Newly graduated nurses' use of knowledge sources in clinical decision-making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Voldbjerg, Siri Lygum; Grønkjaer, Mette; Wiechula, Rick

2017-01-01

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore which knowledge sources newly graduated nurses' use in clinical decision-making and why and how they are used. BACKGROUND: In spite of an increased educational focus on skills and competencies within evidence based practice newly graduated nurses' ability to use...... approaches to strengthen the knowledgebase used in clinical decision-making. DESIGN AND METHODS: Ethnographic study using participant-observation and individual semi-structured interviews of nine Danish newly graduated nurses in medical and surgical hospital settings. RESULTS: Newly graduates use...... in clinical decision-making. If newly graduates are to be supported in an articulate and reflective use of a variety of sources, they have to be allocated to experienced nurses who model a reflective, articulate and balanced use of knowledge sources. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved....

Proposal of Evolutionary Simplex Method for Global Optimization Problem

Science.gov (United States)

Shimizu, Yoshiaki

To make an agile decision in a rational manner, role of optimization engineering has been notified increasingly under diversified customer demand. With this point of view, in this paper, we have proposed a new evolutionary method serving as an optimization technique in the paradigm of optimization engineering. The developed method has prospects to solve globally various complicated problem appearing in real world applications. It is evolved from the conventional method known as Nelder and Mead’s Simplex method by virtue of idea borrowed from recent meta-heuristic method such as PSO. Mentioning an algorithm to handle linear inequality constraints effectively, we have validated effectiveness of the proposed method through comparison with other methods using several benchmark problems.

Distinguishing Newly Born Strange Stars from Neutron Stars with g-Mode Oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu Weijie; Wei Haiqing; Liu Yuxin

2008-01-01

The gravity-mode (g-mode) eigenfrequencies of newly born strange quark stars (SQSs) and neutron stars (NSs) are studied. It is found that the eigenfrequencies in SQSs are much lower than those in NSs by almost 1 order of magnitude, since the components of a SQS are all extremely relativistic particles while nucleons in a NS are nonrelativistic. We therefore propose that newly born SQSs can be distinguished from the NSs by detecting the eigenfrequencies of the g-mode pulsations of supernovae cores through gravitational radiation by LIGO-class detectors

A Newly Developed Method for Computing Reliability Measures in a Water Supply Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacek Malinowski

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A reliability model of a water supply network has beens examined. Its main features are: a topology that can be decomposed by the so-called state factorization into a (relativelysmall number of derivative networks, each having a series-parallel structure (1, binary-state components (either operative or failed with given flow capacities (2, a multi-state character of the whole network and its sub-networks - a network state is defined as the maximal flow between a source (sources and a sink (sinks (3, all capacities (component, network, and sub-network have integer values (4. As the network operates, its state changes due to component failures, repairs, and replacements. A newly developed method of computing the inter-state transition intensities has been presented. It is based on the so-called state factorization and series-parallel aggregation. The analysis of these intensities shows that the failure-repair process of the considered system is an asymptotically homogenous Markov process. It is also demonstrated how certain reliability parameters useful for the network maintenance planning can be determined on the basis of the asymptotic intensities. For better understanding of the presented method, an illustrative example is given. (original abstract

A Proposed Arabic Handwritten Text Normalization Method

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Tarik Abu-Ain

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Text normalization is an important technique in document image analysis and recognition. It consists of many preprocessing stages, which include slope correction, text padding, skew correction, and straight the writing line. In this side, text normalization has an important role in many procedures such as text segmentation, feature extraction and characters recognition. In the present article, a new method for text baseline detection, straightening, and slant correction for Arabic handwritten texts is proposed. The method comprises a set of sequential steps: first components segmentation is done followed by components text thinning; then, the direction features of the skeletons are extracted, and the candidate baseline regions are determined. After that, selection of the correct baseline region is done, and finally, the baselines of all components are aligned with the writing line.  The experiments are conducted on IFN/ENIT benchmark Arabic dataset. The results show that the proposed method has a promising and encouraging performance.

Clinical heterogeneity in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Post, Bart; Speelman, Johannes D.; de Haan, Rob J.

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine clinical heterogeneity in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease using cluster analysis and to describe the subgroups in terms of impairment, disability, perceived quality of life, and use of dopaminergic therapy. METHODS: We conducted a k-means cluster analysis in a prospective

Workplace Violence and Job Outcomes of Newly Licensed Nurses

OpenAIRE

Chang, Hyoung Eun; Cho, Sung-Hyun

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of workplace violence toward newly licensed nurses and the relationship between workplace violence and job outcomes. Methods: An online survey was conducted of newly licensed registered nurses who had obtained their license in 2012 or 2013 in South Korea and had been working for 5–12 months after first being employed. The sample consisted of 312 nurses working in hospitals or clinics. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire...

A simple and rapid identification method for newly emerged porcine Deltacoronavirus with loop-mediated isothermal amplification

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Fanfan Zhang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Porcine Deltacoronavirus (PDCoV is a newly emerged enteropathogenic coronavirus that causes diarrhea and mortality in neonatal piglets. PDCoV has spread to many countries around the world, leading to significant economic losses in the pork industry. Therefore, a rapid and sensitive method for detection of PDCoV in clinical samples is urgently needed. Results In this study, we developed a single-tube one-step reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP assay specific for nucleocapsid gene to diagnose and monitor PDCoV infections. The detection limit of RT-LAMP assay was 1 × 101 copies of PDCoV, which was approximately 100-fold more sensitive than gel-based one-step reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR. This assay could specifically amplify PDCoV and had no cross amplification with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV, transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV, porcine kobuvirus (PKoV, porcine astrovirus (PAstV, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV, classic swine fever virus (CSFV, and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2. By screening a panel of clinical specimens (N = 192, this method presented a similar sensitivity with nested RT-PCR and was 1–2 log more sensitive than conventional RT-PCR in detection of PDCoV. Conclusions The RT-LAMP assay established in this study is a potentially valuable tool, especially in low-resource laboratories and filed settings, for a rapid diagnosis, surveillance, and molecular epidemiology investigation of PDCoV infections. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work for detection of newly emerged PDCoV with LAMP technology.

Comparison of a newly developed binary typing with ribotyping and multilocus sequence typing methods for Clostridium difficile.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhirong; Liu, Xiaolei; Zhao, Jianhong; Xu, Kaiyue; Tian, Tiantian; Yang, Jing; Qiang, Cuixin; Shi, Dongyan; Wei, Honglian; Sun, Suju; Cui, Qingqing; Li, Ruxin; Niu, Yanan; Huang, Bixing

2018-04-01

Clostridium difficile is the causative pathogen for antibiotic-related nosocomial diarrhea. For epidemiological study and identification of virulent clones, a new binary typing method was developed for C. difficile in this study. The usefulness of this newly developed optimized 10-loci binary typing method was compared with two widely used methods ribotyping and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) in 189 C. difficile samples. The binary typing, ribotyping and MLST typed the samples into 53 binary types (BTs), 26 ribotypes (RTs), and 33 MLST sequence types (STs), respectively. The typing ability of the binary method was better than that of either ribotyping or MLST expressed in Simpson Index (SI) at 0.937, 0.892 and 0.859, respectively. The ease of testing, portability and cost-effectiveness of the new binary typing would make it a useful typing alternative for outbreak investigations within healthcare facilities and epidemiological research. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a proposed optimization method for discrete-event simulation models

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Alexandre Ferreira de Pinho

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Optimization methods combined with computer-based simulation have been utilized in a wide range of manufacturing applications. However, in terms of current technology, these methods exhibit low performance levels which are only able to manipulate a single decision variable at a time. Thus, the objective of this article is to evaluate a proposed optimization method for discrete-event simulation models based on genetic algorithms which exhibits more efficiency in relation to computational time when compared to software packages on the market. It should be emphasized that the variable's response quality will not be altered; that is, the proposed method will maintain the solutions' effectiveness. Thus, the study draws a comparison between the proposed method and that of a simulation instrument already available on the market and has been examined in academic literature. Conclusions are presented, confirming the proposed optimization method's efficiency.

A Proposed Method for Solving Fuzzy System of Linear Equations

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Reza Kargar

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a new method for solving fuzzy system of linear equations with crisp coefficients matrix and fuzzy or interval right hand side. Some conditions for the existence of a fuzzy or interval solution of m×n linear system are derived and also a practical algorithm is introduced in detail. The method is based on linear programming problem. Finally the applicability of the proposed method is illustrated by some numerical examples.

Transformation of organic N newly added to red soil treated with different cultural practices

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZhangQin－Zheng; YeQing－Fu; 等

1998-01-01

By using 15N tracer method,transformation of organic N,which wqas newly added to red soil treated with different cultural practices,was studied under thelaboratory incubation condition.The experimental results showed that the transformation of N from newly added organic matter and soil native pool during incubation was influenced by cultural practice treatment beforeincubation.Fallow was favorable to the mineralization of newly added organic N and soil N compared with the planting wheat treatment.Planting wheat greatly increased the loss of soil N.Application of fertilizers stimulated the mineralization of newly added organic N and application of organic matter reduced the mineralization,but stimulated microbialtransformation of newly adde4d organic N.

Analytical methods of radwaste characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, C.M.

1994-10-01

In view of the need to carry out more extensive studies on the design of newly proposed methods for the treatment of radioactive wastes collected at PNRI, this study is aimed to provide a guide in the characterization of wastes which is a preparatory step for a well-planned waste processing. (auth.). 8 refs

Dilemmas of a Newly Recruited Academic Qualified Professor: A Case

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Anand

2015-01-01

This case describes the situation of a newly recruited academic professor who volunteered to teach a course on Research Methods to first-term MBA students in a practitioner-oriented case method Business School. Research Methods is a unique course due to its relevance not only in business but also across all graduate programs. Instructional and…

Clinical Prediction Model for Time in Therapeutic Range While on Warfarin in Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Brent A; Evans, Michael A; Honushefsky, Ashley M; Berger, Peter B

2017-10-12

Though warfarin has historically been the primary oral anticoagulant for stroke prevention in newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF), several new direct oral anticoagulants may be preferred when anticoagulation control with warfarin is expected to be poor. This study developed a prediction model for time in therapeutic range (TTR) among newly diagnosed AF patients on newly initiated warfarin as a tool to assist decision making between warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants. This electronic medical record-based, retrospective study included newly diagnosed, nonvalvular AF patients with no recent warfarin exposure receiving primary care services through a large healthcare system in rural Pennsylvania. TTR was estimated as the percentage of time international normalized ratio measurements were between 2.0 and 3.0 during the first year following warfarin initiation. Candidate predictors of TTR were chosen from data elements collected during usual clinical care. A TTR prediction model was developed and temporally validated and its predictive performance was compared with the SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score (sex, age, medical history, treatment, tobacco, race) using R 2 and c-statistics. A total of 7877 newly diagnosed AF patients met study inclusion criteria. Median (interquartile range) TTR within the first year of starting warfarin was 51% (32, 67). Of 85 candidate predictors evaluated, 15 were included in the final validated model with an R 2 of 15.4%. The proposed model showed better predictive performance than the SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score ( R 2 =3.0%). The proposed prediction model may assist decision making on the proper mode of oral anticoagulant among newly diagnosed AF patients. However, predicting TTR on warfarin remains challenging. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

Construction Method of Display Proposal for Commodities in Sales Promotion by Genetic Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Yumoto, Masaki

In a sales promotion task, wholesaler prepares and presents the display proposal for commodities in order to negotiate with retailer's buyers what commodities they should sell. For automating the sales promotion tasks, the proposal has to be constructed according to the target retailer's buyer. However, it is difficult to construct the proposal suitable for the target retail store because of too much combination of commodities. This paper proposes a construction method by Genetic algorithm (GA). The proposed method represents initial display proposals for commodities with genes, improve ones with the evaluation value by GA, and rearrange one with the highest evaluation value according to the classification of commodity. Through practical experiment, we can confirm that display proposal by the proposed method is similar with the one constructed by a wholesaler.

Practicing on Newly Dead

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Jewel Abraham

2015-07-01

Full Text Available A newly dead cadaver simulation is practiced on the physical remains of the dead before the onset of rigor mortis. This technique has potential benefits for providing real-life in-situ experience for novice providers in health care practices. Evolving ethical views in health care brings into question some of the ethical aspects associated with newly dead cadaver simulation in terms of justification for practice, autonomy, consent, and the need of disclosure. A clear statement of policies and procedures on newly dead cadaver simulation has yet to be implemented. Although there are benefits and disadvantages to an in-situ cadaver simulation, such practices should not be carried out in secrecy as there is no compelling evidence that suggests such training as imperative. Secrecy in these practices is a violation of honor code of nursing ethics. As health care providers, practitioners are obliged to be ethically honest and trustworthy to their patients. The author explores the ethical aspects of using newly dead cadaver simulation in training novice nursing providers to gain competency in various lifesaving skills, which otherwise cannot be practiced on a living individual. The author explores multiple views on cadaver simulation in relation to ethical theories and practices such as consent and disclosure to family.

Splitting method for the combined formulation of fluid-particle problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hyung Gwon; Yoo, Jung Yul; Joseph, D. D.

2000-01-01

A splitting method for the direct numerical simulation of solid-liquid mixtures is presented, where a symmetric pressure equation is newly proposed. Through numerical experiment, it is found that the newly proposed splitting method works well with a matrix-free formulation for some bench mark problems avoiding an erroneous pressure field which appears when using the conventional pressure equation of a splitting method. When deriving a typical pressure equation of a splitting method, the motion of a solid particle has to be approximated by the 'intermediate velocity' instead of treating it as unknowns since it is necessary as a boundary condition. Therefore, the motion of a solid particle is treated in such an explicit way that a particle moves by the known form drag(pressure drag) that is calculated from the pressure equation in the previous step. From the numerical experiment, it was shown that this method gives an erroneous pressure field even for the very small time step size as a particle velocity increases. In this paper, coupling the unknowns of particle velocities in the pressure equation is proposed, where the resulting matrix is reduced to the symmetric one by applying the projector of the combined formulation. It has been tested over some bench mark problems and gives reasonable pressure fields

Small punch test evaluation methods for material characterisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janča, Adam, E-mail: adam.janca@fjfi.cvut.cz; Siegl, Jan, E-mail: jan.siegl@fjfi.cvut.cz; Haušild, Petr, E-mail: petr.hausild@fjfi.cvut.cz

2016-12-01

The Small Punch Test (SPT) is one of the most widespread mechanical testing methods using miniaturized specimens. The paper presented deals with the time independent SPT, in which a flat specimen is bent by means of a (hemi)spherical punch moving at a constant velocity. The main goal is to relate the measured data to deformation processes taking place during specimen loading. Understanding of such relations is crucial for characterizing a material using any non-standardized experimental procedure. Using enhanced instrumentation, not only traditional load-displacement or load-deflection curves could be obtained, but also specimen thinning could be continuously measured and evaluated. Five alloys having a broad range of mechanical properties were tested. The results obtained were evaluated using both traditional and newly proposed methods and they were correlated with results of the conventional tensile test. The methods proposed seem to lead to a universal correlation between SPT results and tensile characteristics. - Highlights: • The newly proposed methodology significantly improved results of SPT. • Plastic deformation starts inside the specimen from the very beginning of loading. • Specimen thinning = punch displacement−specimen deflection. • Material response to loading is well illustrated by the novel load-thinning curve.

Newly graduated nurses' use of knowledge sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Voldbjerg, Siri Lygum; Grønkjaer, Mette; Sørensen, Erik Elgaard

2016-01-01

AIM: To advance evidence on newly graduated nurses' use of knowledge sources. BACKGROUND: Clinical decisions need to be evidence-based and understanding the knowledge sources that newly graduated nurses use will inform both education and practice. Qualitative studies on newly graduated nurses' use...... underscoring progression in knowledge use and perception of competence and confidence among newly graduated nurses. CONCLUSION: The transition phase, feeling of confidence and ability to use critical thinking and reflection, has a great impact on knowledge sources incorporated in clinical decisions....... The synthesis accentuates that for use of newly graduated nurses' qualifications and skills in evidence-based practice, clinical practice needs to provide a supportive environment which nurtures critical thinking and questions and articulates use of multiple knowledge sources....

Diabetes education and self-management for ongoing and newly diagnosed (DESMOND)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skinner, T. Chas; Carey, Marian E.; Cradock, Sue

2006-01-01

diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes changes key illness beliefs and that these changes predict quality of life and metabolic control at 3-month follow-up. Practice implications: Newly diagnosed individuals are open to attending self-management programs and, if the program is theoretically driven, can......Objective: To determine the effects of a structured education program on illness beliefs, quality of life and physical activity in people newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Methods: Individuals attending a diabetes education and self-management for ongoing and newly diagnosed (DESMOND) program...... in 12 Primary Care Trusts completed questionnaire booklets assessing illness beliefs and quality of life at baseline and 3-month follow-up, metabolic control being assessed through assay of HbA1c. Results: Two hundred and thirty-six individuals attended the structured self-management education sessions...

Mid-Term Electricity Market Clearing Price Forecasting with Sparse Data: A Case in Newly-Reformed Yunnan Electricity Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chuntian Cheng

2016-10-01

Full Text Available For the power systems, for which few data are available for mid-term electricity market clearing price (MCP forecasting at the early stage of market reform, a novel grey prediction model (defined as interval GM(0, N model is proposed in this paper. Over the traditional GM(0, N model, three major improvements of the proposed model are: (i the lower and upper bounds are firstly identified to give an interval estimation of the forecasting value; (ii a novel whitenization method is then established to determine the definite forecasting value from the forecasting interval; and (iii the model parameters are identified by an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO instead of the least square method (LSM for the limitation of LSM. Finally, a newly-reformed electricity market in Yunnan province of China is studied, and input variables are contrapuntally selected. The accuracy of the proposed model is validated by observed data. Compared with the multiple linear regression (MLR model, the traditional GM(0, N model and the artificial neural network (ANN model, the proposed model gives a better performance and its superiority is further ensured by the use of the modified Diebold–Mariano (MDM test, suggesting that it is suitable for mid-term electricity MCP forecasting in a data-sparse electricity market.

Proposal for Requirement Validation Criteria and Method Based on Actor Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Hattori, Noboru; Yamamoto, Shuichiro; Ajisaka, Tsuneo; Kitani, Tsuyoshi

We propose requirement validation criteria and a method based on the interaction between actors in an information system. We focus on the cyclical transitions of one actor's situation against another and clarify observable stimuli and responses based on these transitions. Both actors' situations can be listed in a state transition table, which describes the observable stimuli or responses they send or receive. Examination of the interaction between both actors in the state transition tables enables us to detect missing or defective observable stimuli or responses. Typically, this method can be applied to the examination of the interaction between a resource managed by the information system and its user. As a case study, we analyzed 332 requirement defect reports of an actual system development project in Japan. We found that there were a certain amount of defects regarding missing or defective stimuli and responses, which can be detected using our proposed method if this method is used in the requirement definition phase. This means that we can reach a more complete requirement definition with our proposed method.

The subject of pedagogy from theory to practice--the view of newly registered nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivarsson, Bodil; Nilsson, Gunilla

2009-07-01

The aim was to describe, from the newly registered nurses' perspective, specific events when using their pedagogical knowledge in their everyday clinical practice. The design was qualitative and the critical incident technique was used. Data was collected via interviews with ten newly registered nurses who graduated from the same University program 10 months earlier and are now employed at a university hospital. Two categories emerged in the analyses. The first category was "Pedagogical methods in theory" with the sub-categories Theory and the application of the course in practice, Knowledge of pedagogy and Information as a professional competence. The second category was "Pedagogical methods in everyday clinical practice" with sub-categories Factual knowledge versus pedagogical knowledge, Information and relatives, Difficulties when giving information, Understanding information received, Pedagogical tools, Collaboration in teams in pedagogical situations, and Time and giving information. By identifying specific events regarding pedagogical methods the findings can be useful for everyone from teachers and health-care managers to nurse students and newly registered nurses, to improve teaching methods in nurse education.

Understanding newly discovered oscillation modes in magnetically shielded Hall thrusters utilizing state of the art high speed diagnostics.

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — I propose to investigate the newly discovered oscillation modes specific to Magnetically Shied (MS) Hall Effect Thrusters (HET). Although HETs are classified as a...

Applicability of the proposed evaluation method for social infrastructures to nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichimura, Tomiyasu

2015-01-01

This study proposes an evaluation method for social infrastructures, and verifies the applicability of the proposed evaluation method to social infrastructures by applying it to nuclear power plants, which belong to social infrastructures. In the proposed evaluation method for social infrastructures, the authors chose four evaluation viewpoints and proposed common evaluation standards for the evaluation indexes obtained from each viewpoint. By applying this system to the evaluation of nuclear power plants, the evaluation index examples were obtained from the evaluation viewpoints. Furthermore, when the level of the common evaluation standards of the proposed evaluation method was applied to the evaluation of the activities of nuclear power plants based on the regulations, it was confirmed that these activities are at the highest level. Through this application validation, it was clarified that the proposed evaluation method for social infrastructures had certain effectiveness. The four evaluation viewpoints are 'service,' 'environment,' 'action factor,' and 'operation and management.' Part of the application examples to a nuclear power plant are as follows: (1) in the viewpoint of service: the operation rate of the power plant, and operation costs, and (2) in the viewpoint of environment: external influence related to nuclear waste and radioactivity, and external effect related to cooling water. (A.O.)

The concentration of trans-lycopene in postharvest watermelon: An evaluation of analytical data obtained by direct methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dimitrovski, D.; Bicanic, D.D.; Luterotti, S.; Twisk, van C.; Buijnsters, J.G.; Doka, O.

2010-01-01

The performance of the newly proposed laser-based optothermal window (OW) method and colorimetry for quantification of trans -lycopene in 10 watermelon homogenates has been evaluated. Reverse phase HPLC served as an established reference method. Both, OW and colorimetry are direct methods as they,

Methodological proposal for environmental impact evaluation since different specific methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leon Pelaez, Juan Diego; Lopera Arango Gabriel Jaime

1999-01-01

Some conceptual and practical elements related to environmental impact evaluation are described and related to the preparation of technical reports (environmental impact studies and environmental management plans) to be presented to environmental authorities for obtaining the environmental permits for development projects. In the first part of the document a summary of the main aspects of normative type is made that support the studies of environmental impact in Colombia. We propose a diagram for boarding and elaboration of the evaluation of environmental impact, which begins with the description of the project and of the environmental conditions in the area of the same. Passing then to identify the impacts through a method matricial and continuing with the quantitative evaluation of the same. For which we propose the use of the method developed by Arboleda (1994). Also we propose to qualify the activities of the project and the components of the environment in their relative importance, by means of a method here denominated agglomerate evaluation. Which allows finding those activities more impacting and the mostly impacted components. Lastly it is presented some models for the elaboration and presentation of the environmental management plans. The pursuit programs and those of environmental supervision

A finite volume method for cylindrical heat conduction problems based on local analytical solution

KAUST Repository

Li, Wang

2012-10-01

A new finite volume method for cylindrical heat conduction problems based on local analytical solution is proposed in this paper with detailed derivation. The calculation results of this new method are compared with the traditional second-order finite volume method. The newly proposed method is more accurate than conventional ones, even though the discretized expression of this proposed method is slightly more complex than the second-order central finite volume method, making it cost more calculation time on the same grids. Numerical result shows that the total CPU time of the new method is significantly less than conventional methods for achieving the same level of accuracy. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A finite volume method for cylindrical heat conduction problems based on local analytical solution

KAUST Repository

Li, Wang; Yu, Bo; Wang, Xinran; Wang, Peng; Sun, Shuyu

2012-01-01

A new finite volume method for cylindrical heat conduction problems based on local analytical solution is proposed in this paper with detailed derivation. The calculation results of this new method are compared with the traditional second-order finite volume method. The newly proposed method is more accurate than conventional ones, even though the discretized expression of this proposed method is slightly more complex than the second-order central finite volume method, making it cost more calculation time on the same grids. Numerical result shows that the total CPU time of the new method is significantly less than conventional methods for achieving the same level of accuracy. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Competence of newly qualified registered nurses from a nursing college

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BG Morolong

2005-09-01

:2.2.1 ethical standards of research. A descriptive statistical method of data analysis was used in this study. Findings revealed that newly qualified registered nurses were not competent. The highest score obtained was 51 % and the lowest score was 22% with an average score of 34.05%. The results concerning the implementation of the phases of the nursing process indicated that participants were fairly competent in terms of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values of assessment. Participants had very little knowledge of nursing diagnosis and were not competent on the skills of diagnosis. Participants lacked basic knowledge, skills, attitudes and values of the nursing process. They lacked critical thinking skills in their approach to providing quality patient care. The recommendations of the study relate to improving the system of clinical accompaniment, reviewing the clinical facilities where learners are allocated, reviewing the implementation of the curriculum, the methods of teaching and the quality assurance mechanisms that are in place. Further research is recommended on competence of newly qualified registered nurses at other nursing colleges or similar context.

The effect of preceptor role effectiveness on newly licensed registered nurses' perceived psychological empowerment and professional autonomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Watkins, Chanell; Hart, Patricia L; Mareno, Nicole

2016-03-01

The first year turnover rate for newly licensed registered nurses is roughly 30% and increases to about 57% in the second year (Twibell et al., 2012). An effective preceptorship has been shown to better facilitate the first year transition (Hodges et al., 2008) and increase retention rates (Pine and Tart, 2007). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between newly licensed registered nurses' perceived preceptor role effectiveness, psychological empowerment and professional autonomy. A prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive research design was used. Sixty-nine newly licensed registered nurses were recruited and surveyed. Newly licensed registered nurses were found to have moderately high levels of perceived preceptor role effectiveness, psychological empowerment, and professional autonomy. Preceptor role effectiveness had significant, moderately, positive relationships with professional autonomy and psychological empowerment. There was also a significant relationship found between professional autonomy and psychological empowerment. Results show that preceptor role effectiveness is linked to increased professional autonomy and psychological empowerment. Therefore, effective preceptorships are necessary in easing the newly licensed registered nurse's transition to practice. Strategies to ensure effective preceptorships and enhance the NRLN's transition to practice are proposed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exercise recommendations in patients with newly diagnosed fibromyalgia.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Brad; Spencer, Horace; Kortebein, Patrick

2012-04-01

To evaluate exercise recommendations in patients newly diagnosed with fibromyalgia. A retrospective chart review. A public university rheumatology clinic. Patients newly diagnosed with fibromyalgia (N = 122). Frequency and type of exercise recommendations. The mean (standard deviation) age of these patients with fibromyalgia was 45 ± 12 years; 91% were women. Exercise was recommended as part of the documented treatment plan in 47% of these patients (57/122); only 3 patients had a documented contraindication for exercise. Aquatic exercise was most frequently recommended (56% [32/57]), followed by combined aquatic-aerobic exercise (26% [15/57]), and, infrequently, aerobic exercise only (5% [3/57]); only 7% of these patients (4/57) were referred for physical therapy. The primary method of communication was verbal discussion (94% [54/57]). Although there is well-documented evidence that exercise is beneficial for patients with fibromyalgia, we found that less than half of patients with newly diagnosed fibromyalgia in our study were provided recommendations to initiate an exercise program as part of their treatment plan. Further investigation of these findings are warranted, including evaluation of other university and community rheumatology practices as well as that of other physicians caring for patients with fibromyalgia. However, our findings indicate that there appears to be an opportunity to provide more specific and practical education regarding the implementation of an exercise regimen for patients with newly diagnosed fibromyalgia. Physiatrists may be particularly well suited to manage the exercise component of patients with fibromyalgia because of their specialized training in exercise prescription. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Role of work overload toward turnover intention among newly hired public accountants

OpenAIRE

Pradana, Andika; Salehudin, Imam

2013-01-01

This paper aims to analyze how work overload influences turnover intentions of newly hired public accountants. Job satisfaction, work related stress and work life conflicts are used as mediating variable between work overload and turnover intention. This study employed 141 auditors from several accounting firms operating in the Greater Jakarta region. Six proposed hypotheses was tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results showed that work overload has significant effect in increa...

Suicide epidemics: the impact of newly emerging methods on overall suicide rates - a time trends study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang Shu-Sen

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The impact of newly emerging, popular suicide methods on overall rates of suicide has not previously been investigated systematically. Understanding these effects may have important implications for public health surveillance. We examine the emergence of three novel methods of suicide by gassing in the 20th and 21st centuries and determine the impact of emerging methods on overall suicide rates. Methods We studied the epidemic rises in domestic coal gas (1919-1935, England and Wales, motor vehicle exhaust gas (1975-1992, England and Wales and barbecue charcoal gas (1999-2006, Taiwan suicide using Poisson and joinpoint regression models. Joinpoint regression uses contiguous linear segments and join points (points at which trends change to describe trends in incidence. Results Epidemic increases in the use of new methods of suicide were generally associated with rises in overall suicide rates of between 23% and 71%. The recent epidemic of barbecue charcoal suicides in Taiwan was associated with the largest rise in overall rates (40-50% annual rise, whereas the smallest rise was seen for car exhaust gassing in England and Wales (7% annual rise. Joinpoint analyses were only feasible for car exhaust and charcoal burning suicides; these suggested an impact of the emergence of car exhaust suicides on overall suicide rates in both sexes in England and Wales. However there was no statistical evidence of a change in the already increasing overall suicide trends when charcoal burning suicides emerged in Taiwan, possibly due to the concurrent economic recession. Conclusions Rapid rises in the use of new sources of gas for suicide were generally associated with increases in overall suicide rates. Suicide prevention strategies should include strengthening local and national surveillance for early detection of novel suicide methods and implementation of effective media guidelines and other appropriate interventions to limit the spread of

Development of environmental risk assessment framework using index method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, M.W.; Wu, Y.

2000-01-01

This paper presents a newly developed framework for assessing the risk from events which are considered to be major accidents to the environment according to the classifications by the United Kingdom Department of Environment (DoE). The application of an environmental risk assessment framework using the newly developed index method is demonstrated by means of a case study. The framework makes use of Environmental Hazard Index (EHI) method by the United Kingdom AEA Technology for releases to river, but improves it by taking account to toxic dose rather than concentration; taking account of long-term effects including persistence and bio accumulation, not just short term effects; extending the method to all aspects of environment, not just rivers; and allowing account to be taken of design changes to mitigate the risk. The development of the framework has also led to a revision of the tolerability criteria to be used with the framework proposed earlier by weakness and recommend further work to improve this newly proposed environmental risk assessment framework. From the study, it is recommended that the environmental risk assessment framework be applied to a wide range of other case studies in order to further improve it. The framework should be modified to maintain consistency when the DoE revises its definitions of major accidents to the environment. Ease-of-use of the framework (and any other environmental framework) would be aided by the compilation of databases for environmental toxicity, river data and available consequence models. Further work could also be done to suggest methods of mitigating the risk and including them as numerical factors within method. (author)

Cross-Linking Mast Cell Specific Gangliosides Stimulates the Release of Newly Formed Lipid Mediators and Newly Synthesized Cytokines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edismauro Garcia Freitas Filho

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Mast cells are immunoregulatory cells that participate in inflammatory processes. Cross-linking mast cell specific GD1b derived gangliosides by mAbAA4 results in partial activation of mast cells without the release of preformed mediators. The present study examines the release of newly formed and newly synthesized mediators following ganglioside cross-linking. Cross-linking the gangliosides with mAbAA4 released the newly formed lipid mediators, prostaglandins D2 and E2, without release of leukotrienes B4 and C4. The effect of cross-linking these gangliosides on the activation of enzymes in the arachidonate cascade was then investigated. Ganglioside cross-linking resulted in phosphorylation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 and increased expression of cyclooxygenase-2. Translocation of 5-lipoxygenase from the cytosol to the nucleus was not induced by ganglioside cross-linking. Cross-linking of GD1b derived gangliosides also resulted in the release of the newly synthesized mediators, interleukin-4, interleukin-6, and TNF-α. The effect of cross-linking the gangliosides on the MAP kinase pathway was then investigated. Cross-linking the gangliosides induced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK1/2, and p38 as well as activating both NFκB and NFAT in a Syk-dependent manner. Therefore, cross-linking the mast cell specific GD1b derived gangliosides results in the activation of signaling pathways that culminate with the release of newly formed and newly synthesized mediators.

Newly Homeless Youth Typically Return Home

OpenAIRE

Milburn, Norweeta G.; Rosenthal, Doreen; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Mallett, Shelley; Batterham, Philip; Rice, Eric; Solorio, Rosa

2007-01-01

165 newly homeless adolescents from Melbourne, Australia and 261 from Los Angeles, United States were surveyed and followed for two years. Most newly homeless adolescents returned home (70% U.S., 47% Australia) for significant amounts of time (39% U.S., 17% Australia more than 12 months) within two years of becoming homeless.

Proposed frustrated-total-reflection acoustic sensing method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hull, J.R.

1981-01-01

Modulation of electromagnetic energy transmission through a frustrated-total-reflection device by pressure-induced changes in the index of refraction is proposed for use as an acoustic detector. Maximum sensitivity occurs for angles of incidence near the critical angle. The minimum detectable pressure in air is limited by Brownian noise. Acoustic propagation losses and diffraction of the optical beam by the acoustic signal limit the minimum acoustic wavelength to lengths of the order of the spatial extent of the optical beam. The response time of the method is fast enough to follow individual acoustic waves

Evolving antithrombotic treatment patterns for patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Camm, A.J.; Accetta, G.; Ambrosio, G.; Atar, D.; Bassand, J.P.; Berge, E. van de; Cools, F.; Fitzmaurice, D.A.; Goldhaber, S.Z.; Goto, S.; Haas, S.; Kayani, G.; Koretsune, Y.; Mantovani, L.G.; Misselwitz, F.; Oh, S.; Turpie, A.G.G.; Verheugt, F.W.A.; Kakkar, A.K.

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE: We studied evolving antithrombotic therapy patterns in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and >/=1 additional stroke risk factor between 2010 and 2015. METHODS: 39 670 patients were prospectively enrolled in four sequential cohorts in the Global

Optimal reactive power and voltage control in distribution networks with distributed generators by fuzzy adaptive hybrid particle swarm optimisation method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Shuheng; Hu, Weihao; Su, Chi

2015-01-01

A new and efficient methodology for optimal reactive power and voltage control of distribution networks with distributed generators based on fuzzy adaptive hybrid PSO (FAHPSO) is proposed. The objective is to minimize comprehensive cost, consisting of power loss and operation cost of transformers...... that the proposed method can search a more promising control schedule of all transformers, all capacitors and all distributed generators with less time consumption, compared with other listed artificial intelligent methods....... algorithm is implemented in VC++ 6.0 program language and the corresponding numerical experiments are finished on the modified version of the IEEE 33-node distribution system with two newly installed distributed generators and eight newly installed capacitors banks. The numerical results prove...

Clinical and immunological status of a newly diagnosed HIV positive ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and the immune status of newly HIV diagnosed patients, in Marrakech city and its neighboring area, in Morocco. Methods: We performed a retrospective study on 235 patients who have been previously confirmed for HIV infection, and underwent a CD4 T cells using flow cytometry ...

Immunoparesis in newly diagnosed Multiple Myeloma patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sorrig, Rasmus; Klausen, Tobias W.; Salomo, Morten

2017-01-01

Immunoparesis (hypogammaglobulinemia) is associated to an unfavorable prognosis in newly diagnosed Multiple myeloma (MM) patients. However, this finding has not been validated in an unselected population-based cohort. We analyzed 2558 newly diagnosed MM patients in the Danish Multiple Myeloma...

A Novel Optimization Method on Logistics Operation for Warehouse & Port Enterprises Based on Game Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junyang Li

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The following investigation aims to deal with the competitive relationship among different warehouses & ports in the same company. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, Game Theory is used in carrying out the optimization model. Genetic Algorithm is used to solve the model. Findings: Unnecessary competition will rise up if there is little internal communication among different warehouses & ports in one company. This paper carries out a novel optimization method on warehouse & port logistics operation model. Originality/value: Warehouse logistics business is a combination of warehousing services and terminal services which is provided by port logistics through the existing port infrastructure on the basis of a port. The newly proposed method can help to optimize logistics operation model for warehouse & port enterprises effectively. We set Sinotrans Guangdong Company as an example to illustrate the newly proposed method. Finally, according to the case study, this paper gives some responses and suggestions on logistics operation in Sinotrans Guangdong warehouse & port for its future development.

Proposal of a method for evaluating tsunami risk using response-surface methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Fukutani, Y.

2017-12-01

Information on probabilistic tsunami inundation hazards is needed to define and evaluate tsunami risk. Several methods for calculating these hazards have been proposed (e.g. Løvholt et al. (2012), Thio (2012), Fukutani et al. (2014), Goda et al. (2015)). However, these methods are inefficient, and their calculation cost is high, since they require multiple tsunami numerical simulations, therefore lacking versatility. In this study, we proposed a simpler method for tsunami risk evaluation using response-surface methodology. Kotani et al. (2016) proposed an evaluation method for the probabilistic distribution of tsunami wave-height using a response-surface methodology. We expanded their study and developed a probabilistic distribution of tsunami inundation depth. We set the depth (x1) and the slip (x2) of an earthquake fault as explanatory variables and tsunami inundation depth (y) as an object variable. Subsequently, tsunami risk could be evaluated by conducting a Monte Carlo simulation, assuming that the generation probability of an earthquake follows a Poisson distribution, the probability distribution of tsunami inundation depth follows the distribution derived from a response-surface, and the damage probability of a target follows a log normal distribution. We applied the proposed method to a wood building located on the coast of Tokyo Bay. We implemented a regression analysis based on the results of 25 tsunami numerical calculations and developed a response-surface, which was defined as y=ax1+bx2+c (a:0.2615, b:3.1763, c=-1.1802). We assumed proper probabilistic distribution for earthquake generation, inundation height, and vulnerability. Based on these probabilistic distributions, we conducted Monte Carlo simulations of 1,000,000 years. We clarified that the expected damage probability of the studied wood building is 22.5%, assuming that an earthquake occurs. The proposed method is therefore a useful and simple way to evaluate tsunami risk using a response

Softwareland Chronicles: A Software Development Meta-Process Proposal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bolanos Sandro

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the software development meta-process (SD-MP as a proposal to set up software projects. Within this proposal we offer conceptual elements that help solve the war of methodologies and processes in favor of an integrating viewpoint, where the main flaws associated with conventional and agile approaches are removed. Our newly developed software platform to support the meta-process is also presented together with three case studies involving projects currently in progress, where the framework proposed in SD-MP has been applied.

Generational differences among newly licensed registered nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Keepnews, David M; Brewer, Carol S; Kovner, Christine T; Shin, Juh Hyun

2010-01-01

Responses of 2369 newly licensed registered nurses from 3 generational cohorts-Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y-were studied to identify differences in their characteristics, work-related experiences, and attitudes. These responses revealed significant differences among generations in: job satisfaction, organizational commitment, work motivation, work-to-family conflict, family-to-work conflict, distributive justice, promotional opportunities, supervisory support, mentor support, procedural justice, and perceptions of local job opportunities. Health organizations and their leaders need to anticipate intergenerational differences among newly licensed nurses and should provide for supportive working environments that recognize those differences. Orientation and residency programs for newly licensed nurses should be tailored to the varying needs of different generations. Future research should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of orientation and residency programs with regard to different generations so that these programs can be tailored to meet the varying needs of newly licensed nurses at the start of their careers. Copyright 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimation of body fluids with bioimpedance spectroscopy: state of the art methods and proposal of novel methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buendia, R; Seoane, F; Lindecrantz, K; Bosaeus, I; Gil-Pita, R; Johannsson, G; Ellegård, L; Ward, L C

2015-01-01

Determination of body fluids is a useful common practice in determination of disease mechanisms and treatments. Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) methods are non-invasive, inexpensive and rapid alternatives to reference methods such as tracer dilution. However, they are indirect and their robustness and validity are unclear. In this article, state of the art methods are reviewed, their drawbacks identified and new methods are proposed. All methods were tested on a clinical database of patients receiving growth hormone replacement therapy. Results indicated that most BIS methods are similarly accurate (e.g.  <  0.5   ±   3.0% mean percentage difference for total body water) for estimation of body fluids. A new model for calculation is proposed that performs equally well for all fluid compartments (total body water, extra- and intracellular water). It is suggested that the main source of error in extracellular water estimation is due to anisotropy, in total body water estimation to the uncertainty associated with intracellular resistivity and in determination of intracellular water a combination of both. (paper)

Willingness to join and pay for the newly proposed social health insurance among teachers in Wolaita Sodo Town, South Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Agago, Tesfamichael Alaro; Woldie, Mirkuzie; Ololo, Shimeles

2014-07-01

Cost-sharing between beneficiaries and governments is critical to achieve universal health care coverage. To address this, Ethiopia is currently introducing Social Health Insurance. However, there has been limited evidence on willingness to join the newly proposed insurance scheme in the country. The purpose of this study is to assess willingness to join and pay for the scheme among teachers in Wolaita Sodo Town government educational institutions, South Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 5 to March 10, 2012 on 335 teachers. Stratified simple random sampling technique was used and data were collected using structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Binary and multiple logistic regressions were used to estimate the crude and adjusted odds ratios for willingness to pay. Three hundred twenty-eight teachers participated in the study with response rate of 98%. About 55% of the teachers had never heard of any type of health insurance scheme. However, 74.4% of them were willing to pay for the suggested insurance scheme. About 47% of those who were willing to pay agreed to contribute greater than or equal to 4% of their monthly salaries. Willingness to pay was more likely among those who had heard about health insurance, had previous history of inability to pay for medical bills and achieved higher educational status. The majority of the teachers were willing to join social health insurance; however, adequate awareness creation and discussion should be made with all employees at various levels for the successful implementation of the scheme.

A newly developed snack effective for enhancing bone volume

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Hayashi Hidetaka

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The incidence of primary osteoporosis is higher in Japan than in USA and European countries. Recently, the importance of preventive medicine has been gradually recognized in the field of orthopaedic surgery with a concept that peak bone mass should be increased in childhood as much as possible for the prevention of osteoporosis. Under such background, we have developed a new bean snack with an aim to improve bone volume loss. In this study, we examined the effects of a newly developed snack on bone volume and density in osteoporosis model mice. Methods Orchiectomy (ORX and ovariectomy (OVX were performed for C57BL/6J mice of twelve-week-old (Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbar, ME, USA were used in this experiment. We prepared and given three types of powder diet e.g.: normal calcium diet (NCD, Ca: 0.9%, Clea Japan Co., Tokyo, Japan, low calcium diet (LCD, Ca: 0.63%, Clea Japan Co., and special diet (SCD, Ca: 0.9%. Eighteen weeks after surgery, all the animals were sacrified and prepared for histomorphometric analysis to quantify bone density and bone mineral content. Results As a result of histomorphometric examination, SCD was revealed to enhance bone volume irrespective of age and sex. The bone density was increased significantly in osteoporosis model mice fed the newly developmental snack as compared with the control mice. The bone mineral content was also enhanced significantly. These phenomena were revealed in both sexes. Conclusion It is shown that the newly developed bean snack is highly effective for the improvement of bone volume loss irrespective of sex. We demonstrated that newly developmental snack supplements may be a useful preventive measure for Japanese whose bone mineral density values are less than the ideal condition.

76 FR 79262 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Order Granting Approval of Proposed...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-21

... as the Board committees' charters and the company's code of ethics, with a retail value of... proposed rule change to describe services offered by NASDAQ to certain newly listing companies on NASDAQ's... new Section IM-5900-7 to describe products that are offered to certain newly listing companies. As...

