed in this study. The framework combines contaminant transport modelling with discrete entropy theory and spectral analysis. The water quality model was applied to forecast the spatio-temporal distribution of contaminant after spills and then corresponding information transfer indexes (ITIs) and Fourier approximation periodic functions were estimated as critical measures for setting sampling locations and times. The results indicate that the framework can produce scientific preparedness plans of emergency monitoring based on scenario analysis of spill risks as well as rapid design as soon as the incident happened but not prepared. The framework was applied to a hypothetical spill case based on tracer experiment and a real nitrobenzene spill incident case to demonstrate its suitability and effectiveness. The newly-designed temporal-spatial monitoring network captured major pollution information at relatively low costs. It showed obvious benefits for follow-up early-warning and treatment as well as for aftermath recovery and assessment. The underlying drivers of ITIs as well as the limitations and uncertainty of the approach were analyzed based on the case studies. Comparison with existing monitoring network design approaches, management implications, and generalized applicability were also discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new spectrometer for grazing incidence X-ray fluorescence for the characterization of Arsenic implants and Hf based high-k layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ingerle, D.; Meirer, F.; Zoeger, N.; Pepponi, G.; Giubertoni, D.; Steinhauser, G.; Wobrauschek, P.; Streli, C.

2010-01-01

Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (GIXRF) is a powerful technique for depth-profiling and characterization of thin layers in depths up to a few hundred nanometers. By measurement of fluorescence signals at various incidence angles Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence Analysis provides information on depth distribution and total dose of the elements in the layers. The technique is very sensitive even in depths of a few nanometers. As Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence Analysis does not provide unambigous depth profile information and needs a realistic input depth profile for fitting, in the context of the EC funded European Integrated Activity of Excellence and Networking for Nano and Micro-Electronics Analysis (ANNA) Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence Analysis is used as a complementary technique to Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) for the characterization of Ultra Shallow Junctions (USJ). A measuring chamber was designed, constructed and tested to meet the requirements of Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence Analysis. A measurement protocol was developed and tested. Some results for As implants as well as Hf based high k layers on Silicon are shown. For the determination of the bulk As content of the wafers, Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis has also been applied for comparison.

SU-E-P-07: Retrospective Analysis of Incident Reports at a Radiology Department: Feedback From Incident Reporting System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kakinohana, Y; Toita, T; Heianna, J; Murayama, S [School of medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara-cho, Okinawa (Japan)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To provide an overview of reported incidents that occurred in a radiology department and to describe the most common causal source of incidents. Methods: Incident reports from the radiology department at the University of the Ryukyus Hospital between 2008 and 2013 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The incident report form contains the following items, causal factors of the incident and desirable corrective actions to prevent recurrence of similar incidents. These items allow the institution to investigate/analyze root causes of the incidents and suggest measures to be taken to prevent further, similar incidents. The ‘causal factors of the incident’ item comprises multiple selections from among 24 selections and includes some synonymous selections. In this study, this item was re-categorized into four causal source types: (i) carelessness, (ii) lack of skill or knowledge, (iii) deficiencies in communication, and (iv) external factors. Results: There were a total of 7490 incident reports over the study period and 276 (3.7%) were identified as originating from the radiology department. The most frequent causal source type was carelessness (62%). The other three types showed similar frequencies (10–14%). The staff members involved in incidents indicate three predominant desirable corrective actions to prevent or decrease the recurrence of similar incidents. These are ‘improvement in communication’ (24%), ‘staff training/education’ (19%), and ‘daily medical procedures’ (22%), and the most frequent was ‘improvement in communication’. Even though the most frequent causal factor was related to carelessness, the most desirable corrective action indicated by the staff members was related to communication. Conclusion: Our finding suggests that the most immediate causes are strongly related to carelessness. However, the most likely underlying causes of incidents would be related to deficiencies in effective communication. At our

Temporal and Spatial Evolution of Dengue Incidence in Brazil, 2001-2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Nádia Cristina Pinheiro; Lino, Valéria Teresa Saraiva; Daumas, Regina Paiva; Andrade, Mônica Kramer de Noronha; O'Dwyer, Gisele; Monteiro, Denise Leite Maia; Gerardi, Alyssa; Fernandes, Gabriel Henrique Barroso Viana; Ramos, José Augusto Sapienza; Ferreira, Carlos Eduardo Gonçalves; Leite, Iuri da Costa

2016-01-01

In Brazil, the incidence of dengue greatly increased in the last two decades and there are several factors impeding the control of the disease. The present study focused on describing the space-time evolution of dengue in Brazil from 2001 to 2012 and analyzing the relationship of the reported cases with socio-demographic and environmental factors. The analytic units used in the preparation of thematic maps were municipalities. Statistical tests and multilevel regression models were used to evaluate the association between dengue incidence and the following factors: climate, diagnostic period, demographic density, percentage of people living in rural areas, Gross Domestic Product, Gini index, percentage of garbage collection and the rate of households with a sewage network. The largest accumulation of dengue cases in Brazil was concentrated on the Atlantic coast and in the interior part of São Paulo State. The risk of dengue in subtropical and tropical climates was 1.20-11 times lower than that observed in semi-arid climates. In 2009-2010 and 2011-2012, the risks were ten and six times higher than in 2003-2004, respectively. Dengue is a common infection in the Brazilian population, with the largest accumulation of dengue cases concentrated on the Atlantic coast and in the interior area of São Paulo State. The high dengue rates observed in the Brazilian coastal region suggest that the cases imported from neighboring countries contribute to the spread of the disease in the country. Our results suggest that several socio-demographic and environmental factors resulted in the increase of dengue in the country over time. This is likely applicable to the occurrence of other arboviruses like Zika and chikungunya. To reverse the situation, Brazil must implement effective public policies that offer basic services such as garbage collection and sanitation networks as well as reduce vector populations.

78 FR 38949 - Computer Security Incident Coordination (CSIC): Providing Timely Cyber Incident Response

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-28

... exposed to various forms of cyber attack. In some cases, attacks can be thwarted through the use of...-3383-01] Computer Security Incident Coordination (CSIC): Providing Timely Cyber Incident Response... systems will be successfully attacked. When a successful attack occurs, the job of a Computer Security...

Targeting safety improvements through identification of incident origination and detection in a near-miss incident learning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novak, Avrey; Nyflot, Matthew J.; Ermoian, Ralph P.; Jordan, Loucille E.; Sponseller, Patricia A.; Kane, Gabrielle M.; Ford, Eric C.; Zeng, Jing

2016-01-01

Purpose: Radiation treatment planning involves a complex workflow that has multiple potential points of vulnerability. This study utilizes an incident reporting system to identify the origination and detection points of near-miss errors, in order to guide their departmental safety improvement efforts. Previous studies have examined where errors arise, but not where they are detected or applied a near-miss risk index (NMRI) to gauge severity. Methods: From 3/2012 to 3/2014, 1897 incidents were analyzed from a departmental incident learning system. All incidents were prospectively reviewed weekly by a multidisciplinary team and assigned a NMRI score ranging from 0 to 4 reflecting potential harm to the patient (no potential harm to potential critical harm). Incidents were classified by point of incident origination and detection based on a 103-step workflow. The individual steps were divided among nine broad workflow categories (patient assessment, imaging for radiation therapy (RT) planning, treatment planning, pretreatment plan review, treatment delivery, on-treatment quality management, post-treatment completion, equipment/software quality management, and other). The average NMRI scores of incidents originating or detected within each broad workflow area were calculated. Additionally, out of 103 individual process steps, 35 were classified as safety barriers, the process steps whose primary function is to catch errors. The safety barriers which most frequently detected incidents were identified and analyzed. Finally, the distance between event origination and detection was explored by grouping events by the number of broad workflow area events passed through before detection, and average NMRI scores were compared. Results: Near-miss incidents most commonly originated within treatment planning (33%). However, the incidents with the highest average NMRI scores originated during imaging for RT planning (NMRI = 2.0, average NMRI of all events = 1.5), specifically

Targeting safety improvements through identification of incident origination and detection in a near-miss incident learning system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Novak, Avrey; Nyflot, Matthew J.; Ermoian, Ralph P.; Jordan, Loucille E.; Sponseller, Patricia A.; Kane, Gabrielle M.; Ford, Eric C.; Zeng, Jing, E-mail: jzeng13@uw.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington Medical Center, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Campus Box 356043, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States)

2016-05-15

Purpose: Radiation treatment planning involves a complex workflow that has multiple potential points of vulnerability. This study utilizes an incident reporting system to identify the origination and detection points of near-miss errors, in order to guide their departmental safety improvement efforts. Previous studies have examined where errors arise, but not where they are detected or applied a near-miss risk index (NMRI) to gauge severity. Methods: From 3/2012 to 3/2014, 1897 incidents were analyzed from a departmental incident learning system. All incidents were prospectively reviewed weekly by a multidisciplinary team and assigned a NMRI score ranging from 0 to 4 reflecting potential harm to the patient (no potential harm to potential critical harm). Incidents were classified by point of incident origination and detection based on a 103-step workflow. The individual steps were divided among nine broad workflow categories (patient assessment, imaging for radiation therapy (RT) planning, treatment planning, pretreatment plan review, treatment delivery, on-treatment quality management, post-treatment completion, equipment/software quality management, and other). The average NMRI scores of incidents originating or detected within each broad workflow area were calculated. Additionally, out of 103 individual process steps, 35 were classified as safety barriers, the process steps whose primary function is to catch errors. The safety barriers which most frequently detected incidents were identified and analyzed. Finally, the distance between event origination and detection was explored by grouping events by the number of broad workflow area events passed through before detection, and average NMRI scores were compared. Results: Near-miss incidents most commonly originated within treatment planning (33%). However, the incidents with the highest average NMRI scores originated during imaging for RT planning (NMRI = 2.0, average NMRI of all events = 1.5), specifically

Evolution of porous network in GaSb under normally incident 60 keV Ar{sup +}-ion irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Datta, D.P. [SUNAG Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar 751 005, Odisha (India); Kanjilal, A. [Department of Physics, Shiv Nadar University, Gautam Budh Nagar 203 207, Uttar Pradesh (India); Garg, S.K. [SUNAG Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar 751 005, Odisha (India); Sahoo, P.K. [School of Physical Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar 751 005, Odisha (India); Satpati, B. [Surface Physics and Material Science Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700 064 (India); Kanjilal, D. [Inter-University Accelerator Center, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067 (India); Som, T., E-mail: tsom@iopb.res.in [SUNAG Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar 751 005, Odisha (India)

2014-08-15

Highlights: • We show the evolution of a nanoporous layer in GaSb under Ar{sup +}-ion bombardment at normal incidence in the hitherto unexplored high fluence regime, namely 7 × 10{sup 16}–3 × 10{sup 18} ions cm{sup −2}. • Fluence dependent formation and growth of patches on top of the nanoporous layer is demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy. • We also show high amount of oxidation of such ion-beam-generated nanoporous structures, with formation of Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3}. • Our study reveals the presence of nanocrystallites within the porous layer even at the highest fluence used in the experiment. • We interpret the experimental observations through a qualitative model where we take into account the effect of re-deposition of atoms sputtered from the nanoporous layer during Ar{sup +}-ion irradiation of GaSb. - Abstract: GaSb(1 0 0) samples were irradiated with 60 keV Ar{sup +}-ions at normal incidence for fluences in the range of 7 × 10{sup 16} to 3 × 10{sup 18} ions cm{sup −2} at room temperature, showing gradual evolution of a porous surface layer containing interconnected nanofibers. In particular, fluence dependent formation of patches on the nanoporous layer is observed by scanning electron microscopy. Combined results of grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy reveal the presence of nanocrystallites in the porous structures. Compositional analysis by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates the development of oxide phases, mainly Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3} where the former increases with fluence. We have proposed a model addressing a competition between ion-induced-defect driven growth of the nanoporous layer and redeposition of sputtered target atoms on the growing layer.

Hazmat Yearly Incident Summary Reports

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — Series of Incident data and summary statistics reports produced which provide statistical information on incidents by type, year, geographical location, and others....

Three decades of eating disorders in Dutch primary care: decreasing incidence of bulimia nervosa but not of anorexia nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Smink, F R E; van Hoeken, D; Donker, G A; Susser, E S; Oldehinkel, A J; Hoek, H W

2016-04-01

Whether the incidence of eating disorders in Western, industrialized countries has changed over time has been the subject of much debate. The purpose of this primary-care study was to examine changes in the incidence of eating disorders in The Netherlands during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. A nationwide network of general practitioners (GPs), serving a representative sample (~1%) of the total Dutch population, recorded newly diagnosed patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) in their practice during 1985-1989, 1995-1999, and 2005-2009. GPs are key players in the Dutch healthcare system, as their written referral is mandatory in order to get access to specialized (mental) healthcare, covered by health insurance. Health insurance is virtually universal in The Netherlands (99% of the population). A substantial number of GPs participated in all three study periods, during which the same case identification criteria were used and the same psychiatrist was responsible for making the final diagnoses. Incidence rates were calculated and for comparison between periods, incidence rate ratios. The overall incidence rate of BN decreased significantly in the past three decades (from 8.6 per 100,000 person-years in 1985-1989 to 6.1 in 1995-1999, and 3.2 in 2005-2009). The overall incidence of AN remained fairly stable during three decades, i.e. 7.4 per 100,000 person-years in 1985-1989, 7.8 in 1995-1999, and 6.0 in 2005-2009. The incidence rate of BN decreased significantly over the past three decades, while the overall incidence rate of AN remained stable.

Contingent association between the size of the social support network and osteoporosis among Korean elderly women.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seungwon; Seo, Da Hea; Kim, Kyoung Min; Lee, Eun Young; Kim, Hyeon Chang; Kim, Chang Oh; Youm, Yoosik; Rhee, Yumie

2017-01-01

To investigate the association between the number of personal ties (or the size of the social support network) and the incidence of osteoporosis among older women in Korea. Data from the Korean Urban Rural Elderly Study were used. Bone density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine (L1-L4) and femur neck. T-score, the standardized bone density compared with what is normally expected in a healthy young adult, was measured and the presence of osteoporosis was determined, if the T-score was social support network size was measured by self-responses (number of confidants and spouse). Of the 1,846 participants, 44.9% were diagnosed with osteoporosis. The association between the social support network size and the incidence of osteoporosis was curvilinear in both bivariate and multivariate analyses. Having more people in one's social support network size was associated with lower risk of osteoporosis until it reached around four. Increasing the social support network size beyond four, in contrast, was associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis. This association was contingent on the average intimacy level of the social network. At the highest average intimacy level ("extremely close"), increasing the number of social support network members from one to six was associated with linear decrease in the predicted probability of osteoporosis from 45% to 30%. However, at the lowest average intimacy level ("not very close"), the predicted probability of osteoporosis dramatically increased from 48% to 80% as the size of the social network increased from one to six. Our results show that maintaining a large and intimate social support network is associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis among elderly Korean women, while a large but less-intimate social relationship is associated with a higher risk.

Poster - 27: Incident Learning Practices in Ontario

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Angers, Crystal; Medlam, Gaylene; Liszewski, Brian; Simniceanu, Carina [The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Mississauga Halton/Central West Regional Cancer Center, Odette Cancer Centre, Cancer Care Ontario (Canada)

2016-08-15

Purpose: The Radiation Incident and Safety Committee (RISC), established and supported by Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), is responsible for advising the Provincial Head of the Radiation Treatment program on matters relating to provincial reporting of radiation incidents with the goal of improved risk mitigation. Methods: The committee is made up of Radiation Incident Leads (RILs) with representation from each of the 14 radiation medicine programs in the province. RISC routinely meets to review recent critical incidents and to discuss provincial reporting processes and future directions of the committee. Regular face to face meetings have provided an excellent venue for sharing incident learning practices. A summary of the incident learning practices across Ontario has been compiled. Results: Almost all programs in Ontario employ an incident learning committee to review incidents and identify corrective actions or process improvements. Tools used for incident reporting include: paper based reporting, a number of different commercial products and software solutions developed in-house. A wide range of classification schema (data taxonomies) are employed, although most have been influenced by national guidance documents. The majority of clinics perform root cause analyses but utilized methodologies vary significantly. Conclusions: Most programs in Ontario employ a committee approach to incident learning. However, the reporting tools and taxonomies in use vary greatly which represents a significant challenge to provincial reporting. RISC is preparing to adopt the National System for Incident Reporting – Radiation Therapy (NSIR-RT) which will standardize incident reporting and facilitate data analyses aimed at identifying targeted improvement initiatives.

Poster - 27: Incident Learning Practices in Ontario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angers, Crystal; Medlam, Gaylene; Liszewski, Brian; Simniceanu, Carina

2016-01-01

Purpose: The Radiation Incident and Safety Committee (RISC), established and supported by Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), is responsible for advising the Provincial Head of the Radiation Treatment program on matters relating to provincial reporting of radiation incidents with the goal of improved risk mitigation. Methods: The committee is made up of Radiation Incident Leads (RILs) with representation from each of the 14 radiation medicine programs in the province. RISC routinely meets to review recent critical incidents and to discuss provincial reporting processes and future directions of the committee. Regular face to face meetings have provided an excellent venue for sharing incident learning practices. A summary of the incident learning practices across Ontario has been compiled. Results: Almost all programs in Ontario employ an incident learning committee to review incidents and identify corrective actions or process improvements. Tools used for incident reporting include: paper based reporting, a number of different commercial products and software solutions developed in-house. A wide range of classification schema (data taxonomies) are employed, although most have been influenced by national guidance documents. The majority of clinics perform root cause analyses but utilized methodologies vary significantly. Conclusions: Most programs in Ontario employ a committee approach to incident learning. However, the reporting tools and taxonomies in use vary greatly which represents a significant challenge to provincial reporting. RISC is preparing to adopt the National System for Incident Reporting – Radiation Therapy (NSIR-RT) which will standardize incident reporting and facilitate data analyses aimed at identifying targeted improvement initiatives.

Road fugitive dust emission characteristics in Beijing during Olympics Game 2008 in Beijing, China

Science.gov (United States)

Shou-bin, Fan; Gang, Tian; Gang, Li; Yu-hu, Huang; Jian-ping, Qin; Shui-yuan, Cheng

2009-12-01

Eighty road dust-fall (DF) monitoring sites and 14 background monitoring sites were established in the Beijing metropolitan area, and monitoring was conducted from January 2006 to December 2008. The dust-fall attributable to roads (ΔDF) showed a clear decline from 2006 to 2008. Dust-fall levels decreased across different road types from freeway > major arterial roads > minor arterial roads > collector roads > background sites. The ΔDF showed declines of 65%, 55%, 65% and 84% respectively for freeways, major arterial, minor arterial and collector roads from August 2007 to August 2008, and declines of 77%, 76%, 82% and 82% between August 2006 and August 2008. The ΔDF declined by 80%, 79%, 82% and 69% for freeways, major arterial, minor arterial and collector roads respectively between September 2007 and September 2008, and declined by 84%, 88%, 80% and 81% between September 2006 and September 2008. Eighty samples were collected in August 2007 and August 2008 and analyzed for silt loading. PM 10 emission factors and emission strengths were calculated using the AP-42 model. The silt loading reduced by 77%, 35%, 61%, 59% and 75% for freeways, major arterial, minor arterial, collector and local roads respectively. The PM 10 emission factors were reduced by 57%, 15%, 36%, 51% and 61% and the PM 10 emission strength declined by 70%, 40%, 55%, 65% and 72% for freeways, major arterial, minor arterial, collector and local roads respectively between August 2007 and August 2008. The decline is consistent with the reduction in road dust-fall.

Incidents/accidents classification and reporting in Statoil.