Critical thinking dispositions among newly graduated nurses

Science.gov (United States)

Wangensteen, Sigrid; Johansson, Inger S; Björkström, Monica E; Nordström, Gun

2010-01-01

wangensteen s., johansson i.s., björkström m.e. & nordström g. (2010) Critical thinking dispositions among newly graduated nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing66(10), 2170–2181. Aim The aim of the study was to describe critical thinking dispositions among newly graduated nurses in Norway, and to study whether background data had any impact on critical thinking dispositions. Background Competence in critical thinking is one of the expectations of nursing education. Critical thinkers are described as well-informed, inquisitive, open-minded and orderly in complex matters. Critical thinking competence has thus been designated as an outcome for judging the quality of nursing education programmes and for the development of clinical judgement. The ability to think critically is also described as reducing the research–practice gap and fostering evidence-based nursing. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed. The data were collected between October 2006 and April 2007 using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. The response rate was 33% (n= 618). Pearson’s chi-square tests were used to analyse the data. Results Nearly 80% of the respondents reported a positive disposition towards critical thinking. The highest mean score was on the Inquisitiveness subscale and the lowest on the Truth-seeking subscale. A statistically significant higher proportion of nurses with high critical thinking scores were found among those older than 30 years, those with university education prior to nursing education, and those working in community health care. Conclusion Nurse leaders and nurse teachers should encourage and nurture critical thinking among newly graduated nurses and nursing students. The low Truth-seeking scores found may be a result of traditional teaching strategies in nursing education and might indicate a need for more student-active learning models. PMID:20384637

Assessment of the Portuguese building thermal code: Newly revised requirements for cooling energy needs used to prevent the overheating of buildings in the summer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira Panao, Marta J.N.; Camelo, Susana M.L.; Goncalves, Helder J.P.

2011-01-01

In this paper, cooling energy needs are calculated by the steady-state methodology of the Portuguese building thermal code. After the first period of building code implementation, re-evaluation according to EN ISO 13790 is recommended in order to compare results with the dynamic simulation results. From these analyses, a newly revised methodology arises including a few corrections in procedure. This iterative result is sufficiently accurate to calculate the building's cooling energy needs. Secondly, results show that the required conditions are insufficient to prevent overheating. The use of the gain utilization factor as an overheating risk index is suggested, according to an adaptive comfort protocol, and is integrated in the method used to calculate the maximum value for cooling energy needs. This proposed streamlined method depends on reference values: window-to-floor area ratio, window shading g-value, integrated solar radiation and gain utilization factor, which leads to threshold values significantly below the ones currently used. These revised requirements are more restrictive and, therefore, will act to improve a building's thermal performance during summer. As a rule of thumb applied for Portuguese climates, the reference gain utilization factor should assume a minimum value of 0.8 for a latitude angle range of 40-41 o N, 0.6 for 38-39 o N and 0.5 for 37 o N. -- Highlights: → A newly revised methodology for Portuguese building thermal code. → The use of the gain utilization factor as an overheating risk index is suggested. → The proposed streamlined method depends on reference values. → Threshold maximum values are significantly below the ones currently used.

Different Pathophysiological Phenotypes among Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stidsen, Jacob

2013-01-01

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) can be considered a syndrome with several different pathophysiological mechanisms leading to hyperglycemia. Nonetheless, T2D is treated according to algorithms as if it was one disease entity. Methods: We investigated the prevalence of different pathophysiological phenotypes...... or secondary diabetes), classic obesity-associated insulin resistant diabetes ( f-P-C-peptide >= 568 pmol/l) and a normoinsulinopenic group (333 age of our new T2D patients was 61 years (range 21-95 years), 57% were men. We found that 3.0% newly diagnosed T2D patients...... suffered from LADA, 3.9% from secondary diabetes, 6.0% from steroid induced diabetes 5.9% had insulinopenic diabetes, whereas 56.7% presented the classic obesity-associated insulin-resistant phenotype. 24.6% was classified as normoinsulinopenic patients. Conclusion: We conclude that newly diagnosed T2D...

Proposed Sandia frequency shift for anti-islanding detection method based on artificial immune system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.Y. Hatata

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Sandia frequency shift (SFS is one of the active anti-islanding detection methods that depend on frequency drift to detect an islanding condition for inverter-based distributed generation. The non-detection zone (NDZ of the SFS method depends to a great extent on its parameters. Improper adjusting of these parameters may result in failure of the method. This paper presents a proposed artificial immune system (AIS-based technique to obtain optimal parameters of SFS anti-islanding detection method. The immune system is highly distributed, highly adaptive, and self-organizing in nature, maintains a memory of past encounters, and has the ability to continually learn about new encounters. The proposed method generates less total harmonic distortion (THD than the conventional SFS, which results in faster island detection and better non-detection zone. The performance of the proposed method is derived analytically and simulated using Matlab/Simulink. Two case studies are used to verify the proposed method. The first case includes a photovoltaic (PV connected to grid and the second includes a wind turbine connected to grid. The deduced optimized parameter setting helps to achieve the “non-islanding inverter” as well as least potential adverse impact on power quality. Keywords: Anti-islanding detection, Sandia frequency shift (SFS, Non-detection zone (NDZ, Total harmonic distortion (THD, Artificial immune system (AIS, Clonal selection algorithm

A Proposal of Operational Risk Management Method Using FMEA for Drug Manufacturing Computerized System

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Masakazu; Nanba, Reiji; Fukue, Yoshinori

This paper proposes operational Risk Management (RM) method using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) for drug manufacturing computerlized system (DMCS). The quality of drug must not be influenced by failures and operational mistakes of DMCS. To avoid such situation, DMCS has to be conducted enough risk assessment and taken precautions. We propose operational RM method using FMEA for DMCS. To propose the method, we gathered and compared the FMEA results of DMCS, and develop a list that contains failure modes, failures and countermeasures. To apply this list, we can conduct RM in design phase, find failures, and conduct countermeasures efficiently. Additionally, we can find some failures that have not been found yet.

Planning for the Management and Disposition of Newly Generated TRU Waste from REDC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coffey, D. E.; Forrester, T. W.; Krause, T.

2002-01-01

This paper describes the waste characteristics of newly generated transuranic waste from the Radiochemical Engineering and Development Center at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the basic certification structure that will be proposed by the University of Tennessee-Battelle and Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant for this waste stream. The characterization approach uses information derived from the active production operations as acceptable knowledge for the Radiochemical Engineering and Development Center transuranic waste. The characterization approach includes smear data taken from processing and waste staging hot cells, as well as analytical data on product and liquid waste streams going to liquid waste disposal. Bechtel Jacobs Company and University of Tennessee-Battelle are currently developing the elements of a Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-compliant program with a plan to be certified by the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant for shipment of newly generated transuranic waste in the next few years. The current activities include developing interface plans, program documents, and waste stream specific procedures

A proposal on alternative sampling-based modeling method of spherical particles in stochastic media for Monte Carlo simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Song Hyun; Lee, Jae Yong; KIm, Do Hyun; Kim, Jong Kyung [Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Noh, Jae Man [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-08-15

Chord length sampling method in Monte Carlo simulations is a method used to model spherical particles with random sampling technique in a stochastic media. It has received attention due to the high calculation efficiency as well as user convenience; however, a technical issue regarding boundary effect has been noted. In this study, after analyzing the distribution characteristics of spherical particles using an explicit method, an alternative chord length sampling method is proposed. In addition, for modeling in finite media, a correction method of the boundary effect is proposed. Using the proposed method, sample probability distributions and relative errors were estimated and compared with those calculated by the explicit method. The results show that the reconstruction ability and modeling accuracy of the particle probability distribution with the proposed method were considerably high. Also, from the local packing fraction results, the proposed method can successfully solve the boundary effect problem. It is expected that the proposed method can contribute to the increasing of the modeling accuracy in stochastic media.

A proposal on alternative sampling-based modeling method of spherical particles in stochastic media for Monte Carlo simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Song Hyun; Lee, Jae Yong; KIm, Do Hyun; Kim, Jong Kyung; Noh, Jae Man

2015-01-01

Chord length sampling method in Monte Carlo simulations is a method used to model spherical particles with random sampling technique in a stochastic media. It has received attention due to the high calculation efficiency as well as user convenience; however, a technical issue regarding boundary effect has been noted. In this study, after analyzing the distribution characteristics of spherical particles using an explicit method, an alternative chord length sampling method is proposed. In addition, for modeling in finite media, a correction method of the boundary effect is proposed. Using the proposed method, sample probability distributions and relative errors were estimated and compared with those calculated by the explicit method. The results show that the reconstruction ability and modeling accuracy of the particle probability distribution with the proposed method were considerably high. Also, from the local packing fraction results, the proposed method can successfully solve the boundary effect problem. It is expected that the proposed method can contribute to the increasing of the modeling accuracy in stochastic media

Assessment of Newly Proposed Clinical Criteria to Identify HNF1A MODY in Patients with an Initial Diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malgorzata Grzanka

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The most common form of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY is caused by mutations in the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1A (HNF1A gene. However, most HNF1A mutation-carriers are initially misdiagnosed with type 1 (T1DM or type 2 (T2DM diabetes mellitus; hence, they often receive nonoptimal treatment. The aim of our study was to test newly proposed clinical criteria for the identification of HNF1A MODY in patients with a diagnosis of T1DM or T2DM. To achieve this, the following criteria to preselect patients for screening were used: for T1DM: TDIR (total daily insulin requirement > 0.3 IU of insulin/kg and the percentage of basal insulin > 30% of TDIR; for T2DM: sulphonylurea- (SU- based oral treatment (monotherapy or combined with Metformin > 15 years and BMI < 30 kg/m2. We reviewed the clinical data of 140 patients with T1DM and 524 clinically diagnosed with T2DM. On the basis of these criteria, we found a HNF1A mutation in 1 out of 2 individuals with a diagnosis of T1DM and 1 out of 11 selected individuals with a diagnosis of T2DM. We believe that the simplicity of the proposed criteria might prove useful in clinical practice, as an alternative to more time-consuming classical diagnostic techniques.

Assessment of Newly Proposed Clinical Criteria to Identify HNF1A MODY in Patients with an Initial Diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Grzanka, Malgorzata; Matejko, Bartlomiej; Szopa, Magdalena; Kiec-Wilk, Beata; Malecki, Maciej T; Klupa, Tomasz

2016-01-01

The most common form of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is caused by mutations in the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1A (HNF1A) gene. However, most HNF1A mutation-carriers are initially misdiagnosed with type 1 (T1DM) or type 2 (T2DM) diabetes mellitus; hence, they often receive nonoptimal treatment. The aim of our study was to test newly proposed clinical criteria for the identification of HNF1A MODY in patients with a diagnosis of T1DM or T2DM. To achieve this, the following criteria to preselect patients for screening were used: for T1DM: TDIR (total daily insulin requirement) > 0.3 IU of insulin/kg and the percentage of basal insulin > 30% of TDIR; for T2DM: sulphonylurea- (SU-) based oral treatment (monotherapy or combined with Metformin) > 15 years and BMI < 30 kg/m(2). We reviewed the clinical data of 140 patients with T1DM and 524 clinically diagnosed with T2DM. On the basis of these criteria, we found a HNF1A mutation in 1 out of 2 individuals with a diagnosis of T1DM and 1 out of 11 selected individuals with a diagnosis of T2DM. We believe that the simplicity of the proposed criteria might prove useful in clinical practice, as an alternative to more time-consuming classical diagnostic techniques.

Novel X-ray Communication Based XNAV Augmentation Method Using X-ray Detectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shibin Song

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The further development of X-ray pulsar-based NAVigation (XNAV is hindered by its lack of accuracy, so accuracy improvement has become a critical issue for XNAV. In this paper, an XNAV augmentation method which utilizes both pulsar observation and X-ray ranging observation for navigation filtering is proposed to deal with this issue. As a newly emerged concept, X-ray communication (XCOM shows great potential in space exploration. X-ray ranging, derived from XCOM, could achieve high accuracy in range measurement, which could provide accurate information for XNAV. For the proposed method, the measurement models of pulsar observation and range measurement observation are established, and a Kalman filtering algorithm based on the observations and orbit dynamics is proposed to estimate the position and velocity of a spacecraft. A performance comparison of the proposed method with the traditional pulsar observation method is conducted by numerical experiments. Besides, the parameters that influence the performance of the proposed method, such as the pulsar observation time, the SNR of the ranging signal, etc., are analyzed and evaluated by numerical experiments.

Validation of a method for assessing resident physicians' quality improvement proposals.

Science.gov (United States)

Leenstra, James L; Beckman, Thomas J; Reed, Darcy A; Mundell, William C; Thomas, Kris G; Krajicek, Bryan J; Cha, Stephen S; Kolars, Joseph C; McDonald, Furman S

2007-09-01

Residency programs involve trainees in quality improvement (QI) projects to evaluate competency in systems-based practice and practice-based learning and improvement. Valid approaches to assess QI proposals are lacking. We developed an instrument for assessing resident QI proposals--the Quality Improvement Proposal Assessment Tool (QIPAT-7)-and determined its validity and reliability. QIPAT-7 content was initially obtained from a national panel of QI experts. Through an iterative process, the instrument was refined, pilot-tested, and revised. Seven raters used the instrument to assess 45 resident QI proposals. Principal factor analysis was used to explore the dimensionality of instrument scores. Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlations were calculated to determine internal consistency and interrater reliability, respectively. QIPAT-7 items comprised a single factor (eigenvalue = 3.4) suggesting a single assessment dimension. Interrater reliability for each item (range 0.79 to 0.93) and internal consistency reliability among the items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87) were high. This method for assessing resident physician QI proposals is supported by content and internal structure validity evidence. QIPAT-7 is a useful tool for assessing resident QI proposals. Future research should determine the reliability of QIPAT-7 scores in other residency and fellowship training programs. Correlations should also be made between assessment scores and criteria for QI proposal success such as implementation of QI proposals, resident scholarly productivity, and improved patient outcomes.

Patients with newly diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis are at increased risk of Diabetes Mellitus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Emamifar, Amir; Levin, Klaus; Jensen Hansen, Inger Marie

2018-01-01

-C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) at the time of diagnosis and after 4 months (±1-2 months) of treatment initiation were extracted from Danbio Registry. To reveal the presence of DM, patients' electronic medical records were reviewed. The prevalence of DM in our patients was compared (using an age- and gender......-matched analysis) with that expected from Danish population. RESULTS: of 439 included patients, 60.1% were female, mean of age 64.6±15.0 years and RA disease duration 2.6±1.7 years. Prevalence of DM was 57/439 (12.9%), herein type II DM 52 (91.2%) and type I DM 5 (8.8%). Except for two patients, diagnosis of DM......AIMS: To reveal the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in patients with newly diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and evaluate the association between clinical characteristics of RA and DM as well as treatment response in newly diagnosed RA patients with DM. METHODS: Newly diagnosed, adult, RA...

Changes in immunological status among newly-diagnosed HIV-infected in Denmark 1995-2005

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoegh, S.; Lohse, N.; Hansen, A.B.

2008-01-01

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of new HIV diagnoses in Denmark has remained stable since 1991, but it has increased among the subgroup of homosexual men in recent years. This may reflect an actual increase in newly infected, e.g. as a result of increased risk behaviour, or it may reflect increased HIV....... MATERIALS AND METHODS: Observational study based on the Danish HIV Cohort Study, which includes all adults seen at Danish HIV clinics since 1995. RESULTS: From 2000 to 2004 the number of newly-infected homosexual men increased (from 69 to 123), particularly in persons under 30 years (from 5 to 42......). The median CD4 cell count at the time of diagnosis increased in this group (median 19.1 cells/microL per year [95% CI: 3.7-11.3]), while it remained stable among heterosexually infected. The number of newly-diagnosed homosexually infected under 30 years with a CD4 cell count over 400 cells/microL increased...

Proposal of Constraints Analysis Method Based on Network Model for Task Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Tomiyama, Tomoe; Sato, Tatsuhiro; Morita, Toyohisa; Sasaki, Toshiro

Deregulation has been accelerating several activities toward reengineering business processes, such as railway through service and modal shift in logistics. Making those activities successful, business entities have to regulate new business rules or know-how (we call them ‘constraints’). According to the new constraints, they need to manage business resources such as instruments, materials, workers and so on. In this paper, we propose a constraint analysis method to define constraints for task planning of the new business processes. To visualize each constraint's influence on planning, we propose a network model which represents allocation relations between tasks and resources. The network can also represent task ordering relations and resource grouping relations. The proposed method formalizes the way of defining constraints manually as repeatedly checking the network structure and finding conflicts between constraints. Being applied to crew scheduling problems shows that the method can adequately represent and define constraints of some task planning problems with the following fundamental features, (1) specifying work pattern to some resources, (2) restricting the number of resources for some works, (3) requiring multiple resources for some works, (4) prior allocation of some resources to some works and (5) considering the workload balance between resources.

Mechanisms underpinning effective peer support: a qualitative analysis of interactions between expert peers and patients newly-diagnosed with bipolar disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Proudfoot Judith G

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The increasing burden on mental health services has led to the growing use of peer support in psychological interventions. Four theoretical mechanisms have been proposed to underpin effective peer support: advice grounded in experiential knowledge, social support, social comparison and the helper therapy principle. However, there has been a lack of studies examining whether these mechanisms are also evident in clinical populations in which interpersonal dysfunction is common, such as bipolar disorder. Method This qualitative study, conducted alongside a randomized controlled trial, examined whether the four mechanisms proposed to underpin effective peer support were expressed in the email exchange between 44 individuals newly-diagnosed with bipolar disorder and their Informed Supporters (n = 4, over the course of a supported online psychoeducation program for bipolar disorder. A total of 104 text segments were extracted and coded. The data were complemented by face-to-face interviews with three of the four Informed Supporters who participated in the study. Results Qualitative analyses of the email interchange and interview transcripts revealed rich examples of all four mechanisms. The data illustrated how the involvement of Informed Supporters resulted in numerous benefits for the newly-diagnosed individuals, including the provision of practical strategies for illness management as well as emotional support throughout the intervention. The Informed Supporters encouraged the development of positive relationships with mental health services, and acted as role models for treatment adherence. The Informed Supporters themselves reported gaining a number of benefits from helping, including a greater sense of connectedness with the mental health system, as well as a broader knowledge of illness management strategies. Conclusions Examples of the mechanisms underpinning effective peer support were found in the sample of emails from

Fitness, daily activity and body composition in children with newly diagnosed, untreated asthma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vahlkvist, S; Pedersen, S

2009-01-01

Background: Information about how the asthma disease affects the life style and health in children is sparse. Aim: To measure fitness, daily physical activity and body composition in children with newly diagnosed, untreated asthma and healthy controls, and to assess the association between...... the level of asthma control and these parameters. Methods: Daily physical activity measured using accelerometry, cardiovascular fitness and body composition (per cent fat, per cent lean tissue and bone mineral density) were measured in 57 children with newly diagnosed, untreated asthma and in 157 healthy...... fitness and daytime spent in intensive activity. Overweight children are physically less active than normal weight children....

Initial alignment method for free space optics laser beam

Science.gov (United States)

Shimada, Yuta; Tashiro, Yuki; Izumi, Kiyotaka; Yoshida, Koichi; Tsujimura, Takeshi

2016-08-01

The authors have newly proposed and constructed an active free space optics transmission system. It is equipped with a motor driven laser emitting mechanism and positioning photodiodes, and it transmits a collimated thin laser beam and accurately steers the laser beam direction. It is necessary to introduce the laser beam within sensible range of the receiver in advance of laser beam tracking control. This paper studies an estimation method of laser reaching point for initial laser beam alignment. Distributed photodiodes detect laser luminescence at respective position, and the optical axis of laser beam is analytically presumed based on the Gaussian beam optics. Computer simulation evaluates the accuracy of the proposed estimation methods, and results disclose that the methods help us to guide the laser beam to a distant receiver.

Proposal for an Evaluation Method for the Performance of Work Procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Mouda; Mébarek, Djebabra; Wafa, Boulagouas; Makhlouf, Chati

2016-12-01

Noncompliance of operators with work procedures is a recurrent problem. This human behavior has been said to be situational and studied by many different approaches (ergonomic and others), which consider the noncompliance with work procedures to be obvious and seek to analyze its causes as well as consequences. The object of the proposed method is to solve this problem by focusing on the performance of work procedures and ensuring improved performance on a continuous basis. This study has multiple results: (1) assessment of the work procedures' performance by a multicriteria approach; (2) the use of a continuous improvement approach as a framework for the sustainability of the assessment method of work procedures' performance; and (3) adaptation of the Stop-Card as a facilitator support for continuous improvement of work procedures. The proposed method emphasizes to put in value the inputs of continuous improvement of the work procedures in relation with the conventional approaches which adopt the obvious evidence of the noncompliance to the working procedures and seek to analyze the cause-effect relationships related to this unacceptable phenomenon, especially in strategic industry.

Improving a newly developed patient-reported outcome for thyroid patients, using cognitive interviewing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Watt, Torquil; Rasmussen, Ase Krogh; Groenvold, Mogens

2008-01-01

Objective To improve a newly developed patient-reported outcome measure for thyroid patients using cognitive interviewing. Methods Thirty-one interviews using immediate retrospective and expansive probing were conducted among patients with non-toxic goiter (n = 4), nodular toxic goiter (n = 5) Gr...

Designing remote connectedness between parents and their premature newly born : a design proposal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Croes, M.J.G.; Bambang Oetomo, S.; Feijs, L.M.G.; Chen, W.; Bambang Oetomo, S.; Feijs, L.M.G.

2012-01-01

During a 6 month graduation project a design concept is proposed and developed that is expected to support the parent-child bonding while parents are at home and their child is in the NICU. In collaboration with medical practitioners from the Maxima Medical Centere Veldhoven (MMC) the new system for

Volcanic glass signatures in spectroscopic survey of newly proposed lunar pyroclastic deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Besse, S.; Sunshine, J.M.; Gaddis, L.R.

2014-01-01

Moon Mineralogy Mapper spectroscopic observations are used to assess the mineralogy of five sites that have recently been proposed to include lunar dark mantle deposits (DMDs). Volcanic glasses have, for the first time, clearly been identified at the location of three of the proposed pyroclastic deposits. This is the first time that volcanic glasses have been identified at such a small scale on the lunar surface from remote sensing observations. Deposits at Birt E, Schluter, and Walther A appear to be glassy DMDs. Deposits at Birt E and Schluter show (1) morphological evidence suggesting a likely vent and (2) mineralogical evidence indicative of the presence of volcanic glasses. The Walther A deposits, although they show no morphological evidence of vents, have the spectroscopic characteristics diagnostic of volcanic glasses. The deposits of the Freundlich-Sharonov basin are separated in two areas: (1) the Buys-Ballot deposits lack mineralogical and morphological evidence and thus are found to be associated with mare volcanism not with DMDs and (2) the Anderson crater deposits, which do not exhibit glassy DMD signatures, but they appear to be associated with possible vent structures and so may be classifiable as DMDs. Finally, dark deposits near the crater Kopff are found to be associated with likely mare volcanism and not associated with DMDs. The spectral identification of volcanic glass seen in many of the potential DMDs is a strong indicator of their pyroclastic origin.

Field Application of Cable Tension Estimation Technique Using the h-SI Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Myung-Hyun Noh

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates field applicability of a new system identification technique of estimating tensile force for a cable of long span bridges. The newly proposed h-SI method using the combination of the sensitivity updating algorithm and the advanced hybrid microgenetic algorithm can allow not only avoiding the trap of local minimum at initial searching stage but also finding the optimal solution in terms of better numerical efficiency than existing methods. First, this paper overviews the procedure of tension estimation through a theoretical formulation. Secondly, the validity of the proposed technique is numerically examined using a set of dynamic data obtained from benchmark numerical samples considering the effect of sag extensibility and bending stiffness of a sag-cable system. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method is investigated through actual field data extracted from a cable-stayed Seohae Bridge. The test results show that the existing methods require precise initial data in advance but the proposed method is not affected by such initial information. In particular, the proposed method can improve accuracy and convergence rate toward final values. Consequently, the proposed method can be more effective than existing methods in terms of characterizing the tensile force variation for cable structures.

Proposed method to calculate FRMAC intervention levels for the assessment of radiologically contaminated food and comparison of the proposed method to the U.S. FDA's method to calculate derived intervention levels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kraus, Terrence D.; Hunt, Brian D.

2014-02-01

This report reviews the method recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for calculating Derived Intervention Levels (DILs) and identifies potential improvements to the DIL calculation method to support more accurate ingestion pathway analyses and protective action decisions. Further, this report proposes an alternate method for use by the Federal Emergency Radiological Assessment Center (FRMAC) to calculate FRMAC Intervention Levels (FILs). The default approach of the FRMAC during an emergency response is to use the FDA recommended methods. However, FRMAC recommends implementing the FIL method because we believe it to be more technically accurate. FRMAC will only implement the FIL method when approved by the FDA representative on the Federal Advisory Team for Environment, Food, and Health.

Hope pictured in drawings by women newly diagnosed with gynecological cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hammer, Kristianna; Hall, Elisabeth; Mogensen, Ole

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND:: In mysterious ways, hope makes life meaningful even in chaotic and uncontrolled situations. When a woman is newly diagnosed with gynecologic cancer, hope is ineffable and needs exploring. Drawings help express ineffable phenomena. OBJECTIVE:: The aim of the study was to explore how...... women newly diagnosed with gynecologic cancer express the meaning of hope in drawings. METHOD:: Participants were 15 women who on the same day had received the diagnosis of gynecologic cancer. They were between 24 and 87 years (median, 52 years) with a variety of gynecologic cancer diagnoses. Data from...... 15 drawings and postdrawing interviews with the women were analyzed using visual and hermeneutic phenomenology. RESULTS:: Three themes emerged: hope as a spirit to move on, hope as energy through nature, and hope as a communion with families. CONCLUSION:: Hope as pictured in drawings often appears...

Sizing Performance of the Newly Developed Eddy Current System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Chan Hee; Lee, Hee Jong; Yoo, Hyun Ju; Moon, Gyoon Young; Lee, Tae Hoon [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-15

This paper describes the comparison results of sizing performance for two systems. The KHNP developed a new eddy current testing system for the inspection of steam generator tubing in domestic nuclear power plants. The equivalency assessment of the newly developed system with the EPRI-qualified system was already carried out. In this paper, the comparisons of depth-sizing performance for the artificial flaws between two systems were performed. The results show that the newly developed system is in good agreement with the qualified system. Therefore, it is expected that the newly developed eddy current system can be used for the inspection of steam generator tubing in nuclear power plants. There are some non-destructive examination (NDE) methods for the inspection of components in nuclear power plants, such as ultrasonic, radiographic, eddy current testing, etc. The eddy current testing is widely used for the inspection of steam generator (SG) tubing because it offers a relatively low cost approach for high speed, large scale testing of metallic materials in high pressure and temperature engineering systems. The Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) developed an eddy current testing system for the inspection of steam generator tubing in nuclear power plants. This system includes not only hardware but software such as the frequency generator and data acquisition-analysis program. The foreign eddy current system developed by ZETEC is currently used for the inspection of steam generator tubing in domestic nuclear power plants. The equivalency assessment between two systems was already carried out in accordance with the EPRI steam generator examination guidelines.

Bioorthogonal Chemistry for the Isolation and Study of Newly Synthesized Histones and Their Modifications.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnaudo, Anna M; Link, A James; Garcia, Benjamin A

2016-03-18

The nucleosome is an octamer containing DNA wrapped around one histone H3-H4 tetramer and two histone H2A-H2B dimers. Within the nucleosome, histones are decorated with post-translational modifications. Previous studies indicate that the H3-H4 tetramer is conserved during DNA replication, suggesting that old tetramers serve as a template for the modification of newly synthesized tetramers. Here, we present a method that merges bioorthogonal chemistry with mass spectrometry for the study of modifications on newly synthesized histones in mammalian cells. HeLa S3 cells are dually labeled with the methionine analog azidohomoalanine and heavy (13)C6,(15)N4 isotope labeled arginine. Heavy amino acid labeling marks newly synthesized histones while azidohomoalanine incorporation allows for their isolation using bioorthogonal ligation. Labeled mononucleosomes were covalently linked via a copper catalyzed reaction to a FLAG-GGR-alkyne peptide, immunoprecipitated, and subjected to mass spectrometry for quantitative modification analysis. Mononucleosomes containing new histones were successfully isolated using this approach. Additionally, the development of this method highlights the potential deleterious effects of azidohomoalanine labeling on protein PTMs and cell cycle progression, which should be considered for future studies utilizing bioorthogonal labeling strategies in mammalian cells.

A novel ECG data compression method based on adaptive Fourier decomposition

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Chunyu; Zhang, Liming

2017-12-01

This paper presents a novel electrocardiogram (ECG) compression method based on adaptive Fourier decomposition (AFD). AFD is a newly developed signal decomposition approach, which can decompose a signal with fast convergence, and hence reconstruct ECG signals with high fidelity. Unlike most of the high performance algorithms, our method does not make use of any preprocessing operation before compression. Huffman coding is employed for further compression. Validated with 48 ECG recordings of MIT-BIH arrhythmia database, the proposed method achieves the compression ratio (CR) of 35.53 and the percentage root mean square difference (PRD) of 1.47% on average with N = 8 decomposition times and a robust PRD-CR relationship. The results demonstrate that the proposed method has a good performance compared with the state-of-the-art ECG compressors.

Validating self-reported mobile phone use in adults using a newly developed smartphone application

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goedhart, Geertje; Kromhout, Hans; Wiart, Joe; Vermeulen, Roel

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Interpretation of epidemiological studies on health effects from mobile phone use is hindered by uncertainties in the exposure assessment. We used a newly developed smartphone application (app) to validate self-reported mobile phone use and behaviour among adults. METHODS: 107

Confidence in leadership among the newly qualified.

Science.gov (United States)

Bayliss-Pratt, Lisa; Morley, Mary; Bagley, Liz; Alderson, Steven

2013-10-23

The Francis report highlighted the importance of strong leadership from health professionals but it is unclear how prepared those who are newly qualified feel to take on a leadership role. We aimed to assess the confidence of newly qualified health professionals working in the West Midlands in the different competencies of the NHS Leadership Framework. Most respondents felt confident in their abilities to demonstrate personal qualities and work with others, but less so at managing or improving services or setting direction.

The use of a newly designed nonabsorbable polymeric stent in reconstructing the vas deferens: a feasibility study in New Zealand white rabbits

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vrijhof, Eric J.; de Bruine, Adriaan; Zwinderman, Aeilko H.; Lycklama à Nijeholt, August A. B.; Koole, Leo H.

2005-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the use of a newly designed stent in the reconstruction of the vas deferens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 26 New Zealand White rabbits, 13 conventional one-layer microscopic reconstructions were compared with 13 stented reconstructions of the vas deferens. The newly designed

GI-SVM: A sensitive method for predicting genomic islands based on unannotated sequence of a single genome.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Bingxin; Leong, Hon Wai

2016-02-01

Genomic islands (GIs) are clusters of functionally related genes acquired by lateral genetic transfer (LGT), and they are present in many bacterial genomes. GIs are extremely important for bacterial research, because they not only promote genome evolution but also contain genes that enhance adaption and enable antibiotic resistance. Many methods have been proposed to predict GI. But most of them rely on either annotations or comparisons with other closely related genomes. Hence these methods cannot be easily applied to new genomes. As the number of newly sequenced bacterial genomes rapidly increases, there is a need for methods to detect GI based solely on sequences of a single genome. In this paper, we propose a novel method, GI-SVM, to predict GIs given only the unannotated genome sequence. GI-SVM is based on one-class support vector machine (SVM), utilizing composition bias in terms of k-mer content. From our evaluations on three real genomes, GI-SVM can achieve higher recall compared with current methods, without much loss of precision. Besides, GI-SVM allows flexible parameter tuning to get optimal results for each genome. In short, GI-SVM provides a more sensitive method for researchers interested in a first-pass detection of GI in newly sequenced genomes.

Newly blind persons using virtual environment system in a traditional orientation and mobility rehabilitation program: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lahav, Orly; Schloerb, David W; Srinivasan, Mandayam A

2012-09-01

This paper presents a virtual reality system (the BlindAid) developed for orientation and mobility training of people who are newly blind. The BlindAid allows users to interact with different virtual structures and objects via auditory and haptic feedback. This case study aims to examine if and how the BlindAid, in conjunction with a traditional rehabilitation programme, can help people who are newly blind develop new orientation and mobility methods. Follow-up research based on this study, with a large experiment and control group, could contribute to the area of orientation and mobility rehabilitation training for the newly blind. The case study research focused on A., a woman who is newly blind, for 17 virtual sessions spanning ten weeks, during the 12 weeks of her traditional orientation and mobility rehabilitation programme. The research was implemented by using virtual environment (VE) exploration and orientation tasks in VE and physical spaces. The research methodology used both qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews, questionnaire, videotape recording, and user computer logs. The results of this study helped elucidate several issues concerning the contribution of the BlindAid system to the exploration strategies and learning processes experienced by the participant in her encounters with familiar and unfamiliar physical surroundings. [Box: see text].

Newly qualified teachers' visions of science learning and teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Deborah L.

2011-12-01

This study investigated newly qualified teachers' visions of science learning and teaching. The study also documented their preparation in an elementary science methods course. The research questions were: What educational and professional experiences influenced the instructor's visions of science learning and teaching? What visions of science learning and teaching were promoted in the participants' science methods course? What visions of science learning and teaching did these newly qualified teachers bring with them as they graduated from their teacher preparation program? How did these visions compare with those advocated by reform documents? Data sources included participants' assignments, weekly reflections, and multi-media portfolio finals. Semi-structured interviews provided the emic voice of participants, after graduation but before they had begun to teach. These data were interpreted via a combination of qualitative methodologies. Vignettes described class activities. Assertions supported by excerpts from participants' writings emerged from repeated review of their assignments. A case study of a typical participant characterized weekly reflections and final multi-media portfolio. Four strands of science proficiency articulated in a national reform document provided a framework for interpreting activities, assignments, and interview responses. Prior experiences that influenced design of the methods course included an inquiry-based undergraduate physics course, participation in a reform-based teacher preparation program, undergraduate and graduate inquiry-based science teaching methods courses, participation in a teacher research group, continued connection to the university as a beginning teacher, teaching in diverse Title 1 schools, service as the county and state elementary science specialist, participation in the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, service on a National Research Council committee, and experience teaching a

The construction of social identity in newly recruited nuclear engineering staff: A longitudinal study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Lynda; Murphy, Glen; Chang, Artemis

2014-01-01

This study examines the process by which newly recruited nuclear engineering and technical staff came to understand, define, think, feel and behave within a distinct group that has a direct contribution to the organization's overall emphasis on a culture of reliability and system safety. In the field of organizational behavior the interactive model of social identity formation has been recently proposed to explain the process by which the internalization of shared norms and values occurs, an element critical in identity formation. Using this rich model of organizational behavior we analyzed multiple sources of data from nine new hires over a period of three years. This was done from the time they were employed to investigate the construction of social identity by new entrants entering into a complex organizational setting reflected in the context of a nuclear facility. Informed by our data analyses, we found support for the interactive model of social identity development and report the unexpected finding that a newly appointed member's age and level of experience appears to influence the manner in which they adapt, and assimilate into their surroundings. This study represents an important contribution to the safety and reliability literature as it provides a rich insight into the way newly recruited employees enact the process by which their identities are formed and hence act, particularly under conditions of duress or significant organizational disruption in complex organizational settings. - Highlights: • We examined how newly recruited nuclear engineer staff develop their social identity. • The study empirically examined the interactive model of social identity formation. • Innovative research strategies were used to capture rich primary data for all case studies. • Age and experience moderated internalization route and the social identity formation process

Resonance interference method in lattice physics code stream

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sooyoung; Khassenov, Azamat; Lee, Deokjung

2015-01-01

Newly developed resonance interference model is implemented in the lattice physics code STREAM, and the model shows a significant improvement in computing accurate eigenvalues. Equivalence theory is widely used in production calculations to generate the effective multigroup (MG) cross-sections (XS) for commercial reactors. Although a lot of methods have been developed to enhance the accuracy in computing effective XSs, the current resonance treatment methods still do not have a clear resonance interference model. The conventional resonance interference model simply adds the absorption XSs of resonance isotopes to the background XS. However, the conventional models show non-negligible errors in computing effective XSs and eigenvalues. In this paper, a resonance interference factor (RIF) library method is proposed. This method interpolates the RIFs in a pre-generated RIF library and corrects the effective XS, rather than solving the time consuming slowing down calculation. The RIF library method is verified for homogeneous and heterogeneous problems. The verification results using the proposed method show significant improvements of accuracy in treating the interference effect. (author)

Problems faced by newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus patients at ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Diabetes mellitus can be a frightening experience for newly diagnosed patients. The aim of this study was to determine and describe the problems faced by newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus patients at primary healthcare facilities at Mopani district, Limpopo Province. A qualitative, descriptive and contextual research ...

Optimal plot size in the evaluation of papaya scions: proposal and comparison of methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Humberto Felipe Celanti

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Evaluating the quality of scions is extremely important and it can be done by characteristics of shoots and roots. This experiment evaluated height of the aerial part, stem diameter, number of leaves, petiole length and length of roots of papaya seedlings. Analyses were performed from a blank trial with 240 seedlings of "Golden Pecíolo Curto". The determination of the optimum plot size was done by applying the methods of maximum curvature, maximum curvature of coefficient of variation and a new proposed method, which incorporates the bootstrap resampling simulation to the maximum curvature method. According to the results obtained, five is the optimal number of seedlings of papaya "Golden Pecíolo Curto" per plot. The proposed method of bootstrap simulation with replacement provides optimal plot sizes equal or higher than the maximum curvature method and provides same plot size than maximum curvature method of the coefficient of variation.

Value of a newly sequenced bacterial genome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barbosa, Eudes; Aburjaile, Flavia F; Ramos, Rommel Tj

2014-01-01

and annotation will not be undertaken. It is important to know what is lost when we settle for a draft genome and to determine the "scientific value" of a newly sequenced genome. This review addresses the expected impact of newly sequenced genomes on antibacterial discovery and vaccinology. Also, it discusses...... heightened expectations that NGS would boost antibacterial discovery and vaccine development. Although many possible drug and vaccine targets have been discovered, the success rate of genome-based analysis has remained below expectations. Furthermore, NGS has had consequences for genome quality, resulting...

Compression-RSA: New approach of encryption and decryption method

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, Chang Ee; Mandangan, Arif

2013-04-01

Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) cryptosystem is a well known asymmetric cryptosystem and it has been applied in a very wide area. Many researches with different approaches have been carried out in order to improve the security and performance of RSA cryptosystem. The enhancement of the performance of RSA cryptosystem is our main interest. In this paper, we propose a new method to increase the efficiency of RSA by shortening the number of plaintext before it goes under encryption process without affecting the original content of the plaintext. Concept of simple Continued Fraction and the new special relationship between it and Euclidean Algorithm have been applied on this newly proposed method. By reducing the number of plaintext-ciphertext, the encryption-decryption processes of a secret message can be accelerated.

Proposed Project Selection Method for Human Support Research and Technology Development (HSR&TD)

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Harry

2005-01-01

The purpose of HSR&TD is to deliver human support technologies to the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) that will be selected for future missions. This requires identifying promising candidate technologies and advancing them in technology readiness until they are acceptable. HSR&TD must select an may of technology development projects, guide them, and either terminate or continue them, so as to maximize the resulting number of usable advanced human support technologies. This paper proposes an effective project scoring methodology to support managing the HSR&TD project portfolio. Researchers strongly disagree as to what are the best technology project selection methods, or even if there are any proven ones. Technology development is risky and outstanding achievements are rare and unpredictable. There is no simple formula for success. Organizations that are satisfied with their project selection approach typically use a mix of financial, strategic, and scoring methods in an open, established, explicit, formal process. This approach helps to build consensus and develop management insight. It encourages better project proposals by clarifying the desired project attributes. We propose a project scoring technique based on a method previously used in a federal laboratory and supported by recent research. Projects are ranked by their perceived relevance, risk, and return - a new 3 R's. Relevance is the degree to which the project objective supports the HSR&TD goal of developing usable advanced human support technologies. Risk is the estimated probability that the project will achieve its specific objective. Return is the reduction in mission life cycle cost obtained if the project is successful. If the project objective technology performs a new function with no current cost, its return is the estimated cash value of performing the new function. The proposed project selection scoring method includes definitions of the criteria, a project evaluation

Visual System Involvement in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Parkinson Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Arrigo, Alessandro; Calamuneri, Alessandro; Milardi, Demetrio; Mormina, Enricomaria; Rania, Laura; Postorino, Elisa; Marino, Silvia; Di Lorenzo, Giuseppe; Anastasi, Giuseppe Pio; Ghilardi, Maria Felice; Aragona, Pasquale; Quartarone, Angelo; Gaeta, Michele

2017-12-01

Purpose To assess intracranial visual system changes of newly diagnosed Parkinson disease in drug-naïve patients. Materials and Methods Twenty patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson disease and 20 age-matched control subjects were recruited. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging) was performed with a 3-T MR imager. White matter changes were assessed by exploring a white matter diffusion profile by means of diffusion-tensor imaging-based parameters and constrained spherical deconvolution-based connectivity analysis and by means of white matter voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Alterations in occipital gray matter were investigated by means of gray matter VBM. Morphologic analysis of the optic chiasm was based on manual measurement of regions of interest. Statistical testing included analysis of variance, t tests, and permutation tests. Results In the patients with Parkinson disease, significant alterations were found in optic radiation connectivity distribution, with decreased lateral geniculate nucleus V2 density (F, -8.28; P Parkinson disease and that the entire intracranial visual system can be involved. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

A cross-sectional study of leukopenia and thrombocytopenia among Chinese adults with newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Yinzhong; Wang, Jiangrong; Wang, Zhenyan; Shen, Jiayin; Tangkai Qi; Song, Wei; Tang, Yang; Liu, Li; Zhang, Renfang; Zeng, Yi; Lu, Hongzhou

2015-04-01

We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence and risk factors of leukopenia and thrombocytopenia among Chinese adults with newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS. One thousand nine hundred and forty-eight newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients were enrolled between 2009 and 2010. Serum samples obtained from each individual were collected for complete blood count. Factors associated with the presence of leukopenia and thrombocytopenia were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. The overall prevalence of leukopenia and of thrombocytopenia was 33.2% and 15.6%, respectively. The prevalence of leukopenia was higher among females than among males (39.4% versus 31.2%). The prevalence of leukopenia increased with decreasing CD4 count (8.2%, 26.5%, 33.4%, and 41.5% among patients with CD4 count of ≥ 350, 200-349, 50-199, and risk of leukopenia, and that lower CD4 count, and HIV transmission by blood were significantly associated with an increased risk of thrombocytopenia. The study reflects that leukopenia and thrombocytopenia are common among Chinese adults with newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS; and lower CD4 count is associated with an increased risk of both leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. We propose that a routine assessment of these parameters is necessary for timely and adequate clinical management.

What Did They Take Away?: Examining Newly Qualified U.S. Teachers' Visions of Learning and Teaching Science in K-8 Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts-Harris, Deborah

2014-01-01

This study investigated newly qualified K-8 teachers' visions of science learning and teaching after they had completed preparation in a science teaching methods course I taught. What visions of science learning and teaching were these newly qualified teachers taking away from my course? How did these visions compare with those advocated by reform…

Mental health status of newly Admitted students of Mazandaran university of medical sciences in 1999-2000 Academic year.

OpenAIRE

S.H.Hosseini; S.E.Mousavi

2000-01-01

SummaryBackground and purpose: Major changes occur in an individuals life after his acceptance in the university which cloud be considered as every important period of his life. This new condition is stressful and can affect the newly admitted student’s mental health. In this article we analyze the mental health status of newly admitted students to Mazandaran university of medical sciences in the academic year 1999-2000.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study all the newl...