Science.gov (United States)

Berentsen, Rune; Holmboe, Rolf H

2004-07-26

Based on requirements in the new petroleum regulations from Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) and the realisation of a need to improve and rationalise the routines for reporting and follow up of incidents, Statoil Exploration & Production Norway (Statoil E&P Norway) has formulated a new strategy and process for handling of incidents/accidents. The following past experiences serve as basis for the changes made to incident reporting in Statoil E&P Norway; too much resources were spent on a comprehensive handling and analysis of a vast amount of incidents with less importance for the safety level, taking the focus away from the more severe and important issues at hand, the assessment of "Risk Factor", i.e. the combination of recurrence frequency and consequence, was difficult to use. The high degree of subjectivity involved in the determination of the "Risk Factor" (in particular the estimation of the recurrence frequency) resulted in poor data quality and lack of consistency in the data material. The new system for categorisation and handling of undesirable incidents was established in January 2002. The intention was to get a higher degree of focus on serious incidents (injuries, damages, loss and near misses), with a thorough handling and follow-up. This is reflected throughout the handling of the serious incidents, all the way from immediate notification of the incident, through investigation and follow-up of corrective and preventive actions. Simultaneously, it was also an objective to rationalise/simplify the handling of less serious incidents. These incidents are, however, subjected to analyses twice a year in order to utilize the learning opportunity that they also provide. A year after the introduction of this new system for categorisation and follow-up of undesirable incidents, Statoil's experiences are predominantly good; the intention to get a higher degree of focus on serious incidents (injuries, damages, loss and near misses), has been met, the data

Analysis of factors associated with traffic injury severity on rural roads in Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Kashani, Ali Tavakoli; Shariat-Mohaymany, Afshin; Ranjbari, Andishe

2012-01-01

Iran is a country with one of the highest rates of traffic crash fatality and injury, and seventy percent of these fatalities happen on rural roads. The objective of this study is to identify the significant factors influencing injury severity among drivers involved in crashes on two kinds of major rural roads in Iran: two-lane, two-way roads and freeways. According to the dataset, 213569 drivers were involved in rural road crashes in Iran, over the 3 years from 2006 to 2008. The Classification And Regression Tree method (CART) was applied for 13 independent variables, and one target variable of injury severity with 3 classes of no-injury, injury and fatality. Some of the independent variables were cause of crash, collision type, weather conditions, road surface conditions, driver's age and gender and seat belt usage. The CART model was trained by 70% of these data, and tested with the rest. It was indicated that seat belt use is the most important safety factor for two-lane, two-way rural roads, but on freeways, the importance of this variable is less. Cause of crash, also turned out to be the next most important variable. The results showed that for two-lane, two-way rural roads, "improper overtaking" and "speeding", and for rural freeways, "inattention to traffic ahead", "vehicle defect", and "movement of pedestrians, livestock and unauthorized vehicles on freeways" are the most serious causes of increasing injury severity. The analysis results revealed seat belt use, cause of crash and collision type as the most important variables influencing the injury severity of traffic crashes. To deal with these problems, intensifying police enforcement by means of mobile patrol vehicles, constructing overtaking lanes where necessary, and prohibiting the crossing of pedestrians and livestock and the driving of unauthorized vehicles on freeways are necessary. Moreover, creating a rumble strip on the two edges of roads, and paying attention to the design consistency of

“Evaluation of a peer network intervention trial among young methamphetamine users in Chiang Mai, Thailand”

Science.gov (United States)

Sutcliffe, Catherine; Srirojn, Bangorn; Latkin, Carl A; Aramratanna, Ajpinun; Sherman, Susan G

2009-01-01

Since the 1990s, there has been a proliferation of methamphetamine use in Thailand, particularly among young people. Simultaneously, risky sexual behaviors among this population have increased. This study examined the effects of a peer network intervention and a life skills intervention on methamphetamine and HIV risk behaviors among 18–25 year olds in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Between April 2005 and June 2007, we conducted a randomized behavioral trial to compare the efficacy of a peer educator, network-oriented intervention with a best practice, life-skills curriculum on methamphetamine use, sexual behaviors, and incident sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Follow-up occurred at three, six, nine, and twelve months. Both conditions consisted of seven, two hour, small group sessions. Longitudinal analyses of the three outcomes were conducted by fitting repeated measures logistic regression models using generalized estimating equations. Participants (N=983) attended a median of six sessions, with no differences between arms. At each follow-up visit, retention was greater than 85%. Participants were 75% male and were a median of 19 years old. Over time, participants in both conditions showed a significant and dramatic decline in self-reported methamphetamine use (99% at baseline versus 53% at 12-months, p<0.0001) and significant increase in consistent condom use (32% baseline versus 44% at 12 months, p<0.0001). Incident STIs were common, with no differences between arms. Chlamydia had the highest incidence rate, 9.85/100 person-years and HIV had a low incidence rate of 0.71/100 person-years. Among young Thais, we found that a peer educator, network-oriented intervention was associated with reductions in methamphetamine use, increases in condom use, and reductions in incident STIs over 12 months. We also found parallel reductions with the life skills condition. To our knowledge, this is the first such trial targeting this population. Small group interventions are an

Incidence of hyperthyroidism in Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Abraham-Nordling, Mirna; Byström, Kristina; Törring, Ove; Lantz, Mikael; Berg, Gertrud; Calissendorff, Jan; Nyström, Helena Filipsson; Jansson, Svante; Jörneskog, Gun; Karlsson, F Anders; Nyström, Ernst; Ohrling, Hans; Orn, Thomas; Hallengren, Bengt; Wallin, Göran

2011-12-01

The incidence of hyperthyroidism has been reported in various countries to be 23-93/100,000 inhabitants per year. This extended study has evaluated the incidence for ~40% of the Swedish population of 9 million inhabitants. Sweden is considered to be iodine sufficient country. All patients including children, who were newly diagnosed with overt hyperthyroidism in the years 2003-2005, were prospectively registered in a multicenter study. The inclusion criteria are as follows: clinical symptoms and/or signs of hyperthyroidism with plasma TSH concentration below 0.2 mIE/l and increased plasma levels of free/total triiodothyronine and/or free/total thyroxine. Patients with relapse of hyperthyroidism or thyroiditis were not included. The diagnosis of Graves' disease (GD), toxic multinodular goiter (TMNG) and solitary toxic adenoma (STA), smoking, initial treatment, occurrence of thyroid-associated eye symptoms/signs, and demographic data were registered. A total of 2916 patients were diagnosed with de novo hyperthyroidism showing the total incidence of 27.6/100,000 inhabitants per year. The incidence of GD was 21.0/100,000 and toxic nodular goiter (TNG=STA+TMNG) occurred in 692 patients, corresponding to an annual incidence of 6.5/100,000. The incidence was higher in women compared with men (4.2:1). Seventy-five percent of the patients were diagnosed with GD, in whom thyroid-associated eye symptoms/signs occurred during diagnosis in every fifth patient. Geographical differences were observed. The incidence of hyperthyroidism in Sweden is in a lower range compared with international reports. Seventy-five percent of patients with hyperthyroidism had GD and 20% of them had thyroid-associated eye symptoms/signs during diagnosis. The observed geographical differences require further studies.

Incidence of ascariasis in gastric carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jong Woo; Rhee, Hak Song; Bahk, Yong Whee [St Mary' s Hospital Catholic Medical College, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1972-09-15

Prompted by the finding that the radiological incidence of small bowel ascariasis in the patient with gastric carcinoma was unexpectedly lower than the incidence in the normal population, a clinical study was performed to investigate possible relationship between gastric carcinoma and intestinal ascariasis. As a preliminary survey, we reviewed the radiological incidence of ascariasis in a total of 2,446 cases of upper GI series performed at the Department of Radiology, St Mary's Hospital Catholic Medical College. These included 1,573 normal subjects, 146 gastric carcinoma patients, 100 benign gastric ulcer and 249 duodenal ulcer patients and 378 other upper GI diseases. Following the preliminary study, a more accurate parasitologic study was conducted in another 578 normal subjects and 51 gastric carcinoma patients. The radiological incidences of ascaiasis in normal subjects and gastric carcinoma patients were 15.1% and 28.1%, respectively. The incidence of overall helminthiasis including ascaris lumbricoides, trichocephalus trichiurus and trichostrongyloides orientalis in normal subjects of the present series was 73.5%. This figure is virtually the same with 69.1% of the general population incidence reported by Kim, et al. (1971), but the incidence in gastric carcinoma patients was 94.1%. The high incidence pattern of overall helminthiasis in gastric carcinoma patients is, however, reversed as for as ascariasis is concerned. Thus, the incidence of ascariasis of gastric carcinoma patients was much lower than that of normal subjects (9.8% vs 19.4%). From the present observation, it is postulated that there can be some possible antagonistic relationship between evolution of gastric carcinoma and small bowel infestation of ascaris lumbricoides.

Incidence of ascariasis in gastric carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Woo; Rhee, Hak Song; Bahk, Yong Whee

1972-01-01

Prompted by the finding that the radiological incidence of small bowel ascariasis in the patient with gastric carcinoma was unexpectedly lower than the incidence in the normal population, a clinical study was performed to investigate possible relationship between gastric carcinoma and intestinal ascariasis. As a preliminary survey, we reviewed the radiological incidence of ascariasis in a total of 2,446 cases of upper GI series performed at the Department of Radiology, St Mary's Hospital Catholic Medical College. These included 1,573 normal subjects, 146 gastric carcinoma patients, 100 benign gastric ulcer and 249 duodenal ulcer patients and 378 other upper GI diseases. Following the preliminary study, a more accurate parasitologic study was conducted in another 578 normal subjects and 51 gastric carcinoma patients. The radiological incidences of ascaiasis in normal subjects and gastric carcinoma patients were 15.1% and 28.1%, respectively. The incidence of overall helminthiasis including ascaris lumbricoides, trichocephalus trichiurus and trichostrongyloides orientalis in normal subjects of the present series was 73.5%. This figure is virtually the same with 69.1% of the general population incidence reported by Kim, et al. (1971), but the incidence in gastric carcinoma patients was 94.1%. The high incidence pattern of overall helminthiasis in gastric carcinoma patients is, however, reversed as for as ascariasis is concerned. Thus, the incidence of ascariasis of gastric carcinoma patients was much lower than that of normal subjects (9.8% vs 19.4%). From the present observation, it is postulated that there can be some possible antagonistic relationship between evolution of gastric carcinoma and small bowel infestation of ascaris lumbricoides

The US Network of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Centers: Development, Progress, and Next Steps

Science.gov (United States)

Casper, T. Charles; Rose, John W.; Roalstad, Shelly; Waubant, Emmanuelle; Aaen, Gregory; Belman, Anita; Chitnis, Tanuja; Gorman, Mark; Krupp, Lauren; Lotze, Timothy E.; Ness, Jayne; Patterson, Marc; Rodriguez, Moses; Weinstock-Guttman, Bianca; Browning, Brittan; Graves, Jennifer; Tillema, Jan-Mendelt; Benson, Leslie; Harris, Yolanda

2014-01-01

Multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases in the pediatric population have received an increasing level of attention by clinicians and researchers. The low incidence of these diseases in children creates a need for the involvement of multiple clinical centers in research efforts. The Network of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Centers was created initially in 2006 to improve the diagnosis and care of children with demyelinating diseases. In 2010, the Network shifted its focus to multicenter research while continuing to advance the care of patients. The Network has obtained support from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. The Network will continue to serve as a platform for conducting impactful research in pediatric demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system. This article provides a description of the history and development, organization, mission, research priorities, current studies, and future plans of the Network. PMID:25270659

Application of a neural network for reflectance spectrum classification

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Gefei; Gartley, Michael

2017-05-01

Traditional reflectance spectrum classification algorithms are based on comparing spectrum across the electromagnetic spectrum anywhere from the ultra-violet to the thermal infrared regions. These methods analyze reflectance on a pixel by pixel basis. Inspired by high performance that Convolution Neural Networks (CNN) have demonstrated in image classification, we applied a neural network to analyze directional reflectance pattern images. By using the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) data, we can reformulate the 4-dimensional into 2 dimensions, namely incident direction × reflected direction × channels. Meanwhile, RIT's micro-DIRSIG model is utilized to simulate additional training samples for improving the robustness of the neural networks training. Unlike traditional classification by using hand-designed feature extraction with a trainable classifier, neural networks create several layers to learn a feature hierarchy from pixels to classifier and all layers are trained jointly. Hence, the our approach of utilizing the angular features are different to traditional methods utilizing spatial features. Although training processing typically has a large computational cost, simple classifiers work well when subsequently using neural network generated features. Currently, most popular neural networks such as VGG, GoogLeNet and AlexNet are trained based on RGB spatial image data. Our approach aims to build a directional reflectance spectrum based neural network to help us to understand from another perspective. At the end of this paper, we compare the difference among several classifiers and analyze the trade-off among neural networks parameters.

Three-dimensional strutted graphene grown by substrate-free sugar blowing for high-power-density supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xuebin; Zhang, Yuanjian; Zhi, Chunyi; Wang, Xi; Tang, Daiming; Xu, Yibin; Weng, Qunhong; Jiang, Xiangfen; Mitome, Masanori; Golberg, Dmitri; Bando, Yoshio

2013-12-01

Three-dimensional graphene architectures in the macroworld can in principle maintain all the extraordinary nanoscale properties of individual graphene flakes. However, current 3D graphene products suffer from poor electrical conductivity, low surface area and insufficient mechanical strength/elasticity; the interconnected self-supported reproducible 3D graphenes remain unavailable. Here we report a sugar-blowing approach based on a polymeric predecessor to synthesize a 3D graphene bubble network. The bubble network consists of mono- or few-layered graphitic membranes that are tightly glued, rigidly fixed and spatially scaffolded by micrometre-scale graphitic struts. Such a topological configuration provides intimate structural interconnectivities, freeway for electron/phonon transports, huge accessible surface area, as well as robust mechanical properties. The graphene network thus overcomes the drawbacks of presently available 3D graphene products and opens up a wide horizon for diverse practical usages, for example, high-power high-energy electrochemical capacitors, as highlighted in this work.

Three-dimensional strutted graphene grown by substrate-free sugar blowing for high-power-density supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xuebin; Zhang, Yuanjian; Zhi, Chunyi; Wang, Xi; Tang, Daiming; Xu, Yibin; Weng, Qunhong; Jiang, Xiangfen; Mitome, Masanori; Golberg, Dmitri; Bando, Yoshio

2013-01-01

Three-dimensional graphene architectures in the macroworld can in principle maintain all the extraordinary nanoscale properties of individual graphene flakes. However, current 3D graphene products suffer from poor electrical conductivity, low surface area and insufficient mechanical strength/elasticity; the interconnected self-supported reproducible 3D graphenes remain unavailable. Here we report a sugar-blowing approach based on a polymeric predecessor to synthesize a 3D graphene bubble network. The bubble network consists of mono- or few-layered graphitic membranes that are tightly glued, rigidly fixed and spatially scaffolded by micrometre-scale graphitic struts. Such a topological configuration provides intimate structural interconnectivities, freeway for electron/phonon transports, huge accessible surface area, as well as robust mechanical properties. The graphene network thus overcomes the drawbacks of presently available 3D graphene products and opens up a wide horizon for diverse practical usages, for example, high-power high-energy electrochemical capacitors, as highlighted in this work. PMID:24336225

Statement of nuclear incidents: statement of incidents at nuclear installations: third quarter 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

A summary of nuclear incidents occuring at nuclear installations in Britain between 1st July 1990 and 30th September 1990 is presented here, as published by the Health and Safety Executive, two occurring at Harwell Laboratory and one at Winfrith. None of the incidents caused danger to the public, and doses to site workers were not significant. (UK)

Understanding Alternative Food Networks: Exploring the Role of Food Supply Chains in Rural Development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Renting, H.; Marsden, T.; Banks, J.

2003-01-01

In this paper we explore the development and incidence of alternative food networks within a European-wide context. By developing a consistent definition of short food supply chains, we address both the morphology and the dynamics of these, and then examine empirical evidence concerning their

Reactor incident status 1981 annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiser, S.H.

1982-01-01

Reactor Incident followup action is summarized through periodic status reports. This annual report summarizes action taken or anticipated for Reactor Incidents through December 1981. Incidents for which action has been completed, have been deleted from the report. Quarterly addende will update the report by tabulating incidents for each three month period through the coming year. The report consists of a part for the P, K, and C Reactors. Each reactor part is divided into three sections: Further Technical Analysis or Followup Needed; Funding and/or Implementation Needed; and No Further Technical Analysis Anticipated

The Fragility of Interdependency: Coupled Networks Switching Phenomena

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley, H. Eugene

2013-03-01

Recent disasters ranging from abrupt financial ``flash crashes'' and large-scale power outages to sudden death among the elderly dramatically exemplify the fact that the most dangerous vulnerability is hiding in the many interdependencies among different networks. In the past year, we have quantified failures in model of interconnected networks, and demonstrated the need to consider mutually dependent network properties in designing resilient systems. Specifically, we have uncovered new laws governing the nature of switching phenomena in coupled networks, and found that phenomena that are continuous ``second order'' phase transitions in isolated networks become discontinuous abrupt ``first order'' transitions in interdependent networks [S. V. Buldyrev, R. Parshani, G. Paul, H. E. Stanley, and S. Havlin, ``Catastrophic Cascade of Failures in Interdependent Networks,'' Nature 464, 1025 (2010); J. Gao, S. V. Buldyrev, H. E. Stanley, and S. Havlin, ``Novel Behavior of Networks Formed from Interdependent Networks,'' Nature Physics 8, 40 (2012). We conclude by discussing the network basis for understanding sudden death in the elderly, and the possibility that financial ``flash crashes'' are not unlike the catastrophic first-order failure incidents occurring in coupled networks. Specifically, we study the coupled networks that are responsible for financial fluctuations. It appears that ``trend switching phenomena'' that we uncover are remarkably independent of the scale over which they are analyzed. For example, we find that the same laws governing the formation and bursting of the largest financial bubbles also govern the tiniest finance bubbles, over a factor of 1,000,000,000 in time scale [T. Preis, J. Schneider, and H. E. Stanley, ``Switching Processes in Financial Markets,'' Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108, 7674 (2011); T. Preis and H. E. Stanley, ``Bubble Trouble: Can a Law Describe Bubbles and Crashes in Financial Markets?'' Physics World 24, No. 5, 29 (May 2011

Modelling Pollutant Dispersion in a Street Network

Science.gov (United States)

Salem, N. Ben; Garbero, V.; Salizzoni, P.; Lamaison, G.; Soulhac, L.

2015-04-01

This study constitutes a further step in the analysis of the performances of a street network model to simulate atmospheric pollutant dispersion in urban areas. The model, named SIRANE, is based on the decomposition of the urban atmosphere into two sub-domains: the urban boundary layer, whose dynamics is assumed to be well established, and the urban canopy, represented as a series of interconnected boxes. Parametric laws govern the mass exchanges between the boxes under the assumption that the pollutant dispersion within the canopy can be fully simulated by modelling three main bulk transfer phenomena: channelling along street axes, transfers at street intersections, and vertical exchange between street canyons and the overlying atmosphere. Here, we aim to evaluate the reliability of the parametrizations adopted to simulate these phenomena, by focusing on their possible dependence on the external wind direction. To this end, we test the model against concentration measurements within an idealized urban district whose geometrical layout closely matches the street network represented in SIRANE. The analysis is performed for an urban array with a fixed geometry and a varying wind incidence angle. The results show that the model provides generally good results with the reference parametrizations adopted in SIRANE and that its performances are quite robust for a wide range of the model parameters. This proves the reliability of the street network approach in simulating pollutant dispersion in densely built city districts. The results also show that the model performances may be improved by considering a dependence of the wind fluctuations at street intersections and of the vertical exchange velocity on the direction of the incident wind. This opens the way for further investigations to clarify the dependence of these parameters on wind direction and street aspect ratios.

Taxonometric Applications in Radiotherapy Incident Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunscombe, Peter B.; Ekaette, Edidiong U.; Lee, Robert C.; Cooke, David L.

2008-01-01

Recent publications in both the scientific and the popular press have highlighted the risks to which patients expose themselves when entering a healthcare system. Patient safety issues are forcing us to, not only acknowledge that incidents do occur, but also actively develop the means for assessing and managing the risks of such incidents. To do this, we ideally need to know the probability of an incident's occurrence, the consequences or severity for the patient should it occur, and the basic causes of the incident. A structured approach to the description of failure modes is helpful in terms of communication, avoidance of ambiguity, and, ultimately, decision making for resource allocation. In this report, several classification schemes or taxonomies for use in risk assessment and management are discussed. In particular, a recently developed approach that reflects the activity domains through which the patient passes and that can be used as a basis for quantifying incident severity is described. The estimation of incident severity, which is based on the concept of the equivalent uniform dose, is presented in some detail. We conclude with a brief discussion on the use of a defined basic-causes table and how adding such a table to the reports of incidents can facilitate the allocation of resources

Prophylactic antibiotics are associated with a lower incidence of pneumonia in cardiac arrest survivors treated with targeted temperature management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gagnon, David J; Nielsen, Niklas; Fraser, Gilles L

2015-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Prophylactic antibiotics (PRO) reduce the incidence of early-onset pneumonia in comatose patients with structural brain injury, but have not been examined in cardiac arrest survivors undergoing targeted temperature management (TTM). We investigated the effect of PRO on the development...... of pneumonia in that population. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing patients treated with PRO to those not receiving PRO (no-PRO) using Northern Hypothermia Network registry data. Cardiac arrest survivors ≥ 18 years of age with a GCS...-34 °C were enrolled in the registry. Differences were analyzed in univariate analyses and with logistic regression models to evaluate independent associations of clinical factors with incidence of pneumonia and good functional outcome. RESULTS: 416 of 1240 patients (33.5%) received PRO. Groups were...

Comparative Incidence of Conformational, Neurodegenerative Disorders.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesús de Pedro-Cuesta

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to identify incidence and survival patterns in conformational neurodegenerative disorders (CNDDs.We identified 2563 reports on the incidence of eight conditions representing sporadic, acquired and genetic, protein-associated, i.e., conformational, NDD groups and age-related macular degeneration (AMD. We selected 245 papers for full-text examination and application of quality criteria. Additionally, data-collection was completed with detailed information from British, Swedish, and Spanish registries on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD forms, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, and sporadic rapidly progressing neurodegenerative dementia (sRPNDd. For each condition, age-specific incidence curves, age-adjusted figures, and reported or calculated median survival were plotted and examined.Based on 51 valid reported and seven new incidence data sets, nine out of eleven conditions shared specific features. Age-adjusted incidence per million person-years increased from ≤1.5 for sRPNDd, different CJD forms and Huntington's disease (HD, to 1589 and 2589 for AMD and Alzheimer's disease (AD respectively. Age-specific profiles varied from (a symmetrical, inverted V-shaped curves for low incidences to (b those increasing with age for late-life sporadic CNDDs and for sRPNDd, with (c a suggested, intermediate, non-symmetrical inverted V-shape for fronto-temporal dementia and Parkinson's disease. Frequently, peak age-specific incidences from 20-24 to ≥90 years increased with age at onset and survival. Distinct patterns were seen: for HD, with a low incidence, levelling off at middle age, and long median survival, 20 years; and for sRPNDd which displayed the lowest incidence, increasing with age, and a short median disease duration.These results call for a unified population view of NDDs, with an age-at-onset-related pattern for acquired and sporadic CNDDs. The pattern linking age at onset to incidence magnitude and survival might

Comparative Incidence of Conformational, Neurodegenerative Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

de Pedro-Cuesta, Jesús; Rábano, Alberto; Martínez-Martín, Pablo; Ruiz-Tovar, María; Alcalde-Cabero, Enrique; Almazán-Isla, Javier; Avellanal, Fuencisla; Calero, Miguel

2015-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to identify incidence and survival patterns in conformational neurodegenerative disorders (CNDDs). Methods We identified 2563 reports on the incidence of eight conditions representing sporadic, acquired and genetic, protein-associated, i.e., conformational, NDD groups and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We selected 245 papers for full-text examination and application of quality criteria. Additionally, data-collection was completed with detailed information from British, Swedish, and Spanish registries on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) forms, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and sporadic rapidly progressing neurodegenerative dementia (sRPNDd). For each condition, age-specific incidence curves, age-adjusted figures, and reported or calculated median survival were plotted and examined. Findings Based on 51 valid reported and seven new incidence data sets, nine out of eleven conditions shared specific features. Age-adjusted incidence per million person-years increased from ≤1.5 for sRPNDd, different CJD forms and Huntington's disease (HD), to 1589 and 2589 for AMD and Alzheimer's disease (AD) respectively. Age-specific profiles varied from (a) symmetrical, inverted V-shaped curves for low incidences to (b) those increasing with age for late-life sporadic CNDDs and for sRPNDd, with (c) a suggested, intermediate, non-symmetrical inverted V-shape for fronto-temporal dementia and Parkinson's disease. Frequently, peak age-specific incidences from 20–24 to ≥90 years increased with age at onset and survival. Distinct patterns were seen: for HD, with a low incidence, levelling off at middle age, and long median survival, 20 years; and for sRPNDd which displayed the lowest incidence, increasing with age, and a short median disease duration. Interpretation These results call for a unified population view of NDDs, with an age-at-onset-related pattern for acquired and sporadic CNDDs. The pattern linking age at onset to

Security incidents on the Internet, 1989--1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Howard, J.D.

1995-12-31

This paper presents an analysis of trends in Internet security based on an investigation of 4,299 Internet security-related incidents reported to the CERT{reg_sign} Coordination Center (CERT{reg_sign}/CC) from 1989 through 1995. Prior to this research, knowledge of actual Internet security incidents was limited and primarily anecdotal. This research: (1) developed a taxonomy to classify Internet attacks and incidents, (2) organized, classified, and analyzed CERT{reg_sign}/CC incident records, (3) summarized the relative frequency of the use of tools and vulnerabilities, success in achieving access, and results of attacks, (4) estimated total Internet incident activity, (5) developed recommendations for Internet users and suppliers, and (6) developed recommendations for future research. With the exception of denial-of-service attacks, security incidents were found to be increasing at a rate less than Internet growth. Estimates showed that most, if not all, severe incidents were reported to the CERT{reg_sign}/CC, and that more than one out of three above average incidents (in terms of duration and number of sites) were reported. Estimates also indicated that a typical Internet site was involved in, at most, around one incident (of any kind) per year, and a typical Internet host in, at most, around one incident in 45 years. The probability of unauthorized privileged access was around an order of magnitude less likely. As a result, simple and reasonable security precautions should be sufficient for most Internet users.

Performance of data acceptance criteria over 50 months from an automatic real-time environmental radiation surveillance network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casanovas, R.; Morant, J.J.; Lopez, M.; Hernandez-Giron, I.; Batalla, E.; Salvado, M.

2011-01-01

The automatic real-time environmental radiation surveillance network of Catalonia (Spain) comprises two subnetworks; one with 9 aerosol monitors and the other with 8 Geiger monitors together with 2 water monitors located in the Ebre river. Since September 2006, several improvements were implemented in order to get better quality and quantity of data, allowing a more accurate data analysis. However, several causes (natural causes, equipment failure, artificial external causes and incidents in nuclear power plants) may produce radiological measured values mismatched with the own station background, whether spurious without significance or true radiological values. Thus, data analysis for a 50-month period was made and allowed to establish an easily implementable statistical criterion to find those values that require special attention. This criterion proved a very useful tool for creating a properly debugged database and to give a quick response to equipment failures or possible radiological incidents. This paper presents the results obtained from the criterion application, including the figures for the expected, raw and debugged data, percentages of missing data grouped by causes and radiological measurements from the networks. Finally, based on the discussed information, recommendations for the improvement of the network are identified to obtain better radiological information and analysis capabilities. - Highlights: → Causes producing data mismatching with the own stations background are described. → Causes may be natural, equipment failure, external or nuclear plants incidents. → These causes can produce either spurious or true radiological data. → A criterion to find these data was implemented and tested for a 50-month period. → Recommendations for the improvement of the network are identified.

Development of a highway incident management operational and training guide for incident responders in Illinois.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-01

Each year highway traffic incidents, such as crashes, place responders on and beside roadways with : dangerous high-speed traffic. The unexpected conditions of an incident scene have the potential to surprise : unsuspecting or inattentive drivers, po...

Memory effects induce structure in social networks with activity-driven agents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medus, A D; Dorso, C O

2014-01-01

Activity-driven modelling has recently been proposed as an alternative growth mechanism for time varying networks,displaying power-law degree distribution in time-aggregated representation. This approach assumes memoryless agents developing random connections with total disregard of their previous contacts. Thus, such an assumption leads to time-aggregated random networks that do not reproduce the positive degree-degree correlation and high clustering coefficient widely observed in real social networks. In this paper, we aim to study the incidence of the agents' long-term memory on the emergence of new social ties. To this end, we propose a dynamical network model assuming heterogeneous activity for agents, together with a triadic-closure step as main connectivity mechanism. We show that this simple mechanism provides some of the fundamental topological features expected for real social networks in their time-aggregated picture. We derive analytical results and perform extensive numerical simulations in regimes with and without population growth. Finally, we present an illustrative comparison with two case studies, one comprising face-to-face encounters in a closed gathering, while the other one corresponding to social friendship ties from an online social network. (paper)

Detecting Terrorism Incidence Type from News Summary

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nizamani, Sarwat; Memon, Nasrullah

2012-01-01

The paper presents the experiments to detect terrorism incidence type from news summary data. We have applied classification techniques on news summary data to analyze the incidence and detect the type of incidence. A number of experiments are conducted using various classification algorithms...... and results show that a simple decision tree classifier can learn incidence type with satisfactory results from news data....

A historical summary of transportation accidents and incidents involving radioactive materials (1971-1988)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cashwell, C.E.; McClure, J.D.

1989-01-01

The Radioactive Materials Incident Report (RMIR) Database is a compilation of transportation events that have occurred during the shipment of radioactive materials. The database was developed in 1971 at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to support its research and development efforts for the US Department of Energy (DOE). Currently, RMIR resides on TRANSNET, an interactive computer network that allows an outside user to access transportation risk and systems analysis models and their associated databases. Within the last few months, the RMIR database has been modified so that the menu-driven format expedites database searches, particularly for the infrequent user

An historical summary of transportation accidents and incidents involving radioactive materials (1971--1988)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cashwell, C.E.; McClure, J.D.

1989-01-01

The Radioactive Materials Incident Report (RMIR) Database is a compilation of transportation events that have occurred during the shipment of radioactive materials. The database was developed in 1971 at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) AT Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to support its research and development efforts for the US Department of Energy (DOE). Currently RMIR resides on TRANSNET, an interactive computer network that allows an outside user to access transportation risk and systems analysis models and their associated databases. Within the last few months, the RMIR database has been modified so that the menu-driven format expedites database searches, particularly for the infrequent user. 2 refs

True incidence of vestibular schwannoma?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stangerup, Sven-Eric; Tos, Mirko; Thomsen, Jens

2010-01-01

The incidence of diagnosed sporadic unilateral vestibular schwannomas (VS) has increased, due primarily to more widespread access to magnetic resonance imaging.......The incidence of diagnosed sporadic unilateral vestibular schwannomas (VS) has increased, due primarily to more widespread access to magnetic resonance imaging....

Camera network video summarization

Science.gov (United States)

Panda, Rameswar; Roy-Chowdhury, Amit K.

2017-05-01

Networks of vision sensors are deployed in many settings, ranging from security needs to disaster response to environmental monitoring. Many of these setups have hundreds of cameras and tens of thousands of hours of video. The difficulty of analyzing such a massive volume of video data is apparent whenever there is an incident that requires foraging through vast video archives to identify events of interest. As a result, video summarization, that automatically extract a brief yet informative summary of these videos, has attracted intense attention in the recent years. Much progress has been made in developing a variety of ways to summarize a single video in form of a key sequence or video skim. However, generating a summary from a set of videos captured in a multi-camera network still remains as a novel and largely under-addressed problem. In this paper, with the aim of summarizing videos in a camera network, we introduce a novel representative selection approach via joint embedding and capped l21-norm minimization. The objective function is two-fold. The first is to capture the structural relationships of data points in a camera network via an embedding, which helps in characterizing the outliers and also in extracting a diverse set of representatives. The second is to use a capped l21-norm to model the sparsity and to suppress the influence of data outliers in representative selection. We propose to jointly optimize both of the objectives, such that embedding can not only characterize the structure, but also indicate the requirements of sparse representative selection. Extensive experiments on standard multi-camera datasets well demonstrate the efficacy of our method over state-of-the-art methods.

Incidence of epilepsy in Ferrara, Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Cesnik, Edward; Pedelini, Francesco; Faggioli, Raffaella; Monetti, Vincenza Cinzia; Granieri, Enrico; Casetta, Ilaria

2013-12-01

Few studies have been carried out in the same area at different times, allowing an assessment of the incidence of epilepsy (E.), including all ages, over time. The available data on temporal trend show a decrease in E. incidence in childhood and an increase in the elderly. We sought to update the incidence of E. in the province of Ferrara, where a previous study estimated an incidence rate of 33.1 per 100,000, 35.8, if standardized to the European population. Newly diagnosed patients aged up to 14 years were drawn from a community-based prospective multi-source registry, and adult onset E. cases were collected through multiple overlapping sources of case collection. Cases were included and classified according to ILAE recommendations. During the study period (2007-2008), 141 newly diagnosed cases (66 men and 75 women) living in the study area were identified. The crude incidence rate was 46.1 per 100,000 person-years (95 % CI 39.0-54.5), 35.5 (95 % CI 28.0-43.0) if adjusted to the European population. The incidence of childhood and adolescence epilepsy was 57.0 per 100,000 person-years (95 % CI 33.8-90.0), lower than that reported in our previous study, and it was 44.8 (95 % CI 37.4-53.6) for adult onset E., which is significantly higher as compared to our previous study. The overall incidence of E. in northern Italy is stable over time. We detected a significant decrease in incidence of childhood and adolescence E. and an increase in adult-onset E. The burden of epilepsy will increase as the population continues to age.

Computer application for database management and networking of service radio physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrando Sanchez, A.; Cabello Murillo, E.; Diaz Fuentes, R.; Castro Novais, J.; Clemente Gutierrez, F.; Casa de Juan, M. A. de la; Adaimi Hernandez, P.

2011-01-01

The databases in the quality control prove to be a powerful tool for recording, management and statistical process control. Developed in a Windows environment and under Access (Micros of Office) our service implements this philosophy on the canter's computer network. A computer that acts as the server provides the database to the treatment units to record quality control measures daily and incidents. To remove shortcuts stop working with data migration, possible use of duplicate and erroneous data loss because of errors in network connections, which are common problems, we proceeded to manage connections and access to databases ease of maintenance and use horn to all service personnel.

Identifying and tracking attacks on networks: C3I displays and related technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Manes, Gavin W.; Dawkins, J.; Shenoi, Sujeet; Hale, John C.

2003-09-01

Converged network security is extremely challenging for several reasons; expanded system and technology perimeters, unexpected feature interaction, and complex interfaces all conspire to provide hackers with greater opportunities for compromising large networks. Preventive security services and architectures are essential, but in and of themselves do not eliminate all threat of compromise. Attack management systems mitigate this residual risk by facilitating incident detection, analysis and response. There are a wealth of attack detection and response tools for IP networks, but a dearth of such tools for wireless and public telephone networks. Moreover, methodologies and formalisms have yet to be identified that can yield a common model for vulnerabilities and attacks in converged networks. A comprehensive attack management system must coordinate detection tools for converged networks, derive fully-integrated attack and network models, perform vulnerability and multi-stage attack analysis, support large-scale attack visualization, and orchestrate strategic responses to cyber attacks that cross network boundaries. We present an architecture that embodies these principles for attack management. The attack management system described engages a suite of detection tools for various networking domains, feeding real-time attack data to a comprehensive modeling, analysis and visualization subsystem. The resulting early warning system not only provides network administrators with a heads-up cockpit display of their entire network, it also supports guided response and predictive capabilities for multi-stage attacks in converged networks.

Cancer incidence in adults living in the vicinity of nuclear power plants in France, based on data from the French Network of Cancer Registries.

Science.gov (United States)

Desbiolles, Alice; Roudier, Candice; Goria, Sarah; Stempfelet, Morgane; Kairo, Cécile; Quintin, Cécile; Bidondo, Marie-Laure; Monnereau, Alain; Vacquier, Blandine

2018-03-01

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) release toxic emissions into the environment that may affect neighboring populations. This ecologic study was designed to investigate the possibility of an excess incidence of cancer in the vicinity of French NPPs by examining the incidence by municipality of 12 types of cancer in the population aged 15 years and older during the 1995-2011 period. Population exposure to pollution was estimated on the basis of distance from towns of residence to the NPP. Using regression models, we assessed the risk of cancer in a 20-km zone around NPPs and observed an excess incidence of bladder cancer (Relative Risk (RR), 95% Credibility Interval (95% CI)) in men and women (RR men  = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.17 and RR women  = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.39). Women living within the 20-km proximity areas had a significantly reduced risk of thyroid cancer (RR women  = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.77, 0.96). No excess risk of hematologic malignancies in either sex was seen. The higher than expected incidence of bladder cancer may be due to an excess incidence localized around the Flamanville NPP and the nearby La Hague nuclear waste treatment center, which is a source of chemical contaminants, many (including arsenic) of them known risk factors for bladder cancer. Differences in medical practices could explain the reduced risk of thyroid cancer. In this first study of adults living near NPPs in France, cancer incidence is significantly higher than in the references populations for one of the cancer types studied: bladder cancer. © 2017 UICC.

Post-Cataract Surgery Optic Neuropathy: Prevalence, Incidence, Temporal Relationship, and Fellow Eye Involvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Moradi, Ahmadreza; Kanagalingam, Sivashakthi; Diener-West, Marie; Miller, Neil R

2017-03-01

To reassess the prevalence and incidence of post-cataract surgery optic neuropathy (PCSON) in the modern era. Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Single-center tertiary care practice. All patients with a diagnosis of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) seen in the Wilmer Eye Network system between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2014 were included. Inclusion was based on the following: (1) a history of an acute unilateral decrease in vision, (2) a visual field defect consistent with NAION, (3) a relative afferent pupillary defect, (4) observed optic disc swelling, and (5) no other etiology being found. The prevalence and incidence of PCSON and the temporal association between surgery and onset of PCSON. The secondary outcome was the risk of PCSON in the fellow eye of patients with prior unilateral spontaneous NAION. One hundred eighty-eight patients had developed NAION during the study period. Of these, 18 (9.6%) had undergone cataract surgery (CS) during the year prior to developing NAION. There was no significant temporal pattern associated with the distribution of NAION cases (P = .28). The incidence of PCSON in patients who had noncomplex CS was 10.9 cases per 100 000 (95% CI, 1.3, 39.4). Our data indicate that both the prevalence and incidence of NAION after modern CS are comparable to those of the general population and that there is no significant temporal relationship between modern CS and the subsequent development of NAION in the operated eye. Thus, although this study has inherent biases owing to its retrospective nature, concern regarding an increased risk of PCSON in the fellow eye in patients who have experienced it or spontaneous NAION in 1 eye may be unwarranted. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Contraceptive Use and Pregnancy Incidence Among Women Participating in an HIV Prevention Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Akello, Carolyne A; Bunge, Katherine E; Nakabiito, Clemensia; Mirembe, Brenda G; Fowler, Mary Glenn; Mishra, Anupam; Marrazzo, Jeanne; Chirenje, Zvavahera M; Celum, Connie; Balkus, Jennifer E

2017-06-01

Recent HIV prevention trials required use of effective contraceptive methods to fulfill eligibility for enrollment. We compared pregnancy rates in a subset of participants enrolled in the Microbicide Trials Network protocol (MTN-003), a randomized trial of chemoprophylaxis to prevent HIV acquisition among women aged 18-45 years who initiated depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) or combined oral contraceptives (COCs) at enrollment, relative to those already using DMPA or COCs. Data were analyzed from MTN-003 participants from Uganda. Before enrollment, information on contraceptive type and initiation date was obtained. Urine pregnancy tests were performed at monthly follow-up visits. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare pregnancy incidence among new users (initiated ≤60 days before enrollment) and established users (initiated >60 days before enrollment). Of 322 women enrolled, 296 were COC or DMPA users, 82 (28%) were new users, and 214 (72%) were established users. Pregnancy incidence was higher among new contraceptive users compared to established users (20.70% vs. 10.55%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.66; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.93-2.96). Among DMPA users, pregnancy incidence was 10.20% in new users versus 3.48% in established users (HR = 2.56; 95% CI 0.86-7.65). Among new COC users, pregnancy incidence was 42.67% in new users versus 23.67% in established COC users (adjusted HR = 1.74; 95% CI 0.87-3.48). New contraceptive users, regardless of method, at the Uganda MTN-003 site had an increased pregnancy risk compared to established users, which may be due to contraceptive initiation primarily for trial eligibility. New users may benefit from intensive contraceptive counseling and additional contraceptive options, including longer acting reversible contraceptives.

The Global Environment Radiation Monitoring Network (GERMON)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakheim, B.J.; Goellner, D.A.

1994-01-01

Following the Chernobyl accident in 1986, a group of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) met in France to discuss and develop the basic principles of a global environmental radiation monitoring network (GERMON). The basic functions of this network were to provide regular reports on environmental radiation levels and to be in a position to provide reliable and accurate radiation measurements on a quick and accurate radiation measurements on a quick turnaround basis in the event of a major radiation release. By 1992, although 58 countries had indicated an interest in becoming a part of the GERMON system, only 16 were providing data on a regular basis. This paper traces the history of GERMON from its inception in 1987 through its activities during 1993-4. It details the objectives of the network, describes functions, lists its participants, and presents obstacles in the current network. The paper examines the data requirements for radiological emergency preparedness and offers suggestions for the current system. The paper also describes the growing need for such a network. To add a domestic perspective, the authors present a summary of the environmental monitoring information system that was used by the NRC in 1986 in its analyses of the Chernobyl incident. Then we will use this 1986 experience to propose a method for the use of GERMON should a similar occasion arise in the future

Radiation incidents in dentistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lovelock, D.J.

1996-01-01

Most dental practitioners act as their own radiographer and radiologist, unlike their medical colleagues. Virtually all dental surgeons have a dental X-ray machine for intraoral radiography available to them and 40% of dental practices have equipment for dental panoramic tomography. Because of the low energy of X-ray equipment used in dentistry, radiation incidents tend to be less serious than those associated with other aspects of patient care. Details of 47 known incidents are given. The advent of the 1985 and 1988 Ionising Radiation Regulations has made dental surgeons more aware of the hazards of radiation. These regulations, and general health and safety legislation, have led to a few dental surgeons facing legal action. Because of the publicity associated with these court cases, it is expected that there will be a decrease in radiation incidents arising from the practice of dentistry. (author)

Incidents with hazardous radiation sources; Zwischenfaelle mit gefaehrlichen Strahlenquellen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoenhacker, Stefan [Bundesministerium fuer Inneres, Traiskirchen (Austria). Abt. 1/9 - Zivilschutzschule

2016-07-01

Incidents with hazardous radiation sources can occur in any country, even those without nuclear facilities. Preparedness for such incidents is supposed to fulfill globally agreed minimum standards. Incidents are categorized in incidents with licensed handling of radiation sources as for material testing, transport accidents of hazardous radiation sources, incidents with radionuclide batteries, incidents with satellites containing radioactive inventory, incidents wit not licensed handling of illegally acquired hazardous radiation sources. The emergency planning in Austria includes a differentiation according to the consequences: incidents with release of radioactive materials resulting in restricted contamination, incidents with release of radioactive materials resulting in local contamination, and incidents with the hazard of e@nhanced exposure due to the radiation source.