Study on the effect of hypoxia on apoptosis of cultured newly born rat cardiac myocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Weidong; Li Huiqiang; Yao Zhi

2005-01-01

Objective: To investigate the possible hypoxia-mediated cellular apoptosis after ischemic cardiac injury via a model of cultured newly born rat cardiac myocytes. Methods: Cardiac myocytes cultures from newly born rats (1-3d) were examined for apoptosis with HE stain and flow cytometry after cultured 96h and again examined after exposure to hypoxic environment for 16h. Results: Apoptotic changes were evident in the hypoxic culture cells. The HE stain revealed cellular shrinkage, nuclear chromosomal condensation with cytoplasmic eosinophilia. Also, distinct apoptosis peak was observed in the flow cytometry. Conclusion: This experiment proved that hypoxic model of cardiac myocyte culture showed definite apoptosis of the cells. (authors)

Comments and Remarks over Classic Linear Loop-Gain Method for Oscillator Design and Analysis. New Proposed Method Based on NDF/RRT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. L. Jimenez-Martin

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Present paper describes a new method for designing oscillators based on the Normalized Determinant Function (NDF and Return Relations (RRT . First a review of the loop-gain method will be performed, showing pros, cons and including some examples for exploring wrong so- lutions provided by this method. Wrong solutions, because some conditions have to be previously fulfilled in order to obtain right ones, which will be described and finally, demonstrate that NDF analysis is necessary, including Return Relations (RRT usefulness, which in fact are related with the True Loop-Gain. Finally concluding this paper, steps for oscillator design and analysis, using the proposed NDF/RRT method will be presented, compared to wrong previous solutions pointing out new accuracy achieved on oscillation frequency and QL prediction. Also, more new examples, of plane reference oscillators (Z/Y/rho, will be added for which loop gain method application is clearly difficult or even impossible, solving them with the new proposed NDF/RRT method.

Newly Generated Liquid Waste Processing Alternatives Study, Volume 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Landman, William Henry; Bates, Steven Odum; Bonnema, Bruce Edward; Palmer, Stanley Leland; Podgorney, Anna Kristine; Walsh, Stephanie

2002-09-01

This report identifies and evaluates three options for treating newly generated liquid waste at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The three options are: (a) treat the waste using processing facilities designed for treating sodium-bearing waste, (b) treat the waste using subcontractor-supplied mobile systems, or (c) treat the waste using a special facility designed and constructed for that purpose. In studying these options, engineers concluded that the best approach is to store the newly generated liquid waste until a sodium-bearing waste treatment facility is available and then to co-process the stored inventory of the newly generated waste with the sodium-bearing waste. After the sodium-bearing waste facility completes its mission, two paths are available. The newly generated liquid waste could be treated using the subcontractor-supplied system or the sodium-bearing waste facility or a portion of it. The final decision depends on the design of the sodium-bearing waste treatment facility, which will be completed in coming years.

Efficacy of escalated imatinib combined with cytarabine in newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deenik, W.; Janssen, J.J.W.M.; van der Holt, B.; Verhoef, G.E.G.; Smit, W.M.; Kersten, M.J.; Daenen, S.M.G.J.; Verdouck, L.F.; Ferrant, A.; Schattenberg, A.V.M.B.; Sonneveld, P.; Kooy, M.V.M.; Wittebol, S.; Willemze, R.; Wijermans, P.W.; Beverloo, H.B.; Lowenberg, B.; Valk, P.J.M.; Ossenkoppele, G.J.; Cornelissen, J.J.

2010-01-01

Background In order to improve the molecular response rate and prevent resistance to treatment, combination therapy with different dosages of imatinib and cytarabine was studied in newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in the HOVON-51 study. Design and Methods Having reported

Efficacy of escalated imatinib combined with cytarabine in newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deenik, Wendy; Janssen, Jeroen J. W. M.; van der Holt, Bronno; Verhoef, Gregor E. G.; Smit, Willem M.; Kersten, Marie Jose; Daenen, Simon M. G. J.; Verdouck, Leo F.; Ferrant, Augustin; Schattenberg, Anton V. M. B.; Sonneveld, Pieter; Kooy, Marinus van Marwijk; Wittebol, Shulamit; Willemze, Roelof; Wijermans, Pierre W.; Beverloo, H. Berna; Lowenberg, Bob; Valk, Peter J. M.; Ossenkoppele, Gert J.; Cornelissen, Jan J.

Background In order to improve the molecular response rate and prevent resistance to treatment, combination therapy with different dosages of imatinib and cytarabine was studied in newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in the HOVON-51 study. Design and Methods Having reported

Proposal for a Five-Step Method to Elicit Expert Judgment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duco Veen

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Elicitation is a commonly used tool to extract viable information from experts. The information that is held by the expert is extracted and a probabilistic representation of this knowledge is constructed. A promising avenue in psychological research is to incorporated experts’ prior knowledge in the statistical analysis. Systematic reviews on elicitation literature however suggest that it might be inappropriate to directly obtain distributional representations from experts. The literature qualifies experts’ performance on estimating elements of a distribution as unsatisfactory, thus reliably specifying the essential elements of the parameters of interest in one elicitation step seems implausible. Providing feedback within the elicitation process can enhance the quality of the elicitation and interactive software can be used to facilitate the feedback. Therefore, we propose to decompose the elicitation procedure into smaller steps with adjustable outcomes. We represent the tacit knowledge of experts as a location parameter and their uncertainty concerning this knowledge by a scale and shape parameter. Using a feedback procedure, experts can accept the representation of their beliefs or adjust their input. We propose a Five-Step Method which consists of (1 Eliciting the location parameter using the trial roulette method. (2 Provide feedback on the location parameter and ask for confirmation or adjustment. (3 Elicit the scale and shape parameter. (4 Provide feedback on the scale and shape parameter and ask for confirmation or adjustment. (5 Use the elicited and calibrated probability distribution in a statistical analysis and update it with data or to compute a prior-data conflict within a Bayesian framework. User feasibility and internal validity for the Five-Step Method are investigated using three elicitation studies.

Serum selenium is low in newly diagnosed Graves´disease: a population-based study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bülow Pedersen, Inge; Knudsen, Nils; Carle, Allan

2013-01-01

by a fluorimetric method. Patients with newly diagnosed Graves’ disease (GD) (n = 97) or autoimmune overt hypothyroidism (AIH) (n = 96), euthyroid subjects with high serum levels of thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO‐Ab) (TPO‐Ab > 1500 U/ml, n = 92) and random controls (n = 830). Differences in s‐Se values. S...

[Commissioning of the newly constructed Beijing electron-positron collider BEPC, Beijing, China, and visit to SRRC to discuss magnet manufacturing and measurement methods, Taipei, Taiwan, November 11--27, 1988]: Foreign trip report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weng, W.T.

1988-01-01

The traveller was invited to IHEP to participate in the commissioning of the newly constructed Beijing electron-positron collider BEPC, give a status report on the AGS Booster Project and to assess the feasibility of sub-contracting booster sextupoles to IHEP. The trip to SRRC was undertaken to discuss magnet manufacturing and measurement methods

Observation of the bone mineral density of newly formed bone using rabbits. Compared with newly formed bone around implants and cortical bone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakada, Hiroshi; Numata, Yasuko; Sakae, Toshiro; Tamaki, Hiroyuki; Kato, Takao

2009-01-01

There have been many studies reporting that newly formed bone around implants is spongy bone. However, although the morphology is reported as being like spongy bone, it is difficult to discriminate whether the bone quality of newly formed bone appears similar to osteoid or cortical bone; therefore, evaluation of bone quality is required. The aims of this study were to measure the bone mineral density (BMD) values of newly formed bone around implants after 4, 8, 16, 24 and 48 weeks, to represent these values on three-dimensional color mapping (3Dmap), and to evaluate the change in bone quality associated with newly formed bone around implants. The animal experimental protocol of this study was approved by the Ethics Committee for Animal Experiments of our University. This experiment used 20 surface treatment implants (Ti-6Al-4V alloy: 3.1 mm in diameter and 30.0 mm in length) by grit-blasting. They were embedded into surgically created flaws in femurs of 20 New Zealand white rabbits (16 weeks old, male). The rabbits were sacrificed with an ear intravenous overdose of pentobarbital sodium under general anesthesia each period, and the femurs were resected. We measured BMD of newly formed bone around implants and cortical bone using Micro-CT, and the BMD distribution map of 3Dmap (TRI/3D Bon BMD, Ratoc System Engineering). The BMD of cortical bone was 1,026.3±44.3 mg/cm 3 at 4 weeks, 1,023.8±40.9 mg/cm 3 at 8 weeks, 1,048.2±45.6 mg/cm 3 at 16 weeks, 1,067.2±60.2 mg/cm 3 at 24 weeks, and 1,069.3±50.7 mg/cm 3 at 48 weeks after implantation, showing a non-significant increase each period. The BMD of newly formed bone around implants was 296.8±25.6 mg/cm 3 at 4 weeks, 525.0±72.4 mg/cm 3 at 8 weeks, 691.2±26.0 mg/cm 3 at 16 weeks, 776.9±27.7 mg/cm 3 at 24 weeks, and 845.2±23.1 mg/cm 3 at 48 weeks after implantation, showing a significant increase after each period. It was revealed that the color scale of newly formed bone was Low level at 4 weeks, and then it

A Proposal of New Spherical Particle Modeling Method Based on Stochastic Sampling of Particle Locations in Monte Carlo Simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Song Hyun; Kim, Do Hyun; Kim, Jong Kyung [Hanyang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Noh, Jea Man [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-15

To the high computational efficiency and user convenience, the implicit method had received attention; however, it is noted that the implicit method in the previous studies has low accuracy at high packing fraction. In this study, a new implicit method, which can be used at any packing fraction with high accuracy, is proposed. In this study, the implicit modeling method in the spherical particle distributed medium for using the MC simulation is proposed. A new concept in the spherical particle sampling was developed to solve the problems in the previous implicit methods. The sampling method was verified by simulating the sampling method in the infinite and finite medium. The results show that the particle implicit modeling with the proposed method was accurately performed in all packing fraction boundaries. It is expected that the proposed method can be efficiently utilized for the spherical particle distributed mediums, which are the fusion reactor blanket, VHTR reactors, and shielding analysis.

Short-Term Wind Power Forecasting Based on Clustering Pre-Calculated CFD Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yimei Wang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available To meet the increasing wind power forecasting (WPF demands of newly built wind farms without historical data, physical WPF methods are widely used. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD pre-calculated flow fields (CPFF-based WPF is a promising physical approach, which can balance well the competing demands of computational efficiency and accuracy. To enhance its adaptability for wind farms in complex terrain, a WPF method combining wind turbine clustering with CPFF is first proposed where the wind turbines in the wind farm are clustered and a forecasting is undertaken for each cluster. K-means, hierarchical agglomerative and spectral analysis methods are used to establish the wind turbine clustering models. The Silhouette Coefficient, Calinski-Harabaz index and within-between index are proposed as criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of the established clustering models. Based on different clustering methods and schemes, various clustering databases are built for clustering pre-calculated CFD (CPCC-based short-term WPF. For the wind farm case studied, clustering evaluation criteria show that hierarchical agglomerative clustering has reasonable results, spectral clustering is better and K-means gives the best performance. The WPF results produced by different clustering databases also prove the effectiveness of the three evaluation criteria in turn. The newly developed CPCC model has a much higher WPF accuracy than the CPFF model without using clustering techniques, both on temporal and spatial scales. The research provides supports for both the development and improvement of short-term physical WPF systems.

Factors associated with intended and effective settlement of nursing students and newly graduated nurses in a rural setting after graduation: a mixed-methods review.

Science.gov (United States)

Trépanier, Amélie; Gagnon, Marie-Pierre; Mbemba, Gisèle Irène Claudine; Côté, José; Paré, Guy; Fortin, Jean-Paul; Duplàa, Emmanuel; Courcy, François

2013-03-01

To identify factors that influence the initial plan and final decision to choose a rural area as first employment location in final-year nursing students or newly graduated nurses. We conducted a mixed-methods review of the literature, including both published and gray literature, using established criteria. Two reviewers performed data extraction of relevant information independently. We retrieved empirical studies from the following databases: PubMED, Embase, CINAHL (EBSCO), Web of Science (SCI and SSCI), The Cochrane Library, Business Source Premier (EBSCO), ERIC, Proquest and PsychInfo. We also searched for empirical studies in the technical and gray literature and reviewed journals related to rural health. Additionally, we conducted searches in websites such as the Center for Health Workforce Planning and Analysis, as well as Google and Google Scholar search engines. Of the 523 studies thus screened, 15 were included for data extraction. We identified more than 40 factors associated with initial plans and final decision to settle in a rural area among nursing graduates. Only limited literature is currently available on the factors associated with the intention of nursing students or newly graduated nurses of practicing in rural areas and on the relationship between intention and effective behavior. This review highlights the needs for further research in this field. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solution of the agglomerate Brownian coagulation using Taylor-expansion moment method.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Mingzhou; Lin, Jianzhong

2009-08-01

The newly proposed Taylor-expansion moment method (TEMOM) is extended to solve agglomerate coagulation in the free-molecule regime and in the continuum regime, respectively. The moment equations with respect to fractal dimension are derived based on 3rd Taylor-series expansion technique. The validation of this method is done by comparing its result with the published data at each limited size regime. By comparing with analytical method, sectional method (SM) and quadrature method of moments (QMOMs), this new approach is shown to produce the most efficiency without losing much accuracy. At each limited size regime, the effect of fractal dimension on the decay of particle number and particle size growth is mainly investigated, and especially in the continuum regime the relation of mean diameters of size distributions with different fractal dimensions is first proposed. The agglomerate size distribution is found to be sensitive to the fractal dimension and the initial geometric mean deviation before the self-preserving size distribution is achieved in the continuum regime.

The practical skills of newly qualified nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Danbjørg, Dorthe Boe; Birkelund, Regner

2011-02-01

This paper reports the findings from a study of newly qualified nurses and which subjects the nurses regarded as the most important in order to be able to live up to the requirements of clinical practice, and how they experience their potential for developing practical and moral skills, after the decrease in practical training. A qualitative approach guided the research process and the analysis of the data. The data was collected by participant observation and qualitative interviews with four nurses as informants. The conclusions made in this study are based on the statements and the observations of the newly qualified nurses. Our findings are discussed in relation to the Aristotelian concept and other relevant literature. The main message is that the newly qualified nurses did not feel equipped when they finished their training. This could be interpreted as a direct consequence of the decrease in practical training. Our study also underlines that the way nursing theory is perceived and taught is problematic. The interviews revealed that the nurses think that nursing theories should be applied directly in practice. This misunderstanding is probably also applicable to the teachers of the theories. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Newly graduated nurses' use of knowledge sources: a meta-ethnography.

Science.gov (United States)

Voldbjerg, Siri Lygum; Grønkjaer, Mette; Sørensen, Erik Elgaard; Hall, Elisabeth O C

2016-08-01

To advance evidence on newly graduated nurses' use of knowledge sources. Clinical decisions need to be evidence-based and understanding the knowledge sources that newly graduated nurses use will inform both education and practice. Qualitative studies on newly graduated nurses' use of knowledge sources are increasing though generated from scattered healthcare contexts. Therefore, a metasynthesis of qualitative research on what knowledge sources new graduates use in decision-making was conducted. Meta-ethnography. Nineteen reports, representing 17 studies, published from 2000-2014 were identified from iterative searches in relevant databases from May 2013-May 2014. Included reports were appraised for quality and Noblit and Hare's meta-ethnography guided the interpretation and synthesis of data. Newly graduated nurses' use of knowledge sources during their first 2-year postgraduation were interpreted in the main theme 'self and others as knowledge sources,' with two subthemes 'doing and following' and 'knowing and doing,' each with several elucidating categories. The metasynthesis revealed a line of argument among the report findings underscoring progression in knowledge use and perception of competence and confidence among newly graduated nurses. The transition phase, feeling of confidence and ability to use critical thinking and reflection, has a great impact on knowledge sources incorporated in clinical decisions. The synthesis accentuates that for use of newly graduated nurses' qualifications and skills in evidence-based practice, clinical practice needs to provide a supportive environment which nurtures critical thinking and questions and articulates use of multiple knowledge sources. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A proposed safety assurance method and its application to the fusion experimental reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okazaki, T.; Seki, Y.; Inabe, T.; Aoki, I.

1995-01-01

Importance categorization and hazard identification methods have been proposed for a fusion experimental reactor. A parameter, the system index, is introduced in the categorization method. The relative importance of systems with safety functions can be classified by the largeness of the system index and whether or not the system acts as a boundary for radioactive materials. This categorization can be used as the basic principle in determining structure design assessment, seismic design criteria etc. For the hazard identification the system time energy matrix is proposed, where the time and spatial distributions of hazard energies are used. This approach is formulated more systematically than an ad-hoc identification of hazard events and it is useful to select design basis events which are employed in the assessment of safety designs. (orig.)

A Proposal on the Advanced Sampling Based Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis Method for the Eigenvalue Uncertainty Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Song Hyun; Song, Myung Sub; Shin, Chang Ho; Noh, Jae Man

2014-01-01

In using the perturbation theory, the uncertainty of the response can be estimated by a single transport simulation, and therefore it requires small computational load. However, it has a disadvantage that the computation methodology must be modified whenever estimating different response type such as multiplication factor, flux, or power distribution. Hence, it is suitable for analyzing few responses with lots of perturbed parameters. Statistical approach is a sampling based method which uses randomly sampled cross sections from covariance data for analyzing the uncertainty of the response. XSUSA is a code based on the statistical approach. The cross sections are only modified with the sampling based method; thus, general transport codes can be directly utilized for the S/U analysis without any code modifications. However, to calculate the uncertainty distribution from the result, code simulation should be enough repeated with randomly sampled cross sections. Therefore, this inefficiency is known as a disadvantage of the stochastic method. In this study, an advanced sampling method of the cross sections is proposed and verified to increase the estimation efficiency of the sampling based method. In this study, to increase the estimation efficiency of the sampling based S/U method, an advanced sampling and estimation method was proposed. The main feature of the proposed method is that the cross section averaged from each single sampled cross section is used. For the use of the proposed method, the validation was performed using the perturbation theory

Serum lipid profile of newly diagnosed hypertensive patients in nnewi, South-East Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Osuji, Charles U; Omejua, Emeka G; Onwubuya, Emmanuel I; Ahaneku, Gladys I

2012-01-01

Abnormalities in serum lipid and lipoprotein levels are recognized major modifiable cardiovascular disease and essential hypertension risk factors. The objective of this study was to examine the serum lipid patterns of newly diagnosed hypertensive patients attending a tertiary healthcare centre in South East Nigeria. Methods. Two hundred and fifty newly diagnosed adult hypertensive patients and an equal number of age- and sex-matched controls without hypertension were consecutively recruited from the Medical and General Outpatient Clinics of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi. Result. 126 males and 124 females were in each of the two groups. Mean age was comparable in both groups. Hypertensives had significantly higher mean systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and fasting blood sugar than the controls. The mean TC, TG, and LDL-C were significantly higher among the hypertensives. The mean HDL-C was comparable; P = 0.8. Among the hypertensive subjects, there was statistically significant positive correlation between BMI and TC; LDL-C and TG; WC and TG; FBS and TC; LDL-C and TG. HDL-C showed a statistically significant inverse correlation with WHR in hypertensives. Conclusion. This study showed that lipid abnormalities are highly prevalent among newly diagnosed hypertensives in South-East Nigeria.

The impact of organisational culture on the adaptation of newly ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Usually newly employed nurses find adjusting to a work setting a challenging experience. Their successful adaptation to their work situation is greatly influenced by the socialisation process inherent in the organisational culture. The newly employed nurse often finds that the norms are unclear, confusing and restrictive.

Proposing a Technical Solution for Restoring Longitudinal Connectivity in the Brădeni/Retiş Accumulation Area on Hârtibaciu River

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Voicu Răzvan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The fish fauna of the Hârtibaciu River has experienced a disrupted connectivity due to the hydrotechnical works and the Brădeni/Retiş Dam located across the Hârtibaciu watercourse being one of this significant obstacles. The newly proposed constructed wetlands can improve the habitat quality for the fish species of conservative interest sampled in the Brădeni/Retiş Dam proximity Rhodeus amarus, and can increase the individuals’ number of this population. Also can benefit the local populations of Phoxinus phoxinus and Gobio obtusirostris. Using gravitational force and also the underground layout, a proposed technical solution gives maximum safety regarding the water supply for the newly proposed to be created wetlands.

Using spatiotemporal models and distance sampling to map the space use and abundance of newly metamorphosed Western Toads (Anaxyrus boreas)

Science.gov (United States)

Chelgren, Nathan D.; Samora, Barbara; Adams, Michael J.; McCreary, Brome

2011-01-01

High variability in abundance, cryptic coloration, and small body size of newly metamorphosed anurans have limited demographic studies of this life-history stage. We used line-transect distance sampling and Bayesian methods to estimate the abundance and spatial distribution of newly metamorphosed Western Toads (Anaxyrus boreas) in terrestrial habitat surrounding a montane lake in central Washington, USA. We completed 154 line-transect surveys from the commencement of metamorphosis (15 September 2009) to the date of first snow accumulation in fall (1 October 2009), and located 543 newly metamorphosed toads. After accounting for variable detection probability associated with the extent of barren habitats, estimates of total surface abundance ranged from a posterior median of 3,880 (95% credible intervals from 2,235 to 12,600) in the first week of sampling to 12,150 (5,543 to 51,670) during the second week of sampling. Numbers of newly metamorphosed toads dropped quickly with increasing distance from the lakeshore in a pattern that differed over the three weeks of the study and contradicted our original hypotheses. Though we hypothesized that the spatial distribution of toads would initially be concentrated near the lake shore and then spread outward from the lake over time, we observed the opposite. Ninety-five percent of individuals occurred within 20, 16, and 15 m of shore during weeks one, two, and three respectively, probably reflecting continued emergence of newly metamorphosed toads from the lake and mortality or burrow use of dispersed individuals. Numbers of toads were highest near the inlet stream of the lake. Distance sampling may provide a useful method for estimating the surface abundance of newly metamorphosed toads and relating their space use to landscape variables despite uncertain and variable probability of detection. We discuss means of improving the precision of estimates of total abundance.

Assessment for markers of nephropathy in newly diagnosed type 2 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: To assess for markers of nephropathy in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics, using blood pressure levels, endogenous creatinine clearance and urinary protein excretion as markers of renal disease. Study design: Ninety newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics were studied within 6 weeks of diagnosis. They were in ...

The intervals method: a new approach to analyse finite element outputs using multivariate statistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jordi Marcé-Nogué

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background In this paper, we propose a new method, named the intervals’ method, to analyse data from finite element models in a comparative multivariate framework. As a case study, several armadillo mandibles are analysed, showing that the proposed method is useful to distinguish and characterise biomechanical differences related to diet/ecomorphology. Methods The intervals’ method consists of generating a set of variables, each one defined by an interval of stress values. Each variable is expressed as a percentage of the area of the mandible occupied by those stress values. Afterwards these newly generated variables can be analysed using multivariate methods. Results Applying this novel method to the biological case study of whether armadillo mandibles differ according to dietary groups, we show that the intervals’ method is a powerful tool to characterize biomechanical performance and how this relates to different diets. This allows us to positively discriminate between specialist and generalist species. Discussion We show that the proposed approach is a useful methodology not affected by the characteristics of the finite element mesh. Additionally, the positive discriminating results obtained when analysing a difficult case study suggest that the proposed method could be a very useful tool for comparative studies in finite element analysis using multivariate statistical approaches.

The intervals method: a new approach to analyse finite element outputs using multivariate statistics

Science.gov (United States)

De Esteban-Trivigno, Soledad; Püschel, Thomas A.; Fortuny, Josep

2017-01-01

Background In this paper, we propose a new method, named the intervals’ method, to analyse data from finite element models in a comparative multivariate framework. As a case study, several armadillo mandibles are analysed, showing that the proposed method is useful to distinguish and characterise biomechanical differences related to diet/ecomorphology. Methods The intervals’ method consists of generating a set of variables, each one defined by an interval of stress values. Each variable is expressed as a percentage of the area of the mandible occupied by those stress values. Afterwards these newly generated variables can be analysed using multivariate methods. Results Applying this novel method to the biological case study of whether armadillo mandibles differ according to dietary groups, we show that the intervals’ method is a powerful tool to characterize biomechanical performance and how this relates to different diets. This allows us to positively discriminate between specialist and generalist species. Discussion We show that the proposed approach is a useful methodology not affected by the characteristics of the finite element mesh. Additionally, the positive discriminating results obtained when analysing a difficult case study suggest that the proposed method could be a very useful tool for comparative studies in finite element analysis using multivariate statistical approaches. PMID:29043107

14 CFR 26.39 - Newly produced airplanes: Fuel tank flammability.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Newly produced airplanes: Fuel tank... Tank Flammability § 26.39 Newly produced airplanes: Fuel tank flammability. (a) Applicability: This... Series 767 Series (b) Any fuel tank meeting all of the criteria stated in paragraphs (b)(1), (b)(2) and...

ATAD2 is an epigenetic reader of newly synthesized histone marks during DNA replication.

Science.gov (United States)

Koo, Seong Joo; Fernández-Montalván, Amaury E; Badock, Volker; Ott, Christopher J; Holton, Simon J; von Ahsen, Oliver; Toedling, Joern; Vittori, Sarah; Bradner, James E; Gorjánácz, Mátyás

2016-10-25

ATAD2 (ATPase family AAA domain-containing protein 2) is a chromatin regulator harboring an AAA+ ATPase domain and a bromodomain, previously proposed to function as an oncogenic transcription co-factor. Here we suggest that ATAD2 is also required for DNA replication. ATAD2 is co-expressed with genes involved in DNA replication in various cancer types and predominantly expressed in S phase cells where it localized on nascent chromatin (replication sites). Our extensive biochemical and cellular analyses revealed that ATAD2 is recruited to replication sites through a direct interaction with di-acetylated histone H4 at K5 and K12, indicative of newly synthesized histones during replication-coupled chromatin reassembly. Similar to ATAD2-depletion, ectopic expression of ATAD2 mutants that are deficient in binding to these di-acetylation marks resulted in reduced DNA replication and impaired loading of PCNA onto chromatin, suggesting relevance of ATAD2 in DNA replication. Taken together, our data show a novel function of ATAD2 in cancer and for the first time identify a reader of newly synthesized histone di-acetylation-marks during replication.

Design of Passive Power Filter for Hybrid Series Active Power Filter using Estimation, Detection and Classification Method

Science.gov (United States)

Swain, Sushree Diptimayee; Ray, Pravat Kumar; Mohanty, K. B.

2016-06-01

This research paper discover the design of a shunt Passive Power Filter (PPF) in Hybrid Series Active Power Filter (HSAPF) that employs a novel analytic methodology which is superior than FFT analysis. This novel approach consists of the estimation, detection and classification of the signals. The proposed method is applied to estimate, detect and classify the power quality (PQ) disturbance such as harmonics. This proposed work deals with three methods: the harmonic detection through wavelet transform method, the harmonic estimation by Kalman Filter algorithm and harmonic classification by decision tree method. From different type of mother wavelets in wavelet transform method, the db8 is selected as suitable mother wavelet because of its potency on transient response and crouched oscillation at frequency domain. In harmonic compensation process, the detected harmonic is compensated through Hybrid Series Active Power Filter (HSAPF) based on Instantaneous Reactive Power Theory (IRPT). The efficacy of the proposed method is verified in MATLAB/SIMULINK domain and as well as with an experimental set up. The obtained results confirm the superiority of the proposed methodology than FFT analysis. This newly proposed PPF is used to make the conventional HSAPF more robust and stable.

Real EPC. A method to assess the energy efficiency of newly built houses in practice; Reele EPC. Een methode voor de beoordeling van de energieprestatie van nieuwbouwwoningen in de praktijk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Menkveld, M.; Sipma, J.M. [ECN Beleidsstudies, Petten (Netherlands); Cozijnsen, E.; Leidelmeijer, K. [RIGO research en Advies, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2013-12-15

In this report we describe a method to compare the energy performance in use with the energy performance calculation of newly build houses. We put the average real energy use of a project in the calculation method of the energy performance of new houses. In that way we could compare the energy performance of the building permit with the real performance in practice. Because the calculation method normalizes the energy use of a house by its user surface and surface of building shell, the energy performance of different projects could be compared also when the projects exist of different dwelling types. Also the energy performance of different energy concepts could be compared such as all-electric houses with a heat pump or houses with a gas fired condensing boiler [Dutch] Agentschap NL is betrokken bij veel nieuwbouwprojecten. Een grote vraag is altijd of in de praktijk ook de prestaties worden gehaald die van te voren werden verwacht. Agentschap NL heeft voorgesteld hiervoor een maat te ontwikkelen, namelijk de Reele EPC. ECN heeft deze methodiek uitgewerkt om van woningbouwprojecten de energieprestatie in de praktijk te vergelijken met de geplande EPC. Het idee is dat de energieprestatie in de praktijk wordt uitgedrukt in een reële EPC (de R-EPC)

Proposal and Implementation of a Robust Sensing Method for DVB-T Signal

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Chunyi; Rahman, Mohammad Azizur; Harada, Hiroshi

This paper proposes a sensing method for TV signals of DVB-T standard to realize effective TV White Space (TVWS) Communication. In the TVWS technology trial organized by the Infocomm Development Authority (iDA) of Singapore, with regard to the sensing level and sensing time, detecting DVB-T signal at the level of -120dBm over an 8MHz channel with a sensing time below 1 second is required. To fulfill such a strict sensing requirement, we propose a smart sensing method which combines feature detection and energy detection (CFED), and is also characterized by using dynamic threshold selection (DTS) based on a threshold table to improve sensing robustness to noise uncertainty. The DTS based CFED (DTS-CFED) is evaluated by computer simulations and is also implemented into a hardware sensing prototype. The results show that the DTS-CFED achieves a detection probability above 0.9 for a target false alarm probability of 0.1 for DVB-T signals at the level of -120dBm over an 8MHz channel with the sensing time equals to 0.1 second.

Chrysosplenium japonicum (Saxifragaceae, Newly Recorded from Taiwan

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Tian-Chuan Hsu

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Chrysosplenium japonicum (Maxim. Makino (Saxifragaceae is newly recorded from northeastern Taiwan. Description, color photos and a key to the Chrysosplenium species in Taiwan are provided.

Vibrational imaging of newly synthesized proteins in live cells by stimulated Raman scattering microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Lu; Yu, Yong; Shen, Yihui; Wang, Meng C.; Min, Wei

2013-01-01

Synthesis of new proteins, a key step in the central dogma of molecular biology, has been a major biological process by which cells respond rapidly to environmental cues in both physiological and pathological conditions. However, the selective visualization of a newly synthesized proteome in living systems with subcellular resolution has proven to be rather challenging, despite the extensive efforts along the lines of fluorescence staining, autoradiography, and mass spectrometry. Herein, we report an imaging technique to visualize nascent proteins by harnessing the emerging stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy coupled with metabolic incorporation of deuterium-labeled amino acids. As a first demonstration, we imaged newly synthesized proteins in live mammalian cells with high spatial–temporal resolution without fixation or staining. Subcellular compartments with fast protein turnover in HeLa and HEK293T cells, and newly grown neurites in differentiating neuron-like N2A cells, are clearly identified via this imaging technique. Technically, incorporation of deuterium-labeled amino acids is minimally perturbative to live cells, whereas SRS imaging of exogenous carbon–deuterium bonds (C–D) in the cell-silent Raman region is highly sensitive, specific, and compatible with living systems. Moreover, coupled with label-free SRS imaging of the total proteome, our method can readily generate spatial maps of the quantitative ratio between new and total proteomes. Thus, this technique of nonlinear vibrational imaging of stable isotope incorporation will be a valuable tool to advance our understanding of the complex spatial and temporal dynamics of newly synthesized proteome in vivo. PMID:23798434

The Development Needs of Newly Appointed Senior School Leaders in the Western Cape South Africa: A Case Study

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Nelius Jansen van Vuuren

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The essential role that senior school leaders play in school leadership teams to ensure effective strategic leadership in schools has been the subject of intense discussion for many years. Crucial to this debate is the establishment of professional learning and leadership approaches for newly appointed senior school leaders. Recommendations for policy and practice highlight the importance of appropriate, multifaceted, developmental support initiatives for newly appointed school leaders. In many countries, including South Africa, a teaching qualification and, in most cases, extensive teaching experience is the only requirement for being appointed as a senior school leader in a school. This tends to suggest that no further professional development is required for newly appointed school leaders, the problem addressed in this paper. This paper reports on the main findings of the perceived development needs of newly appointed senior school leaders in the Western Cape, South Africa, and suggests that school leaders occupy a unique and specialist role in education, which requires relevant and specific preparation to support effective leadership. The respondents of this study report a lack of contextualised training and support before and after their appointment in their new roles creating unique development needs. This paper, therefore, employs a mixed-method approach to gather data to understand the perceived needs of twenty newly appointed senior school leaders in the Western Cape, South Africa.

The verification of the Taylor-expansion moment method for the nanoparticle coagulation in the entire size regime due to Brownian motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Mingzhou; Lin Jianzhong; Jin Hanhui; Jiang Ying

2011-01-01

The closure of moment equations for nanoparticle coagulation due to Brownian motion in the entire size regime is performed using a newly proposed method of moments. The equations in the free molecular size regime and the continuum plus near-continuum regime are derived separately in which the fractal moments are approximated by three-order Taylor-expansion series. The moment equations for coagulation in the entire size regime are achieved by the harmonic mean solution and the Dahneke’s solution. The results produced by the quadrature method of moments (QMOM), the Pratsinis’s log-normal moment method (PMM), the sectional method (SM), and the newly derived Taylor-expansion moment method (TEMOM) are presented and compared in accuracy and efficiency. The TEMOM method with Dahneke’s solution produces the most accurate results with a high efficiency than other existing moment models in the entire size regime, and thus it is recommended to be used in the following studies on nanoparticle dynamics due to Brownian motion.

Being a team leader: newly registered nurses relate their experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekström, Louise; Idvall, Ewa

2015-01-01

This paper presents a study that explores how newly qualified registered nurses experience their leadership role in the ward-based nursing care team. A nurse's clinical leadership affects the quality of care provided. Newly qualified nurses experience difficulties during the transition period from student to qualified professional and find it challenging to lead nursing care. Twelve nurses were interviewed and the transcribed texts analysed using qualitative content analysis to assess both manifest and latent content. Five themes were identified: feeling stranded; forming well-functioning teams; learning to lead; having the courage, strength, and desire to lead; and ensuring appropriate care. The findings indicate that many factors limit nurses' leadership but some circumstances are supportive. The leadership prerequisites for newly registered nurses need to improve, emphasizing different ways to create a supportive atmosphere that promotes professional development and job satisfaction. To increase nurse retention and promote quality of care, nurse managers need to clarify expectations and guide and support newly qualified nurses in a planned way. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Serum Lipids and Diabetic Retinopathy in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic Subjects

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Shahana Shermin

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Diabetic retinopathy is the commonest and usually the first observable vascular complication of diabetes mellitus. Along with hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia is a contributing factor for the occurrence of diabetic retinopathy. It is postulated that dyslipidaemia results in formation of hard exudate by increasing blood viscosity and altering the fibrinolytic system. A case control study was carried out in the department of Biochemistry, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka during the period of January 2006 to December 2007 to evaluate the serum lipid profile in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic subjects with diabetic retinopathy. Materials and Methods: Total 85 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic subjects were included in this study, 40 were cases having retinopathy and 45 were age and sex matched controls without retinopathy. Serum triglyceride (TG, total cholesterol (TC, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C were compared between cases and controls. Unpaired t-test and chi-square test were done between groups as tests of significance. Results: All the parameters of lipid profile showed dyslipidaemic trend both in cases and controls. In the cases TG was significantly higher and HDL-C was significantly lower than that of controls (p < 0.05 whereas no significant difference was found between cases and controls with respect to serum TC and LDL-C. Conclusion: It can be concluded that high TG and low HDL-C are associated with diabetic retinopathy in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Practice and payment preferences of newly practising family physicians in British Columbia

Science.gov (United States)

Brcic, Vanessa; McGregor, Margaret J.; Kaczorowski, Janusz; Dharamsi, Shafik; Verma, Serena

2012-01-01

Abstract Objective To examine the remuneration model preferences of newly practising family physicians. Design Mixed-methods study comprising a cross-sectional, Web-based survey, as well as qualitative content analysis of answers to open-ended questions. Setting British Columbia. Participants University of British Columbia family practice residents who graduated between 2000 and 2009. Main outcome measures Preferred remuneration models of newly practising physicians. Results The survey response rate was 31% (133 of 430). Of respondents, 71% (93 of 132) preferred non–fee-for-service practice models and 86% (110 of 132) identified the payment model as very or somewhat important in their choice of future practice. Three principal themes were identified from content analysis of respondents’ open-ended comments: frustrations with fee-for-service billing, which encompassed issues related to aggravations with “the business side of things” and was seen as impeding “the freedom to focus on medicine”; quality of patient care, which embraced the importance of a payment model that supported “comprehensive patient care” and “quality rather than quantity”; and freedom to choose, which supported the plurality of practice preferences among providers who strived to provide quality care for patients, “whatever model you happen to be working in.” Conclusion Newly practising physicians in British Columbia preferred alternatives to fee-for-service payment models, which were perceived as contributing to fewer frustrations with billing systems, improved quality of work life, and better quality of patient care. PMID:22586205

Expression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in naturally infected peripheral blood mononuclear cells: comparison of a standard co-culture technique with a newly developed microculture method.

Science.gov (United States)

Eberlein, B; Baur, A; Neundorfer, M; Jahn, G

1991-05-01

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 29 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were cultured by two different methods. One was the standard co-culture technique, the other a newly developed microculture method. In this assay 10(6) PBMCs were cultivated in 250 microliters medium, no activating agents or allogeneic cells were present. P24 antigen production measured by this method was found in 7 out of 11 PBMC cultures of patients in the Walter Reed (WR) stage 1 or 2, whereas only 4 samples were positive by the co-culture procedure. Cultures from patients in the later stages of the disease (WR 5/6) showed a higher p24 production by the co-culture method than by the microculture assay. It is assumed that rapidly growing HIV strains can be better assessed by the co-culture method which may select for these strains. P24 expression can be more easily obtained by the microculture technique even in cases where slowly replicating strains may be present. In conclusion, results from the microculture procedure described may be a useful supplementation to findings observed by the co-culture method.

People newly in love are more responsive to positive feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Cassandra L; Beninger, Richard J

2012-06-01

Passionate love is associated with increased activity in dopamine-rich regions of the brain. Increased dopamine in these regions is associated with a greater tendency to learn from reward in trial-and-error learning tasks. This study examined the prediction that individuals who were newly in love would be better at responding to reward (positive feedback). In test trials, people who were newly in love selected positive outcomes significantly more often than their single (not in love) counterparts but were no better at the task overall. This suggests that people who are newly in love show a bias toward responding to positive feedback, which may reflect a general bias towards reward-seeking.

Proposal and Evaluation of Management Method for College Mechatronics Education Applying the Project Management

Science.gov (United States)

Ando, Yoshinobu; Eguchi, Yuya; Mizukawa, Makoto

In this research, we proposed and evaluated a management method of college mechatronics education. We applied the project management to college mechatronics education. We practiced our management method to the seminar “Microcomputer Seminar” for 3rd grade students who belong to Department of Electrical Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology. We succeeded in management of Microcomputer Seminar in 2006. We obtained the good evaluation for our management method by means of questionnaire.

Factors Associated with Newly Diagnosed Children with Diabetic Ketoacidosis

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Raheleh Mirsadraee

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background Diabetes mellitus type 1 is one of the most prevalent endocrine diseases in pediatrics. Diabetic ketoacidosis is considered as one of the most threatening clinical pictures of DM1, especially if occurred as the first presentation of DM1 in children. Objectives The current study aimed to identify factors which may play a role in DKA onset in children. Methods This case-control study included all patients under 18 years old who referred to department of pediatrics endocrinology at Mashhad University Hospital (Imam Reza from January 2013 to December 2015 as newly diagnosed patients with DM1. Patients who fulfilled DKA criteria at diagnosis were considered as DKA group and those who referred with other presentations were considered as control group (non-DKA group. Data were analyzed by SPSS software ver. 16. Results During the study period, 97 (39.2% male newly diagnosed patients were included as DKA group. Accordingly 97 gender- and age-matched patients were added as non-DKA group. The most prevalent symptoms in both groups were polyuria (91.88% and polydipsia (88.66%. Fever and cold symptoms were significantly higher in the DKA group (P < 0.001 and P =0.005, respectively. Hemoglobin A1c level was significantly higher in the DKA group (P = 0.001, while body mass index was significantly lower in the DKA group (P = 0.045. Fever and father’s education level were the most important risk and protective factors in the DKA onset in newly diagnosed patients with DM1 (adjusted OR = 10.1, 95% CI = 2.9-35.3; P < 0.001 and adjusted OR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3 - 0.9 and P = 0.019, respectively. Conclusions In conclusion, a recent febrile illness was found as the strongest risk factor and father’s education level as the main protective factor in the DKA to diagnose children with DM1. The study findings suggested that DKA is a severe form of DM1 instead of a neglected or misdiagnosed disease.

Healthcare system information at language schools for newly arrived immigrants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tynell, Lena Lyngholt; Wimmelmann, Camilla Lawaetz; Jervelund, Signe Smith

2017-01-01

a language school in Copenhagen in 2012 received either a course or written information on the Danish healthcare system and subsequently evaluated this quantitatively. Results: The evaluation revealed a positive appraisal of the course/information provided. Conclusion: In times of austerity, incorporating......Objective: In most European countries, immigrants do not systematically learn about the host countries’ healthcare system when arriving. This study investigated how newly arrived immigrants perceived the information they received about the Danish healthcare system. Method: Immigrants attending...... healthcare information into an already existing language programme may be pertinent for providing immigrants with knowledge on the healthcare system....

PHL10/460: Cancerfacts.com - Vertical Portal with Newly Developed Health Profiler

OpenAIRE

Lenz, C; Brucksch, M

1999-01-01

Introduction Unlike general health portals such as WebMD and Drkoop.com that cover everything from the flu to heart disease, Silicon Valley-based cancerfacts.com is a so-called vertical portal. It covers only one small vertical niche of health care: cancer, and in particular, prostate cancer. As a value-added proprietary technology, the company offers its newly developed profile engine to health information retrievers. Methods Users are enabled to insert their specific medical information - r...

Universal Image Steganalytic Method

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V. Banoci

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In the paper we introduce a new universal steganalytic method in JPEG file format that is detecting well-known and also newly developed steganographic methods. The steganalytic model is trained by MHF-DZ steganographic algorithm previously designed by the same authors. The calibration technique with the Feature Based Steganalysis (FBS was employed in order to identify statistical changes caused by embedding a secret data into original image. The steganalyzer concept utilizes Support Vector Machine (SVM classification for training a model that is later used by the same steganalyzer in order to identify between a clean (cover and steganographic image. The aim of the paper was to analyze the variety in accuracy of detection results (ACR while detecting testing steganographic algorithms as F5, Outguess, Model Based Steganography without deblocking, JP Hide and Seek which represent the generally used steganographic tools. The comparison of four feature vectors with different lengths FBS (22, FBS (66 FBS(274 and FBS(285 shows promising results of proposed universal steganalytic method comparing to binary methods.

Characterization of Diesel Soot Aggregates by Scattering and Extinction Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Kamimoto, Takeyuki

2006-07-01

Characteristics of diesel soot particles sampled from diesel exhaust of a common-rail turbo-charged diesel engine are quantified by scattering and extinction diagnostics using newly build two laser-based instruments. The radius of gyration representing the aggregates size is measured by the angular distribution of scattering intensity, while the soot mass concentration is measured by a two-wavelength extinction method. An approach to estimate the refractive index of diesel soot by an analysis of the extinction and scattering data using an aggregates scattering theory is proposed.