Attitudes and perceived barriers influencing incident reporting by nurses and their correlation with reported incidents: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Fung, Wing Mei; Koh, Serena Siew Lin; Chow, Yeow Leng

Clinical incident reporting is an integral feature of risk management system in the healthcare sector. By reporting clinical incidents, nurses allow for learning from errors, identification of error patterns and development of error preventive strategies. The need to understand attitudes to reporting, perceived barriers and incident reporting patterns by nurses are the core highlights of this review. INCLUSION CRITERIA: This review considered descriptive quantitative studies that examined nurses' attitudes or perceived barriers towards incident reporting.The participants in this review were nurses working in acute care settings or step-down care settings. Studies that included non-nursing healthcare personnel were excluded.This review considered studies which examined nurses' attitudes towards incident reporting, perceived barriers and incident reporting practices.The outcomes of interest were the attitudes that nurses have towards incident reporting, perceived barriers and the types of reported incidents in correlation with nurses' attitudes and barriers. A three-step search strategy was utilised in this review. An initial limited search of CINAHL and MEDLINE was undertaken. Search strategies were then developed using identified keywords and index terms. Lastly, the reference lists of all identified articles were examined. All searches were limited to studies published in English, between 1991 and 2010. The studies were independently assessed by two reviewers using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Descriptive/ Case Series studies. The reviewers extracted data independently from included studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute Data Extraction Form for Descriptive/ Case Series studies. Due to the descriptive nature of the study designs, statistical pooling was not possible. Therefore, the findings of this systematic review are presented in a narrative summary. Fifty-five papers were identified from the searches based on their titles and

Annual incidence and standardized incidence ratio of cerebrovascular accidents in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Science.gov (United States)

Mok, C C; Ho, L Y; To, C H

2009-01-01

To study the annual incidence and standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The annual incidence of CVA from 1999 to 2007 in a longitudinal cohort of SLE patients was calculated each year and compared with that of the regional population within the same study period. Age-specific SIRs and outcome of CVA in SLE patients were also studied. In 2007, there were 490 SLE patients in our cohort. The mean annual incidence of CVA between 1999 and 2007 was 6.45/1000 patients and no obvious trend over time was observed. Of the 20 CVAs in patients with SLE, 18 (90%) were ischaemic stroke whereas two (10%) were haemorrhagic stroke. The mean SIR of all types of CVA in SLE patients was 2.02 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30-3.81; p = 0.002]. The SIR of ischaemic stroke decreased with age and the stroke incidence was no longer significantly higher than that of the population in patients aged >or= 60 years. Haemorrhagic stroke occurred mainly in younger SLE patients. The duration of hospitalization and the mortality rate for CVA was non-significantly higher in SLE than in non-SLE patients. The incidence of CVA in SLE remained constant over the 8 years between 1999 and 2007. Younger SLE patients are at substantially increased risk of CVA compared to age-matched population. The duration of hospitalization and the mortality rate for CVA are similar in SLE and non-SLE patients.

Incidents Associated with Gas Operation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szer J.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This article shows incidents associated with the use of gas as an energy carrier. It presents selected incidents which have occurred in Poland and around the world in recent decades. Based on this, consequences of gas and air mixture explosions were analysed as well. The article presents the main causes of gas incidents which have taken place, as per instances which are similar worldwide. Incidents associated with the use of gas are not frequent, but at the same time very tragic as they often lead to illness or even death. In Poland, in the last twenty years, construction area disasters caused by gas explosions account for only 5% of all which have occurred, but the number of fatalities resulting from these cases is approximately 14%. The number of individuals injured reached 39% of all construction disaster victims. Considering all these facts, it is necessary to undertake wide preventive measures in order to increase safety in the use of gaseous fuels.

Predicting incident size from limited information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Englehardt, J.D.

1995-01-01

Predicting the size of low-probability, high-consequence natural disasters, industrial accidents, and pollutant releases is often difficult due to limitations in the availability of data on rare events and future circumstances. When incident data are available, they may be difficult to fit with a lognormal distribution. Two Bayesian probability distributions for inferring future incident-size probabilities from limited, indirect, and subjective information are proposed in this paper. The distributions are derived from Pareto distributions that are shown to fit data on different incident types and are justified theoretically. The derived distributions incorporate both inherent variability and uncertainty due to information limitations. Results were analyzed to determine the amount of data needed to predict incident-size probabilities in various situations. Information requirements for incident-size prediction using the methods were low, particularly when the population distribution had a thick tail. Use of the distributions to predict accumulated oil-spill consequences was demonstrated

Customer focused incident monitoring in anaesthesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, F A; Khimani, S

2007-06-01

The database of incident forms relating to anaesthesia services in an institutional risk management programme were reviewed for 2003-2005, the aim being to identify any recurring patterns. Incidents were prospectively categorised as relating to attitude/behaviour, communication breakdown, delay in service, or were related to care, cost, environment, equipment, security, administrative process, quality of service or miscellaneous. The total number of anaesthesia-related incidents reported during the period was 287, which related to 0.44% of the total number of anaesthetics administered during the time period. In all, 170 incidents were reported by the department, 96 by internal customers and 21 by external customers. Only 30% of the complaints came from the operating room. Thirty-four per cent of all incidents related to communication, behaviour and delay in service. A requirement to teach communication skills and stress handling formally in anaesthesia training programmes, and at the time of induction of staff into the department, has been identified.

Epidemiology of road traffic incidents in Peru 1973-2008: incidence, mortality, and fatality.

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, J Jaime; López-Rivera, Luis A; Quistberg, D Alex; Rosales-Mayor, Edmundo; Gianella, Camila; Paca-Palao, Ada; Luna, Diego; Huicho, Luis; Paca, Ada

2014-01-01

The epidemiological profile and trends of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Peru have not been well-defined, though this is a necessary step to address this significant public health problem in Peru. The objective of this study was to determine trends of incidence, mortality, and fatality of RTIs in Peru during 1973-2008, as well as their relationship to population trends such as economic growth. Secondary aggregated databases were used to estimate incidence, mortality and fatality rate ratios (IRRs) of RTIs. These estimates were standardized to age groups and sex of the 2008 Peruvian population. Negative binomial regression and cubic spline curves were used for multivariable analysis. During the 35-year period there were 952,668 road traffic victims, injured or killed. The adjusted yearly incidence of RTIs increased by 3.59 (95% CI 2.43-5.31) on average. We did not observe any significant trends in the yearly mortality rate. The total adjusted yearly fatality rate decreased by 0.26 (95% CI 0.15-0.43), while among adults the fatality rate increased by 1.25 (95% CI 1.09-1.43). Models fitted with splines suggest that the incidence follows a bimodal curve and closely followed trends in the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. The significant increasing incidence of RTIs in Peru affirms their growing threat to public health. A substantial improvement of information systems for RTIs is needed to create a more accurate epidemiologic profile of RTIs in Peru. This approach can be of use in other similar low and middle-income settings to inform about the local challenges posed by RTIs.

Epidemiology of road traffic incidents in Peru 1973-2008: incidence, mortality, and fatality.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Jaime Miranda

Full Text Available The epidemiological profile and trends of road traffic injuries (RTIs in Peru have not been well-defined, though this is a necessary step to address this significant public health problem in Peru. The objective of this study was to determine trends of incidence, mortality, and fatality of RTIs in Peru during 1973-2008, as well as their relationship to population trends such as economic growth.Secondary aggregated databases were used to estimate incidence, mortality and fatality rate ratios (IRRs of RTIs. These estimates were standardized to age groups and sex of the 2008 Peruvian population. Negative binomial regression and cubic spline curves were used for multivariable analysis. During the 35-year period there were 952,668 road traffic victims, injured or killed. The adjusted yearly incidence of RTIs increased by 3.59 (95% CI 2.43-5.31 on average. We did not observe any significant trends in the yearly mortality rate. The total adjusted yearly fatality rate decreased by 0.26 (95% CI 0.15-0.43, while among adults the fatality rate increased by 1.25 (95% CI 1.09-1.43. Models fitted with splines suggest that the incidence follows a bimodal curve and closely followed trends in the gross domestic product (GDP per capita.The significant increasing incidence of RTIs in Peru affirms their growing threat to public health. A substantial improvement of information systems for RTIs is needed to create a more accurate epidemiologic profile of RTIs in Peru. This approach can be of use in other similar low and middle-income settings to inform about the local challenges posed by RTIs.

Sectorial Group for Incident Analyses (GSAI)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galles, Q.; Gamo, J. M.; Jorda, M.; Sanchez-Garrido, P.; Lopez, F.; Asensio, L.; Reig, J.

2013-01-01

In 2008, the UNESA Nuclear Energy Committee (CEN) proposed the creation of a working group formed by experts from all Spanish NPPs with the purpose of jointly analyze relevant incidents occurred in each one of the plants. This initiative was a response to a historical situation in which the exchange of information on incidents between the Spanish NPP's was below the desired level. In june 2009, UNESA's Guide CEN-29 established the performance criteria for the so called Sectorial Group for Incident Analyses (GSAI), whose activity would be coordinated by the UNESA's Group for Incident Analyses (GSAI), whose activity would be coordinated by the UNESA's Group of Operating Experience, under the Operations Commission (COP). (Author)

A critical incident reporting system in anaesthesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Madzimbamuto, F D; Chiware, R

2001-01-01

To audit the recently established Critical Incident Reporting System in the Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, University of Zimbabwe Medical School. The system was set up with the purpose of improving the quality of care delivered by the department. Cross sectional study. A critical incident was defined as 'any adverse and reversible event in theatre, during or immediately after surgery that if it persisted without correction would cause harm to the patient'. The anaesthetic or recovery room staff filled a critical incident form anonymously. Data was collected from critical incident reporting forms for analysis. The anaesthetic service in the two teaching hospitals of Harare Central and Parirenyatwa General Hospitals. Between May and October 2000, 62 completed critical incident forms were collected. The nature of the incident and the monitoring used were recorded, the cause was classified as human, equipment or monitoring failure and the outcome for each patient reported. There was no formal system for reminding staff to fill in their critical incident forms. A total of 14,165 operations were performed over the reporting period: 62 critical incident forms were collected, reporting 130 incidents, giving a rate of 0.92% (130/14,165). Of these, 42 patients were emergencies and 20 elective. The incidents were hypotension, hypoxia, bradycardia, ECG changes, aspiration, laryngospasm, high spinal, and cardiac arrest. Monitoring present on patients who had critical incidents was: capnography 57%, oxymetry 90% and ECG 100%. Other monitors are not reported. Human error contributed in 32/62 of patients and equipment failure in 31/62 of patients. Patient outcome showed 15% died, 23% were unplanned admissions to HDU while 62% were discharged to the ward with little or no adverse outcome. Despite some under reporting, the critical incident rate was within the range reported in the literature. Supervision of juniors is not adequate, especially on call. The

Predictive models for pressure ulcers from intensive care unit electronic health records using Bayesian networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaewprag, Pacharmon; Newton, Cheryl; Vermillion, Brenda; Hyun, Sookyung; Huang, Kun; Machiraju, Raghu

2017-07-05

We develop predictive models enabling clinicians to better understand and explore patient clinical data along with risk factors for pressure ulcers in intensive care unit patients from electronic health record data. Identifying accurate risk factors of pressure ulcers is essential to determining appropriate prevention strategies; in this work we examine medication, diagnosis, and traditional Braden pressure ulcer assessment scale measurements as patient features. In order to predict pressure ulcer incidence and better understand the structure of related risk factors, we construct Bayesian networks from patient features. Bayesian network nodes (features) and edges (conditional dependencies) are simplified with statistical network techniques. Upon reviewing a network visualization of our model, our clinician collaborators were able to identify strong relationships between risk factors widely recognized as associated with pressure ulcers. We present a three-stage framework for predictive analysis of patient clinical data: 1) Developing electronic health record feature extraction functions with assistance of clinicians, 2) simplifying features, and 3) building Bayesian network predictive models. We evaluate all combinations of Bayesian network models from different search algorithms, scoring functions, prior structure initializations, and sets of features. From the EHRs of 7,717 ICU patients, we construct Bayesian network predictive models from 86 medication, diagnosis, and Braden scale features. Our model not only identifies known and suspected high PU risk factors, but also substantially increases sensitivity of the prediction - nearly three times higher comparing to logistical regression models - without sacrificing the overall accuracy. We visualize a representative model with which our clinician collaborators identify strong relationships between risk factors widely recognized as associated with pressure ulcers. Given the strong adverse effect of pressure ulcers

Increasing incidence of diabetes after gestational diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauenborg, Jeannet; Hansen, Torben; Jensen, Dorte Møller

2004-01-01

To study the incidence of diabetes among women with previous diet-treated gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the light of the general increasing incidence of overweight and diabetes and to identify risk factors for the development of diabetes.......To study the incidence of diabetes among women with previous diet-treated gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the light of the general increasing incidence of overweight and diabetes and to identify risk factors for the development of diabetes....

Invasive cancer incidence - Puerto Rico, 2007-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Neil, Mary Elizabeth; Henley, S Jane; Singh, Simple D; Wilson, Reda J; Ortiz-Ortiz, Karen J; Ríos, Naydi Pérez; Torres Cintrón, Carlos R; Luna, Guillermo Tortolero; Zavala Zegarra, Diego E; Ryerson, A Blythe

2015-04-17

Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and death in Puerto Rico. To set a baseline for identifying new trends and patterns of cancer incidence, Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry staff and CDC analyzed data from Puerto Rico included in U.S. Cancer Statistics (USCS) for 2007-2011, the most recent data available. This is the first report of invasive cancer incidence rates for 2007-2011 among Puerto Rican residents by sex, age, cancer site, and municipality. Cancer incidence rates in Puerto Rico were compared with those in the U.S. population for 2011. A total of 68,312 invasive cancers were diagnosed and reported in Puerto Rico during 2007-2011. The average annual incidence rate was 330 cases per 100,000 persons. The cancer sites with the highest cancer incidence rates included prostate (152), female breast (84), and colon and rectum (43). Cancer incidence rates varied by municipality, particularly for prostate, lung and bronchus, and colon and rectum cancers. In 2011, cancer incidence rates in Puerto Rico were lower for all cancer sites and lung and bronchus, but higher for prostate and thyroid cancers, compared with rates within the U.S. Identifying these variations can aid evaluation of factors associated with high incidence, such as cancer screening practices, and development of targeted cancer prevention and control efforts. Public health professionals can monitor cancer incidence trends and use these findings to evaluate the impact of prevention efforts, such as legislation prohibiting tobacco use in the workplace and public places and the Puerto Rico Cessation Quitline in decreasing lung and other tobacco-related cancers.

Increased incidence of thyroid cancer in Navarra (Spain). Evolution and clinical characteristics, 1986-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Rojo Álvaro, Jorge; Bermejo Fraile, Begoña; Menéndez Torre, Edelmiro; Ardanaz, Eva; Guevara, Marcela; Anda Apiñániz, Emma

The latest published studies show an increased incidence of thyroid cancer worldwide. The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in the incidence of thyroid cancer in Navarra and its clinical presentation regarding sex, histological subtype and size over the last 25 years. Thyroid cancer incidence rates were calculated on the basis of data from the Cancer Registry of Navarra during 1986-2010. Clinical data were obtained from the historical cohort of the Hospital Registry of Cancer of Navarra, which includes all the new cases of differentiated thyroid carcinoma diagnosed and treated in the public health network of this Community in that period. The overall incidence of thyroid cancer in Navarra increased over the last 25 years, with an increase in the adjusted rate in men from 2.24 (1986-1990) to 5.85 (2006-2010) per 100,000 population/year (P<.001) and in women from 9.05 to 14.04, respectively (P<.001). This increase occurs only in papillary carcinoma. The clinical characteristics of 739 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer were studied. The mean age at diagnosis increased over the years and the predominance of women (about 80%) remains stable. Mean tumor size decreased over the five-year periods from 30.9 to 22.5mm (P<.001), the proportion of microcarcinomas (T1a) increased from 8.8% to 30% (P<.001) and, despite this increase, there were no statistical differences in the TNM stage at diagnosis during the study period. The distribution of histological variants of papillary and follicular carcinoma did not change over 25 years. During the period studied, the incidence of thyroid cancer increased in Navarra in both sexes. The increase occurred only in papillary carcinoma, without changes in the distribution of his histological variants. The increase in the proportion of T1a tumors is remarkable, but the TNM stage distribution was maintained. These results suggest an increase in the diagnosis of thyroid microcarcinomas due to changes in clinical practice

Congenital Hypothyroidism: Increased Incidence in Yazd Province, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Noori-Shadkam

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH is one of the most common preventable causes of mental retardation. Its worldwide incidence is estimated to be one in 2500-5500 births. Assessment of thyroid gland in neonates is critical. The aims of this study were to demonstrate the incidence of CH in neonates born in Yazd province, Iran in 1389 (2010 and compare the results with other reported studies and investigate biochemical characteristics of affected infants. Materials & Methods: This is an analytical descriptive cross-sectional study. The study was conducted on all infants (13022 births born in 1389 (March 2010-March 2011. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH was measured using ELISA technique. Results: Forty five infants suffered from congenital hypothyroidism with an overall incidence of one in 289 live births. Twenty five of the diagnosed infants were males (incidence 1:261 and twenty were females (incidence 1:325. The incidence of CH in boys was more than girls (P-value = 0.295. The highest incidence of CH was observed in spring followed by summer and the lowest incidence was in autumn followed by winter (P-value=0.000. Conclusion: The CH incidence was 10.3 to 13.8 times more than other countries. The highest CH incidence was in spring followed by summer and the lowest incidence was in autumn followed by winter. It is important that a larger size of cases need to be screened and more information on the aetiology of the affected infants to be obtained

Lightning incidents in Mongolia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Myagmar Doljinsuren

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This is one of the first studies that has been conducted in Mongolia on the distribution of lightning incidents. The study covers a 10-year period from 2004 to 2013. The country records a human death rate of 15.4 deaths per 10 million people per year, which is much higher than that of many countries with similar isokeraunic level. The reason may be the low-grown vegetation observed in most rural areas of Mongolia, a surface topography, typical to steppe climate. We suggest modifications to Gomes–Kadir equation for such countries, as it predicts a much lower annual death rate for Mongolia. The lightning incidents spread over the period from May to August with the peak of the number of incidents occurring in July. The worst lightning affected region in the country is the central part. Compared with impacts of other convective disasters such as squalls, thunderstorms and hail, lightning stands as the second highest in the number of incidents, human deaths and animal deaths. Economic losses due to lightning is only about 1% of the total losses due to the four extreme weather phenomena. However, unless precautionary measures are not promoted among the public, this figure of losses may significantly increase with time as the country is undergoing rapid industrialization at present.

Critical Steps in Learning From Incidents: Using Learning Potential in the Process From Reporting an Incident to Accident Prevention

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Drupsteen, L.; Groeneweg, J.; Zwetsloot, G.I.J.M.

2013-01-01

Many incidents have occurred because organisations have failed to learn from lessons of the past. This means that there is room for improvement in the way organisations analyse incidents, generate measures to remedy identified weaknesses and prevent reoccurrence: the learning from incidents process.

Smart Collection and Storage Method for Network Traffic Data

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

to the root of an incident or under- stand what goes on in a network may mean looking at data from weeks, months, or even years ago, as has been the...KB 1.01% 69.42 TB 694.20 TB 6,941.99 TB SuSE 6.3 .pcap 51,706 KB 1.01% 104.03 TB 1,040.27 TB 10,402.68 TB HP-UX nettl .trc0 53,391 KB 1.04% 451.13

EAP-based critical incident stress management: utilization of a practice-based assessment of incident severity level in responding to workplace trauma.

Science.gov (United States)

DeFraia, Gary S

2013-01-01

Central to the field of trauma psychology is assessment of the impact of critical incidents on individuals, as measured by individual symptoms of stress. Accordingly, the trauma literature reflects a proliferation of clinical impact of event scales. Workplace incidents however, affect not only individual employees, but also work organizations, requiring a multi-level response. Critical incident stress management (CISM) is the most prevalent multi-level incident response strategy utilized by organizations, often through specialized CISM units operating within their employee assistance programs (EAPs). While EAP-based CISM units seeks to support both individuals and organizations, studies focused on individual stress dominate the literature, mirroring assessment scales that tend to emphasize clinical as opposed to organizational practice. This research contributes to less-prevalent studies exploring incident characteristics as disruptive to organizations, rather than clinical symptoms as disruptive to individuals. To measure incident disruption, an EAP-based CISM unit developed a critical incident severity scale. By analyzing this unit's extensive practice database, this exploratory study examines how critical incident severity level varies among various types of incidents. Employing the methodology of clinical data mining, this practice-based research generates evidence-informed practice recommendations in the areas of EAP-based CISM intake assessment, organizational consultation and incident response planning.