Characterization of Diesel Soot Aggregates by Scattering and Extinction Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamimoto, Takeyuki

2006-01-01

Characteristics of diesel soot particles sampled from diesel exhaust of a common-rail turbo-charged diesel engine are quantified by scattering and extinction diagnostics using newly build two laser-based instruments. The radius of gyration representing the aggregates size is measured by the angular distribution of scattering intensity, while the soot mass concentration is measured by a two-wavelength extinction method. An approach to estimate the refractive index of diesel soot by an analysis of the extinction and scattering data using an aggregates scattering theory is proposed

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Akio; Tatsumi, Masahiro

2006-01-01

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

Pleolipoviridae, a newly proposed family comprising archaeal pleomorphic viruses with single-stranded or double-stranded DNA genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pietilä, Maija K; Roine, Elina; Sencilo, Ana; Bamford, Dennis H; Oksanen, Hanna M

2016-01-01

Viruses infecting archaea show a variety of virion morphotypes, and they are currently classified into more than ten viral families or corresponding groups. A pleomorphic virus morphotype is very common among haloarchaeal viruses, and to date, several such viruses have been isolated. Here, we propose the classification of eight such viruses and formation of a new family, Pleolipoviridae (from the Greek pleo for more or many and lipos for lipid), containing three genera, Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammapleolipovirus. The proposal is currently under review by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). The members of the proposed family Pleolipoviridae infect halophilic archaea and are nonlytic. They share structural and genomic features and differ from any other classified virus. The virion of pleolipoviruses is composed of a pleomorphic membrane vesicle enclosing the genome. All pleolipoviruses have two major structural protein species, internal membrane and spike proteins. Although the genomes of the pleolipoviruses are single- or double-stranded, linear or circular DNA molecules, they share the same genome organization and gene synteny and show significant similarity at the amino acid level. The canonical features common to all members of the proposed family Pleolipoviridae show that they are closely related and thus form a new viral family.

Damage Detection Method of Wind Turbine Blade Using Acoustic Emission Signal Mapping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Byeong Hee; Yoon, Dong JIn [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Seience, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2011-02-15

Acoustic emission(AE) has emerged as a powerful nondestructive tool to detect any further growth or expansion of preexisting defects or to characterize failure mechanisms. Recently, this kind of technique, that is an in-situ monitoring of inside damages of materials or structures, becomes increasingly popular for monitoring the integrity of large structures like a huge wind turbine blade. Therefore, it is required to find a symptom of damage propagation before catastrophic failure through a continuous monitoring. In this study, a new damage location method has been proposed by using signal napping algorithm, and an experimental verification is conducted by using small wind turbine blade specimen: a part of 750 kW real blade. The results show that this new signal mapping method has high advantages such as a flexibility for sensor location, improved accuracy, high detectability. The newly proposed method was compared with traditional AE source location method based on arrival time difference

A Proposal of Estimation Methodology to Improve Calculation Efficiency of Sampling-based Method in Nuclear Data Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Myung Sub; Kim, Song Hyun; Kim, Jong Kyung; Noh, Jae Man

2014-01-01

The uncertainty with the sampling-based method is evaluated by repeating transport calculations with a number of cross section data sampled from the covariance uncertainty data. In the transport calculation with the sampling-based method, the transport equation is not modified; therefore, all uncertainties of the responses such as k eff , reaction rates, flux and power distribution can be directly obtained all at one time without code modification. However, a major drawback with the sampling-based method is that it requires expensive computational load for statistically reliable results (inside confidence level 0.95) in the uncertainty analysis. The purpose of this study is to develop a method for improving the computational efficiency and obtaining highly reliable uncertainty result in using the sampling-based method with Monte Carlo simulation. The proposed method is a method to reduce the convergence time of the response uncertainty by using the multiple sets of sampled group cross sections in a single Monte Carlo simulation. The proposed method was verified by estimating GODIVA benchmark problem and the results were compared with that of conventional sampling-based method. In this study, sampling-based method based on central limit theorem is proposed to improve calculation efficiency by reducing the number of repetitive Monte Carlo transport calculation required to obtain reliable uncertainty analysis results. Each set of sampled group cross sections is assigned to each active cycle group in a single Monte Carlo simulation. The criticality uncertainty for the GODIVA problem is evaluated by the proposed and previous method. The results show that the proposed sampling-based method can efficiently decrease the number of Monte Carlo simulation required for evaluate uncertainty of k eff . It is expected that the proposed method will improve computational efficiency of uncertainty analysis with sampling-based method

Proposal for outline of training and evaluation method for non-technical skills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagasaka, Akihiko; Shibue, Hisao

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to systematize measures for improvement of emergency response capability focused on non-technical skills. As the results of investigation of some emergency training in nuclear power plant and referring to CRM training, following two issues were picked up. 1) Lack of practical training method for improvement of non-technical skills. 2) Lack of evaluation method of non-technical skills. Then, based on these 7 non-technical skills 'situational awareness' 'decision making' 'communication' 'teamworking' 'leadership' 'managing stress' 'coping with fatigue' are promotion factors to improve emergency response capability, we propose practical training method for each non-technical skill. Also we give example of behavioral markers as evaluation factor, and indicate approaches to introduce the evaluation method of non-technical skills. (author)

PREVALENCE OF SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING IN PATIENTS WITH NEWLY DIAGNOSED ACROMEGALY

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U. A. Tsoy

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Obstructive sleep disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA is the most common respiratory impairment in acromegaly. OSA is bound up with heightened cardiovascular mortality. Aim: Тo study frequency, features, and structure of sleep disordered breathing in patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly and to elucidate the factors influencing their development. Materials and methods: 38 patients (10 men, 28 women, median age 53 (28-76 years, median body mass index (BMI 29 (19.9-44.3 kg/m² with newly diagnosed acromegaly were recruited into the study. All subjects underwent full polysomnography (Embla N7000, Natus, USA and Remlogica software (USA. Results: Sleep disordered breathing was found in 28 (73.7% patients. OSA was revealed in all cases, in 11 (39.3% subjects it was mixed. In 10 (35.7% patients OSA was mild, in 8 (28.6% moderate, and in 10 (35.7% severe. BMI (р<0.01, disease duration (р=0.003, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1 level (р=0.04 were different in patients without OSA and patients with moderate-to-severe OSA. No difference was found in sex (р=0.4, age (р=0.064, and growth hormone level (р=0.6. Frequency of arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and other glucose metabolism impairments was the same in subjects without OSA and with severe-to-moderate OSA. Conclusion: All patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly should undergo polysomnography. BMI, disease duration, and IGF-1 level are significant risk factors for OSA development. Correlation OSA with arterial hypertension and glucose metabolism impairments needs to be further investigated.

Comparative Survival in Patients With Postresection Recurrent Versus Newly Diagnosed Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Xuwei; Xu Luying; Wang Li; Hayman, James A.; Chang, Andrew C.; Pickens, Allan; Cease, Kemp B.; Orringer, Mark B.; Kong, F.-M.

2010-01-01

Purpose: To compare the survival of postresection recurrent vs. newly diagnosed non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Methods and Materials: The study population consisted of 661 consecutive patients with NSCLC registered in the radiation oncology databases at two medical centers in the United States between 1992 and 2004. Of the 661 patients, 54 had postresection recurrent NSCLC and 607 had newly diagnosed NSCLC. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models were used for the survival analyses. Results: The distribution of relevant clinical factors between these two groups was similar. The median survival time and 5-year overall survival rates were 19.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.9-25.7) and 14.8% (95% confidence interval, 5.4-24.2%) vs. 12.2 months (95% CI, 10.8-13.6) and 11.0% (95% CI, 8.5-13.5%) for recurrent vs. newly diagnosed patients, respectively (p = .037). For Stage I-III patients, no significant difference was observed in the 5-year overall survival (p = .297) or progression-free survival (p = .935) between recurrent and newly diagnosed patients. For the 46 patients with Stage I-III recurrent disease, multivariate analysis showed that chemotherapy was a significant prognostic factor for 5-year progression-free survival (hazard ratio, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.224-0.914; p = .027). Conclusion: Our institutional data have shown that patients with postresection recurrent NSCLC achieved survival comparable to that of newly diagnosed NSCLC patients when they were both treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. These findings suggest that patients with postresection recurrent NSCLC should be treated as aggressively as those with newly diagnosed disease.

"Theory Becoming Alive": The Learning Transition Process of Newly Graduated Nurses in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Nour, Violet; Williams, Anne M

2018-01-01

Background Newly graduated nurses often encounter a gap between theory and practice in clinical settings. Although this has been the focus of considerable research, little is known about the learning transition process. Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of newly graduated nurses in acute healthcare settings within Canada. This study was conducted to gain a greater understanding of the experiences and challenges faced by graduates. Methods Grounded theory method was utilized with a sample of 14 registered nurses who were employed in acute-care settings. Data were collected using in-depth interviews. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze data. Results Findings revealed a core category, "Theory Becoming Alive," and four supporting categories: Entry into Practice, Immersion, Committing, and Evolving. Theory Becoming Alive described the process of new graduate nurses' clinical learning experiences as well as the challenges that they encountered in clinical settings after graduating. Conclusions This research provides a greater understanding of learning process of new graduate nurses in Canada. It highlights the importance of providing supportive environments to assist new graduate nurses to develop confidence as independent registered nurses in clinical areas. Future research directions as well as supportive educational strategies are described.

Numerical and experimental investigation on the performance of three newly designed 100 kW-class tidal current turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Museok Song

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Three types of 100 kW-class tidal stream turbines are proposed and their performance is studied both numerically and experimentally. Following a wind turbine design procedure, a base blade is derived and two additional blades are newly designed focusing more on efficiency and cavitation. For the three designed turbines, a CFD is performed by using FLUENT. The calculations predict that the newly designed turbines perform better than the base turbine and the tip vortex can be reduced with additional efficiency increase by adopting a tip rake. The performance of the turbines is tested in a towing tank with 700 mm models. The scale problem is carefully investigated and the measurements are compared with the CFD results. All the prediction from the CFD is supported by the model experiment with some quantitative discrepancy. The maximum efficiencies are 0.49 (CFD and 0.45 (experiment at TSR 5.17 for the turbine with a tip rake.

Nilotinib versus imatinib for newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saglio, Giuseppe; Kim, Dong-Wook; Issaragrisil, Surapol

2010-01-01

Nilotinib has been shown to be a more potent inhibitor of BCR-ABL than imatinib. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of nilotinib, as compared with imatinib, in patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase.......Nilotinib has been shown to be a more potent inhibitor of BCR-ABL than imatinib. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of nilotinib, as compared with imatinib, in patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase....

Familial occurrence of epilepsy in children with newly diagnosed multiple seizures : Dutch study of epilepsy in childhood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Callenbach, PMC; Geerts, AT; Arts, WFM; van Donselaar, CA; Peters, A.C. Boudewyn; Stroink, H; Brouwer, OF

Purpose: To study the familial occurrence of epilepsy in children with newly diagnosed multiple unprovoked seizures. Methods: Between August 1988 and September 1992, 462 children with two or more unprovoked seizures were included in the prospective Dutch Study of Epilepsy in Childhood. Seizures and

Energy Savings Analysis of the Proposed Revision of the Washington D.C. Non-Residential Energy Code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosenberg, Michael I.; Athalye, Rahul A.; Hart, Philip R.

2017-12-01

This report presents the results of an assessment of savings for the proposed Washington D.C. energy code relative to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010. It includes annual and life cycle savings for site energy, source energy, energy cost, and carbon dioxide emissions that would result from adoption and enforcement of the proposed code for newly constructed buildings in Washington D.C. over a five year period.

A newly development RIA for thyroid hormone autoantibodies (THAAb)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Fengying; Gu Liqiong; Chen Xiayin; Jin Yan; Chen Shuxian; Zhang Qun; Qiu Hongxia; Yang Jingren; Zhao Yongju; Chen Mingdao

2004-01-01

Objective: To report a newly developed RIA for THAAb from this laboratory. Methods: The tested serum samples were cultured with labelled thyroid hormone analogous ( 125 I T 3 , 125 I T 4 ) for 16 hours. Antigen-antibody complex was precipitated with anti-human IgG (immune precipitation method) and radio-activity determined. Results: The mean positive rate of THAAb in healthy euthyroid controls (n=186) was only 1.07%. The mean positive rate in patients with thyroid disorders was 14.4% (mean rate 13.5% in hyperthyroid subjects, n=118 and mean rate 15.2% in hypothyroid subjects, n=72). The serum THAAb titer could be markedly lowered after adding non-labelled thyroid hormones (P 3 and FT 4 would be significantly lowered (P 3 , FT 4 levels. In patients with positive THAAb (about 14.4% in patients with all thyroid disorders), the FT 3 , FT 4 levels were best determined after PEG precipitation. (authors)

Visual assessment of BIPV retrofit design proposals for selected historical buildings using the saliency map method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ran Xu

2015-06-01

Full Text Available With the increasing awareness of energy efficiency, many old buildings have to undergo a massive facade energy retrofit. How to predict the visual impact which solar installations on the aesthetic cultural value of these buildings has been a heated debate in Switzerland (and throughout the world. The usual evaluation method to describe the visual impact of BIPV is based on semantic and qualitative descriptors, and strongly dependent on personal preferences. The evaluation scale is therefore relative, flexible and imprecise. This paper proposes a new method to accurately measure the visual impact which BIPV installations have on a historical building by using the saliency map method. By imitating working principles of the human eye, it is measured how much the BIPV design proposals differ from the original building facade in the aspect of attracting human visual attention. The result is directly presented in a quantitative manner, and can be used to compare the fitness of different BIPV design proposals. The measuring process is numeric, objective and more precise.  

Validation of newly developed and redesigned key indicator methods for assessment of different working conditions with physical workloads based on mixed-methods design: a study protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Klussmann, Andre; Liebers, Falk; Brandstädt, Felix; Schust, Marianne; Serafin, Patrick; Schäfer, Andreas; Gebhardt, Hansjürgen; Hartmann, Bernd; Steinberg, Ulf

2017-08-21

The impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders is considerable. The assessment of work tasks with physical workloads is crucial to estimate the work-related health risks of exposed employees. Three key indicator methods are available for risk assessment regarding manual lifting, holding and carrying of loads; manual pulling and pushing of loads; and manual handling operations. Three further KIMs for risk assessment regarding whole-body forces, awkward body postures and body movement have been developed de novo. In addition, the development of a newly drafted combined method for mixed exposures is planned. All methods will be validated regarding face validity, reliability, convergent validity, criterion validity and further aspects of utility under practical conditions. As part of the joint project MEGAPHYS (multilevel risk assessment of physical workloads), a mixed-methods study is being designed for the validation of KIMs and conducted in companies of different sizes and branches in Germany. Workplaces are documented and analysed by observations, applying KIMs, interviews and assessment of environmental conditions. Furthermore, a survey among the employees at the respective workplaces takes place with standardised questionnaires, interviews and physical examinations. It is intended to include 1200 employees at 120 different workplaces. For analysis of the quality criteria, recommendations of the COSMIN checklist (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments) will be taken into account. The study was planned and conducted in accordance with the German Medical Professional Code and the Declaration of Helsinki as well as the German Federal Data Protection Act. The design of the study was approved by ethics committees. We intend to publish the validated KIMs in 2018. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at international meetings and disseminated to actual users for practical application. © Article

One-shot flow injection spectrophotometric simultaneous determination of copper, iron and zinc in patients' sera with newly developed multi-compartment flow cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teshima, Norio; Gotoh, Shingo; Ida, Kazunori; Sakai, Tadao

2006-01-01

We propose here an affordable flow injection method for simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of copper, iron and zinc in patients' sera. The use of a newly designed multi-compartment flow cell allowed the simultaneous determination of the three metals with a single injection ('one-shot') and a double beam spectrophotometer. The chemistry relied on the reactions of these metals with 2-(5-nitro-2-pyridylazo)-5-[N-propyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)amino]phenol (nitro-PAPS) to form corresponding colored complexes. At pH 3.8, only copper-nitro-PAPS complex was formed in the presence of pyrophosphate as a masking agent for iron, and then the copper and iron(II) complexes were formed in the presence of reductant (ascorbic acid) at the same pH, and finally all three metals reacted with nitro-PAPS at pH 8.6. The characteristics were introduced into the flow system to determine each metal selectively and sensitively. Under the optimum conditions, linear calibration curves for the three metals were obtained in the range of 0.01-1 mg L -1 with a sample throughput rate of 20 h -1 . The limits of detection (3σ) were 3.9 μg L -1 for copper, 4.1 μg L -1 for iron and 4.0 μg L -1 for zinc. The proposed method was applied to analysis of some patients' sera

An improved design method of a tuned mass damper for an in-service footbridge

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Weixing; Wang, Liangkun; Lu, Zheng

2018-03-01

Tuned mass damper (TMD) has a wide range of applications in the vibration control of footbridges. However, the traditional engineering design method may lead to a mistuned TMD. In this paper, an improved TMD design method based on the model updating is proposed. Firstly, the original finite element model (FEM) is studied and the natural characteristics of the in-service or newly built footbridge is identified by field test, and then the original FEM is updated. TMD is designed according to the new updated FEM, and it is optimized according to the simulation on vibration control effects. Finally, the installation and field measurement of TMD are carried out. The improved design method can be applied to both in-service and newly built footbridges. This paper illustrates the improved design method with an engineering example. The frequency identification results of field test and original FEM show that there is a relatively large difference between them. The TMD designed according to the updated FEM has better vibration control effect than the TMD designed according to the original FEM. The site test results show that TMD has good effect on controlling human-induced vibrations.

A method proposal for cumulative environmental impact assessment based on the landscape vulnerability evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlickova, Katarina; Vyskupova, Monika

2015-01-01

Cumulative environmental impact assessment deals with the occasional use in practical application of environmental impact assessment process. The main reasons are the difficulty of cumulative impact identification caused by lack of data, inability to measure the intensity and spatial effect of all types of impacts and the uncertainty of their future evolution. This work presents a method proposal to predict cumulative impacts on the basis of landscape vulnerability evaluation. For this purpose, qualitative assessment of landscape ecological stability is conducted and major vulnerability indicators of environmental and socio-economic receptors are specified and valuated. Potential cumulative impacts and the overall impact significance are predicted quantitatively in modified Argonne multiple matrixes while considering the vulnerability of affected landscape receptors and the significance of impacts identified individually. The method was employed in the concrete environmental impact assessment process conducted in Slovakia. The results obtained in this case study reflect that this methodology is simple to apply, valid for all types of impacts and projects, inexpensive and not time-consuming. The objectivity of the partial methods used in this procedure is improved by quantitative landscape ecological stability evaluation, assignment of weights to vulnerability indicators based on the detailed characteristics of affected factors, and grading impact significance. - Highlights: • This paper suggests a method proposal for cumulative impact prediction. • The method includes landscape vulnerability evaluation. • The vulnerability of affected receptors is determined by their sensitivity. • This method can increase the objectivity of impact prediction in the EIA process

Association between High Fat-low Carbohydrate Diet Score and Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes in Chinese Population

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Na, Y.; Feskens, E.J.M.; Li, Y.P.; Zhang, J.; Fu, P.; Ma, G.S.; Yang, X.G.

2012-01-01

Objective To study the association between high fat-low carbohydrate diet score and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes in Chinese population. Methods Data about 20 717 subjects aged 45-59 years from the cross-sectional 2002 China National Nutrition and Health Survey were analyzed. High fat-low

Healthcare System Information at Language Schools for Newly Arrived Immigrants: A Pertinent Setting in Times of Austerity

Science.gov (United States)

Tynell, Lena Lyngholt; Wimmelmann, Camilla Lawaetz; Jervelund, Signe Smith

2017-01-01

Objective: In most European countries, immigrants do not systematically learn about the host countries' healthcare system when arriving. This study investigated how newly arrived immigrants perceived the information they received about the Danish healthcare system. Methods: Immigrants attending a language school in Copenhagen in 2012 received…

A proposed assessment method for image of regional educational institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kataeva Natalya

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Market of educational services in the current Russian economic conditions is a complex of a huge variety of educational institutions. Market of educational services is already experiencing a significant influence of the demographic situation in Russia. This means that higher education institutions are forced to fight in a tough competition for high school students. Increased competition in the educational market forces universities to find new methods of non-price competition in attraction of potential students and throughout own educational and economic activities. Commercialization of education places universities in a single plane with commercial companies who study a positive perception of the image and reputation as a competitive advantage, which is quite acceptable for use in strategic and current activities of higher education institutions to ensure the competitiveness of educational services and educational institution in whole. Nevertheless, due to lack of evidence-based proposals in this area there is a need for scientific research in terms of justification of organizational and methodological aspects of image use as a factor in the competitiveness of the higher education institution. Theoretically and practically there are different methods and ways of evaluating the company’s image. The article provides a comparative assessment of the existing valuation methods of corporate image and the author’s method of estimating the image of higher education institutions based on the key influencing factors. The method has been tested on the Vyatka State Agricultural Academy (Russia. The results also indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the institution, highlights ways of improving, and adjusts the efforts for image improvement.

Ten Key Steps to Developing a Programme of University Mentoring for Newly Enrolled Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raquel Casado-Muñoz

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Peer mentoring or tutoring is an educational guidance method that is growing in universities around the world. Directed at the integration of students over the first year of university studies, it is based on the support and guidance that a more experienced student offers to a recently enrolled fellow student. It is a recent process in Spain which started a little over a decade ago, but each course brings more experiences. This article, derived from research, seeks to identify a series of key steps and ideas to implement this type of programme. The summary of the proposals stems from three main sources: a the experience and assessment of the Mentoring Programme at the University of Burgos; b the review of the peer mentoring programs implemented at 35 Spanish universities; and c the review, comparison and adaptation of formal mentoring to the university according to Perrone (2003.  The outcomes may be especially useful for those universities that wish to start mentoring programmes, and as a source of reflection and comparison for those with greater experience. We believe that special attention should be given on increasing and improving participation in the mentoring of newly enrolled students and on monitoring and assessing the whole process.

Possible origin of Saturn's newly discovered outer ring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moehlmann, D.

1986-01-01

Within a planetogonic model the self-gravitationally caused formation of pre-planetary and pre-satellite rings from an earlier thin disk is reported. The theoretically derived orbital radii of these rings are compared with the orbital levels in the planetary system and the satellite systems of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. From this comparison it is concluded that at the radial position of Saturn's newly discovered outer ring an early pre-satellite ring of more or less evolved satellites could have existed. These satellites should have been disturbed in their evolution by the gravitation of the neighbouring massive satellite Titan. The comparison also may indicate similarities between the asteroidal belt and the newly discovered outer ring of Saturn

Oral Cancer Knowledge Assessment: Newly Graduated versus Senior Dental Clinicians

Science.gov (United States)

Salgado de Souza, Ricardo; Gallego Arias Pecorari, Vanessa; Lauria Dib, Luciano

2018-01-01

The present study assessed the level of dentists' knowledge regarding oral cancer in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A questionnaire was used to compare the level of knowledge among newly graduated and senior clinicians. A total of 20,154 e-mails were correctly delivered to the dentists registered in the database of the Regional Dentistry Council of São Paulo, and 477 (2.36%) responses were received. This sample consisted of 84 newly graduated clinicians and 105 senior clinicians. For the statistical analysis, the chi-square test and the logistic regression analysis were performed with α = 0.05, and the results were described herein. According to their knowledge level, the results were statistically different between the groups, since 19% of the newly graduated clinicians were evaluated with knowledge grade A (excellent) in comparison to 6.7% of the senior clinicians. In spite of the results indicated that newly graduated clinicians' knowledge regarding oral cancer was 2.1 times higher, 34.5% of the professionals in this group had regular or poor knowledge on the subject, and several questions relating to clinical characteristics and risk factors indicated that there still exist some knowledge gaps, demonstrating that there is a need for further studies and information activities addressing oral cancer. PMID:29666649

The Nexus between Military Spending and Economic Growth in Newly Industrialized Countries: Panel Evidence from CrossSectional Dependency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet Akif DESTEK

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In this study, the long term relationship between military spending and economic growth in newly industrialized countries is analyzed with panel data methods for the years of 1988-2013. The study, where panel unit root, panel co-integration, panel co-integration estimator and panel causality tests that allow cross-sectional dependence are used, shows that the feedback hypothesis is valid in newly industrialized countries. And when these countries are analyzed separately, it is seen that the growth hypothesis is valid for India, Malaysia, Mexico and South Africa; the neutrality hypothesis is valid for China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Turkey and the growth detriment hypothesis is valid for Brazil.

A TDR-based system for the localization of leaks in newly installed, underground pipes made of any material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cataldo, A; Cannazza, G; De Benedetto, E; Giaquinto, N

2012-01-01

In this paper, a time domain reflectometry-based system for locating leaks in underground pipes (made of any material) is presented. The proposed system simply requires that a biwire should be attached to the pipe (all along its length), at the time of installation. Basically, the biwire acts as a permanent sensing element that can be connected to the measurement instrument whenever it is necessary to check for the presence of leaks. It is worth emphasizing that such a simple and low-cost system could tremendously facilitate leak detection not only in water distribution systems but also in wastewater/sewer pipelines. The proposed system was validated through measurements on a newly installed pilot plant, in which a leak was intentionally provoked. (paper)

Career Motivation in Newly Licensed Registered Nurses: What Makes Them Remain

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Zarata Mann; Bailey, Jessica H.

2010-01-01

Despite vast research on newly licensed registered nurses (RNs), we don't know why some newly licensed registered nurses remain in their current jobs and others leave the nursing profession early in their career. Job satisfaction, the most significant factor emerging from the literature, plays a significant role in nurses' decisions to remain in…

Proposed waste form performance criteria and testing methods for low-level mixed waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franz, E.M.; Fuhrmann, M.; Bowerman, B.

1995-01-01

Proposed waste form performance criteria and testing methods were developed as guidance in judging the suitability of solidified waste as a physico-chemical barrier to releases of radionuclides and RCRA regulated hazardous components. The criteria follow from the assumption that release of contaminants by leaching is the single most important property for judging the effectiveness of a waste form. A two-tier regimen is proposed. The first tier consists of a leach test designed to determine the net, forward leach rate of the solidified waste and a leach test required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The second tier of tests is to determine if a set of stresses (i.e., radiation, freeze-thaw, wet-dry cycling) on the waste form adversely impacts its ability to retain contaminants and remain physically intact. In the absence of site-specific performance assessments (PA), two generic modeling exercises are described which were used to calculate proposed acceptable leachates

Meeting and activating the newly unemployed

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rotger, Gabriel Pons

-demanding activity. As intensive activation is usually accompanied by intensive search monitoring, it is important to disentangling the contribution of the costly activation programs from that of caseworker meetings. Using Danish data for the period 2010-13, the paper shows that requiring newly unemployed intensive...... activation, contrary to job search meetings, reduces employment and increases sickness benefit claims....

Creep-fatigue evaluation method for weld joint of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel Part II: Plate bending test and proposal of a simplified evaluation method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ando, Masanori, E-mail: ando.masanori@jaea.go.jp; Takaya, Shigeru, E-mail: takaya.shigeru@jaea.go.jp

2016-12-15

Highlights: • Creep-fatigue evaluation method for weld joint of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel is proposed. • A simplified evaluation method is also proposed for the codification. • Both proposed evaluation method was validated by the plate bending test. • For codification, the local stress and strain behavior was analyzed. - Abstract: In the present study, to develop an evaluation procedure and design rules for Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel weld joints, a method for evaluating the creep-fatigue life of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel weld joints was proposed based on finite element analysis (FEA) and a series of cyclic plate bending tests of longitudinal and horizontal seamed plates. The strain concentration and redistribution behaviors were evaluated and the failure cycles were estimated using FEA by considering the test conditions and metallurgical discontinuities in the weld joints. Inelastic FEA models consisting of the base metal, heat-affected zone and weld metal were employed to estimate the elastic follow-up behavior caused by the metallurgical discontinuities. The elastic follow-up factors determined by comparing the elastic and inelastic FEA results were determined to be less than 1.5. Based on the estimated elastic follow-up factors obtained via inelastic FEA, a simplified technique using elastic FEA was proposed for evaluating the creep-fatigue life in Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel weld joints. The creep-fatigue life obtained using the plate bending test was compared to those estimated from the results of inelastic FEA and by a simplified evaluation method.

Creep-fatigue evaluation method for weld joint of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel Part II: Plate bending test and proposal of a simplified evaluation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, Masanori; Takaya, Shigeru

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Creep-fatigue evaluation method for weld joint of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel is proposed. • A simplified evaluation method is also proposed for the codification. • Both proposed evaluation method was validated by the plate bending test. • For codification, the local stress and strain behavior was analyzed. - Abstract: In the present study, to develop an evaluation procedure and design rules for Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel weld joints, a method for evaluating the creep-fatigue life of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel weld joints was proposed based on finite element analysis (FEA) and a series of cyclic plate bending tests of longitudinal and horizontal seamed plates. The strain concentration and redistribution behaviors were evaluated and the failure cycles were estimated using FEA by considering the test conditions and metallurgical discontinuities in the weld joints. Inelastic FEA models consisting of the base metal, heat-affected zone and weld metal were employed to estimate the elastic follow-up behavior caused by the metallurgical discontinuities. The elastic follow-up factors determined by comparing the elastic and inelastic FEA results were determined to be less than 1.5. Based on the estimated elastic follow-up factors obtained via inelastic FEA, a simplified technique using elastic FEA was proposed for evaluating the creep-fatigue life in Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel weld joints. The creep-fatigue life obtained using the plate bending test was compared to those estimated from the results of inelastic FEA and by a simplified evaluation method.

Diabetes education improves depressive state in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes

OpenAIRE

Chen, Bin; Zhang, Xiyao; Xu, Xiuping; Lv, Xiaofeng; Yao, Lu; Huang, Xu; Guo, Xueying; Liu, Baozhu; Li, Qiang; Cui, Can

2013-01-01

Objectives: The prevalence of depression is relatively high in individuals with diabetes. However, screening and monitoring of depressive state in patients with diabetes is still neglected in developing countries and the treatment of diabetes-related depression is rarely performed in these countries. In this study, our aim was to study the role of diabetes education in the improvement of depressive state in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: The Dutch version of the cente...

Proposal of evaluation method of tsunami wave pressure using 2D depth-integrated flow simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arimitsu, Tsuyoshi; Ooe, Kazuya; Kawasaki, Koji

2012-01-01

To design and construct land structures resistive to tsunami force, it is most essential to evaluate tsunami pressure quantitatively. The existing hydrostatic formula, in general, tended to underestimate tsunami wave pressure under the condition of inundation flow with large Froude number. Estimation method of tsunami pressure acting on a land structure was proposed using inundation depth and horizontal velocity at the front of the structure, which were calculated employing a 2D depth-integrated flow model based on the unstructured grid system. The comparison between the numerical and experimental results revealed that the proposed method could reasonably reproduce the vertical distribution of the maximum tsunami pressure as well as the time variation of the tsunami pressure exerting on the structure. (author)

Methods for Estimation of Market Power in Electric Power Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Turcik, M.; Oleinikova, I.; Junghans, G.; Kolcun, M.

2012-01-01

The article is related to a topical issue of the newly-arisen market power phenomenon in the electric power industry. The authors point out to the importance of effective instruments and methods for credible estimation of the market power on liberalized electricity market as well as the forms and consequences of market power abuse. The fundamental principles and methods of the market power estimation are given along with the most common relevant indicators. Furthermore, in the work a proposal for determination of the relevant market place taking into account the specific features of power system and a theoretical example of estimating the residual supply index (RSI) in the electricity market are given.

Applicability of newly developed 610MPa class heavy thickness high strength steel to boiler pressure vessel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katayama, Norihiko; Kaihara, Shoichiro; Ishii, Jun [Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Corp., Yokohama (Japan); Kajigaya, Ichiro [Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Totsuka, Takehiro; Miyazaki, Takashi [Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Corp., Aioi (Japan)

1995-11-01

Construction of a 350 MW Class PFBC (Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustion) boiler plant is under planning in Japan. Design temperature and pressure of the vessel are maximum 350 C and 1.69 MPa, respectively. As the plate thickness of the vessel exceeds over 100 mm, high strength steel plate of good weldability and less susceptible to reheat cracking was required and developed. The steel was aimed to satisfy the tensile strength over 610 MPa at 350 C after postweld heat treatment (PWHT), with good notch toughness. The authors investigated the welding performances of the newly developed steel by using 150 mm-thick plate welded by pulsed-MAG and SAW methods. It was confirmed that the newly developed steel and its welds possess sufficient strength and toughness after PWHT, and applicable to the actual pressure vessel.

A novel method for identification and quantification of consistently differentially methylated regions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ching-Lin Hsiao

Full Text Available Advances in biotechnology have resulted in large-scale studies of DNA methylation. A differentially methylated region (DMR is a genomic region with multiple adjacent CpG sites that exhibit different methylation statuses among multiple samples. Many so-called "supervised" methods have been established to identify DMRs between two or more comparison groups. Methods for the identification of DMRs without reference to phenotypic information are, however, less well studied. An alternative "unsupervised" approach was proposed, in which DMRs in studied samples were identified with consideration of nature dependence structure of methylation measurements between neighboring probes from tiling arrays. Through simulation study, we investigated effects of dependencies between neighboring probes on determining DMRs where a lot of spurious signals would be produced if the methylation data were analyzed independently of the probe. In contrast, our newly proposed method could successfully correct for this effect with a well-controlled false positive rate and a comparable sensitivity. By applying to two real datasets, we demonstrated that our method could provide a global picture of methylation variation in studied samples. R source codes to implement the proposed method were freely available at http://www.csjfann.ibms.sinica.edu.tw/eag/programlist/ICDMR/ICDMR.html.

[Principles of nutrition in patients with newly appointed stoma].

Science.gov (United States)

Pachocka, Lucyna Małgorzata; Urbanik, Anna

2016-01-01

The treatment of intestinal stoma is often a difficult experience for patients and results in numerous problems in the physical, psychological and social aspects. Therefore, post-operative care of the patient with the newly appointed stoma should be taken by therapeutic team consisting of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians, psychologists and social workers. Appropriate nutritional education of patients aims to improve their quality of life and to prevent from unpleasant ailments formed after the operation. The specific type of stoma may decide about certain dietary recommendations. The presented work provides a practical dietary recommendations for patients with newly appointed stoma.

Cadmium tolerant characteristic of a newly isolated Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, Yao; Wang, Ying; Yang, Xuan; Zhang, Boyang; He, Xiaoyun; Xu, Wentao; Huang, Kunlun

2016-12-01

Environmental contamination caused by heavy metals poses a major threat to the wildlife and human health for their toxicity and intrinsically persistent nature. Some specific food grade bacteria have properties that enable them to eliminate heavy metals from food and water. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, newly isolated from pickles, is a cadmium (Cd) tolerant bacteria. Cd resistant properties of the lactis was evaluated under different Cd stresses. Cd accumulation in different cellular parts was determined by ICP-MS and cell morphology changes were measured by SEM-EDS and TEM-EDS. In addition, functional groups associated with Cd resistance were detected by infrared spectroscopic analysis. The results indicated that Cd mainly accumulated in the cell surface structures including cytoderm and cytomembrane. Functional groups such as OH and NH 2 in the cell surface played essential roles in Cd biosorption. The elements of O, P, S, and N of polysaccharide, membrane protein and phosphatidate in the cell surface structures might be responsible for Cd biosorption for their strong electronegativity. This study indicated that ultrastructural analysis can be a supplemental method to study heavy metal resistance mechanism of microorganism and the newly isolated lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis has great potential to be applied to decontamination of heavy metals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New land disposal restrictions on contaminated soil and debris, and newly identified toxicity characteristic organics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fortune, William B.; Schumann, Jean C.; Fallon, William E.; Badden, Janet W.; Smith, Edward H.

1992-01-01

The applicability of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) program to radioactive mixed wastes (RMW) has been clarified through U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) rulemakings and notices. However, a number of waste management concerns involving RMW and RMW-contaminated soil and debris continue to exist with respect to achieving compliance with LDR provisions and treatment standards. Consequently, DOE has become increasingly proactive in its participation in the LDR rulemaking process and in the identification of LDR compliance issues associated with its RMW inventories. Both data and recommendations from across the DOE complex were collected and transmitted to EPA in response to proposed requirements that would implement LDR for contaminated soil and debris, and certain newly identified toxicity characteristic (TC) organics. Much of this information focused on concerns related to the application of proposed regulatory approaches to RMW streams. Highlights from the information included in these DOE responses are presented. (author)

Two Newly Discovered Plants in Taiwan

OpenAIRE

Tian-Chuan Hsu; Jia-Jung Lin; Shih-Wen Chung

2009-01-01

Two herbs are newly discovered in Taiwan. Limnophila fragrans (G. Forst.) Seem. (Scrophulariaceae), native in SE Asia, is recognized from southern lowlands. Anagallis minima (L.) E. H. L. Krause (Primulaceae), native in N America and Europe, was found from northern mountainous region at low altitudes. In this study, descriptions, line drawings, color photos and a distribution map of the two species are provided.

Development of power change maneuvering method for BWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukuzaki, Takaharu; Yamada, Naoyuki; Kiguchi, Takashi; Sakurai, Mikio.

1985-01-01

A power change maneuvering method for BWR has been proposed to generate an optimal power control maneuver, which realizes the power change operation closest to a power change demand pattern under operating constraints. The method searches for the maneuver as an optimization problem, where the variables are thermal power levels sampled from the demand pattern, the performance index is defined to express the power mismatch between demand and feasible patterns, and the constraints are limit lines on the thermal power-core flow rate map and limits on keeping fuel integrity. The usable feasible direction method is utilized as the optimization algorithm, with newly developed techniques for initial value generation and step length determination, which apply one-dimensional search and inverse-interpolation methods, respectively, to realize the effective search of the optimal solution. Simulation results show that a typical computing time is about 5 min by a general purpose computer and the method has been verified to be practical even for on-line use. (author)

Newly-formed emotional memories guide selective attention processes: Evidence from event-related potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Schupp, Harald T; Kirmse, Ursula; Schmälzle, Ralf; Flaisch, Tobias; Renner, Britta

2016-06-20

Emotional cues can guide selective attention processes. However, emotional stimuli can both activate long-term memory representations reflecting general world knowledge and engage newly formed memory representations representing specific knowledge from the immediate past. Here, the self-completion feature of associative memory was utilized to assess the regulation of attention processes by newly-formed emotional memory. First, new memory representations were formed by presenting pictures depicting a person either in an erotic pose or as a portrait. Afterwards, to activate newly-built memory traces, edited pictures were presented showing only the head region of the person. ERP recordings revealed the emotional regulation of attention by newly-formed memories. Specifically, edited pictures from the erotic compared to the portrait category elicited an early posterior negativity and late positive potential, similar to the findings observed for the original pictures. A control condition showed that the effect was dependent on newly-formed memory traces. Given the large number of new memories formed each day, they presumably make an important contribution to the regulation of attention in everyday life.

Newly-formed emotional memories guide selective attention processes: Evidence from event-related potentials

Science.gov (United States)

Schupp, Harald T.; Kirmse, Ursula; Schmälzle, Ralf; Flaisch, Tobias; Renner, Britta

2016-01-01

Emotional cues can guide selective attention processes. However, emotional stimuli can both activate long-term memory representations reflecting general world knowledge and engage newly formed memory representations representing specific knowledge from the immediate past. Here, the self-completion feature of associative memory was utilized to assess the regulation of attention processes by newly-formed emotional memory. First, new memory representations were formed by presenting pictures depicting a person either in an erotic pose or as a portrait. Afterwards, to activate newly-built memory traces, edited pictures were presented showing only the head region of the person. ERP recordings revealed the emotional regulation of attention by newly-formed memories. Specifically, edited pictures from the erotic compared to the portrait category elicited an early posterior negativity and late positive potential, similar to the findings observed for the original pictures. A control condition showed that the effect was dependent on newly-formed memory traces. Given the large number of new memories formed each day, they presumably make an important contribution to the regulation of attention in everyday life. PMID:27321471

A changing trend in the management of patients with newly diagnosed Crohn's disease.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Qasim, A

2012-02-01

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic shift with rising incidence of Crohn\\'s disease (CD) has been reported in recent studies. AIMS: To determine disease behaviour and therapeutic interventions undertaken in newly diagnosed patients with CD. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with CD between January 2006 and June 2008 were included. Disease type, location, degree of involvement and type of therapeutic interventions were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 78 patients were included. Colonic, ileo-colonic, terminal ileal and isolated small bowel disease were present in 37, 27, 9 and 5 patients, respectively. Disease phenotype was inflammatory, stenosing and fistulising in 42, 30 and 6 patients, respectively. Surgery was required in 22 patients, including right hemicolectomy (n = 8), subtotal colectomy (n = 4), segmental colonic resection (n = 2), segmental small bowel resection (n = 2), appendectomy (n = 2) and perianal surgery (n = 4). Fourteen patients underwent surgery at the time of diagnosis. Laparoscopic surgery was performed in 14 patients. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of newly diagnosed patients with CD underwent surgical intervention on their first admission to hospital. This may signify a changing trend in the management approach.

Online sequential condition prediction method of natural circulation systems based on EOS-ELM and phase space reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Hanying; Gao, Puzhen; Tan, Sichao; Tang, Jiguo; Yuan, Hongsheng

2017-01-01

Highlights: •An online condition prediction method for natural circulation systems in NPP was proposed based on EOS-ELM. •The proposed online prediction method was validated using experimental data. •The training speed of the proposed method is significantly fast. •The proposed method can achieve good accuracy in wide parameter range. -- Abstract: Natural circulation design is widely used in the passive safety systems of advanced nuclear power reactors. The irregular and chaotic flow oscillations are often observed in boiling natural circulation systems so it is difficult for operators to monitor and predict the condition of these systems. An online condition forecasting method for natural circulation system is proposed in this study as an assisting technique for plant operators. The proposed prediction approach was developed based on Ensemble of Online Sequential Extreme Learning Machine (EOS-ELM) and phase space reconstruction. Online Sequential Extreme Learning Machine (OS-ELM) is an online sequential learning neural network algorithm and EOS-ELM is the ensemble method of it. The proposed condition prediction method can be initiated by a small chunk of monitoring data and it can be updated by newly arrived data at very fast speed during the online prediction. Simulation experiments were conducted on the data of two natural circulation loops to validate the performance of the proposed method. The simulation results show that the proposed predication model can successfully recognize different types of flow oscillations and accurately forecast the trend of monitored plant variables. The influence of the number of hidden nodes and neural network inputs on prediction performance was studied and the proposed model can achieve good accuracy in a wide parameter range. Moreover, the comparison results show that the proposed condition prediction method has much faster online learning speed and better prediction accuracy than conventional neural network model.

75 FR 77607 - Privacy Act of 1974; Proposed New System of Records; Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-13

...; Proposed New System of Records; Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program AGENCY: National Institute of..., ``Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Records System, USDA/NIFA-1.'' This newly established system will... Sherman; National Program Leader, Veterinary Science; National Institute of Food and Agriculture...

77 FR 24684 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; 2013-2015 American Community Survey Methods...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-25

... proposed content changes. Thus, we need to test an alternative questionnaire design to accommodate additional content on the ACS mail questionnaire. In the 2013 ACS Questionnaire Design Test, we will study... in Puerto Rico. II. Method of Collection Questionnaire Design Test--Data collection for this test...