Classification of medication incidents associated with information technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Ka-Chun; van der Veen, Willem; Bouvy, Marcel L; Wensing, Michel; van den Bemt, Patricia M L A; de Smet, Peter A G M

2014-02-01

Information technology (IT) plays a pivotal role in improving patient safety, but can also cause new problems for patient safety. This study analyzed the nature and consequences of a large sample of IT-related medication incidents, as reported by healthcare professionals in community pharmacies and hospitals. The medication incidents submitted to the Dutch central medication incidents registration (CMR) reporting system were analyzed from the perspective of the healthcare professional with the Magrabi classification. During classification new terms were added, if necessary. The principal source of the IT-related problem, nature of error. Additional measures: consequences of incidents, IT systems, phases of the medication process. From March 2010 to February 2011 the CMR received 4161 incidents: 1643 (39.5%) from community pharmacies and 2518 (60.5%) from hospitals. Eventually one of six incidents (16.1%, n=668) were related to IT; in community pharmacies more incidents (21.5%, n=351) were related to IT than in hospitals (12.6%, n=317). In community pharmacies 41.0% (n=150) of the incidents were about choosing the wrong medicine. Most of the erroneous exchanges were associated with confusion of medicine names and poor design of screens. In hospitals 55.3% (n=187) of incidents concerned human-machine interaction-related input during the use of computerized prescriber order entry. These use problems were also a major problem in pharmacy information systems outside the hospital. A large sample of incidents shows that many of the incidents are related to IT, both in community pharmacies and hospitals. The interaction between human and machine plays a pivotal role in IT incidents in both settings.

Incidence and prevalence of epilepsy in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Jakob; Vestergaard, Mogens; Pedersen, Marianne G

2007-01-01

registered with epilepsy between 1977 and 2002. RESULTS: Between 1977 and 2002 the average incidence of epilepsy was 68.8 new epilepsy patients per 100,000 person-years at risk. However, the incidence changed with calendar time and increased steeply from 1990 to 1995, probably due to changes in diagnostic...... system and inclusion of outpatients. From 1995 to 2002 the incidence rate was reasonable constant with an average of 83.3 new cases per 100,000 person-years at risk, except for patients over 60 years of age where we observed an increase in incidence with calendar time. The age-specific incidence rates...... declined from a high level in children to a low level between 20 and 40 years of age, and thereafter a gradual increase was seen. The incidence rate was slightly higher in men than in women except for the age range 10-20 years. About 2% of the population was diagnosed with epilepsy at some point during...

Assessment of BED HIV-1 incidence assay in seroconverter cohorts: effect of individuals with long-term infection and importance of stable incidence.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janet M McNicholl

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Performance of the BED assay in estimating HIV-1 incidence has previously been evaluated by using longitudinal specimens from persons with incident HIV infections, but questions remain about its accuracy. We sought to assess its performance in three longitudinal cohorts from Thailand where HIV-1 CRF01_AE and subtype B' dominate the epidemic. DESIGN: BED testing was conducted in two longitudinal cohorts with only incident infections (a military conscript cohort and an injection drug user cohort and in one longitudinal cohort (an HIV-1 vaccine efficacy trial cohort that also included long-term infections. METHODS: Incidence estimates were generated conventionally (based on the number of annual serocoversions and by using BED test results in the three cohorts. Adjusted incidence was calculated where appropriate. RESULTS: For each longitudinal cohort the BED incidence estimates and the conventional incidence estimates were similar when only newly infected persons were tested, whether infected with CRF01_AE or subtype B'. When the analysis included persons with long-term infections (to mimic a true cross-sectional cohort, BED incidence estimates were higher, although not significantly, than the conventional incidence estimates. After adjustment, the BED incidence estimates were closer to the conventional incidence estimates. When the conventional incidence varied over time, as in the early phase of the injection drug user cohort, the difference between the two estimates increased, but not significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of the performance of incidence assays requires the inclusion of a substantial number of cohort-derived specimens from individuals with long-term HIV infection and, ideally, the use of cohorts in which incidence remained stable. Appropriate adjustments of the BED incidence estimates generate estimates similar to those generated conventionally.

Ionospheric Oblique Incidence Soundings by Satellites

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The oblique incidence sweep-frequency ionospheric sounding technique uses the same principle of operation as the vertical incidence sounder. The primary difference...

Application technology of Data Free-Way for advanced nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, Mitsutane; Yagi, Koichi; Kinugawa, Junichi; Noda, Tetsuji; Kitajima, Masahiro; Nagakawa, Josei; Yamamoto, Norikazu

2000-01-01

In order to promote efficiency of survey on material property change and of selection and development on new materials, four organizations of the National Research Institute for Metals (NRIM), the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC), and the Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST) have constructed each data base on their strong fields to develop a huge dispersion type data base system by connecting them through a network. In 1998 fiscal year, together with storing fatigue property data of stainless steel, the four organizations under their cooperation carried out investigation on a method to make structure of the data base with less retrieving time possible, and reformed it to an easier system to use. And, NRIM collected diffusion data on metal, attempted to digitalising its documents, and made possible to supply its high degree informations. In future, they plans to promote their development for their data free way system so as to be used not only for nuclear power field but also for wide and common information system. (G.K.)

Qualitative analysis of factors leading to clinical incidents.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Matthew D; Birch, Julian D; Renshaw, Mark; Ottewill, Melanie

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the common themes leading or contributing to clinical incidents in a UK teaching hospital. A root-cause analysis was conducted on patient safety incidents. Commonly occurring root causes and contributing factors were collected and correlated with incident timing and severity. In total, 65 root-cause analyses were reviewed, highlighting 202 factors implicated in the clinical incidents and 69 categories were identified. The 14 most commonly occurring causes (encountered in four incidents or more) were examined as a key-root or contributory cause. Incident timing was also analysed; common factors were encountered more frequently during out-hours--occurring as contributory rather than a key-root cause. In total, 14 commonly occurring factors were identified to direct interventions that could prevent many clinical incidents. From these, an "Organisational Safety Checklist" was developed to involve departmental level clinicians to monitor practice. This study demonstrates that comprehensively investigating incidents highlights common factors that can be addressed at a local level. Resilience against clinical incidents is low during out-of-hours periods, where factors such as lower staffing levels and poor service provision allows problems to escalate and become clinical incidents, which adds to the literature regarding out-of-hours care provision and should prove useful to those organising hospital services at departmental and management levels.

Epidemic spreading on contact networks with adaptive weights.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Guanghu; Chen, Guanrong; Xu, Xin-Jian; Fu, Xinchu

2013-01-21

The heterogeneous patterns of interactions within a population are often described by contact networks, but the variety and adaptivity of contact strengths are usually ignored. This paper proposes a modified epidemic SIS model with a birth-death process and nonlinear infectivity on an adaptive and weighted contact network. The links' weights, named as 'adaptive weights', which indicate the intimacy or familiarity between two connected individuals, will reduce as the disease develops. Through mathematical and numerical analyses, conditions are established for population extermination, disease extinction and infection persistence. Particularly, it is found that the fixed weights setting can trigger the epidemic incidence, and that the adaptivity of weights cannot change the epidemic threshold but it can accelerate the disease decay and lower the endemic level. Finally, some corresponding control measures are suggested. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of factors associated with traffic injury severity on rural roads in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andishe Ranjbari

2012-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Iran is a country with one of the highest rates of traffic crash fatality and injury, and seventy percent of these fatalities happen on rural roads. The objective of this study is to identify the significant factors influencing injury severity among drivers involved in crashes on two kinds of major rural roads in Iran: two-lane, two-way roads and freeways. METHODS: According to the dataset, 213569 drivers were involved in rural road crashes in Iran, over the 3 years from 2006 to 2008. The Classification And Regression Tree method (CART was applied for 13 independent variables, and one target variable of injury severity with 3 classes of no-injury, injury and fatality. Some of the independent variables were cause of crash, collision type, weather conditions, road surface conditions, driver's age and gender and seat belt usage. The CART model was trained by 70% of these data, and tested with the rest. RESULTS: It was indicated that seat belt use is the most important safety factor for two-lane, two-way rural roads, but on freeways, the importance of this variable is less. Cause of crash, also turned out to be the next most important variable. The results showed that for two-lane, two-way rural roads, "improper overtaking" and "speeding", and for rural freeways, "inattention to traffic ahead", "vehicle defect", and "movement of pedestrians, livestock and unauthorized vehicles on freeways" are the most serious causes of increasing injury severity. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis results revealed seat belt use, cause of crash and collision type as the most important variables influencing the injury severity of traffic crashes. To deal with these problems, intensifying police enforcement by means of mobile patrol vehicles, constructing overtaking lanes where necessary, and prohibiting the crossing of pedestrians and livestock and the driving of unauthorized vehicles on freeways are necessary. Moreover, creating a rumble strip on the two edges of

Time trends in the incidence of work-related mental ill-health and musculoskeletal disorders in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Carder, Melanie; McNamee, Roseanne; Turner, Susan; Hodgson, John Timothy; Holland, Fiona; Agius, Raymond M

2013-05-01

To determine UK trends (from 1996 to 2009) in incidence of work-related mental ill-health and musculoskeletal disorders, for all industry as well as for health and social care employees. Second, to investigate whether there may have been a recent shift from a physical to psychological perspective in how patients present their illness by comparing reporting trends for back pain and 'other work stress'. Multilevel models were used to investigate changes in incidence of work-related illness, as diagnosed by specialist physicians. The dependent variable comprised case reports to The Health and Occupation Research network. Comparisons were made between medical specialties, industry (health and social care vs all other employees), gender and diagnosis. Trends for Occupational Physicians' (OP) reporting mental ill-health (average annual increase +3.7% (95% CI +2.2% to +5.2%)) differed significantly (phealth and social care employees. A fall in incidence of musculoskeletal disorders for OPs of -5.8% (95% CI -7.3% to -4.3%) and rheumatologists' reporting -6.6% (95% CI -8.3% to -4.8%) was found, with little variation by gender or industry. Within health and social care, an increase in incidence of 'other work stress' was accompanied by a similar decrease in 'spine/back pain'. The evidence presented is consistent with a shift in the presentation of ill-health from a physical to psychological perspective, although changes in hazards, prevention measures and physician awareness should also be considered as explanations.

Equal Graph Partitioning on Estimated Infection Network as an Effective Epidemic Mitigation Measure

Science.gov (United States)

Hadidjojo, Jeremy; Cheong, Siew Ann

2011-01-01

Controlling severe outbreaks remains the most important problem in infectious disease area. With time, this problem will only become more severe as population density in urban centers grows. Social interactions play a very important role in determining how infectious diseases spread, and organization of people along social lines gives rise to non-spatial networks in which the infections spread. Infection networks are different for diseases with different transmission modes, but are likely to be identical or highly similar for diseases that spread the same way. Hence, infection networks estimated from common infections can be useful to contain epidemics of a more severe disease with the same transmission mode. Here we present a proof-of-concept study demonstrating the effectiveness of epidemic mitigation based on such estimated infection networks. We first generate artificial social networks of different sizes and average degrees, but with roughly the same clustering characteristic. We then start SIR epidemics on these networks, censor the simulated incidences, and use them to reconstruct the infection network. We then efficiently fragment the estimated network by removing the smallest number of nodes identified by a graph partitioning algorithm. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of this targeted strategy, by comparing it against traditional untargeted strategies, in slowing down and reducing the size of advancing epidemics. PMID:21799777

The Three-Mile Island incident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, L.M.

1979-10-01

A description is given of the engineering design principles of the PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) of the Three Mile Island-2 power plant. The successive stages of the incident are recounted, with diagrammatic illustrations, and graphs showing the reactor coolant system parameters at various times after the incident. The consequential events and core damage are discussed. (U.K.)

A Localization Algorithm Based on AOA for Ad-Hoc Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Sun Lee

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Knowledge of positions of sensor nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs will make possible many applications such as asset monitoring, object tracking and routing. In WSNs, the errors may happen in the measurement of distances and angles between pairs of nodes in WSN and these errors will be propagated to different nodes, the estimation of positions of sensor nodes can be difficult and have huge errors. In this paper, we will propose localization algorithm based on both distance and angle to landmark. So, we introduce a method of incident angle to landmark and the algorithm to exchange physical data such as distances and incident angles and update the position of a node by utilizing multiple landmarks and multiple paths to landmarks.

Incidence and Outcome of CPAP Failure in Preterm Infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Dargaville, Peter A; Gerber, Angela; Johansson, Stefan; De Paoli, Antonio G; Kamlin, C Omar F; Orsini, Francesca; Davis, Peter G

2016-07-01

Data from clinical trials support the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for initial respiratory management in preterm infants, but there is concern regarding the potential failure of CPAP support. We aimed to examine the incidence and explore the outcomes of CPAP failure in Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network data from 2007 to 2013. Data from inborn preterm infants managed on CPAP from the outset were analyzed in 2 gestational age ranges (25-28 and 29-32 completed weeks). Outcomes after CPAP failure (need for intubation CPAP using adjusted odds ratios (AORs). Within the cohort of 19 103 infants, 11 684 were initially managed on CPAP. Failure of CPAP occurred in 863 (43%) of 1989 infants commencing on CPAP at 25-28 weeks' gestation and 2061 (21%) of 9695 at 29-32 weeks. CPAP failure was associated with a substantially higher rate of pneumothorax, and a heightened risk of death, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and other morbidities compared with those managed successfully on CPAP. The incidence of death or BPD was also increased: (25-28 weeks: 39% vs 20%, AOR 2.30, 99% confidence interval 1.71-3.10; 29-32 weeks: 12% vs 3.1%, AOR 3.62 [2.76-4.74]). The CPAP failure group had longer durations of respiratory support and hospitalization. CPAP failure in preterm infants is associated with increased risk of mortality and major morbidities, including BPD. Strategies to promote successful CPAP application should be pursued vigorously. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

IAEA Response and Assistance Network. Date Effective: 1 January 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

This publication is a tool for (1) supporting the provision of international assistance in the event of a nuclear or radiological incident or emergency, (2) cooperation between States, their competent authorities and the IAEA, and (3) harmonization of response capabilities of States offering assistance under the Response and Assistance Network (RANET). The publication may also assist competent authorities and other response organizations in their efforts to establish and/or maintain their own response capabilities.

Increase of Prostate Cancer Incidence in Martinique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominique Belpomme

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Prostate cancer incidence is steadily increasing in many developed countries. Because insular populations present unique ethnic, geographical, and environmental characteristics, we analyzed the evolution of prostate cancer age-adjusted world standardized incidence rates in Martinique in comparison with that of metropolitan France. We also compared prostate cancer incidence rates, and lifestyle-related and socioeconomic markers such as life expectancy, dietary energy, and fat supply and consumption, with those in other Caribbean islands, France, UK, Sweden, and USA. The incidence rate of prostate cancer in Martinique is one of the highest reported worldwide; it is continuously growing since 1985 in an exponential mode, and despite a similar screening detection process and lifestyle-related behaviour, it is constantly at a higher level than in metropolitan France. However, Caribbean populations that are genetically close to that of Martinique have generally much lower incidence of prostate cancer. We found no correlation between prostate cancer incidence rates, life expectancy, and diet westernization. Since the Caribbean African descent-associated genetic susceptibility factor would have remained constant during the 1980–2005, we suggest that in Martinique some environmental change including the intensive use of carcinogenic organochlorine pesticides might have occurred as key determinant of the persisting highly growing incidence of prostate cancer.

Decline in overall, smear-negative and HIV-positive TB incidence while smear-positive incidence stays stable in Guinea-Bissau 2004-2011

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lemvik, G; Rudolf, F; Vieira, F

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To calculate Tuberculosis (TB) incidence rates in Guinea-Bissau over an 8-year period. METHODS: Since 2003, a surveillance system has registered all TB cases in six suburban districts of Bissau. In this population-based prospective follow-up study, 1205 cases of pulmonary TB were...... identified between January 2004 and December 2011. Incidence rates were calculated using census data from the Bandim Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS). RESULTS: The overall incidence of pulmonary TB was 279 per 100 000 person-years of observation; the male incidence being 385, and the female...... 191. TB incidence rates increased significantly with age in both sexes, regardless of smear or HIV status. Despite a peak with unknown cause of 352 per 100 000 in 2007, the overall incidence of pulmonary TB declined over the period. The incidence of HIV infected TB cases declined significantly from...

Solution of weakly compressible isothermal flow in landfill gas collection networks

Science.gov (United States)

Nec, Y.; Huculak, G.

2017-12-01

Pipe networks collecting gas in sanitary landfills operate under the regime of a weakly compressible isothermal flow of ideal gas. The effect of compressibility has been traditionally neglected in this application in favour of simplicity, thereby creating a conceptual incongruity between the flow equations and thermodynamic equation of state. Here the flow is solved by generalisation of the classic Darcy-Weisbach equation for an incompressible steady flow in a pipe to an ordinary differential equation, permitting continuous variation of density, viscosity and related fluid parameters, as well as head loss or gain due to gravity, in isothermal flow. The differential equation is solved analytically in the case of ideal gas for a single edge in the network. Thereafter the solution is used in an algorithm developed to construct the flow equations automatically for a network characterised by an incidence matrix, and determine pressure distribution, flow rates and all associated parameters therein.

Incident Management in Academic Information System using ITIL Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Palilingan, V. R.; Batmetan, J. R.

2018-02-01

Incident management is very important in order to ensure the continuity of a system. Information systems require incident management to ensure information systems can provide maximum service according to the service provided. Many of the problems that arise in academic information systems come from incidents that are not properly handled. The objective of this study aims to find the appropriate way of incident management. The incident can be managed so it will not be a big problem. This research uses the ITIL framework to solve incident problems. The technique used in this study is a technique adopted and developed from the service operations section of the ITIL framework. The results of this research found that 84.5% of incidents appearing in academic information systems can be handled quickly and appropriately. 15.5% incidents can be escalated so as to not cause any new problems. The model of incident management applied to make academic information system can run quickly in providing academic service in a good and efficient. The incident management model implemented in this research is able to manage resources appropriately so as to quickly and easily manage incidents.

Spreading of diseases through comorbidity networks across life and gender

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chmiel, Anna; Klimek, Peter; Thurner, Stefan

2014-01-01

The state of health of patients is typically not characterized by a single disease alone but by multiple (comorbid) medical conditions. These comorbidities may depend strongly on age and gender. We propose a specific phenomenological comorbidity network of human diseases that is based on medical claims data of the entire population of Austria. The network is constructed from a two-layer multiplex network, where in one layer the links represent the conditional probability for a comorbidity, and in the other the links contain the respective statistical significance. We show that the network undergoes dramatic structural changes across the lifetime of patients. Disease networks for children consist of a single, strongly interconnected cluster. During adolescence and adulthood further disease clusters emerge that are related to specific classes of diseases, such as circulatory, mental, or genitourinary disorders. For people over 65 these clusters start to merge, and highly connected hubs dominate the network. These hubs are related to hypertension, chronic ischemic heart diseases, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. We introduce a simple diffusion model to understand the spreading of diseases on the disease network at the population level. For the first time we are able to show that patients predominantly develop diseases that are in close network proximity to disorders that they already suffer. The model explains more than 85% of the variance of all disease incidents in the population. The presented methodology could be of importance for anticipating age-dependent disease profiles for entire populations, and for design and validation of prevention strategies. (paper)

Trends in the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in Denmark 1978-2007: Rapid incidence increase among young Danish women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Birch-Johansen, Fatima; Jensen, Allan; Mortensen, Lone

2010-01-01

Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common cancer among Caucasian populations worldwide, and incidence rates are increasing. However, NMSC data are not routinely collected by cancer registries, but Denmark has extensive registration of NMSC in two nationwide population-based registries. We...... assessed incidence trends of NMSC in Denmark from 1978 to 2007. Data for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were obtained from the Danish Cancer Registry and the Danish Registry of Pathology. For both genders, age-specific incidence rates and overall incidence rates, age...

Trip-timing decisions with traffic incidents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fosgerau, Mogens; Lindsey, Robin

2013-01-01

This paper analyzes traffic bottleneck congestion when drivers randomly cause incidents that temporarily block the bottleneck. Drivers have general scheduling preferences for time spent at home and at work. They independently choose morning departure times from home to maximize expected utility...... without knowing whether an incident has occurred. The resulting departure time pattern may be compressed or dispersed according to whether or not the bottleneck is fully utilized throughout the departure period on days without incidents. For both the user equilibrium (UE) and the social optimum (SO...

SPS Machine Protection Incident in 2009

CERN Document Server

Wenninger, J

2009-01-01

During the 008 SPS run a single machine operation incident happened on June 27th when a high intensity CNGS beam was lost in a dipole of sextant 1 following a time system ‘freeze’. The vacuum chamber was punctured over a length of over 10 cm, and the vacuum in the affected sector rose to atmospheric pressure. The dipole was exchanged June 30th. This note describes the incident in detail and presents the measures taken to avoid a similar incident in the future.

A new hereditary colorectal cancer network in the Middle East and eastern mediterranean countries to improve care for high-risk families.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghorbanoghli, Zeinab; Jabari, Carol; Sweidan, Walid; Hammoudeh, Wail; Cortas, George; Sharara, Ala I; Abedrabbo, Amal; Hourani, Ijad; Mahjoubi, Bahareh; Majidzadeh, Keivan; Tözün, Nurdan; Ziada-Bouchaar, Hadia; Hamoudi, Waseem; Diab, Osama; Khorshid, Hamid Reza Khorram; Lynch, Henry; Vasen, Hans

2018-04-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has a very high incidence in the western world. Data from registries in the Middle East showed that the incidence of CRC is relatively low in these countries. However, these data also showed that CRC incidence has increased substantially over the past three decades and that a high proportion of cases are diagnosed at an early age (Middle East was discussed and the idea was conceived to establish a network on hereditary colorectal cancer (HCCN-ME) with the goal of improving care for high-risk groups in the Middle East and (Eastern) Mediterranean Countries.