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2014-10-01

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

Pollen parameters estimates of genetic variability among newly ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Pollen parameters estimates of genetic variability among newly selected Nigerian roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) genotypes. ... Estimates of some pollen parameters where used to assess the genetic diversity among ... HOW TO USE AJOL.

Tricks of the trade: time management tips for newly qualified doctors.

Science.gov (United States)

Offiah, Gozie; Doherty, Eva

2018-03-01

The transition from medical student to doctor is an important milestone. The discovery that their time is no longer their own and that the demands of their job are greater than the time they have available is extremely challenging. At a recent surgical boot camp training programme, 60 first-year surgical trainees who had just completed their internship were invited to reflect on the lessons learnt regarding effective time management and to recommend tips for their newly qualified colleagues. They were asked to identify clinical duties that were considered urgent and important using the time management matrix and the common time traps encountered by newly qualified doctors. The surgical trainees identified several practical tips that ranged from writing a priority list to working on relationships within the team. These tips are generic and so applicable to all newly qualified medial doctors. We hope that awareness of these tips from the outset as against learning them through experience will greatly assist newly qualified doctors. © 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.

Chest Radiographic Findings in Newly Diagnosed Pulmonary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Five hundred newly diagnosed cases of Pulmonary Tuberculosis were treated with directly observed short-course treatment and 100 of them had chest radiographic examination done. The various chest radiographic patterns in the 100 subjects were studied and included: Fluffy exudative changes 80(80%), fibrosis 70(70%) ...

A Method for Proposing Valued-Adding Attributes in Customized Housing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cynthia S. Hentschke

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In most emerging economies, there has been many incentives and high availability of funding for low-cost housing projects. This has encouraged product standardization and the application of mass production ideas, based on the assumption that this is the most effective strategy for reducing costs. However, the delivery of highly standardized housing units to customers with different needs, without considering their lifestyle and perception of value, often results in inadequate products. Mass customization has been pointed out as an effective strategy to improve value generation in low-cost housing projects, and to avoid waste caused by renovations done in dwellings soon after occupancy. However, one of the main challenges for the implementation of mass customization is the definition of a set of relevant options based on users’ perceived value. The aim of this paper is to propose a method for defining value adding attributes in customized housing projects, which can support decision-making in product development. The means-end chain theory was used as theoretical framework to connect product attributes and costumers’ values, through the application of the laddering technique. The method was tested in two house-building projects delivered by a company from Brazil. The main contribution of this method is to indicate the customization units that are most important for users along with the explanation of why those units are the most relevant ones.

Integrating data mining technique and AHP in market analysis to propose new product development in real estate

Science.gov (United States)

Yunita; Galinium, M.; Lukas

2017-01-01

New product development in real estate industry is a challenging process since it is related to long term concept and high cost. A newly proposed product development should meet customer need and their preferences which appropriate with customer buying power and company value. This research use data mining for profiling customer transaction and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for product selection in new product development. This research utilizes Weka as data mining open source software to profiling data customers. The analysis correlated product preferences and profiling demography such as city, age, gender and occupation. Demography profiles gives description buying power and product preferences. The products proposed are based on customer profiles and rank of the product by AHP method. The product with the highest score will be proposed as new product development. Case studies of this research are real estate projects in Serang, Makassar, and Balikpapan. Makassar and Balikpapan are the project that already gained success and Serang is new project which new products development will be proposed to launch. Based on profiling and product preference of customer in Balikpapan, Makassar, and prospectus of Serang markets, new products development that will be proposed are house type of 120/200 m2 with price around Rp1.300.000.000 and house type of 71/120 m2 with price around Rp800.000.000. The markets of Serang and Balikpapan have similarities in profiles as urban city so the new products development will adopt the succeed story of Balikpapan project.

Giant notochordal hamartoma of intraosseous origin: a newly reported benign entity to be distinguished from chordoma. Report of two cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirra, J.M.; Brien, E.W.

2001-01-01

Two cases are reported of a newly described intraosseous entity of vertebral bodies deemed ''giant notochordal hamartoma of intraosseous origin''. This entity is commonly mistaken for chordoma and must be distinguished from it as the consequences of misinterpretation may be serious. The clinical, radiological and histologic criteria that can be used to distinguish these two entities are emphasized. Included is a proposed pathogenesis for this lesion, its probable notochordal origin, and a review of other probable cases. (orig.)

Newly graduated nurses' empowerment regarding professional competence and other work-related factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuokkanen, Liisa; Leino-Kilpi, Helena; Numminen, Olivia; Isoaho, Hannu; Flinkman, Mervi; Meretoja, Riitta

2016-01-01

Although both nurse empowerment and competence are fundamental concepts of describing newly graduated nurses' professional development and job satisfaction, only few studies exist on the relationship between these concepts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine how newly graduated nurses assess their empowerment and to clarify professional competence compared to other work-related factors. A descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational design was applied. The sample comprised newly graduated nurses (n = 318) in Finland. Empowerment was measured using the 19-item Qualities of an Empowered Nurse scale and the Nurse Competence Scale measured nurses' self-assessed generic competence. In addition to demographic data, the background data included employment sector (public/private), job satisfaction, intent to change/leave job, work schedule (shifts/business hours) and assessments of the quality of care in the workplace. The data were analysed statistically by using Spearman's correlation coefficient as well as the One-Way and Multivariate Analysis of Variance. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to estimate the internal consistency. Newly graduated nurses perceived their level of empowerment and competence fairly high. The association between nurse empowerment and professional competence was statistically significant. Other variables correlating positively to empowerment included employment sector, age, job satisfaction, intent to change job, work schedule, and satisfaction with the quality of care in the work unit. The study indicates competence had the strongest effect on newly graduated nurses' empowerment. New graduates need support and career opportunities. In the future, nurses' further education and nurse managers' resources for supporting and empowering nurses should respond to the newly graduated nurses' requisites for attractive and meaningful work.

Two Newly Discovered Plants in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tian-Chuan Hsu

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Two herbs are newly discovered in Taiwan. Limnophila fragrans (G. Forst. Seem. (Scrophulariaceae, native in SE Asia, is recognized from southern lowlands. Anagallis minima (L. E. H. L. Krause (Primulaceae, native in N America and Europe, was found from northern mountainous region at low altitudes. In this study, descriptions, line drawings, color photos and a distribution map of the two species are provided.

A Proposal of a Color Music Notation System on a Single Melody for Music Beginners

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Yi-Ting; Chuang, Ming-Chuen

2013-01-01

Music teachers often encounter obstructions in teaching beginners in music reading. Conventional notational symbols require beginners to spend significant amount of time in memorizing, which discourages learning at early stage. This article proposes a newly-developed color music notation system that may improve the recognition of the staff and the…

Horseshoe lung - a case report with unusual bronchial and pleural anomalies and a proposed new classification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Figa, F.H.; Yoo, S.J.; Burrows, P.E.; Turner-Gomes, S.; Freedom, R.M.

1993-01-01

One case of horseshoe lung with associated scimitar syndrome is presented. Unusual bronchial and pleural anomalies as delineated by CT and plain chest radiographic imaging are described. The presence of bilateal fissures led to a newly proposed classification of horseshoe lung based on pleural anatomy. (orig.)

Horseshoe lung - a case report with unusual bronchial and pleural anomalies and a proposed new classification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Figa, F H [Dept. of Diagnostic Imaging and Division of Cardiology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON (Canada); Yoo, S J; Burrows, P E [Dept. of Diagnostic Imaging and Division of Cardiology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON (Canada); Turner-Gomes, S [McMaster Univ. Medical Center, Hamilton, ON (Canada); Freedom, R M [Dept. of Diagnostic Imaging and Division of Cardiology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON (Canada)

1993-03-01

One case of horseshoe lung with associated scimitar syndrome is presented. Unusual bronchial and pleural anomalies as delineated by CT and plain chest radiographic imaging are described. The presence of bilateal fissures led to a newly proposed classification of horseshoe lung based on pleural anatomy. (orig.)

A Newly Designed Tennis Elbow Orthosis With a Traditional Tennis Elbow Strap in Patients With Lateral Epicondylitis

Science.gov (United States)

Saremi, Hossein; Chamani, Vahid; Vahab-Kashani, Reza

2016-01-01

Background Lateral epicondylitis is a common cause of pain and upper limb dysfunction. The use of counterforce straps for treatment of lateral epicondylitis is widespread. This kind of orthosis can be modified to have a greater effect on relieving pain by reducing tension on the origin of the extensor pronator muscles. Objectives To determine the immediate effects of a newly designed orthosis on pain and grip strength in patients with lateral epicondylitis. Materials and Methods Twelve participants (six men and six women) were recruited (mean age = 41 ± 6.7 years) and evaluated for pain and grip strength in three sessions. A 48-hour break was taken between each session. The first session was without any orthosis, the second session was with the new modified tennis elbow orthosis, and the third session was with a conventional tennis elbow strap. Results Both counterforce straps were effective. However, significantly more improvement was observed in pain and grip strength after using the newly modified orthosis (P < 0.05). Conclusions The newly designed strap reduces pain more effectively and improves grip strength by causing greater localized pressure on two regions with different force applications (two component vectors versus one). PMID:28180116

Development and validation of new spectrophotometric ratio H-point standard addition method and application to gastrointestinal acting drugs mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Yehia, Ali M.

2013-05-01

New, simple, specific, accurate and precise spectrophotometric technique utilizing ratio spectra is developed for simultaneous determination of two different binary mixtures. The developed ratio H-point standard addition method (RHPSAM) was managed successfully to resolve the spectral overlap in itopride hydrochloride (ITO) and pantoprazole sodium (PAN) binary mixture, as well as, mosapride citrate (MOS) and PAN binary mixture. The theoretical background and advantages of the newly proposed method are presented. The calibration curves are linear over the concentration range of 5-60 μg/mL, 5-40 μg/mL and 4-24 μg/mL for ITO, MOS and PAN, respectively. Specificity of the method was investigated and relative standard deviations were less than 1.5. The accuracy, precision and repeatability were also investigated for the proposed method according to ICH guidelines.

Perceptions of the clinical competence of newly registered nurses in the North West province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.R. Moeti

2004-09-01

Full Text Available The clinical competence of newly registered nurses relating to the care of individual Clients, depends on their ability to correlate theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom with practice and the development of clinical skills. Its foundation lies in the ability to identify and solve problems that emanate from critical thinking, analytical reasoning and reflective practice. It is clear that the quality of clinical exposure plays a leading role in the development of nursing professionals. Nursing skills alone cannot ensure quality care of clients without the application of theory. Facilitation of this theory to practice therefore remains an essential component of nursing education. This study was aimed at identifying areas of incompetence of newly registered nurses (1998- 2001 in the clinical area by determining the newly registered nurses1 and professional nurses1 perceptions of the competence of the newly registered nurses. A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive survey was used to collect the data regarding the clinical competence of newly registered nurses (1998-2001.

How Schools Can Promote Healthy Development for Newly Arrived Immigrant and Refugee Adolescents: Research Priorities.

Science.gov (United States)

McNeely, Clea A; Morland, Lyn; Doty, S Benjamin; Meschke, Laurie L; Awad, Summer; Husain, Altaf; Nashwan, Ayat

2017-02-01

The US education system must find creative and effective ways to foster the healthy development of the approximately 2 million newly arrived immigrant and refugee adolescents, many of whom contend with language barriers, limited prior education, trauma, and discrimination. We identify research priorities for promoting the school success of these youth. The study used the 4-phase priority-setting method of the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative. In the final stage, 132 researchers, service providers, educators, and policymakers based in the United States were asked to rate the importance of 36 research options. The highest priority research options (range 1 to 5) were: evaluating newcomer programs (mean = 4.44, SD = 0.55), identifying how family and community stressors affect newly arrived immigrant and refugee adolescents' functioning in school (mean = 4.40, SD = 0.56), identifying teachers' major stressors in working with this population (mean = 4.36, SD = 0.72), and identifying how to engage immigrant and refugee families in their children's education (mean = 4.35, SD = 0.62). These research priorities emphasize the generation of practical knowledge that could translate to immediate, tangible benefits for schools. Funders, schools, and researchers can use these research priorities to guide research for the highest benefit of schools and the newly arrived immigrant and refugee adolescents they serve. © 2017, American School Health Association.

'Practising under your own Pin'- a description of the transition experiences of newly qualified midwives.

Science.gov (United States)

Avis, Mark; Mallik, Maggie; Fraser, Diane M

2013-11-01

Transition experiences of newly qualified midwives were examined in depth during the third phase of a UK evaluation study of midwifery education. The fitness to practise and the retention of newly qualified nursing and midwifery graduates are pressing concerns for health care managers. The advantages of preceptorship are reported in the literature but the content and timing of schemes remain unclear. A semi-structured diary was kept for up to 6 months by 35 newly qualified midwives in 18 work sites covering all countries in the UK. The preceptor and supervisor of midwives for each newly qualified midwife completed short questionnaires about their preceptee's performance, and a further sub-sample of newly qualified midwives and preceptors participated in a semi-structured interview. Data were analysed to elicit aspects of newly qualified midwives transition experiences. Findings confirm that structured preceptorship schemes are not widely available. Newly qualified midwives primarily obtained transition support from members of the midwifery team. Although perceived as competent, there is no demarcation point in becoming confident to practise as a registered practitioner. Implications for managers include the importance of a supportive culture within clinical teams for successful transition and the introduction of structured preceptorship schemes facilitated by appropriate rotation patterns. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Newly developed non-destructive testing method for evaluation of irradiation brittleness of structural materials using ultrasonic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, Toshimitsu; Ooka, Norikazu; Kato, Yoshiaki; Saito, Junichi; Hoshiya, Taiji; Shibata, Saburo; Kobayashi, Hideo

1999-01-01

Surveillance testing is important to evaluate neutron irradiation embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel material for long life operation. An alternative test method for evaluating the irradiation embrittlement of the pressure vessel material will have to be proposed to support the limited number of surveillance test specimens in order to manage the plant life to be extended. In this study, ultrasonic testing for irradiated A533B-1 steel and weld metal was applied to examine material degradation nondestructively. With increasing the shift of Charpy 41 J transition temperature, ultrasonic velocity decreased and attenuation coefficient of ultrasonic wave increased. Especially, the difference of ultrasonic velocity for 5 MHz shear wave between as-received and irradiated material is corresponding to the shift of transition temperature showing material degradation. (author)

Newly invented biobased materials from low-carbon, diverted waste fibers: research methods, testing, and full-scale application in a case study structure

Science.gov (United States)

Julee A Herdt; John Hunt; Kellen Schauermann

2016-01-01

This project demonstrates newly invented, biobased construction materials developed by applying lowcarbon, biomass waste sources through the Authors’ engineered fiber processes and technology. If manufactured and applied large-scale the project inventions can divert large volumes of cellulose waste into high-performance, low embodied energy, environmental construction...

A meshless method for solving two-dimensional variable-order time fractional advection-diffusion equation

Science.gov (United States)

Tayebi, A.; Shekari, Y.; Heydari, M. H.

2017-07-01

Several physical phenomena such as transformation of pollutants, energy, particles and many others can be described by the well-known convection-diffusion equation which is a combination of the diffusion and advection equations. In this paper, this equation is generalized with the concept of variable-order fractional derivatives. The generalized equation is called variable-order time fractional advection-diffusion equation (V-OTFA-DE). An accurate and robust meshless method based on the moving least squares (MLS) approximation and the finite difference scheme is proposed for its numerical solution on two-dimensional (2-D) arbitrary domains. In the time domain, the finite difference technique with a θ-weighted scheme and in the space domain, the MLS approximation are employed to obtain appropriate semi-discrete solutions. Since the newly developed method is a meshless approach, it does not require any background mesh structure to obtain semi-discrete solutions of the problem under consideration, and the numerical solutions are constructed entirely based on a set of scattered nodes. The proposed method is validated in solving three different examples including two benchmark problems and an applied problem of pollutant distribution in the atmosphere. In all such cases, the obtained results show that the proposed method is very accurate and robust. Moreover, a remarkable property so-called positive scheme for the proposed method is observed in solving concentration transport phenomena.

Combustion, performance and emissions characteristics of a newly ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

of a newly developed CRDI single cylinder diesel engine. AVINASH ... In case of unit injector and unit pump systems, fuel injection pressure depends on ... nozzle hole diameters were effective in reducing smoke and PM emissions. However ...

Yield and Adaptability Evaluation of Newly Introduced Tomato ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

High yield is a major ambition to tomato plant breeders and farmers. The purpose of the ... Tabora Region on the growth and yield of newly introduced tomato varieties. The tested ..... (1985). Evaluation of some American tomatocultivars grown.

Mentorship for newly appointed physicians: a strategy for enhancing patient safety?

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Reema; McClean, Serwaa; Lawton, Rebecca; Wright, John; Kay, Clive

2014-09-01

Mentorship is an increasingly popular innovation from business and industry that is being applied in health-care contexts. This paper explores the concept of mentorship for newly appointed physicians in their first substantive senior post, and specifically its utilization to enhance patient safety. Semi-structured face to face and telephone interviews with Medical Directors (n = 5), Deputy Medical Directors (n = 4), and Clinical Directors (n = 6) from 9 acute NHS Trusts in the Yorkshire and Humber region in the north of England. A focused thematic analysis was used. A number of beneficial outcomes were associated with mentorship for newly appointed physicians including greater personal and professional support, organizational commitment, and general well-being. Providing newly appointed senior physicians with support through mentorship was considered to enhance the safety of patient care. Mentorship may prevent or reduce active failures, be used to identify threats in the local working environment, and in the longer term, address latent threats to safety within the organization by encouraging a healthier safety culture. Offering mentorship to all newly appointed physicians in their first substantive post in health care may be a useful strategy to support the development of their clinical, professional, and personal skills in this transitional period that may also enhance the safety of patient care.

Newly elected IAEA Board of Governors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

The document gives information about the election of 11 Member States to the IAEA Board of Governors, the 35-member policy-making body, during the 44th regular session of the IAEA's General Conference (18 - 22 September 2000, Austria Center, Vienna). The newly elected Member States are: Argentina, Egypt, Ghana, Ireland, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine. The other 24 Member States of the Board are also given

76 FR 57781 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-16

... containing documents such as the Board committees' charters and the company's code of ethics. These products... explaining services offered by NASDAQ to certain newly listing companies. NASDAQ will implement the proposed... and public companies, including companies listed on the NASDAQ Exchange and various European exchanges...

Clinical evaluation of a newly designed orthodontic tooth brush - A clinical study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C S Saimbi

2009-01-01

In this study, the newly designed orthodontic tooth brush is compared with an ordinary tooth brush. Results of this study show that the newly designed orthodontic tooth brush is superior in its cleaning efficiency as compared to the ordinary tooth brush. The results show that plaque removing capacity of orthodontic tooth brush is nearly 95-99%.

Newly qualified teachers´ possibilities to get foothold in a lifelong career course

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krøjgaard, Frede; Frederiksen, Lisbeth Angela Lunde

Keyword: Induction program, newly qualified teachers, NQT, retention, professional development In Contrary to many other countries in Europe Denmark does not have any kind of national program regarding teacher induction program (TIP) or support in general to newly qualified teachers what so ever...

[Epidemiological characteristics of newly reported HIV infections in Chinese and Burmese residents, during 2012-2016 in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J B; Chen, X C; Duan, X; Yang, J; Wang, Y K; Yang, T; Ye, R H; Yang, Y C; Yao, S T; Jiang, Y; Duan, S; He, N

2017-10-10

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of newly reported HIV infections in Chinese and Burmese residents during 2012-2016 in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan province (Dehong) and to provide evidence for the development of related programs on prevention and control. Methods: All the HIV infections who were newly reported during 2012-2016 in Dehong, were recruited as the study subjects, with epidemiological characteristics of the cases analyzed by using the software SPSS 22.0. Results: A total of 5 692 HIV infections were newly reported between 2012 and 2016 (including 5 592 in this study), in which the Chinese patients accounted for 43.3 % (2 419) and the rest 56.7 % (3 173) were Burmese. Differences in age, gender and other social characteristics of these newly reported HIV infections were statistically significant between the Chinese and the Burmese (all p -values Chinese patients but through injecting drug use among the Burmese patients. Conclusions: Epidemiological characteristics of the newly reported HIV infections were different between the Chinese and the Burmese, between 2012 and 2016 in Dehong. Targeted prevention and control programs should be taken.

PPSL - the newly installed analytical system for the detection of irradiated food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guzik, G.P.; Stachowicz, W.

2006-01-01

Newly installed in the Laboratory for Detection of Irradiated Food at the beginning of 2005 Pulsed PhotoStimulated Luminescence method (PPSL) is described. Methodology of the PPSL examination of food is simple: the analysed sample is dispensed into a Petri dish in a thin layer and placed into a sample chamber. the sample is exposed to pulsed laser infra-red light emitted by an array of diodes (IR LEDs). The PPSL signal produced in the system by luminescence released from photostimulated mineral debris of the sample is stored by a photomultiplier and the created numerical signal transmitted to the PC. it has been found, that screening by means of the PPSL apparatus is easy, effective and inexpensive. The method provides the fastest way to gain results whether food product is irradiated

A qualitative method proposal to improve environmental impact assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toro, Javier; Requena, Ignacio; Duarte, Oscar; Zamorano, Montserrat

2013-01-01

In environmental impact assessment, qualitative methods are used because they are versatile and easy to apply. This methodology is based on the evaluation of the strength of the impact by grading a series of qualitative attributes that can be manipulated by the evaluator. The results thus obtained are not objective, and all too often impacts are eliminated that should be mitigated with corrective measures. However, qualitative methodology can be improved if the calculation of Impact Importance is based on the characteristics of environmental factors and project activities instead on indicators assessed by evaluators. In this sense, this paper proposes the inclusion of the vulnerability of environmental factors and the potential environmental impact of project activities. For this purpose, the study described in this paper defined Total Impact Importance and specified a quantification procedure. The results obtained in the case study of oil drilling in Colombia reflect greater objectivity in the evaluation of impacts as well as a positive correlation between impact values, the environmental characteristics at and near the project location, and the technical characteristics of project activities. -- Highlights: • Concept of vulnerability has been used to calculate the importance impact assessment. • This paper defined Total Impact Importance and specified a quantification procedure. • The method includes the characteristics of environmental and project activities. • The application has shown greater objectivity in the evaluation of impacts. • Better correlation between impact values, environment and the project has been shown

A qualitative method proposal to improve environmental impact assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Toro, Javier, E-mail: jjtoroca@unal.edu.co [Institute of Environmental Studies, National University of Colombia at Bogotá (Colombia); Requena, Ignacio, E-mail: requena@decsai.ugr.es [Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Granada (Spain); Duarte, Oscar, E-mail: ogduartev@unal.edu.co [National University of Colombia at Bogotá, Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics (Colombia); Zamorano, Montserrat, E-mail: zamorano@ugr.es [Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada (Spain)

2013-11-15

In environmental impact assessment, qualitative methods are used because they are versatile and easy to apply. This methodology is based on the evaluation of the strength of the impact by grading a series of qualitative attributes that can be manipulated by the evaluator. The results thus obtained are not objective, and all too often impacts are eliminated that should be mitigated with corrective measures. However, qualitative methodology can be improved if the calculation of Impact Importance is based on the characteristics of environmental factors and project activities instead on indicators assessed by evaluators. In this sense, this paper proposes the inclusion of the vulnerability of environmental factors and the potential environmental impact of project activities. For this purpose, the study described in this paper defined Total Impact Importance and specified a quantification procedure. The results obtained in the case study of oil drilling in Colombia reflect greater objectivity in the evaluation of impacts as well as a positive correlation between impact values, the environmental characteristics at and near the project location, and the technical characteristics of project activities. -- Highlights: • Concept of vulnerability has been used to calculate the importance impact assessment. • This paper defined Total Impact Importance and specified a quantification procedure. • The method includes the characteristics of environmental and project activities. • The application has shown greater objectivity in the evaluation of impacts. • Better correlation between impact values, environment and the project has been shown.

Comparison among four proposed direct blood culture microbial identification methods using MALDI-TOF MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Bazzi, Ali M; Rabaan, Ali A; El Edaily, Zeyad; John, Susan; Fawarah, Mahmoud M; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A

Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry facilitates rapid and accurate identification of pathogens, which is critical for sepsis patients. In this study, we assessed the accuracy in identification of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, except for Streptococcus viridans, using four rapid blood culture methods with Vitek MALDI-TOF-MS. We compared our proposed lysis centrifugation followed by washing and 30% acetic acid treatment method (method 2) with two other lysis centrifugation methods (washing and 30% formic acid treatment (method 1); 100% ethanol treatment (method 3)), and picking colonies from 90 to 180min subculture plates (method 4). Methods 1 and 2 identified all organisms down to species level with 100% accuracy, except for Streptococcus viridans, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterobacter cloacae and Proteus vulgaris. The latter two were identified to genus level with 100% accuracy. Each method exhibited excellent accuracy and precision in terms of identification to genus level with certain limitations. Copyright © 2016 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison among four proposed direct blood culture microbial identification methods using MALDI-TOF MS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali M. Bazzi

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Summary: Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry facilitates rapid and accurate identification of pathogens, which is critical for sepsis patients.In this study, we assessed the accuracy in identification of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, except for Streptococcus viridans, using four rapid blood culture methods with Vitek MALDI-TOF-MS. We compared our proposed lysis centrifugation followed by washing and 30% acetic acid treatment method (method 2 with two other lysis centrifugation methods (washing and 30% formic acid treatment (method 1; 100% ethanol treatment (method 3, and picking colonies from 90 to 180 min subculture plates (method 4. Methods 1 and 2 identified all organisms down to species level with 100% accuracy, except for Streptococcus viridans, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterobacter cloacae and Proteus vulgaris. The latter two were identified to genus level with 100% accuracy. Each method exhibited excellent accuracy and precision in terms of identification to genus level with certain limitations. Keywords: MALDI-TOF, Gram-negative, Gram-positive, Sepsis, Blood culture

Proposed waste form performance criteria and testing methods for low-level mixed waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franz, E.M.; Fuhrmann, M.; Bowerman, B.; Bates, S.; Peters, R.

1994-08-01

This document describes proposed waste form performance criteria and testing method that could be used as guidance in judging viability of a waste form as a physico-chemical barrier to releases of radionuclides and RCRA regulated hazardous components. It is assumed that release of contaminants by leaching is the single most important property by which the effectiveness of a waste form is judged. A two-tier regimen is proposed. The first tier includes a leach test required by the Environmental Protection Agency and a leach test designed to determine the net forward leach rate for a variety of materials. The second tier of tests are to determine if a set of stresses (i.e., radiation, freeze-thaw, wet-dry cycling) on the waste form adversely impact its ability to retain contaminants and remain physically intact. It is recommended that the first tier tests be performed first to determine acceptability. Only on passing the given specifications for the leach tests should other tests be performed. In the absence of site-specific performance assessments (PA), two generic modeling exercises are described which were used to calculate proposed acceptable leach rates

Rapid forest clearing in a Myanmar proposed national park threatens two newly discovered species of geckos (Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grant M Connette

Full Text Available Myanmar's recent transition from military rule towards a more democratic government has largely ended decades of political and economic isolation. Although Myanmar remains heavily forested, increased development in recent years has been accompanied by exceptionally high rates of forest loss. In this study, we document the rapid progression of deforestation in and around the proposed Lenya National Park, which includes some of the largest remaining areas of lowland evergreen rainforest in mainland Southeast Asia. The globally unique forests in this area are rich in biodiversity and remain a critical stronghold for many threatened and endangered species, including large charismatic fauna such as tiger and Asian elephant. We also conducted a rapid assessment survey of the herpetofauna of the proposed national park, which resulted in the discovery of two new species of bent-toed geckos, genus Cyrtodactylus. We describe these new species, C. lenya sp. nov. and C. payarhtanensis sp. nov., which were found in association with karst (i.e., limestone rock formations within mature lowland wet evergreen forest. The two species were discovered less than 35 km apart and are each known from only a single locality. Because of the isolated nature of the karst formations in the proposed Lenya National Park, these geckos likely have geographical ranges restricted to the proposed protected area and are threatened by approaching deforestation. Although lowland evergreen rainforest has vanished from most of continental Southeast Asia, Myanmar can still take decisive action to preserve one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.

Rapid forest clearing in a Myanmar proposed national park threatens two newly discovered species of geckos (Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus).

Science.gov (United States)

Connette, Grant M; Oswald, Patrick; Thura, Myint Kyaw; LaJeunesse Connette, Katherine J; Grindley, Mark E; Songer, Melissa; Zug, George R; Mulcahy, Daniel G

2017-01-01

Myanmar's recent transition from military rule towards a more democratic government has largely ended decades of political and economic isolation. Although Myanmar remains heavily forested, increased development in recent years has been accompanied by exceptionally high rates of forest loss. In this study, we document the rapid progression of deforestation in and around the proposed Lenya National Park, which includes some of the largest remaining areas of lowland evergreen rainforest in mainland Southeast Asia. The globally unique forests in this area are rich in biodiversity and remain a critical stronghold for many threatened and endangered species, including large charismatic fauna such as tiger and Asian elephant. We also conducted a rapid assessment survey of the herpetofauna of the proposed national park, which resulted in the discovery of two new species of bent-toed geckos, genus Cyrtodactylus. We describe these new species, C. lenya sp. nov. and C. payarhtanensis sp. nov., which were found in association with karst (i.e., limestone) rock formations within mature lowland wet evergreen forest. The two species were discovered less than 35 km apart and are each known from only a single locality. Because of the isolated nature of the karst formations in the proposed Lenya National Park, these geckos likely have geographical ranges restricted to the proposed protected area and are threatened by approaching deforestation. Although lowland evergreen rainforest has vanished from most of continental Southeast Asia, Myanmar can still take decisive action to preserve one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.

European experiences of the proposed ASTM test method for crack arrest toughness of ferritic materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jutla, T.; Lidbury, D.P.G.; Ziebs, J.; Zimmermann, C.

1986-01-01

The proposed ASTM test method for measuring the crack arrest toughness of ferritic materials using wedge-loaded, side-grooved, compact specimens was applied to three steels: A514 bridge steel, A588 bridge steel, and A533B pressure vessel steel. Five sets of results from different laboratories are discussed here. Notches were prepared by spark erosion, although root radii varied from ∝0.1-1.5 mm. Although fast fractures were successfully initiated, arrest did not occur in a significant number of cases. The results showed no obvious dependence of crack arrest toughness, K a , (determined by a static analysis) on crack initiation toughness, K 0 . It was found that K a decreases markedly with increasing crack jump distance. A limited amount of further work on smaller specimens of the A533B steel showed that lower K a values tended to be recorded. It is concluded that a number of points relating to the proposed test method and notch preparation are worthy of further consideration. It is pointed out that the proposed validity criteria may screen out lower bound data. Nevertheless, for present practical purposes, K a values may be regarded as useful in providing an estimate of arrest toughness - although not necessarily a conservative estimate. (orig./HP)

A Proposal on the Quantitative Homogeneity Analysis Method of SEM Images for Material Inspections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Song Hyun; Kim, Jong Woo; Shin, Chang Ho [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jung-Hoon; Cho, In-Hak; Park, Hwan Seo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a method to inspect the surface microstructure of materials. The SEM uses electron beams for imaging high magnifications of material surfaces; therefore, various chemical analyses can be performed from the SEM images. Therefore, it is widely used for the material inspection, chemical characteristic analysis, and biological analysis. For the nuclear criticality analysis field, it is an important parameter to check the homogeneity of the compound material for using it in the nuclear system. In our previous study, the SEM was tried to use for the homogeneity analysis of the materials. In this study, a quantitative homogeneity analysis method of SEM images is proposed for the material inspections. The method is based on the stochastic analysis method with the information of the grayscales of the SEM images.

A Proposal on the Quantitative Homogeneity Analysis Method of SEM Images for Material Inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Song Hyun; Kim, Jong Woo; Shin, Chang Ho; Choi, Jung-Hoon; Cho, In-Hak; Park, Hwan Seo

2015-01-01

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a method to inspect the surface microstructure of materials. The SEM uses electron beams for imaging high magnifications of material surfaces; therefore, various chemical analyses can be performed from the SEM images. Therefore, it is widely used for the material inspection, chemical characteristic analysis, and biological analysis. For the nuclear criticality analysis field, it is an important parameter to check the homogeneity of the compound material for using it in the nuclear system. In our previous study, the SEM was tried to use for the homogeneity analysis of the materials. In this study, a quantitative homogeneity analysis method of SEM images is proposed for the material inspections. The method is based on the stochastic analysis method with the information of the grayscales of the SEM images

Direct measurement of newly synthesized ATP dissociation kinetics in sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teruel-Puche, J.; Kurzmack, M.; Inesi, G.

1987-01-01

Incubation of SR vesicles with Ca 2+ and ( 32 P)acetylphosphate, yields steady state levels of ( 32 P)phosphorylated enzyme (ATPase) intermediate and high concentrations of Ca 2+ in the lumen of the vesicles. At this time, addition of ADP (and EGTA to lower the Ca 2+ concentration in the medium outside the vesicles) results in single cycle formation of (γ- 32 P)ATP by transfer of ( 32 P)phosphate from the enzyme intermediate to ADP. The phosphoenzyme decay and ATP formation exhibit a fast component within the first 20 msec following addition of ADP, and a slower component reaching an asymptote in approximately 100 msec. They have now measured by a rapid filtration method the fraction of newly synthesized ATP which is bound to the enzyme, as opposed to the fraction dissociated into the medium. They find that nearly all the ATP formed during the initial burst is still bound to the enzyme within the initial 20 msec of reaction. Dissociation of newly synthesized ATP occurs then with approximately 13 sec -1 rate constant, permitting reequilibration of the system and further formation of ATP. The rate limiting effect of ATP dissociation and other partial reactions on the slow component of single cycle ATP synthesis is evaluated by appropriate kinetic simulations

Newly elected IAEA Board of Governors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

The document gives information about the election of 11 Member States to the IAEA Board of Governors, the 35-member policy-making body, during the 45th regular session of the IAEA's General Conference (17-21 September 2001, Austria Center, Vienna). The newly elected Member States are: Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Chile, Colombia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kuwait, Morocco, Philippines, Romania, Spain, and Turkey. The other 24 Member States of the Board are also given

Health problems of newly arrived migrants and refugees in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Pavli, Androula; Maltezou, Helena

2017-07-01

The number of migrants and refugees in Europe in the past few years has increased dramatically due to war, violence or prosecutions in their homeland. Migration may affect physical, mental and social health. The objective of this article is to assess migrants and refugees' health problems, and to recommend appropriate interventions. A PubMed search of published articles on health problems of newly arrived migrants and refugees was conducted from 2003 through 2016, focusing on the current refugee crisis in Europe. In addition to communicable diseases, such as respiratory, gastrointestinal and dermatologic infections, non-communicable diseases, including chronic conditions, mental and social problems, account for a significant morbidity burden in newly arrived migrants and refugees. Vaccine-preventable diseases are also of outmost importance. The appropriate management of newly arrived refugees and migrants' health problems is affected by barriers to access to health care including legal, communication, cultural and bureaucratic difficulties. There is diversity and lack of integration regarding health care provision across Europe due to policy differences between health care systems and social services. There is a notable burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases among newly arrived migrants and refugees. Provision of health care at reception and temporary centres should be integrated and provided by a multidisciplinary team Appropriate health care of migrants and refugees could greatly enhance their health and social status which will benefit also the host countries at large. © International Society of Travel Medicine, 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Study on time properties of newly type inorganic scintillator cerium fluoride (CeF3)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Mengchun; Zhou Dianzhong; Guo Cun; Ye Wenying

2003-01-01

CeF 3 is a newly fast time response inorganic scintillator, the time characteristics of which, developed in recent country in nearly year were studied in our works. The time characteristics are rise time, FWHM time and fall time for fast pulse radiation source. As the same time, authors have calculated and used the formula of pulse method gain to the decay time constant of crystal shining, the decay time constant measured is the same to the results of foreign references

10-GHz return-to-zero pulse source tunable in wavelength with a single- or multiwavelength output based on four-wave mixing in a newly developed highly nonlinear fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, A. T.; Oxenlowe, L.; Peucheret, Christophe

2001-01-01

In this letter, a novel scheme for a wavelength-tunable pulse source (WTPS) is proposed and characterized. It is based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in a newly developed highly nonlinear fiber between a return-to-zero (RZ) pulsed signal at a fixed wavelength and a continuous wave probe tunable...

Mercury content in fish from newly impounded reservoirs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frick, K.

1992-12-01

During the seventies elevated mercury content in fish was observed in newly created reservoirs although background levels were normal. The initial rise of reservoir mercury levels is probably caused by the dramatically increased amount of organic matter originating from flooded top-soil and vegetation. Mercury is introduced in the food-chain by methylating bacteria that utilize the surplus of organic matter. This microbial methylation is probably also favoured by reductions in oxygen content and pH that accompanies the decomposition of organic material. It is difficult to make reliable estimates of the duration and maximum levels of the elevated mercury levels since the end result is affected by several biological and chemical processes in combination. Variations may occur on the basis of the type and amount of flooded organic and inorganic material, water chemistry, specific combination of fish and residence time of reservoir water. All available preventive and ameliorating measures are untried in reservoir water bodies, at least in large scale experiments. Vegetation and top-soil stripping could be efficient but also very costly. Liming is a possible method in cases of ongoing or expected acidification. Addition of selenium is a potentially powerful way of lowering the mercury content in fish and this method is well suited to neutral water bodies. Large reductions in fish mercury content have been documented, but since selenium also has been shown to have strong negative effects on biota this method is not yet recommended. (57 refs.)

Discrimination between Newly Formed and Aged Thrombi Using Empirical Mode Decomposition of Ultrasound B-Scan Image

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jui Fang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Ultrasound imaging is a first-line diagnostic method for screening the thrombus. During thrombus aging, the proportion of red blood cells (RBCs in the thrombus decreases and therefore the signal intensity of B-scan can be used to detect the thrombus age. To avoid the effect of system gain on the measurements, this study proposed using the empirical mode decomposition (EMD of ultrasound image as a strategy to classify newly formed and aged thrombi. Porcine blood samples were used for the in vitro induction of fresh and aged thrombi (at hematocrits of 40%. Each thrombus was imaged using an ultrasound scanner at different gains (15, 20, and 30 dB. Then, EMD of ultrasound signals was performed to obtain the first and second intrinsic mode functions (IMFs, which were further used to calculate the IMF-based echogenicity ratio (IER. The results showed that the performance of using signal amplitude of B-scan to reflect the thrombus age depends on gain. However, the IER is less affected by the gain in discriminating between fresh and aged thrombi. In the future, ultrasound B-scan combined with the EMD may be used to identify the thrombus age for the establishment of thrombolytic treatment planning.

A model for mentoring newly-appointed nurse educators in nursing education institutions in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eunice Seekoe

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Background: South Africa transformed higher education through the enactment of the Higher Education Act (No. 101 of 1997. The researcher identified the need to develop a model for the mentoring of newly-appointed nurse educators in nursing education institutions in South Africa. Objectives: To develop and describe the model for mentoring newly-appointed nurse educators in nursing education institutions in South Africa. Method: A qualitative and theory-generating design was used (following empirical findings regarding needs analysis in order to develop the model. The conceptualisation of the framework focused on the context, content, process and the theoretical domains that influenced the model. Ideas from different theories were borrowed from and integrated with the literature and deductive and inductive strategies were applied. Results: The structure of the model is multidimensional and complex in nature (macro, mesoand micro based on the philosophy of reflective practice, competency-based practice andcritical learning theories. The assumptions are in relation to stakeholders, context, mentoring, outcome, process and dynamic. The stakeholders are the mentor and mentee within an interactive participatory relationship. The mentoring takes place within the process with a sequence of activities such as relationship building, development, engagement, reflective process and assessment. Capacity building and empowerment are outcomes of mentoring driven by motivation. Conclusion: The implication for nurse managers is that the model can be used to develop mentoring programmes for newly-appointed nurse educators.

Nonlinear Geometric Warping of the Mask Image: A New Method for Reducing Misregistration Artifacts in Digital Subtraction Angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Nobushige; Sakai, Toyohiko; Kitagawa, Manabu; Inagaki, Rika; Sadato, Norihiro; Ishii, Yasushi; Nishimoto, Yasuhiro; Tanaka, Masato; Fukushima, Tetsuya; Komuro, Hiroyuki; Ogura, Hisakazu; Kobayashi, Hidenori; Kubota, Toshihiko

1998-01-01

Purpose: Misregistration artifact is the major cause of image degradation in digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a newly developed nonlinear geometric warping method to reduce misregistration artifact in DSA. Methods: The processing of the images was carried out on a workstation with a fully automatic computerized program. After making differential images with a lapracian filter, 49 regions of interest (ROIs) were set in the image to be processed. Each ROI of the live image scanned the corresponding ROI of the mask image searching for the best position to match itself. Each pixel of the mask image was shifted individually following the data calculated from the shifts of the ROIs. Five radiologists compared the images produced by the conventional parallel shift technique and those processed with this new method in 16 series of cerebral DSA. Results: In 14 of 16 series (88%), more radiologists judged the images processed with the new method to be better in quality. Small arteries near the skull base and veins of low density were clearly visualized in the images processed by the new method. Conclusion: This newly proposed method could be a simple and practical way to automatically reduce misregistration artifacts in DSA

TH-AB-207A-07: Radiation Dose Simulation for a Newly Proposed Dynamic Bowtie Filters for CT Using Fast Monte Carlo Methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, T; Lin, H; Gao, Y; Caracappa, P; Wang, G; Cong, W; Xu, X [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Dynamic bowtie filter is an innovative design capable of modulating the X-ray and balancing the flux in the detectors, and it introduces a new way of patient-specific CT scan optimizations. This study demonstrates the feasibility of performing fast Monte Carlo dose calculation for a type of dynamic bowtie filter for cone-beam CT (Liu et al. 2014 9(7) PloS one) using MIC coprocessors. Methods: The dynamic bowtie filter in question consists of a highly attenuating bowtie component (HB) and a weakly attenuating bowtie (WB). The HB is filled with CeCl3 solution and its surface is defined by a transcendental equation. The WB is an elliptical cylinder filled with air and immersed in the HB. As the scanner rotates, the orientation of WB remains the same with the static patient. In our Monte Carlo simulation, the HB was approximated by 576 boxes. The phantom was a voxelized elliptical cylinder composed of PMMA and surrounded by air (44cm×44cm×40cm, 1000×1000×1 voxels). The dose to the PMMA phantom was tallied with 0.15% statistical uncertainty under 100 kVp source. Two Monte Carlo codes ARCHER and MCNP-6.1 were compared. Both used double-precision. Compiler flags that may trade accuracy for speed were avoided. Results: The wall time of the simulation was 25.4 seconds by ARCHER on a 5110P MIC, 40 seconds on a X5650 CPU, and 523 seconds by the multithreaded MCNP on the same CPU. The high performance of ARCHER is attributed to the parameterized geometry and vectorization of the program hotspots. Conclusion: The dynamic bowtie filter modeled in this study is able to effectively reduce the dynamic range of the detected signals for the photon-counting detectors. With appropriate software optimization methods, the accelerator-based (MIC and GPU) Monte Carlo dose engines have shown good performance and can contribute to patient-specific CT scan optimizations.