Detecting atrial fibrillation by deep convolutional neural networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Yong; Wulan, Naren; Wang, Kuanquan; Zhang, Henggui

2018-02-01

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. The incidence of AF increases with age, causing high risks of stroke and increased morbidity and mortality. Efficient and accurate diagnosis of AF based on the ECG is valuable in clinical settings and remains challenging. In this paper, we proposed a novel method with high reliability and accuracy for AF detection via deep learning. The short-term Fourier transform (STFT) and stationary wavelet transform (SWT) were used to analyze ECG segments to obtain two-dimensional (2-D) matrix input suitable for deep convolutional neural networks. Then, two different deep convolutional neural network models corresponding to STFT output and SWT output were developed. Our new method did not require detection of P or R peaks, nor feature designs for classification, in contrast to existing algorithms. Finally, the performances of the two models were evaluated and compared with those of existing algorithms. Our proposed method demonstrated favorable performances on ECG segments as short as 5 s. The deep convolutional neural network using input generated by STFT, presented a sensitivity of 98.34%, specificity of 98.24% and accuracy of 98.29%. For the deep convolutional neural network using input generated by SWT, a sensitivity of 98.79%, specificity of 97.87% and accuracy of 98.63% was achieved. The proposed method using deep convolutional neural networks shows high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, and, therefore, is a valuable tool for AF detection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radioactive material (RAM) accident/incident data analysis program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emerson, E.L.; McClure, J.D.

1985-03-01

This report describes the development of the Radioactive Material Transportation Accident/Incident Data Base (RAM-AIDB), which contains information on the occurrences of transportation accidents and incidents, for radioactive materials (RAM) that are involved in the process of transportation, loading and unloading operation, or temporary storage. These transportation operations are in support of the nuclear fuel cycle for electrical energy generation. This study analyzes in some detail basic accident/incident statistical data, RAM packaging accident response data, and the health effects associated with RAM transport accidents/incidents. This report presents a summary of US RAM transport accident/incident experience for the period 1971 through December 1981. In addition, a sample annual summary of accident/incident experience is presented for the calendar year 1981

Risk - hazardous incident - communication 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerling, R.; Obermeier, O.P.

1995-01-01

It is difficult to develop an objective approach to risks and effects of a hazardous incident that would be acceptable to the community at large. It is a matter of fact that there is great dissimilarity in the way various social groups perceive and define the risks of a particular technology, or the effects of hazardous incidents, sometimes they have even contrary opinions. Hence, open communication is seriously hampered, which in turn aggravates the problems encountered in this context. This second volume of the publication dealing with the problem area of 'risk - hazardous incident - communication' is intended to reveal patterns of the recurrent process which impedes communication, and to bridge the gaps between the various 'styles' of risk perception and definition. (orig./CB) [de

Trends in the incidence of malignant melanoma in Denmark 1978-2007. Incidence on the island of Bornholm compared with the whole country incidence in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Drejøe, Jennifer Berg; Drzewiecki, Krzysztof Tadeusz; Klit, Anders

2011-01-01

In Denmark, malignant melanoma is among the most rapidly increasing cancer types. Malignant melanoma accounts for the majority of skin cancer-related deaths. Sunshine is the main cause of the increase seen in melanoma incidence. Within Denmark, Bornholm is the area that receives most sunshine....... It is therefore relevant to compare incidence data between Denmark and Bornholm....

Spatial spreading of infectious disease via local and national mobility networks in South Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Okyu; Son, Woo-Sik

2017-12-01

We study the spread of infectious disease based on local- and national-scale mobility networks. We construct a local mobility network using data on urban bus services to estimate local-scale movement of people. We also construct a national mobility network from orientation-destination data of vehicular traffic between highway tollgates to evaluate national-scale movement of people. A metapopulation model is used to simulate the spread of epidemics. Thus, the number of infected people is simulated using a susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) model within the administrative division, and inter-division spread of infected people is determined through local and national mobility networks. In this paper, we consider two scenarios for epidemic spread. In the first, the infectious disease only spreads through local-scale movement of people, that is, the local mobility network. In the second, it spreads via both local and national mobility networks. For the former, the simulation results show infected people sequentially spread to neighboring divisions. Yet for the latter, we observe a faster spreading pattern to distant divisions. Thus, we confirm the national mobility network enhances synchronization among the incidence profiles of all administrative divisions.

Epidemiology of Road Traffic Incidents in Peru 1973–2008: Incidence, Mortality, and Fatality

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, J. Jaime; López-Rivera, Luis A.; Quistberg, D. Alex; Rosales-Mayor, Edmundo; Gianella, Camila; Paca-Palao, Ada; Luna, Diego; Huicho, Luis; Paca, Ada; Luis, López; Luna, Diego; Rosales, Edmundo; Best, Pablo; Best, Pablo; Egúsquiza, Miriam; Gianella, Camila; Lema, Claudia; Ludeña, Esperanza; Miranda, J. Jaime; Huicho, Luis

2014-01-01

Background The epidemiological profile and trends of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Peru have not been well-defined, though this is a necessary step to address this significant public health problem in Peru. The objective of this study was to determine trends of incidence, mortality, and fatality of RTIs in Peru during 1973–2008, as well as their relationship to population trends such as economic growth. Methods and Findings Secondary aggregated databases were used to estimate incidence, mortality and fatality rate ratios (IRRs) of RTIs. These estimates were standardized to age groups and sex of the 2008 Peruvian population. Negative binomial regression and cubic spline curves were used for multivariable analysis. During the 35-year period there were 952,668 road traffic victims, injured or killed. The adjusted yearly incidence of RTIs increased by 3.59 (95% CI 2.43–5.31) on average. We did not observe any significant trends in the yearly mortality rate. The total adjusted yearly fatality rate decreased by 0.26 (95% CI 0.15–0.43), while among adults the fatality rate increased by 1.25 (95% CI 1.09–1.43). Models fitted with splines suggest that the incidence follows a bimodal curve and closely followed trends in the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita Conclusions The significant increasing incidence of RTIs in Peru affirms their growing threat to public health. A substantial improvement of information systems for RTIs is needed to create a more accurate epidemiologic profile of RTIs in Peru. This approach can be of use in other similar low and middle-income settings to inform about the local challenges posed by RTIs. PMID:24927195

Traffic incidents in motorways : An empirical proposal for incident detection using data from mobile phone operators

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steenbruggen, John; Tranos, Emmanouil; Rietveld, P.

2016-01-01

This paper proves that mobile phone usage data is an easy to use, cheap and most importantly, reliable predictor of motorway incidents. Using econometric modelling, this paper provides a proof of concept of how mobile phone usage data can be utilised to detect motorway incidents. Greater Amsterdam

Rising incidence of Merkel cell carcinoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyhne, Dorte; Lock-Andersen, Jørgen; Dahlstrøm, Karin

2011-01-01

Abstract Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive, skin cancer of obscure histogenesis, the incidence of which is rising. There is no consensus on the optimal treatment. Our aim was to evaluate the staging, investigation, treatment, and follow-up of MCC in eastern Denmark, and to investi......Abstract Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive, skin cancer of obscure histogenesis, the incidence of which is rising. There is no consensus on the optimal treatment. Our aim was to evaluate the staging, investigation, treatment, and follow-up of MCC in eastern Denmark......, and to investigate the incidence. We suggest guidelines for treatment. First we reviewed the medical records of 51 patients diagnosed with MCC from 1995 until 2006 in eastern Denmark. The nation-wide incidence of MCC was extracted from the Danish Cancer Registry for the calculations for the period 1986-2003. We...... reviwed published papers about MCC based on a MEDLINE search. Fourteen of the 51 patients developed recurrence, and 37 (73%) died during the study period. Mean follow-up was 13 months (range 1-122). A total of 153 patients were identified in the Danish Cancer Registry, and showed that incidence rates had...

The protective properties of Act-Belong-Commit indicators against incident depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment among older Irish adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santini, Ziggi Ivan; Koyanagi, Ai; Tyrovolas, Stefanos

2017-01-01

-Belong-Commit and incident depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment at two-year follow-up. The adjusted model showed that each increase in the number of social/recreational activities (Act) inversely predicted the onset of depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. The same was the case for social network...... integration (Belong); that is, being well integrated into social networks was a significant protective factor against all mental health outcomes. Finally, frequency of participation in social/recreational activities (Commit) significantly and inversely predicted the onset of depression and anxiety, while...... two consecutive waves of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) were analyzed. The analytical sample consisted of 6098 adults aged ≥ 50 years. Validated scales for depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment were used. The number of social/recreational activities engaged in was used...

Development of a Compact Gamma-ray Detector for a Neural-Network Radiation Monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, H. S.; Ha, J. H.; Lee, K. H. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, C. H. [Hanyang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2012-03-15

Radiation monitoring is very important to secure safety in nuclear-related facilities and against nuclear terrorism. For wide range of radiation monitoring, neutral network system of radiation detection is most efficient way. Thus, a compact radiation detector is useful to install in wide range to be concerned. A compact gamma-ray detector was fabricated by using a CsI(Tl) scintillator, which was matched with the formerly developed PIN photodiode, for a neural network radiation monitoring. At room temperature, the fabricated compact gamma-ray detector demonstrates an energy resolution of 13.3 % for 662 keV 6.9% for 1330 keV. The compactness, the low-voltage power consumption and the physical hardness are very useful features for a neural network radiation monitoring. In this study, characteristics of a fabricated compact gamma-ray detector were presented. An important aspect to consider in a neural-network radiation monitoring such as reaction probability of the fabricated compact detector for angle of incident gamma-ray was also addressed.

Forbush decreases on November 6-12, 2004 observed by the Muon Detector Network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Savian, Jairo Francisco; Schuch, Nelson Jorge [Southern Regional Space Research Center, CRSPE/INPE-MCT, Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Silva, Marlos Rockenbach da; Lago, Alisson dal; Echer, Ezequiel; Vieira, Luis Eduardo Antunes; Gonzalez, Walter Demetrio [National Institute for Space Research, INPE-MCT, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Munakata, Kazuoki, E-mail: savian@lacesm.ufsm.br, E-mail: njschuch@lacesm.ufsm.br, E-mail: marlos@dge.inpe.br, E-mail: dallago@dge.inpe.br, E-mail: eecher@dge.inpe.br, E-mail: vieira-le@uol.com.br, E-mail: gonzalez@dge.inpe.br, E-mail: kmuna00@shinshu-u.ac.jp [Physics Department, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, (Japan)

2007-07-01

In this paper we study the relationship between interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and the muon count rate decreases detected of the muon detector network on November 6-12, 2004. The muon detector network is composed by the detectors installed at Nagoya (Japan), Hobart (Australia) and the prototype detector installed at the 'Observatorio Espacial do Sul - OES/CRSPE/INPE-MCT', located in Sao Martinho da Serra, RS, Brazil. With the muon count rate observed by the muon detector network, we will be able to observe, in the future, the direction in which a given ICME moves, and with that, we will be able to calculate their angle of incidence on the Earth. Also, with this muon network, we will be able to send alerts of up to 12 hours before the arrival of a shock or an ICME. The space weather forecast method using cosmic rays will be a very important tool because it provides a forecast with good antecedence. (author)

The network approach for prevention of healthcare-associated infections: long-term effect of participation in the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Deverick J; Miller, Becky A; Chen, Luke F; Adcock, Linda H; Cook, Evelyn; Cromer, A Lynn; Louis, Susan; Thacker, Paul A; Sexton, Daniel J

2011-04-01

To describe the rates of several key outcomes and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) among hospitals that participated in the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network (DICON). Prospective, observational cohort study of patients admitted to 24 community hospitals from 2003 through 2009. The following data were collected and analyzed: incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), and HAIs caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); employee exposures to bloodborne pathogens (EBBPs); physician EBBPs; patient-days; central line-days; ventilator-days; and urinary catheter-days. Poisson regression was used to determine whether incidence rates of these HAIs and exposures changed during the first 5 and 7 years of participation in DICON; nonrandom clustering of each outcome was controlled for. Cost saved and lives saved were calculated on the basis of published estimates. In total, we analyzed 6.5 million patient-days, 4,783 EBPPs, 2,948 HAIs due to MRSA, and 2,076 device-related infections. Rates of employee EBBPs, HAIs due to MRSA, and device-related infections decreased significantly during the first 5 years of participation in DICON (Pprevented. Each hospital saved approximately $100,000 per year of participation, and collectively the hospitals may have prevented 52-105 deaths from CLABSI or VAP. The 7-year analysis demonstrated that these trends continued with further participation. Hospitals with long-term participation in an infection control network decreased rates of significant HAIs by approximately 50%, decreased costs, and saved lives.

Cancer incidence in blood transfusion recipients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjalgrim, Henrik; Edgren, Gustaf; Rostgaard, Klaus

2007-01-01

of the observed to the expected numbers of cancers, that is, standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), using incidence rates for the general Danish and Swedish populations as a reference. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: During 5,652,918 person-years of follow-up, 80,990 cancers occurred......, the standardized incidence ratios for cancers of the tongue, mouth, pharynx, esophagus, liver, and respiratory and urinary tracts and for squamous cell skin carcinoma remained elevated beyond 10 years after the transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: The marked increase in cancer risk shortly after a blood transfusion may...

Cancer incidence in eastern Morocco: cancer patterns and incidence trends, 2005-2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Elidrissi Errahhali, Manal; Elidrissi Errahhali, Mounia; Ouarzane, Meryem; Boulouiz, Redouane; Bellaoui, Mohammed

2017-08-29

Cancer is one of the major health problems worldwide. In this article, we present for the first time the cancer incidence trends, the distribution and the socioeconomic profile of incident cancer cases in Eastern Morocco over a period of eight years. Retrospective descriptive study of patients diagnosed with cancer at the Hassan II Regional Oncology Center (ROC) since it was created in October 2005 until December 2012. During the study period, the ROC was the only hospital specialized in cancer care in Eastern Morocco. A total of 7872 incident cases of cancer were registered in Eastern Morocco. Among these incident cases 5220 cases were women and 2652 were men, with a female to male ratio of 1.97. The mean age at diagnosis was 58 years for males and 52 for females and 94% of the patients aged over 30 years. For both sexes combined and for all cancer sites, breast cancer was the commonest followed by cervix uteri, colon-rectum, lung, nasopharynx, and stomach cancers. The most common cancer in women was breast cancer, followed respectively by cervix uteri cancer, colon-rectum cancer, ovary cancer, and stomach cancer. In men, the lung cancer ranked first, followed respectively by colon-rectum cancer, nasopharynx cancer, prostate cancer, and stomach cancer. For most cancers, crude incidence rates (CR) have increased significantly. The CR for all cancers combined has increased from 56.6 to 80.3 per 100,000 females and from 32.3 to 42.6 per 100,000 males during the study period. Patients profile analysis showed that 79% of cancer patients were from urban areas, 83% were unemployed and 85% had no health insurance. The distribution of cancers in Eastern Morocco is different from those observed in other regions of Morocco. Unlike most countries, women were much more affected with cancer than men in Eastern Morocco. More importantly, the rates of many cancers are rising. Therefore, our data justify the need to develop effective programs for cancer control and prevention in

[Prevention and Treatment of Eating Disorders: The Health Care Network Anorexia and Bulimia nervosa].

Science.gov (United States)

Weigel, Angelika; Gumz, Antje; Kästner, Denise; Romer, Georg; Wegscheider, Karl; Löwe, Bernd

2015-07-01

The "Health care network anorexia and bulimia nervosa", a subproject of psychenet - the Hamburg network for mental health - aims to decrease the incidence of eating disorders as well as the risk for chronic illness courses. One focal project, therefore, evaluates a school-based prevention manual in a randomized controlled trial. The other one examines the impact of a systemic public health intervention on early treatment initiation in anorexia nervosa. The present article provides an overview about study design and interventions in both focal projects as well as preliminary results. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

The incidence of hospital-treated occupational hand injuries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skov, O

1994-01-01

Previous studies have shown that young men have the highest frequency of occupational hand injuries. This study investigated their incidence and severity in relation to age and sex. For occupational hand injuries in general the estimated incidence rate was 17.1 per 1,000 person years. The incidence...... was found to be higher among men than women in all age groups below 60 years. The incidence for minor injuries declines with increasing age, but the rates for significant injuries are independent of age. The higher incidence rate for minor injuries among young patients could be real, but it could also...

Colorectal cancer incidence in 5 Asian countries by subsite: An analysis of Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (1998-2007).

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hye-Min; Woo, Hyeongtaek; Jung, Sun Jae; Jung, Kyu-Won; Shin, Hai-Rim; Shin, Aesun

2016-12-01

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Asia. However, the trends in colorectal cancer incidence by subsite have not been analyzed across Asian countries. We used the most recent, high quality data from 6 cancer registries for two 5-year periods, 1998-2002 and 2003-2007, from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents to estimate colorectal cancer incidence by subsite in 5 Asian countries. Cases with overlapping lesions or otherwise unspecified colon cancer were re-distributed as proximal or distal colon cancer. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) per 100,000 population and incidence rate ratios from 1998 to 2002 to 2003-2007 were calculated for each subsite. For 2003-2007, men in Miyagi, Japan, had the highest ASR for cancer in the proximal colon, distal colon and rectum. Men of Jewish ancestry in Israel had a high ASR for proximal and distal colon cancer, but the lowest ASR for rectal cancer. The proportion of rectal cancer was highest among Korean men (51.39%) and lowest among Israeli women (26.6%). From 1998-2002 to 2003-2007, rectal cancer incidence did not significantly change in most registries, except for men in Miyagi, Japan, and both sexes in Korea. However, during the same period cancer incidence in the proximal and distal colon increased in most registries. In conclusion, there was substantial variation in subsite distributions of colorectal cancer in Asian registries and increases in overall incidence of colorectal cancer could be attributed to increases in colon cancer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

49 CFR 1542.307 - Incident management.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 9 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Incident management. 1542.307 Section 1542.307 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION... Incident management. (a) Each airport operator must establish procedures to evaluate bomb threats, threats...

Workplace Disruption following Psychological Trauma: Influence of Incident Severity Level on Organizations' Post-Incident Response Planning and Execution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GS DeFraia

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Psychologically traumatic workplace events (known as critical incidents, which occur globally, are increasing in prevalence within the USA. Assisting employers in their response is a growing practice area for occupational medicine, occupational social work, industrial psychology and other occupational health professions. Traumatic workplace events vary greatly in their level of organizational disruption. Objective: To explore whether extent of workplace disruption influences organizations' decisions for post-incident response planning and plan execution. Methods: Administrative data mining was employed to examine practice data from a workplace trauma response unit in the USA. Bivariate analyses were conducted to test whether scores from an instrument measuring extent of workplace disruption associated with organizational decisions regarding post-incident response. Results: The more severe and disruptive the incident, the more likely organizations planned for and followed through to deliver on-site interventions. Following more severe incidents, organizations were also more likely to deliver group sessions and to complete follow-up consultations to ensure ongoing worker recovery. Conclusion: Increasing occupational health practitioners' knowledge of varying levels of organizational disruption and familiarity with a range of organizational response strategies improves incident assessment, consultation and planning, and ensures interventions delivered are consistent with the level of assistance needed on both worker and organizational levels.

Workplace Disruption following Psychological Trauma: Influence of Incident Severity Level on Organizations' Post-Incident Response Planning and Execution.

Science.gov (United States)

DeFraia, G S

2016-04-01

Psychologically traumatic workplace events (known as critical incidents), which occur globally, are increasing in prevalence within the USA. Assisting employers in their response is a growing practice area for occupational medicine, occupational social work, industrial psychology and other occupational health professions. Traumatic workplace events vary greatly in their level of organizational disruption. To explore whether extent of workplace disruption influences organizations' decisions for post-incident response planning and plan execution. Administrative data mining was employed to examine practice data from a workplace trauma response unit in the USA. Bivariate analyses were conducted to test whether scores from an instrument measuring extent of workplace disruption associated with organizational decisions regarding post-incident response. The more severe and disruptive the incident, the more likely organizations planned for and followed through to deliver on-site interventions. Following more severe incidents, organizations were also more likely to deliver group sessions and to complete follow-up consultations to ensure ongoing worker recovery. Increasing occupational health practitioners' knowledge of varying levels of organizational disruption and familiarity with a range of organizational response strategies improves incident assessment, consultation and planning, and ensures interventions delivered are consistent with the level of assistance needed on both worker and organizational levels.

Real-time incident detection using social media data.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-09

The effectiveness of traditional incident detection is often limited by sparse sensor coverage, and reporting incidents to emergency response systems : is labor-intensive. This research project mines tweet texts to extract incident information on bot...

Measurements of diamond-turned copper mirrors at glancing incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, W.D.; Saito, T.T.

1987-01-01

The results of glancing incidence absorptance measurements performed on diamond-turned copper mirrors are presented. A photoacoustic calorimetry technique is used in which the output from a low power, chopped cw Nd:YAG laser (1.06 μm) is incident upon the mirror at angles of incidence from 0 to 87 0 , for both s and p-polarizations. Measurements are obtained as a function of the diamond turning groove orientation with respect to the plane of incidence. Minimum absorptance, at high angles of incidence, is achieved with s-polarized light and with the grooves aligned parallel to the plane of incidence. The affects on the absorptance of a large scratch at glancing incidence are also described

Measurements of diamond turned copper mirrors at glancing incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, W.D.; Saito, T.T.