Radiation therapy of newly diagnosed, advanced prostatic cancer and hormonally relapsed prostatic cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Minoru; Fujiwara, Kazuhisa; Hayakawa, Katsumi; Hida, Shuichi

1994-01-01

Ten patients with newly diagnosed, advanced prostatic cancer were treated with radiotherapy and hormone therapy to improve tumor control and survival. Eight patients with hormonally relapsed prostatic cancer were treated with radiotherapy to improve their quality of life. Local control of the tumor was achieved in 9 of 10 patients with newly diagnosed, advanced prostatic cancer. Five of eight patients with hormonally relapsed prostatic cancer obtained improved quality of life. Combined radiotherapy and hormone therapy were effective in the treatment of newly diagnosed, advanced prostatic cancer, and radiotherapy was useful for improving the quality of life of patients with hormonally relapsed prostatic cancer. (author)

Three Newly Naturalized Plants in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Jer Jung

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Three newly naturalized plants are reported in this paper. Hypochaeris microcephala (Sch. Bip. Cabrera var. albiflora (Kuntze Cabrera (Asteraceae is naturalized in urban areas of northern Taiwan. Indigofera pseudo-tinctoria Matsum. (Leguminosae is naturalized in low elevations of northern and southern Taiwan and in middle elevations of central Taiwan. Lamium purpureum L. (Laminaceae has become naturalized locally in middle elevations of central Taiwan. Descriptions, illustrations and color photos of these plants are provided.

Detailed adsorption mechanism of plasmid DNA by newly isolated cellulose from waste flower spikes of Thypa latifolia using quantum chemical calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Mujtaba, Muhammad; Kaya, Murat; Akyuz, Lalehan; Erdonmez, Demet; Akyuz, Bahar; Sargin, Idris

2017-09-01

Current study was designed to use the newly obtained cellulose from waste flower spikes of Thypa latifolia plant for plasmid DNA adsorption. Cellulose was isolated according to a previously described method including acid and base treatment, and cellulose content was recorded as 17%. T. latifolia cellulose was physicochemically characterized via FT-IR, TGA and SEM techniques. Detailed mechanism of plasmid DNA adsorption by newly isolated cellulose was described using chemical quantum calculations. To check the effect of Cu ++ immobilization on the affinity of cellulose for plasmid DNA, copper ions were immobilized onto T. latifolia cellulose. pUC18 plasmid DNA was used for adsorption studies. Membranes prepared with only T. latifolia cellulose and Cu ++ immobilized T. latifolia cellulose revealed different adsorption ratios as 43.9 and 86.9% respectively. This newly isolated cellulose from waste flower spikes of T. latifolia can be utilized as a suitable carrier for plasmid DNA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A proposed method of measuring the electric-dipole moment of the neutron by ultracold neutron interferometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freedman, M.S.; Peshkin, M.; Ringo, G.R.; Dombeck, T.W.

1989-08-01

The use of an ultracold neutron interferometer incorporating an electrostatic accelerator having a strong electric field gradient to accelerate neutrons by their possible electric dipole moment is proposed as a method of measuring the neutron electric dipole moment. The method appears to have the possibility of extending the sensitivity of the measurement by several orders of magnitude, perhaps to 10 -30 e-cm. 9 refs., 3 figs

Statistical approaches to use a model organism for regulatory sequences annotation of newly sequenced species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietro Liò

Full Text Available A major goal of bioinformatics is the characterization of transcription factors and the transcriptional programs they regulate. Given the speed of genome sequencing, we would like to quickly annotate regulatory sequences in newly-sequenced genomes. In such cases, it would be helpful to predict sequence motifs by using experimental data from closely related model organism. Here we present a general algorithm that allow to identify transcription factor binding sites in one newly sequenced species by performing Bayesian regression on the annotated species. First we set the rationale of our method by applying it within the same species, then we extend it to use data available in closely related species. Finally, we generalise the method to handle the case when a certain number of experiments, from several species close to the species on which to make inference, are available. In order to show the performance of the method, we analyse three functionally related networks in the Ascomycota. Two gene network case studies are related to the G2/M phase of the Ascomycota cell cycle; the third is related to morphogenesis. We also compared the method with MatrixReduce and discuss other types of validation and tests. The first network is well known and provides a biological validation test of the method. The two cell cycle case studies, where the gene network size is conserved, demonstrate an effective utility in annotating new species sequences using all the available replicas from model species. The third case, where the gene network size varies among species, shows that the combination of information is less powerful but is still informative. Our methodology is quite general and could be extended to integrate other high-throughput data from model organisms.

Adjoint-based Mesh Optimization Method: The Development and Application for Nuclear Fuel Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, Seongmin; Lee, Jeong Ik

2016-01-01

In this research, methods for optimizing mesh distribution is proposed. The proposed method uses adjoint base optimization method (adjoint method). The optimized result will be obtained by applying this meshing technique to the existing code input deck and will be compared to the results produced from the uniform meshing method. Numerical solutions are calculated form an in-house 1D Finite Difference Method code while neglecting the axial conduction. The fuel radial node optimization was first performed to match the Fuel Centerline Temperature (FCT) the best. This was followed by optimizing the axial node which the Peak Cladding Temperature (PCT) is matched the best. After obtaining the optimized radial and axial nodes, the nodalization is implemented into the system analysis code and transient analyses were performed to observe the optimum nodalization performance. The developed adjoint-based mesh optimization method in the study is applied to MARS-KS, which is a nuclear system analysis code. Results show that the newly established method yields better results than that of the uniform meshing method from the numerical point of view. It is again stressed that the optimized mesh for the steady state can also give better numerical results even during a transient analysis

An Efficient Feature Extraction Method with Pseudo-Zernike Moment in RBF Neural Network-Based Human Face Recognition System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmadi Majid

2003-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a novel method for the recognition of human faces in digital images using a new feature extraction method that combines the global and local information in frontal view of facial images. Radial basis function (RBF neural network with a hybrid learning algorithm (HLA has been used as a classifier. The proposed feature extraction method includes human face localization derived from the shape information. An efficient distance measure as facial candidate threshold (FCT is defined to distinguish between face and nonface images. Pseudo-Zernike moment invariant (PZMI with an efficient method for selecting moment order has been used. A newly defined parameter named axis correction ratio (ACR of images for disregarding irrelevant information of face images is introduced. In this paper, the effect of these parameters in disregarding irrelevant information in recognition rate improvement is studied. Also we evaluate the effect of orders of PZMI in recognition rate of the proposed technique as well as RBF neural network learning speed. Simulation results on the face database of Olivetti Research Laboratory (ORL indicate that the proposed method for human face recognition yielded a recognition rate of 99.3%.

Validation of mentorship model for newly qualified professional ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Newly qualified professional nurses (NQPNs) allocated to community health care services require the use of validated model to practice independently. Validation was done to adapt and assess if the model is understood and could be implemented by NQPNs and mentors employed in community health care services.

Determination of the oxidizing property: proposal of an alternative method based on differential scanning calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gigante, L.; Dellavedova, M.; Pasturenzi, C.; Lunghi, A.; Mattarella, M.; Cardillo, P.

2008-01-01

Determination of chemical-physical and hazardous properties of substances is a very important matter in the chemical industry, considering the growing attention of public opinion regarding safety and eco-compatibility aspects of products. In the present work, attention was focused on characterization of oxidizing properties. In case of solid compounds, the current method (Dir 84/449/CEE 6) compares the maximum combustion rate of the examined substance to the maximum combustion rate of a reference mixture. This method shows a lot of disvantages and does not provide a quantitative result. In the following work an alternative method, based on DSC measurements, is proposed for the determination of oxidizing properties. [it

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asayama, Tai

2009-01-01

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

Proposal for a method to estimate nutrient shock effects in bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azevedo Nuno F

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Plating methods are still the golden standard in microbiology; however, some studies have shown that these techniques can underestimate the microbial concentrations and diversity. A nutrient shock is one of the mechanisms proposed to explain this phenomenon. In this study, a tentative method to assess nutrient shock effects was tested. Findings To estimate the extent of nutrient shock effects, two strains isolated from tap water (Sphingomonas capsulata and Methylobacterium sp. and two culture collection strains (E. coli CECT 434 and Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 were exposed both to low and high nutrient conditions for different times and then placed in low nutrient medium (R2A and rich nutrient medium (TSA. The average improvement (A.I. of recovery between R2A and TSA for the different times was calculated to more simply assess the difference obtained in culturability between each medium. As expected, A.I. was higher when cells were plated after the exposition to water than when they were recovered from high-nutrient medium showing the existence of a nutrient shock for the diverse bacteria used. S. capsulata was the species most affected by this phenomenon. Conclusions This work provides a method to consistently determine the extent of nutrient shock effects on different microorganisms and hence quantify the ability of each species to deal with sudden increases in substrate concentration.

Newly divided eosinophils limit ozone-induced airway hyperreactivity in nonsensitized guinea pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Wicher, Sarah A; Jacoby, David B; Fryer, Allison D

2017-06-01

Ozone causes vagally mediated airway hyperreactivity and recruits inflammatory cells, including eosinophils, to lungs, where they mediate ozone-induced hyperreactivity 1 day after exposure but are paradoxically protective 3 days later. We aimed to test the role of newly divided eosinophils in ozone-induced airway hyperreactivity in sensitized and nonsensitized guinea pigs. Nonsensitized and sensitized guinea pigs were treated with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) to label newly divided cells and were exposed to air or ozone for 4 h. Later (1 or 3 days later), vagally induced bronchoconstriction was measured, and inflammatory cells were harvested from bone marrow, blood, and bronchoalveolar lavage. Ozone induced eosinophil hematopoiesis. One day after ozone, mature eosinophils dominate the inflammatory response and potentiate vagally induced bronchoconstriction. However, by 3 days, newly divided eosinophils have reached the lungs, where they inhibit ozone-induced airway hyperreactivity because depleting them with antibody to IL-5 or a TNF-α antagonist worsened vagally induced bronchoconstriction. In sensitized guinea pigs, both ozone-induced eosinophil hematopoiesis and subsequent recruitment of newly divided eosinophils to lungs 3 days later failed to occur. Thus mature eosinophils dominated the ozone-induced inflammatory response in sensitized guinea pigs. Depleting these mature eosinophils prevented ozone-induced airway hyperreactivity in sensitized animals. Ozone induces eosinophil hematopoiesis and recruitment to lungs, where 3 days later, newly divided eosinophils attenuate vagally mediated hyperreactivity. Ozone-induced hematopoiesis of beneficial eosinophils is blocked by a TNF-α antagonist or by prior sensitization. In these animals, mature eosinophils are associated with hyperreactivity. Thus interventions targeting eosinophils, although beneficial in atopic individuals, may delay resolution of airway hyperreactivity in nonatopic individuals. Copyright �

Contribution for an Urban Geomorphoheritage Assessment Method: Proposal from Three Geomorphosites in Rome (Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pica Alessia

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Urban geomorphology has important implications in spatial planning of human activities, and it also has a geotouristic potential due to the relationship between cultural and geomorphological heritage. Despite the introduction of the term Anthropocene to describe the deep influence that human activities have had in recent times on Earth evolution, urban geomorphological heritage studies are relatively rare and limited and urban geotourism development is recent. The analysis of the complex urban landscape often need the integration of multidisciplinary data. This study aims to propose the first urban geomorphoheritage assessment method, which originates after long-lasting previous geomorphological and geotouristic studies on Rome city centre, it depict rare examples of the geomorphological mapping of a metropolis and, at the same time, of an inventory of urban geomorphosites. The proposal is applied to geomorphosites in the Esquilino neighbourhood of Rome, whose analysis confirm the need for an ad hoc method for assessing urban geomorphosites, as already highlighted in the most recent literature on the topic. The urban geomorphoheritage assessment method is based on: (i the urban geomorphological analysis by means of multitemporal and multidisciplinary data; (ii the geomorphosite inventory; and (iii the geomorphoheritage assessment and enhancement. One challenge is to assess invisible geomorphosites that are widespread in urban context. To this aim, we reworked the attributes describing the Value of a site for Geotourism in order to build up a specific methodology for the analysis of the urban geomorphological heritage.

Neuropsychological and psychological interventions for people with newly diagnosed epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Cerian F; Makin, Selina M; Baker, Gus A

2015-07-22

Many people with epilepsy report experiencing psychological difficulties such as anxiety, depression and neuropsychological deficits including memory problems. Research has shown that these difficulties are often present not only for people with chronic epilepsy but also for people with newly diagnosed epilepsy. Despite this, there are very few published interventions that detail means to help people with newly diagnosed epilepsy manage these problems. To identify and assess possible psychological and neuropsychological interventions for adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy. We searched the following databases on 30 June 2015: the Cochrane Epilepsy Group Specialized Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Ovid), SCOPUS, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). This review includes all randomised controlled trials, quasi-randomised controlled trials, prospective cohort controlled studies, and prospective before and after studies which include psychological or neuropsychological interventions for people with newly diagnosed epilepsy. We excluded studies that included people with epilepsy and any other psychological disorder or neurological condition. We excluded studies carried out which recruited only children. We used the standard methodological procedure expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. Two authors independently completed data extraction and risk of bias analysis. The results of this were cross-checked and third author resolved any discrepancies. In the event of missing data, we contacted the study authors. Meta-analysis was not completed due to differences in the intervention and outcomes reported in the two studies. We included two randomised controlled trials assessing psychological interventions for people with newly diagnosed epilepsy. One study assessed a cognitive behavioural intervention (CBI) in an adolescent

The k-ε-fP model applied to double wind turbine wakes using different actuator disk force methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laan, van der, Paul Maarten; Sørensen, Niels N.; Réthoré, Pierre-Elouan

2015-01-01

The newly developed k-ε-fP  eddy viscosity model is applied to double wind turbine wake configurations in a neutral atmospheric boundary layer, using a Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes solver. The wind turbines are represented by actuator disks. A proposed variable actuator disk force method...... two methods overpredict it. The results of the k-ε-fP  eddy viscosity model are also compared with the original k-ε eddy viscosity model and large-eddy simulations. Compared to the large-eddy simulations-predicted velocity and power deficits, the k-ε-fP  is superior to the original k-ε model...

Linearized image reconstruction method for ultrasound modulated electrical impedance tomography based on power density distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Xizi; Xu, Yanbin; Dong, Feng

2017-01-01

Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) is a promising measurement technique with important industrial and clinical applications. However, with limited effective measurements, it suffers from poor spatial resolution due to the ill-posedness of the inverse problem. Recently, there has been an increasing research interest in hybrid imaging techniques, utilizing couplings of physical modalities, because these techniques obtain much more effective measurement information and promise high resolution. Ultrasound modulated electrical impedance tomography (UMEIT) is one of the newly developed hybrid imaging techniques, which combines electric and acoustic modalities. A linearized image reconstruction method based on power density is proposed for UMEIT. The interior data, power density distribution, is adopted to reconstruct the conductivity distribution with the proposed image reconstruction method. At the same time, relating the power density change to the change in conductivity, the Jacobian matrix is employed to make the nonlinear problem into a linear one. The analytic formulation of this Jacobian matrix is derived and its effectiveness is also verified. In addition, different excitation patterns are tested and analyzed, and opposite excitation provides the best performance with the proposed method. Also, multiple power density distributions are combined to implement image reconstruction. Finally, image reconstruction is implemented with the linear back-projection (LBP) algorithm. Compared with ERT, with the proposed image reconstruction method, UMEIT can produce reconstructed images with higher quality and better quantitative evaluation results. (paper)

Hope, emotion regulation, and psychosocial well-being in patients newly diagnosed with cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Peh, Chao Xu; Kua, Ee Heok; Mahendran, Rathi

2016-05-01

Patients newly diagnosed with cancer are often confronted with feelings of uncertainty and life threat. A significant proportion may report impairments in psychosocial well-being. Previous studies examining protective psychological factors such as hope and emotion regulation (ER) have yet to investigate these processes concurrently within a common self-regulation framework and/or focus on newly diagnosed patients. The present study aimed to examine how hope and ER may relate to psychosocial outcomes of patients newly diagnosed with cancer. The present study used a cross-sectional design with self-report questionnaires. Participants were newly diagnosed patients (N = 101) recruited from three cancer therapy clinics in a hospital. Patients completed measures of hope, ER (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and psychosocial well-being (life satisfaction and negative affectivity). Findings showed that (1) hope and reappraisal, but not suppression, were associated with well-being and (2) the interaction between hope and reappraisal was associated with well-being; reappraisal was not associated with well-being in high hope patients, while high reappraisal was associated with better well-being in low hope patients. Individual differences in hope and reappraisal appeared to be associated with psychosocial outcomes in newly diagnosed cancer patients. Hopeful thinking appeared to benefit patients' psychosocial well-being. In addition, an interaction effect between hope and reappraisal suggested that reappraisal as an ER strategy may be particularly adaptive for patients with low hope.

Revisiting the emissions-energy-trade nexus: evidence from the newly industrializing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Khalid; Shahbaz, Muhammad; Kyophilavong, Phouphet

2016-04-01

This paper applies Pedroni's panel cointegration approach to explore the causal relationship between trade openness, carbon dioxide emissions, energy consumption, and economic growth for the panel of newly industrialized economies (i.e., Brazil, India, China, and South Africa) over the period of 1970-2013. Our panel cointegration estimation results found majority of the variables cointegrated and confirm the long-run association among the variables. The Granger causality test indicates bidirectional causality between carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption. A unidirectional causality is found running from trade openness to carbon dioxide emission and energy consumption and economic growth to carbon dioxide emissions. The results of causality analysis suggest that the trade liberalization in newly industrialized economies induces higher energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, the causality results are checked using an innovative accounting approach which includes forecast-error variance decomposition test and impulse response function. The long-run coefficients are estimated using fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) method, and results conclude that the trade openness and economic growth reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the long run. The results of FMOLS test sound the existence of environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. It means that trade liberalization induces carbon dioxide emission with increased national output, but it offsets that impact in the long run with reduced level of carbon dioxide emissions.

A proposal of parameter determination method in the residual strength degradation model for the prediction of fatigue life (I)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sang Tae; Jang, Seong Soo

2001-01-01

The static and fatigue tests have been carried out to verify the validity of a generalized residual strength degradation model. And a new method of parameter determination in the model is verified experimentally to account for the effect of tension-compression fatigue loading of spheroidal graphite cast iron. It is shown that the correlation between the experimental results and the theoretical prediction on the statistical distribution of fatigue life by using the proposed method is very reasonable. Furthermore, it is found that the correlation between the theoretical prediction and the experimental results of fatigue life in case of tension-tension fatigue data in composite material appears to be reasonable. Therefore, the proposed method is more adjustable in the determination of the parameter than maximum likelihood method and minimization technique

Precision of glucose measurements in control sera by isotope dilution/mass spectrometry: proposed definitive method compared with a reference method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pelletier, O.; Arratoon, C.

1987-01-01

This improved isotope-dilution gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) method, in which [ 13 C]glucose is the internal standard, meets the requirements of a Definitive Method. In a first study with five reconstituted lyophilized sera, a nested analysis of variance of GC/MS values indicated considerable among-vial variation. The CV for 32 measurements per serum ranged from 0.5 to 0.9%. However, concentration and uncertainty values (mmol/L per gram of serum) assigned to one serum by the NBS Definitive Method (7.56 +/- 0.28) were practically identical to those obtained with the proposed method (7.57 +/- 0.20). In the second study, we used twice more [ 13 C]glucose diluent to assay four serum pools and two lyophilized sera. The CV ranged from 0.26 to 0.5% for the serum pools and from 0.28 to 0.59% for the lyophilized sera. In comparison, results by the hexokinase/glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase reference method agreed within acceptable limits with those by the Definitive Method but tended to be slightly higher (up to 3%) for lyophilized serum samples or slightly lower (up to 2.5%) for serum pools

Principles, Methods of Participatory Research: Proposal for Draft Animal Power

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Chia

2004-03-01

Full Text Available The meeting of researchers, who question themselves on the efficiency of their actions when they accompany stakeholders during change processes, provides the opportunity to ponder on the research methods to develop when working together with the stakeholders: participative research, research-action, research-intervention… The author proposes to present the research-action approach as new. If the three phases of research-action are important, the negotiation phase is essential, because it enables contract formalization among partners (ethical aspect, development of a common language, and formalization of structuring efforts between researchers with various specialties and stakeholders. In the research-action approach, the managing set-ups (scientific committees… play a major role: they guarantee at the same time a solution to problems, production, and the legitimacy of the scientific knowledge produced. In conclusion, the author suggests ways to develop research-action in the field of animal traction in order to conceive new socio-technical and organizational innovations that will make the use of this technique easier.

Proposal for a new detection method of substance abuse risk in Croatian adolescents

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Sanja Tatalovic Vorkapic

2011-01-01

Full Text Available One of the most important factors of successful substance abuse treatment is the early start of the same treatment. Recent selection method for identification of Croatian adolescents in the substance abuse risk that has been using drug tests from urine samples, has been simple and exact on the one hand, but on the other, has been very rare and usually guided by the pressure of parents or the court. Besides, such method presented the source of legal and ethical questions. So, the proposal of application of standardized psychological tests during systematic medical exams of Croatian adolescents at the age range of 15-22 years could help with the early detection of those adolescents who were in the substance abuse risk or already had the developed addiction problem.

DISABILITIES OF HANDS, FEET AND EYES IN NEWLY-DIAGNOSED LEPROSY PATIENTS IN EASTERN NEPAL

NARCIS (Netherlands)

SCHIPPER, A; LUBBERS, WJ; HOGEWEG, M; DESOLDENHOFF, R

The objective of the study was to determine the magnitude of hand/feet/eye disabilities in newly diagnosed leprosy patients by examining all newly diagnosed leprosy patients who presented at the Eastern Leprosy Control Project (supported by The Netherlands Leprosy Relief Association), made up of a

Delivering the diabetes education and self management for ongoing and newly diagnosed (DESMOND) programme for people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gillett, M.; Dallosso, H. M.; Dixon, S.

2010-01-01

intervention is £82 (-£831 to £1010) and the mean incremental cost per QALY gained is £2092. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that the likelihood that the DESMOND programme is cost effective at a threshold of £20 000 per QALY is 66% using trial based intervention costs and 70% using "real world......Objectives: To assess the long term clinical and cost effectiveness of the diabetes education and self management for ongoing and newly diagnosed (DESMOND) intervention compared with usual care in people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Design: We undertook a cost-utility analysis that used...... data from a 12 month, multicentre, cluster randomised controlled trial and, using the Sheffield type 2 diabetes model, modelled long term outcomes in terms of use of therapies, incidence of complications, mortality, and associated effect on costs and health related quality of life. A further cost...

Newly-graduated midwives transcending barriers: a grounded theory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Barry, Michele J; Hauck, Yvonne L; O'Donoghue, Thomas; Clarke, Simon

2013-12-01

Midwifery has developed its own philosophy to formalise its unique identity as a profession. Newly-graduated midwives are taught, and ideally embrace, this philosophy during their education. However, embarking in their career within a predominantly institutionalised and the medically focused health-care model may challenge this application. The research question guiding this study was as follows: 'How do newly graduated midwives deal with applying the philosophy of midwifery in their first six months of practice?' The aim was to generate a grounded theory around this social process. This Western Australian grounded theory study is conceptualised within the social theory of symbolic interactionism. Data were collected by means of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 11 recent midwifery graduates. Participant and interviewer's journals provided supplementary data. The 'constant comparison' approach was used for data analysis. The substantive theory of transcending barriers was generated. Three stages in transcending barriers were identified: Addressing personal attributes, Understanding the 'bigger picture', and finally, 'Evaluating, planning and acting' to provide woman-centred care. An overview of these three stages provides the focus of this article. The theory of transcending barriers provides a new perspective on how newly-graduated midwives deal with applying the philosophy of midwifery in their first six months of practice. A number of implications for pre and post registration midwifery education and policy development are suggested, as well as recommendations for future research. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Will heavy metals in the soils of newly submerged areas threaten the water quality of Danjiangkou Reservoir, China?

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Zhixin; Shan, Baoqing; Tang, Wenzhong; Zhang, Chao

2017-10-01

Soil heavy metal contents were measured in newly submerged areas of the Danjiangkou Reservoir, China. We aimed to determine the heavy metal distribution in this area and the associated ecological risk. Most of these heavy metal contents (except Pb and Mn) suggest enrichment compared with the background values of soils from Henan Province, especially As and Cd with mean geo-accumulation index (I geo ) values of 0.84 and 0.54. The spatial analysis results indicated that the highest heavy metal contents were distributed in the arable soils above 160m elevation, whereas low heavy metal contents were observed under other land-use types above 160m elevation. According to I geo and EF values, Cd was the major heavy metal contaminant in the newly submerged area, Cr, Pb and Mn mainly originated from natural geochemical sources. In contrast, Ni, Cd, As, Cu, and Zn mainly originated from anthropogenic sources. Evaluation using the potential ecological risk (PER) method indicated that PER of individual elements were low in the studied soils, and the comprehensive PER index was at a moderate level, indicating heavy metals in the soils of newly submerged areas may not threaten the water quality of Danjiangkou Reservoir, especially in winter. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Production of enzymes by a newly isolated Bacillus sp. TMF-1 in solid state fermentation on agricultural by-products: The evaluation of substrate pretreatment methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Salim, Abdalla Ali; Grbavčić, Sanja; Šekuljica, Nataša; Stefanović, Andrea; Jakovetić Tanasković, Sonja; Luković, Nevena; Knežević-Jugović, Zorica

2017-03-01

Study on potential of different agro-industrial waste residues for supporting the growth of newly isolated Bacillus sp. TMF-1 strain under solid-state fermentation (SSF) was conducted aiming to produce several industrially valuable enzymes. Since the feasibility of the initial study was confirmed, further objectives included evaluation of several pretreatments of the studied agricultural by-products (soybean meal, sunflower meal, maize bran, maize pericarp, olive oil cake and wheat bran) on the microbial productivity as means of enhancing the yields of produced proteases, α-amylases, cellulases and pectinases. Among acid/alkaline treatment, ultrasound and microwave assisted methods, chemical treatments superiorly affected most of the studied substrates. Highest yields of produced proteases (50.5IUg -1 ) and α-amylases (50.75IUg -1 ) were achieved on alkaline treated corn pericarp. Alkaline treatment also promoted the secretion of cellulases on maize bran (1.19IUg -1 ). Highest yield of pectinases was obtained on untreated soybean meal (64.90IUg -1 ). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PTSD's latent structure in Malaysian tsunami victims: assessing the newly proposed Dysphoric Arousal model.

Science.gov (United States)

Armour, Cherie; Raudzah Ghazali, Siti; Elklit, Ask

2013-03-30

The underlying latent structure of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is widely researched. However, despite a plethora of factor analytic studies, no single model has consistently been shown as superior to alternative models. The two most often supported models are the Emotional Numbing and the Dysphoria models. However, a recently proposed five-factor Dysphoric Arousal model has been gathering support over and above existing models. Data for the current study were gathered from Malaysian Tsunami survivors (N=250). Three competing models (Emotional Numbing/Dysphoria/Dysphoric Arousal) were specified and estimated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The Dysphoria model provided superior fit to the data compared to the Emotional Numbing model. However, using chi-square difference tests, the Dysphoric Arousal model showed a superior fit compared to both the Emotional Numbing and Dysphoria models. In conclusion, the current results suggest that the Dysphoric Arousal model better represents PTSD's latent structure and that items measuring sleeping difficulties, irritability/anger and concentration difficulties form a separate, unique PTSD factor. These results are discussed in relation to the role of Hyperarousal in PTSD's on-going symptom maintenance and in relation to the DSM-5. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physiological responses of newly hatched broiler chicks to increasing journey distance during road transportation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heshmatollah Khosravinia

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted to examine the effects on weight loss (WL, residual yolk (RY utilization and serum biochemical parameters of transport distance (TD in newly hatched broiler chicks. Just after hatching, 200 Ross 308 broiler chicks were traveled over 1000 km. At hatchery and after 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 km journey, a random sample of 20 birds were killed for blood collection, WL and yolk weight assessment. Live weight decreased linearly by 0.42 and 0.48 g per 100 km of journey in males and female chicks, respectively. Yolk sac residual utilized by 0.071 and 0.069 g per 100 km of travel in males and females chicks, respectively, over journey distances up to 800 km. Extended journey from 800 to 1000 km caused a great decline of 0.51 and 0.58 g per 100 km in yolk weight in male and female chicks, respectively. Serum Ca concentration reduced in TDs up to 400 km, then increased for longer journeys (P<0.05. Over 1000 km journey, serum GLU level of 196.24 mg/dL at hatchery was decreased to 117.31 mg/dL at the end of journey. Serum urea, uric acid and cholesterol concentrations were increased with the extended TDs (P<0.05. In conclusion increasing transportation distance causes intensified physiological stress in broiler chicks with varying effect on different stress indicators. Stress indicators in newly hatched chicks in transit may differ from those proposed for replaced chicks and the broiler chicken at later ages.

FIFRA Peer Review: Proposed Risk Assessment Methods Process

Science.gov (United States)

From September 11-14, 2012, EPA participated in a Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) meeting on a proposed pollinator risk assessment framework for determining the potential risks of pesticides to honey bees.

Newly graduated nurses' occupational commitment and its associations with professional competence and work-related factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Numminen, Olivia; Leino-Kilpi, Helena; Isoaho, Hannu; Meretoja, Riitta

2016-01-01

To explore newly graduated nurses' occupational commitment and its associations with their self-assessed professional competence and other work-related factors. As a factor affecting nurse turnover, newly graduated nurses' occupational commitment and its associations with work-related factors needs exploring to retain adequate workforce. Nurses' commitment has mainly been studied as organisational commitment, but newly graduated nurses' occupational commitment and its association with work-related factors needs further studying. This study used descriptive, cross-sectional, correlation design. A convenience sample of 318 newly graduated nurses in Finland participated responding to an electronic questionnaire. Statistical software, NCSS version 9, was used in data analysis. Frequencies, percentages, ranges, means and standard deviations summarised the data. Multivariate Analyses of Variance estimated associations between occupational commitment and work-related variables. IBM SPSS Amos version 22 estimated the model fit of Occupational Commitment Scale and Nurse Competence Scale. Newly graduated nurses' occupational commitment was good, affective commitment reaching the highest mean score. There was a significant difference between the nurse groups in favour of nurses at higher competence levels in all subscales except in limited alternatives occupational commitment. Multivariate analyses revealed significant associations between subscales of commitment and competence, turnover intentions, job satisfaction, earlier professional education and work sector, competence counting only through affective dimension. The association between occupational commitment and low turnover intentions and satisfaction with nursing occupation was strong. Higher general competence indicated higher overall occupational commitment. Managers' recognition of the influence of all dimensions of occupational commitment in newly graduated nurses' professional development is important. Follow

Newly-formed emotional memories guide selective attention processes: Evidence from event-related potentials

OpenAIRE

Harald T. Schupp; Ursula Kirmse; Ralf Schmälzle; Tobias Flaisch; Britta Renner

2016-01-01

Emotional cues can guide selective attention processes. However, emotional stimuli can both activate long-term memory representations reflecting general world knowledge and engage newly formed memory representations representing specific knowledge from the immediate past. Here, the self-completion feature of associative memory was utilized to assess the regulation of attention processes by newly-formed emotional memory. First, new memory representations were formed by presenting pictures depi...

The ties that bind. Proposed IRS regulations would put an organization's tax exemption at risk for the behavior of its executives and board.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Mark

2005-09-19

Newly proposed IRS regulations have a simple message for not-for-profit hospitals: If you want to keep your tax-exempt status, don't engage in excess-benefit transactions. The proposals arrive as compliance officers are paying more attention to the issue. "I wouldn't say that tax awareness is high, but it's higher than ever before," says Lisa Murtha, right.

Low vitamin B12 levels among newly-arrived refugees from Bhutan, Iran and Afghanistan: a multicentre Australian study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jill Benson

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Vitamin B12 deficiency is prevalent in many countries of origin of refugees. Using a threshold of 5% above which a prevalence of low Vitamin B12 is indicative of a population health problem, we hypothesised that Vitamin B12 deficiency exceeds this threshold among newly-arrived refugees resettling in Australia, and is higher among women due to their increased risk of food insecurity. This paper reports Vitamin B12 levels in a large cohort of newly arrived refugees in five Australian states and territories. METHODS: In a cross-sectional descriptive study, we collected Vitamin B12, folate and haematological indices on all refugees (n = 916; response rate 94% of eligible population who had been in Australia for less than one year, and attended one of the collaborating health services between July 2010 and July 2011. RESULTS: 16.5% of participants had Vitamin B12 deficiency (<150 pmol/L. One-third of participants from Iran and Bhutan, and one-quarter of participants from Afghanistan had Vitamin B12 deficiency. Contrary to our hypothesis, low Vitamin B12 levels were more prevalent in males than females. A higher prevalence of low Vitamin B12 was also reported in older age groups in some countries. The sensitivity of macrocytosis in detecting Vitamin B12 deficiency was only 4.6%. CONCLUSION: Vitamin B12 deficiency is an important population health issue in newly-arrived refugees from many countries. All newly-arrived refugees should be tested for Vitamin B12 deficiency. Ongoing research should investigate causes, treatment, and ways to mitigate food insecurity, and the contribution of such measures to enhancing the health of the refugee communities.

Proposed efficient method for ticket booking (PEMTB) | Ahmed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences. Journal Home ... We used angular JS, ionic for a front end and node.js, express.js for a back end and mongo DB for a database. ... Our proposed system is totally softcopy and in digitalized.

Proposal of Screening Method of Sleep Disordered Breathing Using Fiber Grating Vision Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Aoki, Hirooki; Nakamura, Hidetoshi; Nakajima, Masato

Every conventional respiration monitoring technique requires at least one sensor to be attached to the body of the subject during measurement, thereby imposing a sense of restraint that results in aversion against measurements that would last over consecutive days. To solve this problem, we developed a respiration monitoring system for sleepers, and it uses a fiber-grating vision sensor, which is a type of active image sensor to achieve non-contact respiration monitoring. In this paper, we verified the effectiveness of the system, and proposed screening method of the sleep disordered breathing. It was shown that our system could equivalently measure the respiration with thermistor and accelerograph. And, the respiratory condition of sleepers can be grasped by our screening method in one look, and it seems to be useful for the support of the screening of sleep disordered breathing.

Prognostic value of the serum free light chain ratio in newly diagnosed myeloma: proposed incorporation into the international staging system.

Science.gov (United States)

Snozek, C L H; Katzmann, J A; Kyle, R A; Dispenzieri, A; Larson, D R; Therneau, T M; Melton, L J; Kumar, S; Greipp, P R; Clark, R J; Rajkumar, S V

2008-10-01

To determine if the serum free light chain (FLC) ratio has prognostic value in patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM), baseline serum samples from a well-characterized cohort of 790 newly diagnosed MM patients were tested with the FLC assay. FLC ratio was calculated as kappa/lambda (reference range 0.26-1.65). On the basis of the distribution of values, a cutpoint kappa/lambda FLC ratio of 32 was chosen for further analysis. Overall survival was significantly inferior in patients with an abnormal FLC ratio of 32 (n=479) compared with those with an FLC ratio between 0.03 and 32 (n=311), with median survival of 30 versus 39 months, respectively. We incorporated abnormal FLC ratio with the International Staging System (ISS) risk factors (that is, albumin or=3.5 g/l), to create a risk stratification model with improved prognostic capabilities. Patients with 0, 1, 2 or 3 adverse risk factors had significantly different overall survival, with median survival times of 51, 39, 30 and 22 months, respectively (P<0.001). These findings suggest that the serum FLC ratio at initial diagnosis is an important predictor of prognosis in myeloma, and can be incorporated into the ISS for improved risk stratification.

Gammasphaerolipovirus, a newly proposed bacteriophage genus, unifies viruses of halophilic archaea and thermophilic bacteria within the novel family Sphaerolipoviridae.

Science.gov (United States)

Pawlowski, Alice; Rissanen, Ilona; Bamford, Jaana K H; Krupovic, Mart; Jalasvuori, Matti

2014-06-01

A new family of viruses named Sphaerolipoviridae has been proposed recently. It comprises icosahedral, tailless haloarchaeal viruses with an internal lipid membrane located between the protein capsid and the dsDNA genome. The proposed family Sphaerolipoviridae was divided into two genera: Alphasphaerolipovirus, including Haloarcula hispanica viruses SH1, PH1 and HHIV-2, and Betasphaerolipovirus, including Natrinema virus SNJ1. Here, we propose to expand the family Sphaerolipoviridae to include a group of bacteriophages infecting extreme thermophilic Thermus thermophilus and sharing a number of structural and genomic properties with archaeal sphaerolipoviruses. This new group comprises two members, lytic phage P23-77 and temperate phage IN93, as well as putative members P23-72 and P23-65H. In addition, several related proviruses have been discovered as integrated elements in bacterial genomes of the families Thermus and Meiothermus. Morphology of the virus particles and the overall capsid architecture of these bacteriophages resembles that of archaeal members of the Sphaerolipoviridae, including an unusual capsid arrangement in a T = 28 dextro lattice. Alpha- and betasphaerolipoviruses share with P23-77-like bacteriophages a conserved block of core genes that encode a putative genome-packaging ATPase and the two major capsid proteins (MCPs). The recently determined X-ray structure of the small and large MCPs of P23-77 revealed a single beta-barrel (jelly-roll) fold that is superimposable with the cryo-EM density maps of the SH1 capsomers. Given the common features of these viruses, we propose to include the so far unclassified P23-77-like bacteriophages into a new genus, "Gammasphaerolipovirus", within the family Sphaerolipoviridae.

Evaluation of newly developed veterinary portable blood glucose meter with hematocrit correction in dogs and cats.

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, Akihiro; Oda, Hitomi; Onozawa, Eri; Shono, Saori; Sako, Toshinori

2017-10-07

This study evaluated the accuracy of a newly developed veterinary portable blood glucose meter (PBGM) with hematocrit correction in dogs and cats. Sixty-one dogs and 31 cats were used for the current study. Blood samples were obtained from each dog and cat one to six times. Acceptable results were obtained in error grid analysis between PBGM and reference method values (glucose oxidation methods) in both dogs and cats. Bland-Altman plot analysis revealed a mean difference between the PBGM value and reference method value of -1.975 mg/dl (bias) in dogs and 1.339 mg/dl (bias) in cats. Hematocrit values did not affect the results of the veterinary PBGM. Therefore, this veterinary PBGM is clinically useful in dogs and cats.

Identifying Malnutrition: Nutritional Status in Newly Diagnosed Patients With Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnasamy, Karthikayini; Li Yoong, Tang; Mei Chan, Chong; Peng Choong, Lau; Chinna, Karuthan

2017-02-01

Malnutrition is common among patients with cancer, but little attention is given to its risks and consequences. The aim of this study is to assess the nutritional status and identify the factors associated with malnutrition among newly diagnosed patients with cancer. Patients admitted with newly diagnosed cancer at a teaching hospital in Malaysia were recruited from January to April 2015. Nutritional status was assessed before treatment initiation, and patients were classified into three categories. A total of 132 pretreatment patients were recruited into the study. About half were severely malnourished. Patients with stage III cancer had the highest prevalence of severe malnourishment. Clinical parameters and disease characteristics were significantly associated with nutritional status. Demographic variables were also statistically significantly associated with severe nutritional status.

Identification of oligo-N-glycolylneuraminic acid residues in mammal-derived glycoproteins by a newly developed immunochemical reagent and biochemical methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, C; Kitajima, K; Inoue, S; Inoue, Y

1998-01-30

The occurrence of the alpha2-->8-linked oligomeric form of N-glycolylneuraminic acid (oligo-Neu5Gc) residues in mammalian glycoproteins was unequivocally demonstrated using a newly developed anti-oligo/poly-Neu5Gc monoclonal antibody as well as by chemical and biochemical methods. First, the antibody, designated mAb.2-4B, which specifically recognized oligo/poly-Neu5Gc with a degree of polymerization of >2, was developed by establishing a hybridoma cell line from P3U1 myeloma cells fused with splenocytes from an MRL autoimmune mouse immunized with dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine-conjugated oligo/poly-Neu5Gc. Second, oligo-Neu5Gc was shown to occur in glycoproteins derived from pig spleen by Western blot analysis using mAb.2-4B, which was also confirmed by fluorometric high performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the product of periodate oxidation/reduction/acid hydrolysis of the purified glycopeptide fractions and by TLC and 600-MHz 1H NMR spectroscopic analysis of their mild acid hydrolysates. Finally, the ubiquitous occurrence of oligo-Neu5Gc chains as glycoproteinaceous components in Wistar rat tissue was immunochemically indicated. This is the first example demonstrating the diversity in oligo/poly-Sia structure in mammalian glycoproteins, where only poly-N-acetylneuraminic acid is known to occur. Such diversity in oligo/poly-Sia structure also implicates a diverged array of biological functions of this glycan unit in glycoproteins.

Assessment of metal retention in newly constructed highway embankments.

Science.gov (United States)

Werkenthin, Moritz; Kluge, Björn; Wessolek, Gerd

2016-12-01

Newly constructed embankments should provide both a specific bearing capacity to enable trafficability in emergency cases and a sufficient pollutant retention capacity to protect the groundwater. A number of lysimeters were installed along the A115 highway to determine total and dissolved metal concentrations in road runoff and in the soil solution of newly constructed embankments. Dissolved concentrations in soil solution of the embankments did not exceed the trigger values of the German legislation. Depending on the metal, total concentrations in soil solution were more than twice as high as dissolved concentrations. The high infiltration rates lead to increased groundwater recharge beneath the embankments (up to 4100 mm a -1 ). Although metal concentrations were not problematic from the legislators' point of view, the elevated infiltration rates beside the road facilitated the transfer of high metal loads into deeper soil layers and potentially into the groundwater as well.

Workplace Violence and Job Outcomes of Newly Licensed Nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Hyoung Eun; Cho, Sung-Hyun

2016-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of workplace violence toward newly licensed nurses and the relationship between workplace violence and job outcomes. An online survey was conducted of newly licensed registered nurses who had obtained their license in 2012 or 2013 in South Korea and had been working for 5-12 months after first being employed. The sample consisted of 312 nurses working in hospitals or clinics. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II was used to measure violence and nurse job outcomes. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between violence and job outcomes. Verbal abuse was most prevalent (59.6%), followed by threats of violence (36.9%), physical violence (27.6%), bullying (25.6%), and sexual harassment (22.4%). Approximately three quarters of the nurses had experienced at least one type of violence. The main perpetrators were patients and nurse colleagues, although the distribution of perpetrators varied depending on the type of violence. Bullying had a significant relationship with all four job outcomes (job satisfaction, burnout, commitment to the workplace, and intent to leave), while verbal abuse was associated with all job outcomes except for intent to leave. Violence perpetrated by nurse colleagues had a significant relationship with all four job outcomes, while violence by physicians had a significant inverse relationship with job satisfaction. Workplace violence is experienced by a high percentage of newly licensed nurses, and is associated with their job outcomes. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Real power transfer allocation method with the application of artificial neural network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mustafa, M.W.; Khalid, S.N.; Shareef, H.; Khairuddin, A. [Technological Univ. of Malaysia, Skudai, Johor Bahru (Malaysia). Dept. of Electrical Power Enginering

2008-07-01

This paper presented a newly modified nodal equations method for identifying the real power transfer between generators and load. The objective was to represent each load current as a function of the generator's current and load voltages. The modified admittance matrix of a circuit was used to decompose the load voltage dependent term into components of generator dependent terms. By using these two decompositions of current and voltage terms, the real power transfer between loads and generators was obtained. The robustness of the proposed method was demonstrated on the modified IEEE 30-bus system. An appropriate Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was also created to solve the same problem in a simpler and faster manner with very good accuracy. For this purpose, supervised learning paradigm and feedforward architecture were chosen for the proposed ANN power transfer allocation technique. The method could be adapted to other larger systems by modifying the neural network structure. This technique can be used to solve some of the difficult real power pricing and costing issues and to ensure fairness and transparency in the deregulated environment of power system operation. 22 refs., 5 tabs., 8 figs.

Calculation methods for single-sided natural ventilation - simplified or detailed?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Tine Steen; Plesner, Christoffer; Leprince, Valérie

2016-01-01

A great energy saving potential lies within increased use of natural ventilation, not only during summer and midseason periods, where it is mainly used today, but also during winter periods, where the outdoor air holds a great cooling potential for ventilative cooling if draft problems can...... be handled. This paper presents a newly developed simplified calculation method for single-sided natural ventilation, which is proposed for the revised standard FprEN 16798-7 (earlier EN 15242:2007) for design of ventilative cooling. The aim for predicting ventilative cooling is to find the most suitable......, while maintaining an acceptable correlation with measurements on average and the authors consider the simplified calculation method well suited for the use in standards such as FprEN 16798-7 for the ventilative cooling effects from single-sided natural ventilation The comparison of different design...

A novel electrostatic ion-energy spectrometer by the use of a proposed ``self-collection'' method for secondary-electron emission from a metal collector

Science.gov (United States)

Hirata, M.; Nagashima, S.; Cho, T.; Kohagura, J.; Yoshida, M.; Ito, H.; Numakura, T.; Minami, R.; Kondoh, T.; Nakashima, Y.; Yatsu, K.; Miyoshi, S.

2003-03-01

For the purpose of end-loss-ion energy analyses in open-field plasmas, a newly developed electrostatic ion-energy spectrometer is proposed on the basis of a "self-collection" principle for secondary-electron emission from a metal collector. The ion-energy spectrometer is designed with multiple grids for analyzing incident ion energies, and a set of parallelly placed metal plates with respect to lines of ambient magnetic forces in an open-ended device. One of the most important characteristic properties of this spectrometer is the use of our proposed principle of a "self-collection" mechanism due to E×B drifts for secondary electrons emitted from the grounded metal-plate collector by the use of no further additional magnetic systems except the ambient open-ended fields B. The proof-of-principle and characterization experiments are carried out by the use of a test-ion-beam line along with an additional use of a Helmholtz coil system for the formation of open magnetic fields similar to those in the GAMMA 10 end region. The applications of the developed ion-energy spectrometer for end-loss-ion diagnostics in the GAMMA 10 plasma experiments are demonstrated under the conditions with simultaneous incidence of energetic electrons produced by electron-cyclotron heatings for end-loss-plugging potential formation, since these electrons have contributed to disturb these ion signals from conventional end-loss-ion detectors.

Chenodeoxycholic acid reduces intestinal permeability in newly weaned piglets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meer, van der Y.; Gerrits, W.J.J.; Bosch, van den M.; Holst, J.J.; Moreto, M.; Buurman, W.A.; Kulik, W.; Kempen, van T.A.T.G.

2012-01-01

Piglets are highly susceptible to gut health-related problems. Intravenously administered chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) affects gut health mediated through glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2). To test whether CDCA is a suitable feed additive for improving gut health, a trial was performed with newly

Mitochondrial nucleoid clusters protect newly synthesized mtDNA during Doxorubicin- and Ethidium Bromide-induced mitochondrial stress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alán, Lukáš, E-mail: lukas.alan@fgu.cas.cz; Špaček, Tomáš; Pajuelo Reguera, David; Jabůrek, Martin; Ježek, Petr

2016-07-01

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is compacted in ribonucleoprotein complexes called nucleoids, which can divide or move within the mitochondrial network. Mitochondrial nucleoids are able to aggregate into clusters upon reaction with intercalators such as the mtDNA depletion agent Ethidium Bromide (EB) or anticancer drug Doxorobicin (DXR). However, the exact mechanism of nucleoid clusters formation remains unknown. Resolving these processes may help to elucidate the mechanisms of DXR-induced cardiotoxicity. Therefore, we addressed the role of two key nucleoid proteins; mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) and mitochondrial single-stranded binding protein (mtSSB); in the formation of mitochondrial nucleoid clusters during the action of intercalators. We found that both intercalators cause numerous aberrations due to perturbing their native status. By blocking mtDNA replication, both agents also prevented mtDNA association with TFAM, consequently causing nucleoid aggregation into large nucleoid clusters enriched with TFAM, co-existing with the normal nucleoid population. In the later stages of intercalation (> 48 h), TFAM levels were reduced to 25%. In contrast, mtSSB was released from mtDNA and freely distributed within the mitochondrial network. Nucleoid clusters mostly contained nucleoids with newly replicated mtDNA, however the nucleoid population which was not in replication mode remained outside the clusters. Moreover, the nucleoid clusters were enriched with p53, an anti-oncogenic gatekeeper. We suggest that mitochondrial nucleoid clustering is a mechanism for protecting nucleoids with newly replicated DNA against intercalators mediating genotoxic stress. These results provide new insight into the common mitochondrial response to mtDNA stress and can be implied also on DXR-induced mitochondrial cytotoxicity. - Highlights: • The mechanism for mitochondrial nucleoid clustering is proposed. • DNA intercalators (Doxorubicin or Ethidium Bromide) prevent TFAM

Timing of revenue streams from newly recruited faculty: implications for faculty retention.

Science.gov (United States)

Joiner, Keith A; Hiteman, Sarah; Wormsley, Steven; St Germain, Patricia

2007-12-01

To determine the timing and magnitude of revenues generated by newly recruited faculty, to facilitate configuration of recruitment packages appropriately matched to expected financial returns. The aggregate of all positive cash flows to central college of medicine administration -- from research, clinical care, tuition, philanthropy, and royalties and patents, from all faculty newly recruited to the University of Arizona College of Medicine between 1998 and 2004 -- was quantified using the net present value (npv) methodology, which incorporates the time value of money. Tenure-track faculty and, in particular, those with laboratory research programs, generated the highest positive central cash flows. The npv for positive cash flows (npv[+]) during 6 and 10 years for newly recruited assistant professors with laboratory research programs were $118,600 and $255,400, respectively, and, for professors with laboratory research programs, $172,600 and $298,000, respectively (associate professors were not analyzed because of limited numbers). Faculty whose appointments at the University of Arizona College of Medicine exceeded 15 years in duration were the most productive in central revenue generation, far in excess of their numbers proportionate to the total. The results emphasize the critical importance of faculty retention, because even those newly recruited faculty who are most successful in central revenue generation (tenure track with laboratory research programs) must be retained for periods well in excess of 10 years to recoup the initial central investment required for their recruitment.

Relating two proposed methods for speedup of algorithms for fitting two- and three-way principal component and related multilinear models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kiers, Henk A.L.; Harshman, Richard A.

Multilinear analysis methods such as component (and three-way component) analysis of very large data sets can become very computationally demanding and even infeasible unless some method is used to compress the data and/or speed up the algorithms. We discuss two previously proposed speedup methods.

A fast resonance interference treatment scheme with subgroup method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, L.; He, Q.; Wu, H.; Zu, T.; Shen, W.

2015-01-01

A fast Resonance Interference Factor (RIF) scheme is proposed to treat the resonance interference effects between different resonance nuclides. This scheme utilizes the conventional subgroup method to evaluate the self-shielded cross sections of the dominant resonance nuclide in the heterogeneous system and the hyper-fine energy group method to represent the resonance interference effects in a simplified homogeneous model. In this paper, the newly implemented scheme is compared to the background iteration scheme, the Resonance Nuclide Group (RNG) scheme and the conventional RIF scheme. The numerical results show that the errors of the effective self-shielded cross sections are significantly reduced by the fast RIF scheme compared with the background iteration scheme and the RNG scheme. Besides, the fast RIF scheme consumes less computation time than the conventional RIF schemes. The speed-up ratio is ~4.5 for MOX pin cell problems. (author)

Scandinavian exceptionalism? Civic integration and labour market activation for newly arrived immigrants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Breidahl, Karen Nielsen

2017-01-01

models have been resilient: Based on an in-depth historical and comparative analysis of labour market activation policies targeting newly arrived immigrants in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark since the early 1990s, the article contributes to the overall question: To what extent do the institutional pathways...... of the Scandinavian welfare states prevail when confronted with newcomers? Activation policies targeting newly arrived immigrants exemplifies how the ambition of states to promote functional, individual autonomy is also an important, ongoing process in diverse policy areas of the welfare state and not restricted...

Newly democratic Mongolia offering exploration contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penttila, W.C.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that Mongolia, formerly the Mongolian People's Republic, is working to open its exploration prospects to international operators as it emerges as the world's 15th largest independent nation. The country, about the same size as Alaska with a population of 2 million, held its first free election in July 1990. The newly elected government drafted a constitution that took effect Feb. 12, 1992. The document modifies the previous government's structures to eliminate bureaucracy and allows for political pluralism. At the same time, the government is formulating energy policies, state oil company structure, and resource development philosophy

A Pilot Safety Study of Lenalidomide and Radiotherapy for Patients With Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma Multiforme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drappatz, Jan; Wong, Eric T.; Schiff, David; Kesari, Santosh; Batchelor, Tracy T.; Doherty, Lisa; LaFrankie, Debra Conrad; Ramakrishna, Naren; Weiss, Stephanie; Smith, Sharon T.; Ciampa, Abigail; Zimmerman, Jennifer; Ostrowsky, Louis; David, Karly; Norden, Andrew

2009-01-01

Purpose: To define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of lenalidomide, an analogue of thalidomide with enhanced immunomodulatory and antiangiogenic properties and a more favorable toxicity profile, in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) when given concurrently with radiotherapy. Patients and Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed GBM received radiotherapy concurrently with lenalidomide given for 3 weeks followed by a 1-week rest period and continued lenalidomide until tumor progression or unacceptable toxicity. Dose escalation occurred in groups of 6. Determination of the MTD was based on toxicities during the first 12 weeks of therapy. The primary endpoint was toxicity. Results: Twenty-three patients were enrolled, of whom 20 were treated and evaluable for both toxicity and tumor response and 2 were evaluable for toxicity only. Common toxicities included venous thromboembolic disease, fatigue, and nausea. Dose-limiting toxicities were eosinophilic pneumonitis and transaminase elevations. The MTD for lenalidomide was determined to be 15 mg/m 2 /d. Conclusion: The recommended dose for lenalidomide with radiotherapy is 15 mg/m 2 /d for 3 weeks followed by a 1-week rest period. Venous thromboembolic complications occurred in 4 patients, and prophylactic anticoagulation should be considered

A newly recognized syndrome of severe growth deficiency, microcephaly, intellectual disability, and characteristic facial features.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinkler, Chana; Leshinsky-Silver, Esther; Michelson, Marina; Haas, Dorothea; Lerman-Sagie, Tally; Lev, Dorit

2014-01-01

Genetic syndromes with proportionate severe short stature are rare. We describe two sisters born to nonconsanguineous parents with severe linear growth retardation, poor weight gain, microcephaly, characteristic facial features, cutaneous syndactyly of the toes, high myopia, and severe intellectual disability. During infancy and early childhood, the girls had transient hepatosplenomegaly and low blood cholesterol levels that normalized later. A thorough evaluation including metabolic studies, radiological, and genetic investigations were all normal. Cholesterol metabolism and transport were studied and no definitive abnormality was found. No clinical deterioration was observed and no metabolic crises were reported. After due consideration of other known hereditary causes of post-natal severe linear growth retardation, microcephaly, and intellectual disability, we propose that this condition represents a newly recognized autosomal recessive multiple congenital anomaly-intellectual disability syndrome. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Screening for thyroid cancer according to French recommendations with thyroid ultrasound in newly diagnosed Graves' disease without palpable nodule is not useful.

Science.gov (United States)

Nys, Pierre; Cordray, Jean-Pierre; Sarafian, Véronique; Lefort-Mossé, Ève; Merceron, Robert-Édouard

2015-02-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate systematic thyroid ultrasonography (US) relevance in newly diagnosed Graves' disease among patients presenting without palpable nodules. We consecutively recruited 208 cases of Graves' disease without palpable nodule. All patients were screened for thyroid antibodies and underwent a thyroid US. Ultrasonically guided biopsy was proposed for the assessment of all nodules upper or equal to 10mm in diameter. Two third of patients had an abnormal thyroid at palpation requiring an US. One third of patients had a normal thyroid at palpation and US was consequently unwarranted. Among all patients, US detected non-palpable nodules in 26% of cases. We found no smears suspected to be cancerous. In newly diagnosed Graves' disease, the US relevance is only questionable in patients without abnormal thyroid at palpation. Ultrasonography detected non-palpable nodules and none was suspected to be cancerous. These data suggest that US is not useful in patients without abnormal thyroid at palpation. Nevertheless, the recent Thyroid Imaging-Reporting And Data System classification (TI-RADS) might change our conclusions. The TI-RADS classification indeed improves the selection of nodules lower than 10mm in diameter requiring a biopsy. Nodules lower than 10mm in diameter were not biopsied in the present study. The other US data presented herein (echogenicity, vascularisation) provide no further relevance for systematic US in newly diagnosed patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Proposed method for regulating major materials licensees

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-02-01

The Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, appointed a Materials Regulatory Review Task Force to conduct a broad-based review of the Commission's current licensing and oversight programs for fuel cycle and large materials plants. The task force, as requested, defined the components and subcomponents of an ideal regulatory evaluation system for these types of licensed plants and compared they to the components and subcomponents of the existing regulatory evaluation system. This report discusses findings from this comparison and proposed recommendations on the basis of these findings

The use of newly developed real-time PCR for the rapid identification of bacteria in culture-negative osteomyelitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Naomi; Bauer, Thomas W; Sakai, Hiroshige; Togawa, Daisuke; Lieberman, Isador H; Fujishiro, Takaaki; Procop, Gary W

2006-12-01

We report a case of a culture-negative osteomyelitis in which our newly developed real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) could differentiate Staphylococcus aureus from Staphylococcus epidermidis. This is the first report that described the application of this novel assay to an orthopedics clinical sample. This assay may be useful for other clinical culture-negative cases in a combination with a broad-spectrum assay as a rapid microorganism identification method.

Proposal for a Method for Business Model Performance Assessment: Toward an Experimentation Tool for Business Model Innovation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Batocchio

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The representation of business models has been recently widespread, especially in the pursuit of innovation. However, defining a company’s business model is sometimes limited to discussion and debates. This study observes the need for performance measurement so that business models can be data-driven. To meet this goal, the work proposed as a hypothesis the creation of a method that combines the practices of the Balanced Scorecard with a method of business models representation – the Business Model Canvas. Such a combination was based on study of conceptual adaptation, resulting in an application roadmap. A case study application was performed to check the functionality of the proposition, focusing on startup organizations. It was concluded that based on the performance assessment of the business model it is possible to propose the search for change through experimentation, a path that can lead to business model innovation.

Prognostic factors of nasopharynx tumors investigated by MR imaging and the value of MR imaging in the newly published TNM staging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakata, Koh-ichi; Hareyama, Masato; Tamakawa, Mituharu; Oouchi, Atushi; Sido, Mitsuo; Nagakura, Hisayasu; Akiba, Hidenari; Koito, Kazumitsu; Himi, Tetsuo; Asakura, Kohji

1999-01-01

Purpose: To examine the usefulness of MR imaging for predicting local control of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and the value of MR imaging in the newly published fifth edition of the TNM classification. Methods and Materials: We studied 29 patients with NPC with MR imaging and CT before and after treatment. Staging was done according to the fourth and newly published fifth editions of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) staging system. The radiotherapy protocol was designed to deliver 66 to 68 Gy to the primary tumor and clinically involved nodes. Results: MR proved better than CT at identifying obliteration of the pharyngobasilar fascia, invasion of the sinus of Morgagni, through which the cartilaginous portion of the eustachian tube and the levator veli palatini muscle pass, invasion of the skull base, and metastases to lymph nodes in the carotid and retropharyngeal spaces. All seven patients without invasion of the pharyngobasilar fascia had local control. The local control rates of patients with invasion of the skull base were not good (60 to 73%). There was no apparent relationship between tumor volume determined by T1-weighted MR images and local control when the tumor volume was more than 20 cc. The newly published N staging system appears to successfully identify the high-risk group for distant metastasis as N3. In our series, four of five patients with N3 disease developed distant metastases. Conclusion: Deep infiltration of the tumor is a more important prognostic factor in NPC than tumor volume. Since the newly published T staging system requires a search for tumor invasion into soft tissue such as parapharyngeal space and bony structures, MR imaging may be indispensable for the newly published NPC staging system

Duplex ultrasound: Indications and findings in a newly created ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Duplex ultrasound: Indications and findings in a newly created facility at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar. ... It is recommended that timely referrals be made, and mobile Doppler units be acquired to save more lives and limbs in the developing world. Keywords: Calabar, deep venous thrombosis, duplex ...

Mapping subsurface in proximity to newly-developed sinkhole along roadway.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

MS&T acquired electrical resistivity tomography profiles in immediate proximity to a newly-developed sinkhole in Nixa Missouri : The sinkhole has closed a well-traveled municipal roadway and threatens proximal infrastructure. The intent of this inves...

Longitudinal trends and subgroup analysis in publication patterns for preclinical data of newly approved drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Köster, Ursula; Nolte, Ingo; Michel, Martin C

2016-02-01

Having observed a large variation in the number and type of original preclinical publications for newly registered drugs, we have explored whether longitudinal trends and/or factors specific for certain drugs or their manufacturers may explain such variation. Our analysis is based on 1954 articles related to 170 newly approved drugs. The number of preclinical publications per compound declined from a median of 10.5 in 1991 to 3 in 2011. A similar trend was observed for the number of in vivo studies in general, but not in the subset of in vivo studies in animal models of disease. The percentage of compounds with studies using isolated human cells or cell lines almost doubled over time from 37 to 72%. Number of publications did not exhibit major differences between compounds intended for human versus veterinary use, therapeutic areas, small molecules versus biologicals, or innovator versus follow-up compounds; however, some companies may publish fewer studies per compound than others. However, there were qualitative differences in the types of models being used depending on the therapeutic area; specifically, compounds for use in oncology very often used isolated cells and cell lines, often from human origin. We conclude that the large variation in number and type of reported preclinical data is not easily explained. We propose that pharmaceutical companies should consistently provide a comprehensive documentation of the preclinical data they generate as part of their development programs in the public domain to enable a better understanding of the drugs they intend to market.

Prevalence and characteristics of the metabolic syndrome among newly diagnosed hypertensive patients

Science.gov (United States)

Osuji, Charles U.; Omejua, Emeka G.

2012-01-01

Background: Cardiovascular disease risk factors have a tendency to cluster. The presence of such a cluster in an individual has been designated the metabolic syndrome (MetS). There is a paucity of reports of the prevalence of MetS in hypertensive patients in south east Nigeria. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) among newly diagnosed hypertensive patients using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria in a tertiary healthcare centre in South East Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A population of 250 consecutive newly diagnosed adult hypertensive patients (126 males and 124 females) was evaluated. Blood pressure and anthropometric measurements were done using standardized techniques. After an overnight fast, blood samples were taken for glucose and lipid profile assays. The NCEP ATP III criteria were then applied for the diagnosis of MetS. Results: The prevalence of the MetS among the study population was 31.2%. The sex-specific prevalences were 15.1% and 47.6% among male and female patients respectively. A large number of the patients (40.4%) were at a high potential risk of developing the MetS as they already met 2 of the criteria. The MetS prevalence increased progressively from 14.3% through 23.8%, in the patients aged 24-33years and 34-43 years, respectively to a peak (40.4%) among those aged 44-53 years before declining in those aged 54-63 years (31.8%), 64-73 years (33.3%) and 74 years and above (20.6%). Central obesity was the most common component of the MetS being present in 50.4% of patients (28.6% of males and 72.6% of females). Of the other components, low HDL-C was present in 38.8% (26.2% of males and 51.6% of females), elevated FBS in 12.8% (6.3% of males and 19.4% of females) and elevated triglycerides in 8.8% (11.9% of males and 5.6% of females). Conclusion: The prevalence of the MetS is high among newly diagnosed hypertensive patients in Nnewi

Analysis of the proposed EU regulation concerning biocide products and its opportunities for alternative approaches and a toxicology for the 21st century (t4 report).

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrario, Daniele; Rabbit, Richard R

2012-01-01

On June 12, 2009, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation concerning the placement on the market and use of biocidal products, which, when it enters into force on January 1, 2013, will repeal and replace Directive 98/8/EC. The main reason for the revision of the current Directive was to promote best practices for environmental and human health protection, along with implementation of current developments in safety testing in order to create safer biocides. Moreover, the proposed Regulation aims to take into consideration the newest legislation on chemicals. This article evaluates the proposed Regulation in comparison to Directive 98/8/EC. Although the new proposal requires the sharing of vertebrate animal test data, both for product authorization and for newly developed active substances, it misses - in contrast to REACH - the opportunity to recognize the accelerating development of alternative approaches to animal testing, most recently with new momentum provided by "Toxicity Testing for the 21st Century", and to support the evolution of toxicology towards a new approach to testing. The new methods promise not only to decrease animal pain and suffering, but also to provide faster results and better prediction for human risk assessment compared to traditional methods. Unfortunately, methods mandated for human risk assessment in the proposal are still mainly based on traditional animal study extrapolation. We put forward and discuss possible alternative strategies, such as in vitro testing, integrated testing strategies, toxicokinetics, "omics", systems biology, bioinformatics, and computational modeling, all of which could be more encouraged by the proposal. Current opportunities to improve our tools for biocide risk assessment are discussed, delineating advantages, limitations, and development needs. It is suggested to open the proposed Regulation to alternative approaches that are based on human biology more than on extrapolation from animals

[Psycho-social factors of sexual failure among newly married Uyghur young males].

Science.gov (United States)

Erkin, Ashim; Hamrajan, Memtili; Kadirjan, Mijit; Adil, Eli; Elijan, Abdureshit; Ibrahim, Ubul; Abdulla, Tursun; Hasanjan, Abdurehim; Turgun, Hekim; Eli, Ablet; Eset, Metmusa

2016-08-01

To study the psycho-social risk factors of sexual failure among newly married young males in the Uyghur population. We conducted a paired case control study of 186 newly married Uyghur young males (aged 17－30 ［23.4±2.9］ yr) with sexual failure and another 186 (aged 18－34 ［24.0±3.1］ yr) with no such problem as controls. We performed a logistic regression analysis on the possible psycho-social risk factors of this condition. Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors of sexual failure among the newly married men included personality (OR=0.271, 95% CI 0.176－0.420), income (OR=0.391, 95% CI 0.264－0.580), history of masturbation (OR=0.824, 95% CI 0.710－0.956), premarital sex (OR=0.757, 95% CI 0.677－0.847), sense of obligation (OR=1.756, 95% CI 1.157－2.693), equality of the social status (OR=0.574, 95% CI 0.435－0.756), degree of mutual care (OR=1.605, 95% CI 1.268－2.032), female's psychological obstacle (OR=2.832, 95% CI 1.221－6.569), and religion (OR=0.643, 95% CI 0.472－0.967). There was a statistical significance in the correlation between these factors and sexual failure in the newly married males (all Ppsycho-social factors, which necessitates sexual education among young males and particularly pre-marriage sexual education and psychological guide among both males and females.

Proposed method to produce a highly polarized e+ beam for future linear colliders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okugi, Toshiyuki; Chiba, Masami; Kurihara, Yoshimasa

1996-01-01

We propose a method to produce a spin-polarized e + beam using e + e - pair-creation by circularly polarized photons. Assuming Compton scattering of an unpolarized e - beam and circularly polarized laser light, scattered γ-rays at the high end of the energy spectrum are also circularly polarized. If those γ-rays are utilized to create e ± pairs on a thin target, the spin-polarization is preserved for e + 's at the high end of their energy spectrum. By using the injector linac of Accelerator Test Facility at KEK and a commercially available Nd:YAG pulse laser, we can expect about 10 5 polarized e + 's per second with a degree of polarization of 80% and a kinetic energy of 35-80 MeV. The apparatus for creation and measurement of polarized e + 's is being constructed. We present new idea for possible application of our method to future linear colliders by utilizing a high-power CO 2 laser. (author)

Three newly recorded Linyphiid spiders (Araneae: Linyphiidae from Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sue Yeon Lee

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Three Linyphiid spiders, Caviphantes pseudosaxetorum Wunderlich, 1979, Erigone edentata Saito and Ono, 2001, and Savignia kawachiensis Oi, 1960, are reported for the first time from Korea with taxonomic illustrations and redescription. In this study, the genus Caviphantes Oi, 1960 is also newly recorded to Korean spider fauna.

[Impact of Increased Supply of Newly Licensed Nurses on Hospital Nurse Staffing and Policy Implications].

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yunmi; You, Sunju; Kim, Jinhyun

2017-12-01

This study aimed to analyze the impact of increasing the supply of newly licensed nurses on improving the hospital nurse staffing grades for the period of 2009~2014. Using public administrative data, we analyzed the effect of newly licensed nurses on staffing in 1,594 hospitals using Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) ordered logistic regression, and of supply variation on improving staffing grades in 1,042 hospitals using GEE logistic regression. An increase of one newly licensed nurse per 100 beds in general units had significantly lower odds of improving staffing grades (grades 6~0 vs. 7) (odds ratio=0.95, p=.005). The supply of newly licensed nurses increased by 32% from 2009 to 2014, and proportion of hospitals whose staffing grade had improved, not changed, and worsened was 19.1%, 70.1%, and 10.8% respectively. Compared to 2009, the supply variation of newly licensed nurses in 2014 was not significantly related to the increased odds of improving staffing grades in the region (OR=1.02, p=.870). To achieve a balance in the regional supply and demand for hospital nurses, compliance with nurse staffing legislation and revisions in the nursing fee differentiation policy are needed. Rather than relying on increasing nurse supply, retention policies for new graduate nurses are required to build and sustain competent nurse workforce in the future. © 2017 Korean Society of Nursing Science

Sensitivity analysis of a complex, proposed geologic waste disposal system using the Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Yichi; Mohanty, Sitakanta

2001-01-01

The Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (FAST) method has been used to perform a sensitivity analysis of a computer model developed for conducting total system performance assessment of the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA. The computer model has a large number of random input parameters with assigned probability density functions, which may or may not be uniform, for representing data uncertainty. The FAST method, which was previously applied to models with parameters represented by the uniform probability distribution function only, has been modified to be applied to models with nonuniform probability distribution functions. Using an example problem with a small input parameter set, several aspects of the FAST method, such as the effects of integer frequency sets and random phase shifts in the functional transformations, and the number of discrete sampling points (equivalent to the number of model executions) on the ranking of the input parameters have been investigated. Because the number of input parameters of the computer model under investigation is too large to be handled by the FAST method, less important input parameters were first screened out using the Morris method. The FAST method was then used to rank the remaining parameters. The validity of the parameter ranking by the FAST method was verified using the conditional complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) of the output. The CCDF results revealed that the introduction of random phase shifts into the functional transformations, proposed by previous investigators to disrupt the repetitiveness of search curves, does not necessarily improve the sensitivity analysis results because it destroys the orthogonality of the trigonometric functions, which is required for Fourier analysis

Health-related and social factors predicting non-reemployment amongst newly unemployed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skärlund Mikael

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many researchers have examined the effect that mental health has on reemployment opportunities amongst the unemployed, but the results are inconclusive. Our aim in this study is to investigate the effects that different aspects of mental and physical health, as well as socio-demographic, social, and economic factors, have on reemployment. Methods A questionnaire was administered to 1,000 and answered by 502 newly registered unemployed Swedes, who were followed for one year using data from the Swedish National Labour Market Board. The differences between those reemployed and those not reemployed was analysed using stepwise logistic regression. Results General mental ill health amongst unemployed individuals measured by the General Health Questionnaire scale was associated with lower levels of reemployment after one year. This effect could not be explained by any of the scales measuring specific aspects of mental disease such as health-related level of function, rate of depression, burnout, or alcohol misuse. Instead being above 45, low control over one’s financial situation, being an immigrant, and visiting a physician during the last three months were better predictors of failure to be reemployed. Conclusion There are theoretical reasons to assume that psychological distress leads to a decreased reemployment rate amongst the unemployed. The results of this study partly endorse this hypothesis empirically, showing that general subjective mental distress decreases the rate of reemployment amongst newly unemployed individuals, although this effect was mediated by social and economic factors. Indicators of psychiatric disease had no significant effect on reemployment. The results of this study lead us to suggest the early introduction of financial counselling, psychological support, and other interventions for groups with lower reemployment rates.

Hope in newly diagnosed cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Duggleby, Wendy; Ghosh, Sunita; Cooper, Dan; Dwernychuk, Lynne

2013-11-01

Hope is important to cancer patients as it helps them deal with their diagnosis. Little is known about hope in newly diagnosed cancer patients. Based on the Transcending Possibilities conceptual model of hope, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of hope with pain, energy, and psychological and demographic characteristics in newly diagnosed adult oncology outpatients. Data from 310 New Patient Assessment Forms from cancer outpatients' health records were collected. Health records from the first six months of 2009 were reviewed and data were collected on hope, energy, pain, depression, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, and demographic variables. A generalized linear modeling approach was used to study the relationship of hope scores with these variables. Hypothesized variables and variables that were significant at the P = 0.01 level from the univariate analysis were entered into the multivariate model, with hope scores as the dependent variable. Hope scores were significantly negatively related to age (P = 0.02). More specifically, oncology patients who were 65 years of age or older had significantly less hope than those under the age of 65 years (P = 0.01). Gender (P = 0.009) also was a significant factor, with men having higher hope scores than women. No other variables were significant. Older adults comprise the majority of persons in Canada with cancer. The lower hope scores found in this age group compared with their younger counterparts underscore the importance of further research. This study provides a foundation for future research in this important area for oncology patients. Copyright © 2013 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interaction Studies between Newly Synthesized Photosensitive Polymer and Ionic Liquids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

In Tae Kim

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this information age, different kinds of photosensitive materials have been used in the manufacture of information storage devices. But these photosensitive materials have the bane of low diffraction efficiency. In order to solve this problem, we have synthesized a novel photosensitive polymer from epoxy-based azopolymers (with three types of azochromophores. Furthermore, we have studied the interaction between this newly synthesized azopolymer and ionic liquids (ILs. For this purpose, we have used the ammonium and imidazolium families of ILs, such as diethylammonium dihydrogen phosphate (DEAP, tributylammonium methyl sulfate (TBMS, triethylammonium 4-aminotoluene-3-sulfonic acid (TASA, and 1-methylimidazolium chloride ([Mim]Cl. To investigate the molecular interaction between azopolymer and ILs, we have used the following spectroscopic methods of analysis: UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, and confocal Raman spectroscopy. In this study, we have developed new photosensitive materials by combining polymer with ILs.

Weight history of patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olivarius, N de Fine; Richelsen, B; Siersma, V

2008-01-01

AIMS: To estimate and illustrate how the 10 years of weight change immediately preceding diabetes diagnosis vary with weight at the age of 20 years and with socio-demographic variables, risk factors and comorbidities at diagnosis. METHODS: Data were from a population-based cohort of 1320 persons...... newly diagnosed with diabetes aged > or = 40 years. Patients' weight at diagnosis was measured by the doctor, while patients recalled their weight approximately 1, 5 and 10 years prior to diagnosis and at age 20 years. RESULTS: Median weight gain from age 20 years to diabetes diagnosis at median age 65.......3 years was 14.7 kg (interquartile range 6.0-23.0). Women gained weight more than men, and the lower the weight at age 20 years, the greater the weight gain. The average weight gain from 10 years prior to diabetes diagnosis until diagnosis, however, was only 1 kg and decreased markedly with age. These 10...

A proposal for human factors education in a power plant company

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hikono, Masaru

2004-01-01

The author was asked by a power plant company to investigate how to change the actual education system concerning human factor education for the plant staff. First, the problems faced by actual education system were investigated based on the results of a large number of surveys conducted in educational fields, and various documents. In the present paper, the author describes the newly proposed educational program., using as illustration a case study. The findings of the present study suggests that, concerning the content of the educational program, it is indispensable for each company to develop a curriculum based on its specific needs. (author)

Cellular Proliferation by Multiplex Immunohistochemistry Identifies High-Risk Multiple Myeloma in Newly Diagnosed, Treatment-Naive Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Ely, Scott; Forsberg, Peter; Ouansafi, Ihsane; Rossi, Adriana; Modin, Alvin; Pearse, Roger; Pekle, Karen; Perry, Arthur; Coleman, Morton; Jayabalan, David; Di Liberto, Maurizio; Chen-Kiang, Selina; Niesvizky, Ruben; Mark, Tomer M

2017-12-01

Therapeutic options for multiple myeloma (MM) are growing, yet clinical outcomes remain heterogeneous. Cytogenetic analysis and disease staging are mainstays of risk stratification, but data suggest a complex interplay between numerous abnormalities. Myeloma cell proliferation is a metric shown to predict outcomes, but available methods are not feasible in clinical practice. Multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC), using multiple immunostains simultaneously, is universally available for clinical use. We tested mIHC as a method to calculate a plasma cell proliferation index (PCPI). By mIHC, marrow trephine core biopsy samples were costained for CD138, a plasma cell-specific marker, and Ki-67. Myeloma cells (CD138 + ) were counted as proliferating if coexpressing Ki-67. Retrospective analysis was performed on 151 newly diagnosed, treatment-naive patients divided into 2 groups on the basis of myeloma cell proliferation: low (PCPI ≤ 5%, n = 87), and high (PCPI > 5%, n = 64). Median overall survival (OS) was not reached versus 78.9 months (P = .0434) for the low versus high PCPI groups. Multivariate analysis showed that only high-risk cytogenetics (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.02; P = .023), International Staging System (ISS) stage > I (HR = 2.30; P = .014), and PCPI > 5% (HR = 1.70; P = .041) had independent effects on OS. Twenty-three (36%) of the 64 patients with low-risk disease (ISS stage 1, without high-risk cytogenetics) were uniquely reidentified as high risk by PCPI. PCPI is a practical method that predicts OS in newly diagnosed myeloma and facilitates broader use of MM cell proliferation for risk stratification. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A proposed architecture and method of operation for improving the protection of privacy and confidentiality in disease registers

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Churches Tim

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Disease registers aim to collect information about all instances of a disease or condition in a defined population of individuals. Traditionally methods of operating disease registers have required that notifications of cases be identified by unique identifiers such as social security number or national identification number, or by ensembles of non-unique identifying data items, such as name, sex and date of birth. However, growing concern over the privacy and confidentiality aspects of disease registers may hinder their future operation. Technical solutions to these legitimate concerns are needed. Discussion An alternative method of operation is proposed which involves splitting the personal identifiers from the medical details at the source of notification, and separately encrypting each part using asymmetrical (public key cryptographic methods. The identifying information is sent to a single Population Register, and the medical details to the relevant disease register. The Population Register uses probabilistic record linkage to assign a unique personal identification (UPI number to each person notified to it, although not necessarily everyone in the entire population. This UPI is shared only with a single trusted third party whose sole function is to translate between this UPI and separate series of personal identification numbers which are specific to each disease register. Summary The system proposed would significantly improve the protection of privacy and confidentiality, while still allowing the efficient linkage of records between disease registers, under the control and supervision of the trusted third party and independent ethics committees. The proposed architecture could accommodate genetic databases and tissue banks as well as a wide range of other health and social data collections. It is important that proposals such as this are subject to widespread scrutiny by information security experts, researchers and

Higher incidence of hip fracture in newly diagnosed schizophrenic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Higher incidence of hip fracture in newly diagnosed schizophrenic patients in Taiwan. Hip fracture is a major public health concern due to its poor outcome and serious socioeconomic burden in older people (1). Evidence has shown that many factors are related to increased risk of hip fracture, but psychiatric diseases are ...

Death Concerns among Individuals Newly Diagnosed with Lung Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Lehto, Rebecca; Therrien, Barbara

2010-01-01

Confronting the reality of death is an important challenge for individuals facing life-threatening illness such as lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death. Few studies, however, document the nature of death-related concerns in individuals newly diagnosed with lung cancer. The aims of this exploratory study were to examine unsolicited…

Green methodology for the recovery of Cr (VI from tannery effluent using newly synthesized quaternary ammonium salt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K.S. Yoganand

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Leather tanning industries release effluents into the river through various canals. These effluents contain chromium (VI contaminating the river and the ground water as well. To fix a solution for this issue a simple and selective solvent extraction method has been applied by using a newly synthesized quaternary ammonium salt viz 2-benzoylethylheptyldimethylammonium bromide. By varying the parameters such as quaternary ammonium salts, sulfuric acid, pH, solvents, equilibration time and aqueous organic ratio the extraction efficiency has been determined.

Study on mid and long-term strategic plan formulation for newly-constructed NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Lin

2014-01-01

Mid and Long-term strategic plan plays a key role for the management of a newly constructed nuclear power company. Among others, process, goals, and risk management, are the primary concerns during plan preparing. The article analyzed these three areas for Fuqing NPP, including the formulating process for the plan, the mid and long-term goal setting of the company, the major risk analysis and countermeasure selection therefore. Through that solutions and suggestions for strategic plan formulation were concluded for newly-constructed NPP. (author)

PCTFPeval: a web tool for benchmarking newly developed algorithms for predicting cooperative transcription factor pairs in yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Fu-Jou; Chang, Hong-Tsun; Wu, Wei-Sheng

2015-01-01

Computational identification of cooperative transcription factor (TF) pairs helps understand the combinatorial regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic cells. Many advanced algorithms have been proposed to predict cooperative TF pairs in yeast. However, it is still difficult to conduct a comprehensive and objective performance comparison of different algorithms because of lacking sufficient performance indices and adequate overall performance scores. To solve this problem, in our previous study (published in BMC Systems Biology 2014), we adopted/proposed eight performance indices and designed two overall performance scores to compare the performance of 14 existing algorithms for predicting cooperative TF pairs in yeast. Most importantly, our performance comparison framework can be applied to comprehensively and objectively evaluate the performance of a newly developed algorithm. However, to use our framework, researchers have to put a lot of effort to construct it first. To save researchers time and effort, here we develop a web tool to implement our performance comparison framework, featuring fast data processing, a comprehensive performance comparison and an easy-to-use web interface. The developed tool is called PCTFPeval (Predicted Cooperative TF Pair evaluator), written in PHP and Python programming languages. The friendly web interface allows users to input a list of predicted cooperative TF pairs from their algorithm and select (i) the compared algorithms among the 15 existing algorithms, (ii) the performance indices among the eight existing indices, and (iii) the overall performance scores from two possible choices. The comprehensive performance comparison results are then generated in tens of seconds and shown as both bar charts and tables. The original comparison results of each compared algorithm and each selected performance index can be downloaded as text files for further analyses. Allowing users to select eight existing performance indices and 15

Factors associated with initiation of antihyperglycaemic medication in UK patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinclair Alan J

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Aim To assess the factors associated with antihyperglycaemic medication initiation in UK patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Methods In a retrospective cohort study, patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes were identified during the index period of 2003-2005. Eligible patients were ≥ 30 years old at the date of the first observed diabetes diagnosis (referred to as index date and had at least 2 years of follow-up medical history (N = 9,158. Initiation of antihyperglycaemic medication (i.e., treatment was assessed in the 2-year period following the index date. Adjusted Cox regression models were used to examine the association between time to medication initiation and patient age and other factors. Results Mean (SD HbA1c at diagnosis was 8.1% (2.3. Overall, 51% of patients initiated antihyperglycaemic medication within 2 years (65%, 55%, 46% and 40% for patients in the 30- th, 75th percentile time to treatment initiation was 63 (8, 257 days. Of the patients with HbA1c ≥ 7.5% at diagnosis, 87% initiated treatment within 2 years. These patients with a higher HbA1c also had shorter time to treatment initiation (adjusted hazard ratio (HR = 2.44 [95% confidence interval (CI: 1.61, 3.70]; p Conclusions In this UK cohort of patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, only 51% had antihyperglycaemic medication initiated over a 2-year period following diagnosis. Older patients were significantly less likely to have been prescribed antihyperglycaemic medications. Elevated HbA1c was the strongest factor associated with initiating antihyperglycaemic medication in these patients.

Spectral, stoichiometric ratio, physicochemical, polarity and photostability studies of newly synthesized chalcone dye in organized media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marwani, Hadi M.; Asiri, Abdullah M.; Khan, Salman A.

2013-01-01

The main focus of this study was to investigate spectroscopic properties, stoichiometric ratios, physicochemical parameters, polarity and photostability behaviors of newly synthesized chalcone dye in organized media. The chalcone dye, 1-(2,5-Dimethyl-thiophen-3-yl)-3-(9-etnyl-9H-carbazol-3-yl)-propenone (DTEP), was prepared by the reaction of carbazole aldehyde with 3-acetyl-2,5-dimethythiophene. Data obtained from FT-IR, 1 H-–NMR, 13 C-NMR and elemental analysis were consistent with chemical structure of newly prepared DTEP. Increases in fluorescence intensities of DTEP with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) were observed. In comparison of fluorescence intensities for DTEP with CTAB, reductions in fluorescence intensities for DTEP with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were noticed under the same experimental and instrumental conditions. Additionally, Benesi–Hildebrand method was applied to determine stoichiometric ratios and association constants of DTEP with CTAB and SDS. Stern–Volmer plot was used in order to further confirm the stoichiometric ratio and association constant of DTEP with SDS. Physicochemical parameters such as singlet absorption, molar absorptivity, oscillator strength, dipole moment and fluorescence quantum yield of DTEP were also determined. Fluorescence polarity study displayed that DTEP was sensitive to the polarity of the microenvironment provided by different solvents. Finally, fluorescence steady-state measurements revealed that DTEP has high photostability against photobleaching. -- Highlights: ► Mechanistic understanding of molecular structure of newly synthesized chalcone dye. ► Exploring spectral behaviors and physicochemical parameters of chalcone dye. ► Determination of stoichiometric ratios and association constants of chalcone dye. ► Determination of fluorescence quantum yield in different solvents. ► High photostability against photobleaching of chalcone dye was observed

Maintaining Professional Commitment as a Newly Credentialed Athletic Trainer in the Secondary School Setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazerolle, Stephanie M; Myers, Sarah L; Walker, Stacy E; Kirby, Jessica

2018-03-01

  Professional commitment, or one's affinity and loyalty to a career, has become a topic of interest in athletic training. The expanding research on the topic, however, has omitted newly credentialed athletic trainers (ATs). For an impressionable group of practitioners, transitioning to clinical practice can be stressful.   To explore the professional commitment of newly credentialed ATs in the secondary school setting.   Secondary school.   Qualitative study.   A total of 31 newly credentialed ATs (6 men, 25 women; mean age = 24 ± 3 years) participated. Of these, 17 ATs (4 men, 13 women; mean age = 25 ± 4 years) were employed full time in the secondary school setting, and 14 ATs (2 men, 12 women; mean age = 23.0 ± 2.0 years) were graduate assistant students in the secondary school setting.   All participants completed semistructured interviews, which focused on their experiences in the secondary school setting and transitioning into the role and setting. Transcripts were analyzed using the phenomenologic approach. Creditability was established by peer review, member checks, and researcher triangulation.   Four main findings related to the professional commitment of newly credentialed ATs in the secondary school setting were identified. Work-life balance, professional relationships formed with the student-athletes, enjoyment gained from working in the secondary school setting, and professional responsibility emerged as factors facilitating commitment.   Affective commitment is a primary facilitator of professional commitment. Newly credentialed ATs who enjoy their jobs and have time to engage in nonwork roles are able to maintain a positive professional commitment. Our findings align with the previous literature and help strengthen our understanding that rejuvenation and passion are important to professional commitment.

Los Alamos Plutonium Facility newly generated TRU waste certification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruetzmacher, K.; Montoya, A.; Sinkule, B.; Maez, M.