1987-01-01

The results of glancing incidence absorptance measurements performed on diamond turned copper mirrors are presented. A photoacoustic calorimetry technique is used in which the output from a low power, chopped cw Nd:YAG laser (1.06 μm) is incident upon the mirror at angles of incidence from 0 to 87 0 , for both s and p-polarizations. Measurements are obtained as a function of the diamond turning groove orientation with respect to the plane of incidence. Minimum absorptance at high angles of incidence is achieved with s-polarized light and with the grooves aligned parallel to the plane of incidence. The effects on the absorptance of a large scratch at glancing incidence are also described

Cervical cancer incidence in elderly women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lynge, Elsebeth; Lönnberg, Stefan; Törnberg, Sven

2017-01-01

Aim: In many countries, the age-specific pattern of cervical cancer incidence is currently bipolar with peaks at for instance 45 and 65 years of age. Consequently, a large proportion of cervical cancer cases are presently diagnosed in women above the screening age. The purpose of the study...... was to determine whether this bipolar pattern in age-specific incidence of cervical cancer reflects underlying biology or can be explained by the fact that the data come from birth cohorts with different screening histories. Methods: Combination of historical data on cervical screening and population-based cancer...... incidence data from Denmark 1943–2013, Finland and Norway 1953–2013, and Sweden 1958–2013. Results: Since the implementation of screening, the incidence of cervical cancer has decreased for each successive birth cohort. All birth cohorts showed a unipolar age-specific pattern. In unscreened women in Denmark...

Travel Time Estimation Using Freeway Point Detector Data Based on Evolving Fuzzy Neural Inference System.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinjun Tang

Full Text Available Travel time is an important measurement used to evaluate the extent of congestion within road networks. This paper presents a new method to estimate the travel time based on an evolving fuzzy neural inference system. The input variables in the system are traffic flow data (volume, occupancy, and speed collected from loop detectors located at points both upstream and downstream of a given link, and the output variable is the link travel time. A first order Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy rule set is used to complete the inference. For training the evolving fuzzy neural network (EFNN, two learning processes are proposed: (1 a K-means method is employed to partition input samples into different clusters, and a Gaussian fuzzy membership function is designed for each cluster to measure the membership degree of samples to the cluster centers. As the number of input samples increases, the cluster centers are modified and membership functions are also updated; (2 a weighted recursive least squares estimator is used to optimize the parameters of the linear functions in the Takagi-Sugeno type fuzzy rules. Testing datasets consisting of actual and simulated data are used to test the proposed method. Three common criteria including mean absolute error (MAE, root mean square error (RMSE, and mean absolute relative error (MARE are utilized to evaluate the estimation performance. Estimation results demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the EFNN method through comparison with existing methods including: multiple linear regression (MLR, instantaneous model (IM, linear model (LM, neural network (NN, and cumulative plots (CP.

Travel Time Estimation Using Freeway Point Detector Data Based on Evolving Fuzzy Neural Inference System.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Jinjun; Zou, Yajie; Ash, John; Zhang, Shen; Liu, Fang; Wang, Yinhai

2016-01-01

Travel time is an important measurement used to evaluate the extent of congestion within road networks. This paper presents a new method to estimate the travel time based on an evolving fuzzy neural inference system. The input variables in the system are traffic flow data (volume, occupancy, and speed) collected from loop detectors located at points both upstream and downstream of a given link, and the output variable is the link travel time. A first order Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy rule set is used to complete the inference. For training the evolving fuzzy neural network (EFNN), two learning processes are proposed: (1) a K-means method is employed to partition input samples into different clusters, and a Gaussian fuzzy membership function is designed for each cluster to measure the membership degree of samples to the cluster centers. As the number of input samples increases, the cluster centers are modified and membership functions are also updated; (2) a weighted recursive least squares estimator is used to optimize the parameters of the linear functions in the Takagi-Sugeno type fuzzy rules. Testing datasets consisting of actual and simulated data are used to test the proposed method. Three common criteria including mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute relative error (MARE) are utilized to evaluate the estimation performance. Estimation results demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the EFNN method through comparison with existing methods including: multiple linear regression (MLR), instantaneous model (IM), linear model (LM), neural network (NN), and cumulative plots (CP).

MicroRNA-mediated networks underlie immune response regulation in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chen-Tsung; Oyang, Yen-Jen; Huang, Hsuan-Cheng; Juan, Hsueh-Fen

2014-09-01

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a common endocrine malignancy with low death rate but increased incidence and recurrence in recent years. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs with diverse regulatory capacities in eukaryotes and have been frequently implied in human cancer. Despite current progress, however, a panoramic overview concerning miRNA regulatory networks in PTC is still lacking. Here, we analyzed the expression datasets of PTC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Data Portal and demonstrate for the first time that immune responses are significantly enriched and under specific regulation in the direct miRNA-target network among distinctive PTC variants to different extents. Additionally, considering the unconventional properties of miRNAs, we explore the protein-coding competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) and the modulatory networks in PTC and unexpectedly disclose concerted regulation of immune responses from these networks. Interestingly, miRNAs from these conventional and unconventional networks share general similarities and differences but tend to be disparate as regulatory activities increase, coordinately tuning the immune responses that in part account for PTC tumor biology. Together, our systematic results uncover the intensive regulation of immune responses underlain by miRNA-mediated networks in PTC, opening up new avenues in the management of thyroid cancer.

Modélisation mathématique et méthodes de résolution pour le problème de réordonnancement de plan de circulation ferroviaire en cas d'incidents

OpenAIRE

Acuña-Agost , Rodrigo

2009-01-01

For operational and unpredictable reasons, many small incidents occur day after day in rail transportation systems. Most of them have a local impact; but, in some cases, minimal disruptions can spread out through the whole network and affect significantly the train schedules. In this Thesis, we present the Railway Rescheduling Problem (RRP) as the problem of finding a new schedule of trains after one or several incidents by minimizing some measure of the effect, e.g., the total delay. This Th...

Incidence and characteristics of chemical burns.

Science.gov (United States)

Koh, Dong-Hee; Lee, Sang-Gil; Kim, Hwan-Cheol

2017-05-01

Chemical burns can lead to serious health outcomes. Previous studies about chemical burns have been performed based on burn center data so these studies have provided limited information about the incidence of chemical burns at the national level. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and characteristics of chemical burns using nationwide databases. A cohort representing the Korean population, which was established using a national health insurance database, and a nationwide workers' compensation database were used to evaluate the incidence and characteristics of chemical burns. Characteristics of the affected body region, depth of burns, industry, task, and causative agents were analyzed from two databases. The incidence of chemical burns was calculated according to employment status. The most common regions involving chemical burns with hospital visits were the skin followed by the eyes. For skin lesions, the hands and wrists were the most commonly affected regions. Second degree burns were the most common in terms of depth of skin lesions. The hospital visit incidence was 1.96 per 10,000 person-year in the general population. The compensated chemical burns incidence was 0.17 per 10,000 person-year. Employees and the self-employed showed a significantly increased risk of chemical burns undergoing hospital visits compared to their dependents. Chemical burns on the skin and eyes are almost equally prevalent. The working environment was associated with increased risk of chemical burns. Our results may aid in estimating the size of the problem and prioritizing prevention of chemical burns. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

How risky are social networking sites? A comparison of places online where youth sexual solicitation and harassment occurs.

Science.gov (United States)

Ybarra, Michele L; Mitchell, Kimberly J

2008-02-01

Recently, public attention has focused on the possibility that social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are being widely used to sexually solicit underage youth, consequently increasing their vulnerability to sexual victimization. Beyond anecdotal accounts, however, whether victimization is more commonly reported in social networking sites is unknown. The Growing up With Media Survey is a national cross-sectional online survey of 1588 youth. Participants were 10- to 15-year-old youth who have used the Internet at least once in the last 6 months. The main outcome measures were unwanted sexual solicitation on the Internet, defined as unwanted requests to talk about sex, provide personal sexual information, and do something sexual, and Internet harassment, defined as rude or mean comments, or spreading of rumors. Fifteen percent of all of the youth reported an unwanted sexual solicitation online in the last year; 4% reported an incident on a social networking site specifically. Thirty-three percent reported an online harassment in the last year; 9% reported an incident on a social networking site specifically. Among targeted youth, solicitations were more commonly reported via instant messaging (43%) and in chat rooms (32%), and harassment was more commonly reported in instant messaging (55%) than through social networking sites (27% and 28%, respectively). Broad claims of victimization risk, at least defined as unwanted sexual solicitation or harassment, associated with social networking sites do not seem justified. Prevention efforts may have a greater impact if they focus on the psychosocial problems of youth instead of a specific Internet application, including funding for online youth outreach programs, school antibullying programs, and online mental health services.

Effects of a Social Network HIV/STD Prevention Intervention for Men Who Have Sex with Men in Russia and Hungary: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Amirkhanian, Yuri A.; Kelly, Jeffrey A.; Takacs, Judit; McAuliffe, Timothy L.; Kuznetsova, Anna V.; Toth, Tamas P.; Mocsonaki, Laszlo; DiFranceisco, Wayne J.; Meylakhs, Anastasia

2015-01-01

Objective To test a novel social network HIV risk reduction intervention for MSM in Russia and Hungary, where same-sex behavior is stigmatized and men may best be reached through their social network connections. Design A 2-arm trial with 18 sociocentric networks of MSM randomized to the social network intervention or standard HIV/STD testing/counseling. Setting St. Petersburg, Russia and Budapest, Hungary. Participants 18 “seeds” from community venues invited the participation of their MSM friends who, in turn, invited their own MSM friends into the study, a process that continued outward until eighteen 3-ring sociocentric networks (mean size=35 members, n=626) were recruited. Intervention Empirically-identified network leaders were trained and guided to convey HIV prevention advice to other network members. Main Outcome and Measures Changes in sexual behavior from baseline to 3- and 12-month followup, with composite HIV/STD incidence measured at 12-months to corroborate behavior changes. Results There were significant reductions between baseline, first followup, and second followup in the intervention versus comparison arm for proportion of men engaging in any unprotected anal intercourse (P=.04); UAI with a nonmain partner (P=.04); and UAI with multiple partners (P=.002). The mean percentage of unprotected AI acts significantly declined (P=.001), as well as the mean number of UAI acts among men who initially had multiple partners (P=.05). Biological HIV/STD incidence was 15% in comparison condition networks and 9% in intervention condition networks. Conclusions Even where same-sex behavior is stigmatized, it is possible to reach MSM and deliver HIV prevention through their social networks. PMID:25565495

40 CFR 68.81 - Incident investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 15 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Incident investigation. 68.81 Section 68.81 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED... appropriate knowledge and experience to thoroughly investigate and analyze the incident. (d) A report shall be...

Solution of weakly compressible isothermal flow in landfill gas collection networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nec, Y [Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia (Canada); Huculak, G, E-mail: cranberryana@gmail.com, E-mail: greg@gnhconsulting.ca [GNH Consulting, Delta, British Columbia (Canada)

2017-12-15

Pipe networks collecting gas in sanitary landfills operate under the regime of a weakly compressible isothermal flow of ideal gas. The effect of compressibility has been traditionally neglected in this application in favour of simplicity, thereby creating a conceptual incongruity between the flow equations and thermodynamic equation of state. Here the flow is solved by generalisation of the classic Darcy–Weisbach equation for an incompressible steady flow in a pipe to an ordinary differential equation, permitting continuous variation of density, viscosity and related fluid parameters, as well as head loss or gain due to gravity, in isothermal flow. The differential equation is solved analytically in the case of ideal gas for a single edge in the network. Thereafter the solution is used in an algorithm developed to construct the flow equations automatically for a network characterised by an incidence matrix, and determine pressure distribution, flow rates and all associated parameters therein. (paper)

Solution of weakly compressible isothermal flow in landfill gas collection networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nec, Y; Huculak, G

2017-01-01

Pipe networks collecting gas in sanitary landfills operate under the regime of a weakly compressible isothermal flow of ideal gas. The effect of compressibility has been traditionally neglected in this application in favour of simplicity, thereby creating a conceptual incongruity between the flow equations and thermodynamic equation of state. Here the flow is solved by generalisation of the classic Darcy–Weisbach equation for an incompressible steady flow in a pipe to an ordinary differential equation, permitting continuous variation of density, viscosity and related fluid parameters, as well as head loss or gain due to gravity, in isothermal flow. The differential equation is solved analytically in the case of ideal gas for a single edge in the network. Thereafter the solution is used in an algorithm developed to construct the flow equations automatically for a network characterised by an incidence matrix, and determine pressure distribution, flow rates and all associated parameters therein. (paper)

Incidence and prevalence of psoriasis in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egeberg, Alexander; Skov, Lone; Gislason, Gunnar H.

2017-01-01

The incidence and temporal trends of psoriasis in Denmark between 2003 and 2012 were examined. There was a female predominance ranging between 50.0% (2007) and 55.4% (2009), and the mean age at time of diagnosis was 47.7-58.7 years. A total of 126,055 patients with psoriasis (prevalence 2.2%) were...... identified. Incidence rates of psoriasis (per 100,000 person years) ranged from 107.5 in 2005 to a peak incidence of 199.5 in 2010. Incidence rates were higher for women, and patients aged 60-69 years, respectively. Use of systemic non-biologic agents, i.e. methotrexate, cyclosporine, retinoids, or psoralen...... plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) increased over the study course, and were used in 15.0% of all patients. Biologic agents (efalizumab, etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, or ustekinumab) were utilized in 2.7% of patients. On a national level, incidence of psoriasis fluctuated during the 10- year study course...

Incidence and Prevalence of Psoriasis in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egeberg, Alexander; Skov, Lone; Gislason, Gunnar H

2017-01-01

The incidence and temporal trends of psoriasis in Denmark between 2003 and 2012 were examined. There was a female predominance ranging between 50.0% (2007) and 55.4% (2009), and the mean age at time of diagnosis was 47.7-58.7 years. A total of 126,055 patients with psoriasis (prevalence 2.2%) were...... identified. Incidence rates of psoriasis (per 100,000 person years) ranged from 107.5 in 2005 to a peak incidence of 199.5 in 2010. Incidence rates were higher for women, and patients aged 60-69 years, respectively. Use of systemic non-biologic agents, i.e. methotrexate, cyclosporine, retinoids, or psoralen...... plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) increased over the study course, and were used in 15.0% of all patients. Biologic agents (efalizumab, etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, or ustekinumab) were utilized in 2.7% of patients. On a national level, incidence of psoriasis fluctuated during the 10-year study course...

Incidence and epidemiology of tibial shaft fractures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Peter; Elsøe, Rasmus; Hansen, Sandra Hope

2015-01-01

Introduction: The literature lacks recent population-based epidemiology studies of the incidence, trauma mechanism and fracture classification of tibial shaft fractures. The purpose of this study was to provide up-to-date information on the incidence of tibial shaft fractures in a large....... The mean age at time of fracture was 38.5 (21.2SD) years. The incidence of tibial shaft fracture was 16.9/100,000/year. Males have the highest incidence of 21.5/100,000/year and present with the highest frequency between the age of 10 and 20, whereas women have a frequency of 12.3/100,000/year and have...... frequency of fractures while participating in sports activities and walking. Women present the highest frequency of fractures while walking and during indoor activities. Conclusion: This study shows an incidence of 16.9/100,000/year for tibial shaft fractures. AO-type 42-A1 was the most common fracture type...

Performance Testing of GPU-Based Approximate Matching Algorithm on Network Traffic

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

downloaded classified files from military networks and leaked them to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks [7]. Despite the staggering number of data breach incidents...Insider Threat, 2nd ed. Westford, MA: Pearson Education, 2014, preface xx. [3] An executive’s guide to 2013 data breach trends. (2015, Jan. 9). Open...threats-after-wikileaks-fiasco/65843 [8] L. Park. (2014, Dec. 18). Data breach trends. [Online]. Available: http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/ data

Network chemistry, network toxicology, network informatics, and network behavioristics: A scientific outline

OpenAIRE

WenJun Zhang

2016-01-01

In present study, I proposed some new sciences: network chemistry, network toxicology, network informatics, and network behavioristics. The aims, scope and scientific foundation of these sciences are outlined.

49 CFR 225.11 - Reporting of accidents/incidents.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Reporting of accidents/incidents. 225.11 Section... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS: REPORTS CLASSIFICATION, AND INVESTIGATIONS § 225.11 Reporting of accidents/incidents. Each railroad subject to this part shall submit to FRA...

Discriminating electromagnetic radiation based on angle of incidence

Science.gov (United States)

Hamam, Rafif E.; Bermel, Peter; Celanovic, Ivan; Soljacic, Marin; Yeng, Adrian Y. X.; Ghebrebrhan, Michael; Joannopoulos, John D.

2015-06-16

The present invention provides systems, articles, and methods for discriminating electromagnetic radiation based upon the angle of incidence of the electromagnetic radiation. In some cases, the materials and systems described herein can be capable of inhibiting reflection of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., the materials and systems can be capable of transmitting and/or absorbing electromagnetic radiation) within a given range of angles of incidence at a first incident surface, while substantially reflecting electromagnetic radiation outside the range of angles of incidence at a second incident surface (which can be the same as or different from the first incident surface). A photonic material comprising a plurality of periodically occurring separate domains can be used, in some cases, to selectively transmit and/or selectively absorb one portion of incoming electromagnetic radiation while reflecting another portion of incoming electromagnetic radiation, based upon the angle of incidence. In some embodiments, one domain of the photonic material can include an isotropic dielectric function, while another domain of the photonic material can include an anisotropic dielectric function. In some instances, one domain of the photonic material can include an isotropic magnetic permeability, while another domain of the photonic material can include an anisotropic magnetic permeability. In some embodiments, non-photonic materials (e.g., materials with relatively large scale features) can be used to selectively absorb incoming electromagnetic radiation based on angle of incidence.

Maximum Credible Incidents

CERN Document Server

Strait, J

2009-01-01

Following the incident in sector 34, considerable effort has been made to improve the systems for detecting similar faults and to improve the safety systems to limit the damage if a similar incident should occur. Nevertheless, even after the consolidation and repairs are completed, other faults may still occur in the superconducting magnet systems, which could result in damage to the LHC. Such faults include both direct failures of a particular component or system, or an incorrect response to a “normal” upset condition, for example a quench. I will review a range of faults which could be reasonably expected to occur in the superconducting magnet systems, and which could result in substantial damage and down-time to the LHC. I will evaluate the probability and the consequences of such faults, and suggest what mitigations, if any, are possible to protect against each.

Asphyxia Neonatorum-Incidence In Cape Town

African Journals Online (AJOL)

task of all concerned with the process of human repro- duction. In order to achieve this, a study of the incidence and risk factors of asphyxia neonatorum was undertaken in the Groote Schuur Maternity Hospital. TABLE I. INCIDENCE OF ASPHYXIA NEONATORUM. Source of. Hospital. Apgar score 0 - 3% information.

Critical incidents: exploring theory policy and practice

OpenAIRE

Beeke, Matthew A.

2011-01-01

Responding to critical incidents in school communities has become an established part of the practice of educational psychologists (EPs). Despite this the EP professional journal literature is sparse, the last major study being conducted by Houghton in 1996. Within a mixed methods design this study aimed to explore various aspects of EP practice in response to critical incidents. Firstly, critical incident policy and EP journal literature was examined to provide a definition...

Atmospheric conditions create freeways, detours and tailbacks for migrating birds.

Science.gov (United States)

Shamoun-Baranes, Judy; Liechti, Felix; Vansteelant, Wouter M G

2017-07-01

The extraordinary adaptations of birds to contend with atmospheric conditions during their migratory flights have captivated ecologists for decades. During the 21st century technological advances have sparked a revival of research into the influence of weather on migrating birds. Using biologging technology, flight behaviour is measured across entire flyways, weather radar networks quantify large-scale migratory fluxes, citizen scientists gather observations of migrant birds and mechanistic models are used to simulate migration in dynamic aerial environments. In this review, we first introduce the most relevant microscale, mesoscale and synoptic scale atmospheric phenomena from the point of view of a migrating bird. We then provide an overview of the individual responses of migrant birds (when, where and how to fly) in relation to these phenomena. We explore the cumulative impact of individual responses to weather during migration, and the consequences thereof for populations and migratory systems. In general, individual birds seem to have a much more flexible response to weather than previously thought, but we also note similarities in migratory behaviour across taxa. We propose various avenues for future research through which we expect to derive more fundamental insights into the influence of weather on the evolution of migratory behaviour and the life-history, population dynamics and species distributions of migrant birds.

Incidence and prevalence of psoriatic arthritis in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egeberg, Alexander; Kristensen, Lars Erik; Thyssen, Jacob P.

2017-01-01

Objectives: To examine the incidence and temporal trends of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the general population in Denmark. Methods: Using nationwide registry data, we estimated the number of patients with incident PsA within each 1-year period between 1997 and 2011 and calculated the rate of PsA...... cases within gender and age subgroups. Incidence rates were presented per 100 000 person-years. Results: There was a female predominance ranging from 50.3% (1998) to 59.2% (2010), and the mean age at time of diagnosis was 47-50 years. We identified a total of 12 719 patients with PsA (prevalence=0.......22%), including 9034 patients where the PsA diagnosis was made by a rheumatologist (prevalence=0.16%). Incidence rates of PsA (per 100 000 person-years) increased from 7.3 in 1997 to a peak incidence of 27.3 in 2010. Incidence rates were highest for women and patients aged 50-59 years, respectively. The use...

Incidence of dementia and major subtypes in Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fratiglioni, L; Launer, L J; Andersen, K

2000-01-01

The authors examined the association of incident dementia and subtypes with age, sex, and geographic area in Europe. Incidence data from eight population-based studies carried out in seven European countries were compared and pooled. The pooled data included 835 mild to severe dementia cases and 42......,996 person-years of follow-up. In all studies a higher proportion of cases were diagnosed with AD (60 to 70% of all demented cases) than vascular dementia (VaD). The incidence of dementia and AD continued to increase with age up to age 85 years, after which rates increased in women but not men....... There was a large variation in VaD incidence across studies. In the pooled analysis, the incidence rates increased with age without any substantial difference between men and women. Surprisingly, higher incidence rates of dementia and AD were found in the very old in northwest countries than in southern countries...

Incidence of HACEK bacteraemia in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lützen, Lisbeth; Olesen, Bente; Voldstedlund, Marianne

2018-01-01

to an annual incidence of 0.44 per 100,000 population. The annual incidence for males and females was 0.56 and 0.31 per 100,000, respectively. The median age was 56 years (range 0-97 years) with variation among genera. One hundred and forty-three isolates were identified to the species level and six...... to the genus level: Haemophilus spp. n=55, Aggregatibacter spp. n=37, Cardiobacterium spp. n=9, Eikenella corrodens n=21, and Kingella spp. n=27. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study of incidence of HACEK bacteraemia in a large surveillance population and may inspire further studies of the HACEK group...

Incidence and risk factors of herpes zoster among hiv-positive patients in the german competence network for HIV/AIDS (KompNet): a cohort study analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Jansen, Klaus; Haastert, Burkhard; Michalik, Claudia; Guignard, Adrienne; Esser, Stefan; Dupke, Stephan; Plettenberg, Andreas; Skaletz-Rorowski, Adriane; Brockmeyer, Norbert H

2013-08-10

HIV infection is a risk factor for the development of Herpes zoster (HZ) and its complications. Prior to antiretroviral therapy (ART), HZ incidence in HIV-infected individuals ranged from 2.9-5.1/100 person-years. There is limited evidence for the impact of ART on HZ occurrence among HIV-infected adults. We analysed the incidence of, and risk factors for, HZ in a large cohort of German HIV-positive patients. The study population was taken from the German KompNet cohort, a nationwide multicenter HIV cohort study. The study population was defined by age (≥ 18 years), year of first positive HIV diagnosis, CD4 values ± 6 months from HIV diagnosis (t0), and month of HZ diagnosis. Incidences were estimated using a Poisson distribution, and uni- and multivariate Cox proportional Hazard ratio (HR) regression models were fitted to identify risk factors for developing an initial HZ episode. Independent variables were sex, age at HIV diagnosis, route of HIV transmission, ART status, CD4 count before HZ episode, immunosuppressive medication, and mode of data documentation (retrospective or prospective). HZ incidence in the overall study population was 1.2/100 person-years. In a subset of patients for that we were able to examine risk factors the following was observed: We examined 3,757 individuals whose mean age at t0 was 38 years. Of those individuals, 96% were diagnosed with HIV in 1996 or later, with a mean observation time of 5.8 years. HZ episodes (n = 362) were recorded in 326 patients (8.7%), resulting in annual HZ incidences of 1.7/100 person-years overall, and 1.6/100 person-years for initial HZ cases. The main risk factors associated with an initial HZ episode were: not partaking in ART compared with an ART regimen containing a non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (HR 0.530, p study HZ incidences were lower than in previous studies relating to HIV-positive patients. We showed that ART is an important protective factor for HZ episodes.

A utilização de uma rede neural artificial para previsão da incidência da malária no município de Cantá, estado de Roraima Use of an artificial neural network to predict the incidence of malaria in the city of Cantá, state of Roraima

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guilherme Bernardino da Cunha

2010-10-01

Full Text Available INTRODUÇÃO: A malária é uma doença endêmica na Amazônia Legal Brasileira, apresentando riscos diferentes para cada região. O Município de Cantá, no Estado de Roraima, apresentou para todo o período estudado, um dos maiores índices parasitários anuais do Brasil, com valor sempre maior que 50. O presente estudo visa à utilização de uma rede neural artificial para previsão da incidência da malária nesse município, a fim de auxiliar os coordenadores de saúde no planejamento e gestão dos recursos. MÉTODOS: Os dados foram coletados no site do Ministério da Saúde, SIVEP - Malária entre 2003 e 2009. Estruturou-se uma rede neural artificial com três neurônios na camada de entrada, duas camadas intermediárias e uma camada de saída com um neurônio. A função de ativação foi à sigmoide. No treinamento, utilizou-se o método backpropagation, com taxa de aprendizado de 0,05 e momentum 0,01. O critério de parada foi atingir 20.000 ciclos ou uma meta de 0,001. Os dados de 2003 a 2008 foram utilizados para treinamento e validação. Comparam-se os resultados com os de um modelo de regressão logística. RESULTADOS: Os resultados para todos os períodos previstos mostraram-se que as redes neurais artificiais obtiveram um menor erro quadrático médio e erro absoluto quando comparado com o modelo de regressão para o ano de 2009. CONCLUSÕES: A rede neural artificial se mostrou adequada para um sistema de previsão de malária no município estudado, determinando com pequenos erros absolutos os valores preditivos, quando comparados ao modelo de regressão logística e aos valores reais.INTRODUCTION: Malaria is endemic in the Brazilian Amazon region, with different risks for each region. The City of Cantá, State of Roraima, presented one of the largest annual parasite indices in Brazil for the entire study period, with a value always greater than 50. The present study aimed to use an artificial neural network to predict the

RadNet Radiological Air Monitoring Network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott Telofski, J.; Askren, D.R.; Petko, Ch.M.; Fraass, R.G.

2010-01-01

The United States Environmental Protection Agency operates a national environmental radiation monitoring program called RadNet. RadNet monitors airborne particulates, precipitation, milk, and drinking water for radiation levels. The primary purpose of the original program in the 1950's and 1960's was to collect and analyze samples in various media to assess the effects of radioactive fallout from above-ground nuclear weapon testing. As above-ground testing diminished in the 1970's, the program, especially the air network, became critical in evaluating effects of other types of nuclear incidents, such as the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl, as well as monitoring trends in environmental radioactive contamination. The value of rapid data collection subsequent to such incidents led to the consideration of developing air monitors with radiation detectors and telecommunication equipment for real-time radiation measurement. The strengthened United States homeland security posture after 2001 led to production and installation of the current real-time RadNet air monitors. There are now 118 stationary, continuously operating air monitoring stations and 40 mobile air monitors for site specific monitoring. The stationary air monitors include radiation detectors, meteorological sensors, a high-volume air sampler, and communication devices for hourly data transfers. When unusual levels are detected, scientists download a full sodium iodide detector spectrum for analysis. The real-time data collected by RadNet stationary systems permit rapid identification and quantification of airborne nuclides with sufficient sensitivity to provide critical information to help determine protective actions. The data also may help to rapidly refine long-range radioactive plume models and estimate exposure to the population. This paper provides an overview of the airborne particulate monitoring conducted during above-ground nuclear weapon testing, summarizes the uses of data from the program

The incidence of neonatal herpes in The Netherlands.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poeran, J.; Wildschut, H.; Gaytant, M.A.; Galama, J.M.D.; Steegers, E.A.P.; Meijden, W.I. van der

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND: In The Netherlands the incidence of neonatal herpes was 2.0-2.9 per 100,000 live births during the period 1981-1998. The low incidence warranted a rather conservative prevention policy. OBJECTIVES: To monitor for potential changes in the incidence of neonatal herpes in The Netherlands

Impact of Incidents on Traffic Congestion in Dar es Salaam City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Mfinanga

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Poorly managed traffic incidents have largely contributed to congestion and delay in the city of Dar es Salaam. A thorough understanding of travel delays caused by incidents is therefore essential for effective countermeasures against the increasing congestion. The method used to determine delays in this research is based on the deterministic queuing theory. Information on incidents was obtained from traffic surveys, traffic police and road users. Counting of the number of vehicles passing the incident location was done on incident and incident-free days. The cumulative traffic counts on incident and incident-free days were then calculated and used to plot the queuing diagram used to determine incident induced delay. This method turned out to be a useful tool for estimating incident induced delay in areas with less sophisticated equipment i.e. where there are no sensors, CCTV cameras, etc. The method provided good estimates of incident induced delay which may help planners and transportation officials in better understanding incident related congestion and in selecting more effective countermeasures against incident related traffic congestion in the city. It was found out that the effects of incidents were different for the different zones, types of incidents and the periods the incident occurred. In addition to the incident duration and the number of vehicles affected, the impact of incidents also depended on availability of alternative routes, number of lanes on the road, discipline of the driver in manoeuvring at incident location and traffic control at the scene.

The critical incident technique reappraised: using critical incidents to illuminate organizational practices and build theory

OpenAIRE

Bott, Gregory; Tourish, Dennis

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to offer a reconceptualization of the critical incident technique (CIT) and affirm its utility in management and organization studies.\\ud \\ud Design/methodology/approach: Utilizing a case study from a leadership context, the paper applies the CIT to explore various leadership behaviours in the context of nonprofit boards in Canada. Semi-structured critical incident interviews were used to collect behavioural data from 53 participants – board chairs, board...

Decree 53/1963 of 10 January on the establishment of a radioactivity alarm network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1963-01-01

This Decree provides for the setting up of a radioactivity alarm network by the Directorate General for Public Protection to prevent hazards arising from possible incidents originating in nuclear installations. The Duty stations are located in specified police stations and with fire brigades within a radius ranging from 15 to 20 km from planned reactors or nuclear power plants. (NEA) [fr

Radiological Cs-137 accidents/incidents in Estonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinisso, Mark

1997-01-01

Two radiological accidents/incidents in Estonia are reported. The first -21 October 1994, three brothers entered the Tammiku repository and stole a radioactive Cs-137 source and received dangerous doses of radiation. The other incident (early 1995) involved an abandoned source - a discarded metal cylinder containing Cs-137. Chronologies and factual data are considered for both events. Concise descriptions of the incidents, a medical overview of the fate of injured people and lessons learned are presented

Radiological Cs-137 accidents/incidents in Estonia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinisso, Mark [Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tallin (Estonia)

1997-12-31

Two radiological accidents/incidents in Estonia are reported. The first -21 October 1994, three brothers entered the Tammiku repository and stole a radioactive Cs-137 source and received dangerous doses of radiation. The other incident (early 1995) involved an abandoned source - a discarded metal cylinder containing Cs-137. Chronologies and factual data are considered for both events. Concise descriptions of the incidents, a medical overview of the fate of injured people and lessons learned are presented

Risk - hazardous incident - communication 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerling, R.; Obermeier, O.P.

1994-01-01

Terms such as 'risk', 'hazardous incident', and 'communication' have become major catchwords in discussions about present-day problems, and may be reduced to a common denominator: disaster. Such an association, however, is inappropriate, as the concept indicated by the term 'risk' for instance covers a wide scale of possible danger. Even the term 'hazardous incident' describes events or conditions that are very different in terms of possible danger, let alone disastrous effects. The discrepancy to be observed between the facts and the public perception usually is due to the fact that people have little insight into the complex of problems involved, and to insufficient communication between the world of experts and the general public. The contributions to this publication present information and discuss a variety of solution sets to improve the communication problems in the context of the problem area of 'risk - hazardous incident - communication'. (orig./CB) [de

USFA NFIRS 2013 Fire Incident & Cause Data

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Homeland Security — The 2013 Fire Causes & Incident data was provided by the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA) National Fire Data Center’s (NFDC’s) National Fire Incident Reporting...

Transportation accidents/incidents involving radioactive materials (1971--1991)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cashwell, C.E.; McClure, J.D.

1992-01-01

The Radioactive Materials Incident Report (RMIR) database contains information on transportation-related accidents and incidents involving radioactive materials that have occurred in the United States. The RMIR was developed at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to support its research and development program efforts for the US Department of Energy (DOE). This paper will address the following topics: background information on the regulations and process for reporting a hazardous materials transportation incident, overview data of radioactive materials transportation accidents and incidents, and additional information and summary data on how packagings have performed in accident conditions

Transportation accidents/incidents involving radioactive materials (1971-1991)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cashwell, C.E.; McClure, J.D.

1993-01-01

In 1981, Sandia National Laboratories developed the Radioactive Materials Incident Report (RMIR) database to support its research and development activities for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The RMIR database contains information on transportation accidents/incidents with radioactive materials that have occurred since 1971. The RMIR classifies a transportation accident/incident in one of six ways: as a transportation accident, a handling accident, a reported incident, missing or stolen, cask weeping, or other. This paper will define these terms and provide detailed examples of each. (J.P.N.)

Global incidence and outcome of testicular cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Shanmugalingam, Thurkaa; Soultati, Aspasia; Chowdhury, Simon; Rudman, Sarah; Van Hemelrijck, Mieke

2013-01-01

Background Testicular cancer is a rare tumor type accounting for 1% of malignancies in men. It is, however, the most common cancer in young men in Western populations. The incidence of testicular cancer is increasing globally, although a decline in mortality rates has been reported in Western countries. It is important to identify whether the variations in trends observed between populations are linked to genetic or environmental factors. Methods Age-standardized incidence rates and age-standardized mortality rates for testicular cancer were obtained for men of all ages in ten countries from the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania using the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5plus) and World Health Organization (WHO) mortality databases. The annual percent change was calculated using Joinpoint regression to assess temporal changes between geographical regions. Results Testicular cancer age-standardized incidence rates are highest in New Zealand (7.8), UK (6.3), Australia (6.1), Sweden (5.6), USA (5.2), Poland (4.9), and Spain (3.8) per 100,000 men. India, China, and Colombia had the lowest incidence (0.5, 1.3, and 2.2, respectively) per 100,000 men. The annual percent changes for overall testicular cancer incidence significantly increased in the European countries Sweden 2.4%, (2.2; 2.6); UK 2.9%, (2.2; 3.6); and Spain 5.0%, (1.7; 8.4), Australia 3.0%, (2.2; 3.7), and China 3.5%, (1.9; 5.1). India had the lowest overall testicular cancer incidence −1.7%, (−2.5; −0.8). Annual percent changes for overall testicular cancer mortality rates were decreasing in all study populations, with the greatest decline observed in Sweden −4.2%, (−4.8; −3.6) and China −4.9%, (−6.5; −3.3). Conclusion Testicular cancer is increasing in incidence in many countries; however, mortality rates remain low and most men are cured. An understanding of the risks and long-term side effects of treatment are important in managing men with this disease. PMID:24204171

Thermal self-focusing at oblique incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craxton, R.S.; McCrory, R.L.

1984-03-01

Thermal self-focusing at oblique incidence has been investigated in two-dimensional line-focus geometry using the Eulerian hydrodynamics simulation code SAGE. The laser beam interacts with a long-scale-length preformed plasma with an expontial density profiele. Questions to be addressed include: (1) What happens when a self-focusing channel reaches the turning point of the incident rays, and (2) Does the unabsorbed light return in the specular direction or back along the channel. A comparison is also made between thermal self-focusing at normal incidence in cylindrical and line-focus geometries: in cylindrical geometry the self-focusing mechanism is enhanced by the relative ease with which plasma may be expelled from a small cylindrical channel

Incidence of bruxism in TMD population.

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Chandwani, Briesh; Ceneviz, Caroline; Mehta, Noshir; Scrivani, Steven

2011-01-01

The objective of the study presented here was to examine the incidence of bruxism in patients suffering from temporomandibular disorders. Two cohorts of patients suffering from temporomandibular disorders were evaluated. One group, composed of 163 patients, was asked specifically about the occurrence of bruxism, while the other group, composed of 200 patients, was not specifically asked about bruxism (self-reporting). The incidence of bruxism was only 20.5% for the group that only self-reported bruxism, while the incidence was 65% when asked specifically about bruxism. It is critical to ask specifically about bruxism. Patients are more likely to report bruxism when asked specifically about it. It is important to incorporate this as part of a TMD evaluation.

Functional analysis of controbloc incidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouffon, A.; Jorel, M.

1992-11-01

The subject of the present paper is the survey jointly carried out in 1989 by the IPSN Safety Analysis Department and the Firm BERTIN and Co. on significant incidents related to the Controbloc system equipping the EDF 1300 MWe PWR power plants in France. This survey consisted in a general review of Controbloc operating problems, together with analysis of the safety consequences of the incidents discussed. The survey enabled improvements to be recommended in this respect and provided a basis for safety analysis

Increasing risk behaviour can outweigh the benefits of antiretroviral drug treatment on the HIV incidence among men-having-sex-with-men in Amsterdam

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Zhu Yifan

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The transmission through contacts among MSM (men who have sex with men is one of the dominating contributors to HIV prevalence in industrialized countries. In Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, the MSM risk group has been traced for decades. This has motivated studies which provide detailed information about MSM's risk behavior statistically, psychologically and sociologically. Despite the era of potent antiretroviral therapy, the incidence of HIV among MSM increases. In the long term the contradictory effects of risk behavior and effective therapy are still poorly understood. Methods Using a previously presented Complex Agent Network model, we describe steady and casual partnerships to predict the HIV spreading among MSM. Behavior-related parameters and values, inferred from studies on Amsterdam MSM, are fed into the model; we validate the model using historical yearly incidence data. Subsequently, we study scenarios to assess the contradictory effects of risk behavior and effective therapy, by varying corresponding values of parameters. Finally, we conduct quantitative analysis based on the resulting incidence data. Results The simulated incidence reproduces the ACS historical incidence well and helps to predict the HIV epidemic among MSM in Amsterdam. Our results show that in the long run the positive influence of effective therapy can be outweighed by an increase in risk behavior of at least 30% for MSM. Conclusion We recommend, based on the model predictions, that lowering risk behavior is the prominent control mechanism of HIV incidence even in the presence of effective therapy.

Incidence and etiology of lumbar spondylolysis: review of the literature.

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Sakai, Toshinori; Sairyo, Koichi; Suzue, Naoto; Kosaka, Hirofumi; Yasui, Natsuo

2010-05-01

Lumbar spondylolysis is a defect of the pars interarticularis known to occur as a stress fracture. Its incidence varies considerably depending on ethnicity, sex, and sports activity. However, there are few literature reviews describing its incidence in different ethnic groups or in people who engage in different sports. We reviewed the most relevant articles on spondylolysis published in scientific journals. First, we focused on its incidence in various ethnic groups distributed by sex, the familial occurrence, and in patients with relevant diseases. Second, we focused on the incidence of spondylolysis in relation to the sports practiced by the patients. Although placing special emphasis on the incidence of lumbar spondylolysis in the general population in Japan, we also reviewed the Japanese and English literature to investigate its incidence among those who engage in different sports. The incidence of lumbar spondylolysis in the general Japanese population was 5.9%. Most studies report that the incidence in higher in male subjects than in female subjects. We found that Japanese rugby and judo players were prone to suffer lumbar spondylolysis, at an incidence of about 20%. However, the incidence for Japanese professional soccer and baseball players was much higher, at 30%, which was more than five times the incidence in the general Japanese population. The incidence of lumbar spondylolysis varies depending on ethnicity, sex, family history, relevant disease, and sports activity.

Hepatoblastoma incidence in Taiwan: A population-based study

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Giun-Yi Hung

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Background: The incidence of hepatoblastoma is not well known in Taiwan. The goal of this study was to investigate the incidence rates of hepatoblastoma by age and sex. Methods: The data of patients with hepatoblastoma diagnosed from 1995 to 2012 were obtained from the population-based Taiwan Cancer Registry. Incidence rates of hepatoblastoma according to sex and age were analyzed. This study employed the published methods of International Agency for Research on Cancer to calculate the age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs, standard errors, 95% confidence intervals (CIs, and standardized incidence rate ratios (SIRRs. Results: In total, 211 patients were diagnosed with hepatoblastoma during the 18-year study period. The ASIR was 0.76 per million person-years. Hepatoblastoma was predominantly diagnosed in children (n = 184, 87.2%. By contrast, adolescents/adults (n = 10, 4.7% and elderly people (n = 17, 8.1% were rarely affected. The incidence peaked at ages 0–4 years with corresponding ASIR of 7.3 per million person-years. A significant male predilection was only found in children and elderly people, with male-to-female SIRRs of 1.23 and 1.89, respectively. During 1995–2012, the overall incidence of hepatoblastoma significantly increased only in children (annual percent change: 7.4%, 95% CI 3.9%–11.1%, p < 0.05 and specifically in boys (annual percent change: 6.5%, 95% CI 1.9%–11.2%, p < 0.05. Conclusion: Only 27 patients aged ≥ 15 years with hepatoblastoma were identified in this study, the existence of adult hepatoblastoma still requires novel molecular tools to elucidate. The association between the upward trend of hepatoblastoma incidence in boys and increased survival of prematurity in Taiwan warrants further investigations. Keywords: Hepatoblastoma, Incidence, Taiwan

Teachers' Critical Incidents: Ethical Dilemmas in Teaching Practice

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Shapira-Lishchinsky, Orly