1997-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the activities being planned and implemented to certify newly generated contact handled transuranic (TRU) waste produced by Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL's) Plutonium Facility. Certifying waste at the point of generation is the most important cost and labor saving step in the WIPP certification process. The pedigree of a waste item is best known by the originator of the waste and frees a site from expensive characterization activities such as those associated with legacy waste. Through a cooperative agreement with LANLs Waste Management Facility and under the umbrella of LANLs WIPP-related certification and quality assurance documents, the Plutonium Facility will be certifying its own newly generated waste. Some of the challenges faced by the Plutonium Facility in preparing to certify TRU waste include the modification and addition of procedures to meet WIPP requirements, standardizing packaging for TRU waste, collecting processing documentation from operations which produce TRU waste, and developing ways to modify waste streams which are not certifiable in their present form

Newly velocity field of Sulawesi Island from GPS observation

Science.gov (United States)

Sarsito, D. A.; Susilo, Simons, W. J. F.; Abidin, H. Z.; Sapiie, B.; Triyoso, W.; Andreas, H.

2017-07-01

Sulawesi microplate Island is located at famous triple junction area of the Eurasian, India-Australian, and Philippine Sea plates. Under the influence of the northward moving Australian plate and the westward motion of the Philippine plate, the island at Eastern part of Indonesia is collide and with the Eurasian plate and Sunda Block. Those recent microplate tectonic motions can be quantitatively determine by GNSS-GPS measurement. We use combine GNSS-GPS observation types (campaign type and continuous type) from 1997 to 2015 to derive newly velocity field of the area. Several strategies are applied and tested to get the optimum result, and finally we choose regional strategy to reduce error propagation contribution from global multi baseline processing using GAMIT/GLOBK 10.5. Velocity field are analyzed in global reference frame ITRF 2008 and local reference frame by fixing with respect alternatively to Eurasian plate - Sunda block, India-Australian plate and Philippine Sea plates. Newly results show dense distribution of velocity field. This information is useful for tectonic deformation studying in geospatial era.

Degradation of dibenzofuran via multiple dioxygenation by a newly isolated Agrobacterium sp. PH-08.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, T T; Murugesan, K; Nam, I-H; Jeon, J-R; Chang, Y-S

2014-03-01

To demonstrate the biodegradation of dibenzofuran (DF) and its structural analogs by a newly isolated Agrobacterium sp. PH-08. To assess the biodegradation potential of newly isolated Agrobacterium sp. PH-08, various substrates were evaluated as sole carbon sources in growth and biotransformation experiments. ESI LC-MS/MS analysis revealed the presence of angular degrading by-products as well as lateral dioxygenation metabolites in the upper pathway. The metabolites in the lower pathway also were detected. In addition, the cometabolically degraded daughter compounds of DF-related compounds such as BP and dibenzothiophene (DBT) in dual substrate degradation were observed. Strain PH-08 exhibited the evidence of meta-cleavage pathway as confirmed by the activity and gene expression of catechol-2,3-dioxygenase. Newly isolated bacterial strain, Agrobacterium sp. PH-08, grew well with and degraded DF via both angular and lateral dioxygenation as demonstrated by metabolites identified through ESI LC-MS/MS and GC-MS analyses. The other heterocyclic pollutants were also cometabolically degraded. Few reports have described the complete degradation of DF by a cometabolic lateral pathway. Our study demonstrates the novel results that the newly isolated strain utilized the DF as a sole carbon source and mineralized it via multiple dioxygenation. © 2013 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Newly graduated nurses use of knowledge sources in clinical decison-making - a qualitative study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Voldbjerg, Siri

of clinical decisions, based on transparent, articulate and reflective use of knowledge sources. Furthermore, it is implied that nurses are able to retrieve, asses, implement and evaluate research evidence. To meet these requirements, nursing educations around the world have organised curricula to educate...... graduated nurses do not work within a framework of evidence-based practice. The overall aim of this thesis was to explore which knowledge sources newly graduated nurses’ use in their clinical decision-making and why they use them in order to understand why newly graduated nurses use research and components...... within evidence-based practice to a limited extent. The thesis is based on a synthesis of findings from two studies. The aim of the first study was to explore which knowledge sources newly graduated nurses use in clinical decision making as reported within international qualitative research. The purpose...

Relationship between Waist Circumference and Elevation of Carotid Intima-media Thickness in Newly-diagnosed Diabetic Patients

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZHANG Lei; JIA Wei Ping; SHEN Yun; ZHOU Jian; PAN Jie Min; YU Hao Yong; CHEN Hai Bing; LI Qing; LI Ming; BAO Yu Qian

2014-01-01

Objective Waist circumference, as a brief indicator of visceral obesity, is associated with multi-metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases. The present study was aimed to find out the relationship between waist circumference and carotid intima media thickness (C-IMT), as well as the best waist circumference cutoff for identifying C-IMT elevation in Chinese male patients with newly-diagnosed diabetes. Methods Five hundred and seventy-eight patients from Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism in Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University were enrolled. Both physical examination (for measurement of waist circumference) and carotid ultrasonography (for measurement of C-IMT) were performed. Results After grouping according to the quartiles of C-IMT, the waist circumference increased across all its quartiles. The waist circumference in 3rd and 4th quartiles (90.7±9.8 cm and 90.8±9.6 cm) was significant higher than in 1st and 2nd quartiles (P Conclusion Among newly-diagnosed diabetic male patients, waist circumference over 90 cm not only reflects sub-clinical atherosclerosis in early stage, but also predicts the progression of atherosclerosis.

Characterization of newly isolated lytic bacteriophages active against Acinetobacter baumannii.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maia Merabishvili

Full Text Available Based on genotyping and host range, two newly isolated lytic bacteriophages, myovirus vB_AbaM_Acibel004 and podovirus vB_AbaP_Acibel007, active against Acinetobacter baumannii clinical strains, were selected from a new phage library for further characterization. The complete genomes of the two phages were analyzed. Both phages are characterized by broad host range and essential features of potential therapeutic phages, such as short latent period (27 and 21 min, respectively, high burst size (125 and 145, respectively, stability of activity in liquid culture and low frequency of occurrence of phage-resistant mutant bacterial cells. Genomic analysis showed that while Acibel004 represents a novel bacteriophage with resemblance to some unclassified Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages, Acibel007 belongs to the well-characterized genus of the Phikmvlikevirus. The newly isolated phages can serve as potential candidates for phage cocktails to control A. baumannii infections.

[Bioethical analysis of the use of newly dead patients in medical learning].

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes, Andréia Patrícia; Rego, Sergio; Palácios, Marisa; Siqueira-Batista, Rodrigo

2010-01-01

The purpose of this article is to carry out, a discussion on the subject of bioethics and cadavers based upon a critic review of literature. A review of literature, was made with a survey of articles between 1977 and 2007 in the sites 'Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde', PubMed and SciElo, utilizing the keywords: newly deceased patients, newly dead patients, simulators,. This was complemented by a critical evaluation of books published in the area of ethics and bioethics. The possibility to develop learning without orientation by a supervisor is doubtful.. The utilization of newly dead for learning invasive procedures is very frequent and seldom admitted. These procedures, are usually, carried out secretly, without the knowledge and consent of the family. The ethical aspects of these practices are not discussed in the practical medical education. It essential that the ethics of use of recent deceased become a necessary content of graduate education. Performance of these procedures by students should always be authorized by family members. The simulators meet the requirements of training. Discussions about the ethical and bioethical aspects cannot be separated from practical considerations during the students learning time.

Knowledge and self-care practices regarding diabetes among newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

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Saleh Farzana

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Levels of knowledge about diabetes mellitus (DM among newly diagnosed diabetics in Bangladesh are unknown. This study assessed the relationship between knowledge and practices among newly diagnosed type 2 DM patients. Methods Newly diagnosed adults with type 2 diabetes (N = 508 were selected from 19 healthcare centers. Patients’ knowledge and self-care practices were assessed via interviewer-administered questionnaires using a cross-sectional design. Knowledge questions were divided into basic and technical sections. Knowledge scores were categorized as poor (mean + 1 SD. Chi square testing and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to examine the relationship between diabetes-related knowledge and self-care practices. Results Approximately 16%, 66%, and 18% of respondents had good, average, and poor (GAP basic knowledge respectively and 10%, 78%, and 12% of respondents had GAP technical knowledge, about DM. About 90% of respondents from both basic and technical GAP did not test their blood glucose regularly; a significant relationship existed between basic knowledge and glucose monitoring. Technical knowledge and foot care were significantly related, though 81% with good technical knowledge and about 70% from average and poor groups did not take care of their feet. Approximately 85%, 71%, and 52% of the GAP technical knowledge groups, consumed betel nuts; a significant relationship existed between technical knowledge and consumption of betel nuts. Around 88%, 92%, and 98% of GAP technical knowledge groups failed to follow dietary advice from a diabetes educator. About 26%, 42%, and 51% of GAP basic and technical sometimes ate meals at a fixed time (p Conclusions Newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics had similar levels of basic and technical knowledge of DM. Health education and motivation should create positive changes in diabetes-control-related self-care practices.

Ecotoxicological studies with newly hatched larvae of Concholepas concholepas (Mollusca, Gastropoda): bioassay with secondary-treated kraft pulp mill effluents.

Science.gov (United States)

Manríquez, Patricio H; Llanos-Rivera, Alejandra; Galaz, Sylvana; Camaño, Andrés

2013-12-01

The Chilean abalone or "loco" (Concholepas concholepas, Bruguière 1789) represent the most economically important marine recourse exploited from inner inshore Management and Exploitation Areas for Benthic Resources along the Chilean coast. In this study, newly-hatched larvae of C. concholepas were investigated as a potential model species for marine ecotoxicological studies. The study developed a behavioral standard protocol for assessing the impact that kraft pulp mill effluents after secondary treatment have on C. concholepas larvae. Under controlled laboratory conditions, newly-hatched larvae were exposed to a series of different concentrations of kraft pulp mill effluents with secondary treatment (Pinus spp. and Eucalyptus spp.), potassium dichromate as standard reference toxicant and effluent-free control conditions. Regardless of the type of effluent the results indicated that diluted kraft pulp effluent with secondary treatment had reduced effect on larval survival. Low larval survivals were only recorded when they were exposed to high concentrations of the reference toxicant. This suggests that C. concholepas larval bioassay is a simple method for monitoring the effects of kraft pulp mill effluents with secondary treatment discharged into the sea. The results indicated that dilution of ca. 1% of the effluent with an elemental chlorine free (ECF) secondary treatment is appropriate for achieving low larval mortalities, such as those obtained under control conditions with filtered seawater, and to minimize their impact on early ontogenetic stages of marine invertebrates such as newly-hatched larvae of C. concholepas. The methodological aspects of toxicological testing and behavioral responses described here with newly-hatched larvae of C. concholepas can be used to evaluate in the future the potential effects of other stressful conditions as other pollutants or changes in seawater pH associated with ocean acidification. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights

Face recognition in newly hatched chicks at the onset of vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Samantha M W; Wood, Justin N

2015-04-01

How does face recognition emerge in the newborn brain? To address this question, we used an automated controlled-rearing method with a newborn animal model: the domestic chick (Gallus gallus). This automated method allowed us to examine chicks' face recognition abilities at the onset of both face experience and object experience. In the first week of life, newly hatched chicks were raised in controlled-rearing chambers that contained no objects other than a single virtual human face. In the second week of life, we used an automated forced-choice testing procedure to examine whether chicks could distinguish that familiar face from a variety of unfamiliar faces. Chicks successfully distinguished the familiar face from most of the unfamiliar faces-for example, chicks were sensitive to changes in the face's age, gender, and orientation (upright vs. inverted). Thus, chicks can build an accurate representation of the first face they see in their life. These results show that the initial state of face recognition is surprisingly powerful: Newborn visual systems can begin encoding and recognizing faces at the onset of vision. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Incremental and Enhanced Scanline-Based Segmentation Method for Surface Reconstruction of Sparse LiDAR Data

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Weimin Wang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The segmentation of point clouds is an important aspect of automated processing tasks such as semantic extraction. However, the sparsity and non-uniformity of the point clouds gathered by the popular 3D mobile LiDAR devices pose many challenges for existing segmentation methods. To improve the segmentation results of point clouds from mobile LiDAR devices, we propose an optimized segmentation method based on Scanline Continuity Constraint (SLCC in this work. Unlike conventional scanline-based segmentation methods, SLCC clusters scanlines using the continuity constraints in terms of the distance as well as the direction of two consecutive points. In addition, scanline clusters are agglomerated not only into primitive geometrical shapes but also irregular shapes. Another downside to existing segmentation methods is that they are not capable of incremental processing. This causes unnecessary memory and time consumption for applications that require frame-wise segmentation or when new point clouds are added. In order to address this, we propose an incremental scheme—the Incremental Recursive Segmentation (IRIS, that can be easily applied to any segmentation method. IRIS is achieved by combining the segments of newly added point clouds and the previously segmented results. Furthermore, as an example application, we construct a processing pipeline consisting of plane fitting and surface reconstruction using the segmentation results. Finally, we evaluate the proposed methods on three datasets acquired from a handheld Velodyne HDL-32E LiDAR device. The experimental results verify the efficiency of IRIS for any segmentation method and the advantages of SLCC for processing mobile LiDAR data.

The role of Gliadel wafers in the treatment of newly diagnosed GBM: a meta-analysis

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Xing WK

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Wei-kang Xing,1 Chuan Shao,2 Zhen-yu Qi,1 Chao Yang,1 Zhong Wang1 1Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 2Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Clinical Medical College of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China Background: Standard treatment for high-grade glioma (HGG includes surgery followed by radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Insertion of carmustine wafers into the resection cavity as a treatment for malignant glioma is currently a controversial topic among neurosurgeons. Our meta-analysis focused on whether carmustine wafer treatment could significantly benefit the survival of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM.Method: We searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases without any restrictions on language using the keywords “Gliadel wafers”, “carmustine wafers”, “BCNU wafers”, or “interstitial chemotherapy” in newly diagnosed GBM for the period from January 1990 to March 2015. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs and cohort studies/clinical trials that compared treatments designed with and without carmustine wafers and which reported overall survival or hazard ratio (HR or survival curves were included in this study. Moreover, the statistical analysis was conducted by the STATA 12.0 software.Results: Six studies including two RCTs and four cohort studies, enrolling a total of 513 patients (223 with and 290 without carmustine wafers, matched the selection criteria. Carmustine wafers showed a strong advantage when pooling all the included studies (HR =0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI =0.49–0.81; P=0.019. However, the two RCTs did not show a statistical increase in survival in the group with carmustine wafer compared to the group without it (HR =0.51, 95% CI =0.18–1.41; P=0.426, while the cohort studies demonstrated a significant survival increase (HR =0.59, 95% CI =0.44–0.79; P<0.0001.Conclusion

Quantification of newly produced B and T lymphocytes in untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients

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Caimi Luigi

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The immune defects occurring in chronic lymphocytic leukemia are responsible for the frequent occurrence of infections and autoimmune phenomena, and may be involved in the initiation and maintenance of the malignant clone. Here, we evaluated the quantitative defects of newly produced B and T lymphocytes. Methods The output of B and T lymphocytes from the production and maturation sites was analyzed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients and healthy controls by quantifying kappa-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs and T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs by a Real-Time PCR assay that simultaneously detects both targets. T-lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by six-color flow cytometric analysis. Data comparison was performed by two-sided Mann-Whitney test. Results KRECs level was reduced in untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients studied at the very early stage of the disease, whereas the release of TRECs+ cells was preserved. Furthermore, the observed increase of CD4+ lymphocytes could be ascribed to the accumulation of CD4+ cells with effector memory phenotype. Conclusions The decreased number of newly produced B lymphocytes in these patients is likely related to a homeostatic mechanism by which the immune system balances the abnormal B-cell expansion. This feature may precede the profound defect of humoral immunity characterizing the later stages of the disease.

Simvastatin and asymmetric dimethylarginine-homocysteine metabolic pathways in patients with newly detected severe hypercholesterolemia.

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Vladimirova-Kitova, Ludmila G; Deneva, Tania I

2010-01-01

The idea that statin therapy decreases asymmetric dimethylarginine through lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels seems logic. However, controversy exists in the literature concerning this issue. This study compares the effect of moderate (40 mg) to high (80 mg) simvastatin doses on asymmetric dimethylarginine levels in patients with newly detected severe hypercholesterolemia (after targeted LDL levels of or = 7.5 mmol/L and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol > or = 4.9 mmol/L). Asymmetric dimethylarginine levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, total homocystein by the high performance liquid chromatography method. A statistically significant decrease exists in total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein-B levels as well as apolipoprotein-B/apolipoprotein-A1 index following one month of 40 mg simvastatin therapy (P homocystein levels were also decreased but the difference was not significant (p = 0.571; p = 0.569). A dose-dependent effect was established comparing the influence of moderate (40 mg) to high (80 mg) simvastatin doses on the tested atherogenic biomarkers (lipid profile, apolipoprotein-A1, apolipoprotein-B). Asymmetric dimethylarginine and total homocystein levels showed a statistically significant decrease with 80 mg simvastatin (p homocysteine in contrast to high dose (80 mg) after targeted LDL of < or = 2.6 mmol/L levels are reached in patients with newly detected severe hypercholesterolemia.

The Proposal to “Snapshot” Raim Method for Gnss Vessel Receivers Working in Poor Space Segment Geometry

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Nowak Aleksander

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, we can observe an increase in research on the use of small unmanned autonomous vessel (SUAV to patrol and guiding critical areas including harbours. The proposal to “snapshot” RAIM (Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring method for GNSS receivers mounted on SUAV operating in poor space segment geometry is presented in the paper. Existing “snapshot” RAIM methods and algorithms which are used in practical applications have been developed for airborne receivers, thus two main assumptions have been made. The first one is that the geometry of visible satellites is strong. It means that the exclusion of any satellite from the positioning solution don’t cause significant deterioration of Dilution of Precision (DOP coefficients. The second one is that only one outlier could appear in pseudorange measurements. In case of SUAV operating in harbour these two assumptions cannot be accepted. Because of their small dimensions, GNSS antenna is only a few decimetres above sea level and regular ships, buildings and harbour facilities block and reflect satellite signals. Thus, different approach to “snapshot” RAIM is necessary. The proposal to method based on analyses of allowable maximal separation of positioning sub-solutions with using some information from EGNOS messages is described in the paper. Theoretical assumptions and results of numerical experiments are presented.

A new perspective for quintic B-spline based Crank-Nicolson-differential quadrature method algorithm for numerical solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Science.gov (United States)

Başhan, Ali; Uçar, Yusuf; Murat Yağmurlu, N.; Esen, Alaattin

2018-01-01

In the present paper, a Crank-Nicolson-differential quadrature method (CN-DQM) based on utilizing quintic B-splines as a tool has been carried out to obtain the numerical solutions for the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation. For this purpose, first of all, the Schrödinger equation has been converted into coupled real value differential equations and then they have been discretized using both the forward difference formula and the Crank-Nicolson method. After that, Rubin and Graves linearization techniques have been utilized and the differential quadrature method has been applied to obtain an algebraic equation system. Next, in order to be able to test the efficiency of the newly applied method, the error norms, L2 and L_{∞}, as well as the two lowest invariants, I1 and I2, have been computed. Besides those, the relative changes in those invariants have been presented. Finally, the newly obtained numerical results have been compared with some of those available in the literature for similar parameters. This comparison clearly indicates that the currently utilized method, namely CN-DQM, is an effective and efficient numerical scheme and allows us to propose to solve a wide range of nonlinear equations.

Bone histomorphometry in children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leeuw, JA; Koudstaal, J; Wiersema-Buist, J; Kamps, WA; Timens, W

2003-01-01

The objective of this study was to obtain insight into bone formation and resorption in children with newly diagnosed untreated acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In 23 consecutive children with ALL, a bone biopsy was taken from the crista iliaca posterior under ketamine anesthesia, together with

Cultural characters of a newly recognized group of hospital staphylococci.

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Jevons, M P; John, M; Parker, M T

1966-07-01

Members of a newly recognized group of hospital staphylococci, which are believed to have arisen from 83A staphylococci by lysogenization, differ from them in several cultural characters. Some but not all of these characters appear to be determined by the carriage of phage.

Using a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to determine product usability: A proposed theoretical framework.

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Zhou, Ronggang; Chan, Alan H S

2017-01-01

In order to compare existing usability data to ideal goals or to that for other products, usability practitioners have tried to develop a framework for deriving an integrated metric. However, most current usability methods with this aim rely heavily on human judgment about the various attributes of a product, but often fail to take into account of the inherent uncertainties in these judgments in the evaluation process. This paper presents a universal method of usability evaluation by combining the analytic hierarchical process (AHP) and the fuzzy evaluation method. By integrating multiple sources of uncertain information during product usability evaluation, the method proposed here aims to derive an index that is structured hierarchically in terms of the three usability components of effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction of a product. With consideration of the theoretical basis of fuzzy evaluation, a two-layer comprehensive evaluation index was first constructed. After the membership functions were determined by an expert panel, the evaluation appraisals were computed by using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation technique model to characterize fuzzy human judgments. Then with the use of AHP, the weights of usability components were elicited from these experts. Compared to traditional usability evaluation methods, the major strength of the fuzzy method is that it captures the fuzziness and uncertainties in human judgments and provides an integrated framework that combines the vague judgments from multiple stages of a product evaluation process.

Development of a new disintegration method for orally disintegrating tablets.

Science.gov (United States)

Kakutani, Ryo; Muro, Hiroyuki; Makino, Tadashi

2010-07-01

Recently, the focus has been on the importance of assessing the oral disintegrative properties of orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs). In particular, in the development stages and the quality control field of ODT products, a physical assessment method which easily measures oral disintegrative properties is desired. For this reason, we developed a new disintegration test method (Kyoto-model disintegration method or KYO method), which is useful to predict the oral disintegrative properties of an ODT easily, and examined the availability of the method. In the KYO method, ODT samples were classified in terms of their water permeability, and a moderate water volume was decided. Subsequently, the disintegrative properties were assessed with the newly proposed method. For 25 commercial prescription ODTs used as samples, a good correlation was shown between the results of a human sensory test by five healthy male volunteers and the results using the KYO method. Furthermore, the KYO method could evaluate time-dependent changes in ODT samples. On the other hand, no correlation was observed between the Japanese Pharmacopeia disintegration test and the human sensory test. These results suggested that the KYO method reflected the disintegration nature of the ODTs in the oral cavity, and could easily be applied to development stages and the quality control field of ODT products.

Evaluating the Physiological and Perceptual Responses of Wearing a Newly Designed Cooling Vest for Construction Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yijie; Yi, Wen; Chan, Albert P C; Wong, Francis K W; Yam, Michael C H

2017-08-01

Construction workers are subjected to heat stress because of the hot environment, physically demanding tasks, and/or personal protective equipment. A tailor-made cooling vest that protects construction workers from heat-related injuries was developed. The purpose of the study is to examine a newly designed cooling vest's effectiveness in alleviating physiological and perceptual strain in a hot and humid environment. Twelve male participants performed two trials, i.e., cooling vest (VEST) and control (CON) in a climatic chamber controlled at 37°C temperature, 60% relative humidity, 0.3 m/s air velocity, and 450 W/m2 solar radiation to simulate the summer working environment of construction sites. Two bouts of treadmill exercise intermitted with 30-minute passive recovery were designed to simulate the practical work-rest schedule of the construction industry. The cooling vest was used during the passive recovery period in the VEST condition, and the results were compared with that of no cooling vest in the CON condition. The results revealed that the newly designed cooling vest can significantly alleviate heat strain and improve thermal comfort, based on the decrease in body temperature, heart rate, and subjective perceptions (including perceived exertion, thermal, wetness, and comfort sensation) of the participants. It can also prolong work duration in the subsequent exercise. The cooling countermeasures proposed in this study will be able to provide an effective solution in situations that involve repeated bouts of outdoor construction work. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

Characteristics of a newly designed electrolyser to enrich tritium in environmental water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shima, Nagayoshi; Muranaka, Takeshi

2007-01-01

A newly designed electrolytic device to enrich tritium in environmental water is proposed. This device is composed of a solid polymer electrolytic film (SPE film) and porous, dimensionally stable electrodes (DSE). In our design a platinum mesh was inserted between the SPE film and the anode DSE so that the device can be easily disassembled and the used SPE film can be replaced with a new one after each use. A thin gold plate with a number of minute holes in it is used as current collector in both electrodes allowing the electrolytic gas to be released progressively. An electrolytic current of 6A was passed through the device to obtain a volume reducing factor of five by keeping a temperature of water both at 2degC or lower. After that, our device achieved a tritium recovery factor of 0.836±0.021 (n=4). Such a value is greater than the value obtained using a commercially available apparatus operated under the same experimental conditions. It is thought that this greater efficiency depends on the difference between electrolytic temperature produced in our device and the temperature in the commercially available one. (author)

Enhancing the Social Network Dimension of Lifelong Competence Development and Management Systems: A Proposal of Methods and Tools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cheak, Alicia; Angehrn, Albert; Sloep, Peter

2006-01-01

Cheak, A. M., Angehrn, A. A., & Sloep, P. (2006). Enhancing the social network dimension of lifelong competence development and management systems: A proposal of methods and tools. In R. Koper & K. Stefanov (Eds.). Proceedings of International Workshop in Learning Networks for Lifelong Competence

Prototypes of Newly Conceived Inorganic and Biological Sensors for Health and Environmental Applications

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Rosanna Spera

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the optimal implementation of three newly conceived sensors for both health and environmental applications, utilizing a wide range of detection methods and complex nanocomposites. The first one is inorganic and based on matrices of calcium oxide, the second is based on protein arrays and a third one is based on Langmuir-Blodgett laccase multi-layers. Special attention was paid to detecting substances significant to the environment (such as carbon dioxide and medicine (drug administration, cancer diagnosis and prognosis by means of amperometric, quartz crystal microbalance with frequency (QCM_F and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM_D technologies. The resulting three implemented nanosensors are described here along with proofs of principle and their corresponding applications.

Study on the evaluation method of radiation dose rate around spent fuel shipping casks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamakoshi, Hisao

1986-01-01

This study aims at developing a simple calculation method which can evaluate radiation dose rate around casks with high accuracy in a short time. The method is based on a concept of the radiation shielding characteristics of cask walls. The concept was introduced to replace for ordinary radiation shielding calculation which requires a long calculation time and a large memory capacity of a computer in the matrix calculation. For the purpose of verifying the accuracy and reliability of the new method, it was applied to the analysis of the dose rate distribution around actual casks, which had been measured. The results of the analysis revealed that the newly proposed method was excellent for the forecast of radiation dose rate distribution around casks in view of the accuracy and calculation time. The short calculation time and high accuracy by the proposed method were attained by dividing the whole procedure of ordinary fine radiation shielding calculation into the calculation of radiation dose rate on a cask surface by the matrix expression of the characteristic function and the calculation of dose rate distribution using the simple analytical expression of dose rate distribution around casks. The effect of the heterogeneous array of spent fuel in different burnup state on dose rate distribution around casks was evaluated by this method. (Kako, I.)

Management of Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation in an Outpatient Clinic Setting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thrysoee, Lars; Strömberg, Anna; Brandes, Axel

2018-01-01

fibrillation is not a fatal disease in itself was very important for patients. At the same time, visiting the clinic was overwhelming, information was difficult to understand, and patients found it difficult to be involved in decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that patients were uncertain......AIMS: To gain in-depth knowledge of patients' experiences of the consultation processes at a multidisciplinary atrial fibrillation outpatient clinic in a university hospital in Denmark. BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia associated with morbidity and mortality...... if not diagnosed and treated as recommended. Patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation preferably should be managed in an outpatient setting which includes medical examination, patient education and decision making on medical therapy. DESIGN: This is a qualitative study of 14 patients newly diagnosed...

Two-dimensional semi-analytic nodal method for multigroup pin power reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seung Gyou, Baek; Han Gyu, Joo; Un Chul, Lee

2007-01-01

A pin power reconstruction method applicable to multigroup problems involving square fuel assemblies is presented. The method is based on a two-dimensional semi-analytic nodal solution which consists of eight exponential terms and 13 polynomial terms. The 13 polynomial terms represent the particular solution obtained under the condition of a 2-dimensional 13 term source expansion. In order to achieve better approximation of the source distribution, the least square fitting method is employed. The 8 exponential terms represent a part of the analytically obtained homogeneous solution and the 8 coefficients are determined by imposing constraints on the 4 surface average currents and 4 corner point fluxes. The surface average currents determined from a transverse-integrated nodal solution are used directly whereas the corner point fluxes are determined during the course of the reconstruction by employing an iterative scheme that would realize the corner point balance condition. The outgoing current based corner point flux determination scheme is newly introduced. The accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated with the L336C5 benchmark problem. (authors)

Importance of circulating tumor cells in newly diagnosed colorectal cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dalum, Guus; Stam, Gerrit-Jan; Scholten, Loes F.A.; Mastboom, Walter J.B.; Vermes, I.; Tibbe, Arjan G.J.; De Groot, Marco R.; Terstappen, Leonardus Wendelinus Mathias Marie

2015-01-01

Presence of circulating tumor cells (CTC) is associated with poor prognosis in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study was conducted to determine if the presence of CTC prior to surgery and during follow‑up in patients with newly diagnosed non-metastatic CRC can identify

Physiological evaluation of a newly designed lever mechanism for wheelchairs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Woude, L H; Veeger, DirkJan (H. E. J.); de Boer, Y; Rozendal, R H

1993-01-01

Lever-propelled wheelchairs have been described as more efficient and less physically demanding than hand-rim-propelled wheelchairs. To evaluate a newly designed lever mechanism (MARC) in both one- and two-arm use, a series of wheelchair exercise tests were performed on a motor-driven treadmill.

EYE DISEASE IN NEWLY-DIAGNOSED LEPROSY PATIENTS IN EASTERN NEPAL

NARCIS (Netherlands)

LUBBERS, WJ; SCHIPPER, A; HOGEWEG, M; DESOLDENHOFF, R

To determine the magnitude of eye lesions in newly diagnosed leprosy patients we examined their eyes. The Eastern Leprosy Control Project was supported by The Netherlands Leprosy Relief Association; we used the regional clinic in Biratnagar and 5 mobile clinics in surrounding districts as our survey

Eyeball Position in Facial Approximation: Accuracy of Methods for Predicting Globe Positioning in Lateral View.

Science.gov (United States)

Zednikova Mala, Pavla; Veleminska, Jana

2018-01-01

This study measured the accuracy of traditional and validated newly proposed methods for globe positioning in lateral view. Eighty lateral head cephalograms of adult subjects from Central Europe were taken, and the actual and predicted dimensions were compared. The anteroposterior eyeball position was estimated as the most accurate method based on the proportion of the orbital height (SEE = 1.9 mm) and was followed by the "tangent to the iris method" showing SEE = 2.4 mm. The traditional "tangent to the cornea method" underestimated the eyeball projection by SEE = 5.8 mm. Concerning the superoinferior eyeball position, the results showed a deviation from a central to a more superior position by 0.3 mm, on average, and the traditional method of central positioning of the globe could not be rejected as inaccurate (SEE = 0.3 mm). Based on regression analyzes or proportionality of the orbital height, the SEE = 2.1 mm. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Newly Diagnosed Diabetic Macular Edema in Turkey: A Real-Life Registry Study—TURK-DEM

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Bora Eldem

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To evaluate the clinical and diagnostic characteristics of patients with newly diagnosed diabetic macular edema (DME in Turkey in a real-life setting. Methods. A total of 945 consecutive patients (mean (SD age: 61.3 (9.9 years, 55.2% male with newly diagnosed DME were included. Data on patient demographics, comorbidities, ocular history, ophthalmic examination findings including type of DME, central macular thickness (CMT via time domain (TD and spectral domain (SD optical coherence tomography (OCT, and planned treatments were recorded. Results. OCT (98.8% and fundoscopy (92.9% were the two most common diagnostic methods. Diffuse and focal DMEs were detected in 39.2% and 36.9% of cases, respectively. Laser photocoagulation (32.1% and antivascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGF; 31.8% were the most commonly planned treatments. The median CMT in the right eye was significantly greater in untreated than in treated patients [376.5 μm (range: 160–840 versus 342 μm (range: 146–999 (p=0.002] and in the left eye [370 μm (range: 201–780 versus 329 μm (range: 148–999 (p<0.001]. Conclusions. This study is the first large-scale real-life registry of DME patients in Turkey. SD-OCT and fundoscopy were the most common diagnostic methods. Laser photocoagulation and anti-VEGF therapy were the most common treatments.

Parental influences on sperm banking attempts among adolescent males newly diagnosed with cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Klosky, James L; Flynn, Jessica S; Lehmann, Vicky; Russell, Kathryn M; Wang, Fang; Hardin, Robin N; Eddinger, Jasmine R; Zhang, Hui; Schenck, Lauren A-M; Schover, Leslie R

2017-12-01

To investigate the influence of parental sociodemographic, communication, and psychological factors on sperm collection attempts among at-risk adolescent males newly diagnosed with cancer. Prospective, single group, observational study design. Pediatric oncology centers. Parents (N = 144) of 122 newly diagnosed adolescent males at increased risk for infertility secondary to cancer therapy. Survey-based assessment of parent factors associated with adolescent collection attempts. Attempt of manual collection of sperm. Parental recommendation to bank sperm (odds ratio [OR] 3.72; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-11.76) and perceived self-efficacy to facilitate banking (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.02-1.41) were associated with an increased likelihood of making a collection attempt. Parental recommendation to bank is a critical influence for sperm banking among adolescent males newly diagnosed with cancer. These findings highlight the importance of effective communication between parents, patients, and health-care teams when discussing preservation options. Parent perceptions of their ability to facilitate sperm banking at the time of diagnosis should also be targeted in future interventions. NCT01152268. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Quality of life of elderly persons with newly diagnosed cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Esbensen, B A; Osterlind, K; Roer, O

2004-01-01

The aim was to investigate quality of life (QoL) in elderly persons newly diagnosed with cancer (65+ years) in relation to age, contact with the health-care system, ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL), hope, social network and support, and to identify which factors were associated...... with low QoL. The sample consisted of 101 patients (75 women and 26 men) newly diagnosed with cancer. EORTC QLQ-C30, Nowotny's Hope Scale, Katz ADL and the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction (ISSI) were used. The analysis was carried out in four age groups and revealed no significant differences...... in QoL. Compared with the other age groups, those of a high age (80+ years) more often lived alone, used more home-help service and had a smaller social network. Factors associated with low QoL were 'no other incomes than retirement pension', 'low level of hope' and 'lung cancer'. In addition, 'being...

An efficient depth map preprocessing method based on structure-aided domain transform smoothing for 3D view generation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Liu

Full Text Available Depth image-based rendering (DIBR, which is used to render virtual views with a color image and the corresponding depth map, is one of the key techniques in the 2D to 3D conversion process. Due to the absence of knowledge about the 3D structure of a scene and its corresponding texture, DIBR in the 2D to 3D conversion process, inevitably leads to holes in the resulting 3D image as a result of newly-exposed areas. In this paper, we proposed a structure-aided depth map preprocessing framework in the transformed domain, which is inspired by recently proposed domain transform for its low complexity and high efficiency. Firstly, our framework integrates hybrid constraints including scene structure, edge consistency and visual saliency information in the transformed domain to improve the performance of depth map preprocess in an implicit way. Then, adaptive smooth localization is cooperated and realized in the proposed framework to further reduce over-smoothness and enhance optimization in the non-hole regions. Different from the other similar methods, the proposed method can simultaneously achieve the effects of hole filling, edge correction and local smoothing for typical depth maps in a united framework. Thanks to these advantages, it can yield visually satisfactory results with less computational complexity for high quality 2D to 3D conversion. Numerical experimental results demonstrate the excellent performances of the proposed method.

Enhancing the Social Network Dimension of Lifelong Competence Development and Management Systems: A proposal of methods and tools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cheak, Alicia; Angehrn, Albert; Sloep, Peter

2006-01-01

Cheak, A. M., Angehrn, A. A., & Sloep, P. B. (2006). Enhancing the social network dimension of lifelong competence development and management systems: A proposal of methods and tools. In E. J. R. Koper & K. Stefanov (Eds.), Proceedings of International Workshop on Learning Networks for Lifelong

Correlation between bone scan findings and serum PSA level in prostate cancer patients in Bangladesh: both newly diagnosed and hormonally treated cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasmeen, S.; Nasreen, F.; Kabir, M.F.

2007-01-01

Full text: The objective of the current study was to determine whether pre- treatment serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels can identify a group with low probability of osseous metastases and safely eliminate the need for bone scan as a routine part of the staging evaluation in Bangladeshi patients with newly diagnosed prostate carcinoma. Also, to find out a cut off value for serum PSA level for predicting positive bone scan in newly diagnosed Bangladeshi prostate cancer patients and to assess the role of PSA level in hormonally treated cases. Prostate cancer most commonly metastasizes to the bone. Bone scintigraphy is one of the best methods in detecting bone metastases, assessing the progression of the disease and response to therapy. For more than 30 yrs it has been known that bone scintigraphy is more sensitive than radiographic, clinical evaluation or chemical markers such as alkaline phosphatase or acid phosphatase in detection of early osseous metastatic prostate cancer. The introduction of PSA has dramatically changed the management of prostate cancer. Serum PSA level has proven to be a useful serum marker for detection of metastatic prostate cancer and it provides the best overall correlation. It also has considerable impact on bone scanning. Of special significance is the fact that patients who have a low PSA level in previously untreated carcinoma of prostate are extremely unlikely to have positive findings on a bone scan for metastases. The picture is different in patients who has received and responded to hormonal therapy. Bone scintigraphy appears to be extremely useful in patients whose PSA level begins to rise after surgical procedure. Patients, who were on anti- androgen therapy, even though they had visible metastatic disease on bone scans, had normal level of PSA Patients and methods: A total of 390 cases were studied. Some (n=242) were newly diagnosed without having any specific treatment other than surgery. Others (n=148) were old cases

Frequency of Ketoacidosis in Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic Children

Science.gov (United States)

Razavi, Zahra

2010-01-01

Objectives Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (TIDM). Many patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes present with DKA. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency and the clinical presentation of diabetic ketoacidosis at the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus in youths in hamadan, Western Province of Iran. Methods The Clinical and laboratory data of a total of 200 patients under 19 years of age with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus between 1995-2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 11. Results 48 (24%)of the children were presented in a state of ketoacidosis. Sever form of DKA (pH≤7.2) was observed in 54.5% of patients. The mean age at diagnosis was 7.3±5.15 years in DKA group and 8.59±3.07 in non-DKA group (p=0.22). 60.4% of patient with DKA were female whereas in the non-DKA group, 53.3% of patients were female, the difference was not significant (p=0.38). The duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 14.84±8.19 days in patients with DKA and 22.39±2.27 in the non-DKA group, (p=0.11). No significant difference was found between the age, sex and duration of the symptoms and occurance of DKA. Polydipsia (85.4) polyuria (83.3%), weakness (68.8%) and abdominal pain (52.1%) were the most frequently notified symptoms among the patients. In two cases, diagnosis of DKA was preceded by as appendicitis and the patient underwent appendectomy. Conclusion Frequency of DKA at onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus was significant in the studied region. However, it was lower than other regions in Asia. Polydipsia, polyuria, fatigue and abdominal pain were the most common symptoms on presentation. PMID:22125712

Frequency of Ketoacidosis in Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Razavi

2010-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACTObjectives: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (TIDM. Many patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes present with DKA. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency and the clinical presentation of diabetic ketoacidosis at the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus in youths in hamadan, Western Province of Iran.Methods: The Clinical and laboratory data of a total of 200 patients under 19 years of age with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus between 1995-2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 11.Results: 48 (24%of the children were presented in a state of ketoacidosis. Sever form of DKA (pH≤7.2 was observed in 54.5% of patients. The mean age at diagnosis was 7.3±5.15 years in DKA group and 8.59±3.07 in non-DKA group (p=0.22. 60.4% of patient with DKA were female whereas in the non-DKA group, 53.3% of patients were female, the difference was not significant (p=0.38. The duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 14.84±8.19 days in patients with DKA and 22.39±2.27 in the non-DKA group, (p=0.11. No significant difference was found between the age, sex and duration of the symptoms and occurance of DKA. Polydipsia (85.4 polyuria (83.3%, weakness (68.8% and abdominal pain (52.1% were the most frequently notified symptoms among the patients. In two cases, diagnosis of DKA was preceded by as appendicitis and the patient underwent appendectomy.Conclusion: Frequency of DKA at onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus was significant in the studied region. However, it was lower than other regions in Asia. Polydipsia, polyuria, fatigue and abdominal pain were the most common symptoms on presentation.

University Environment Experience of the First Two Years of University Graduates at a Newly Established Small University Located in Suburban Area in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yii-Nii

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study is to describe students' university environment experience from the perspectives of the first two years of university graduates of a newly established small university located in suburban area in Taiwan. A qualitative method of phenomenology with in-depth interviews is adopted. Fourteen male and sixteen female seniors,…

Quality of life of elderly persons with newly diagnosed cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Esbensen, B A; Osterlind, K; Roer, O

2004-01-01

The aim was to investigate quality of life (QoL) in elderly persons newly diagnosed with cancer (65+ years) in relation to age, contact with the health-care system, ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL), hope, social network and support, and to identify which factors were associated...

Breeding of newly licensed wheat variety Huapei 8 and improved ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ajl yemi

2011-12-28

Dec 28, 2011 ... Full Length Research Paper. Breeding of newly licensed wheat variety Huapei 8 and improved breeding strategy by anther culture ... more efficient in pure line selection rather than the hete- .... Regional and productivity tests showed that Huapei 8 had .... Large-scale production of wheat and triticale double.

Who Is Doing Well? A Typology of Newly Homeless Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Milburn, Norweeta; Liang, Li-Jung; Lee, Sung-Jae; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Rosenthal, Doreen; Mallett, Shelley; Lightfoot, Marguerita; Lester, Patricia

2009-01-01

There is growing evidence to support developing new typologies for homeless adolescents. Current typologies focus on the risks associated with being homeless, with less consideration of the positive attributes of homeless adolescents. The authors examined both risk and protective factors in a sample of newly homeless adolescents. Using cluster…

A theoretical global optimization method for vapor-compression refrigeration systems based on entransy theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Yun-Chao; Chen, Qun

2013-01-01

The vapor-compression refrigeration systems have been one of the essential energy conversion systems for humankind and exhausting huge amounts of energy nowadays. Surrounding the energy efficiency promotion of the systems, there are lots of effectual optimization methods but mainly relied on engineering experience and computer simulations rather than theoretical analysis due to the complex and vague physical essence. We attempt to propose a theoretical global optimization method based on in-depth physical analysis for the involved physical processes, i.e. heat transfer analysis for condenser and evaporator, through introducing the entransy theory and thermodynamic analysis for compressor and expansion valve. The integration of heat transfer and thermodynamic analyses forms the overall physical optimization model for the systems to describe the relation between all the unknown parameters and known conditions, which makes theoretical global optimization possible. With the aid of the mathematical conditional extremum solutions, an optimization equation group and the optimal configuration of all the unknown parameters are analytically obtained. Eventually, via the optimization of a typical vapor-compression refrigeration system with various working conditions to minimize the total heat transfer area of heat exchangers, the validity and superior of the newly proposed optimization method is proved. - Highlights: • A global optimization method for vapor-compression systems is proposed. • Integrating heat transfer and thermodynamic analyses forms the optimization model. • A mathematical relation between design parameters and requirements is derived. • Entransy dissipation is introduced into heat transfer analysis. • The validity of the method is proved via optimization of practical cases

Assessing the comparative effectiveness of newly marketed medications: methodological challenges and implications for drug development.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneeweiss, S; Gagne, J J; Glynn, R J; Ruhl, M; Rassen, J A

2011-12-01

Comparative-effectiveness research (CER) aims to produce actionable evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of medical products and interventions as they are used outside of controlled research settings. Although CER evidence regarding medications is particularly needed shortly after market approval, key methodological challenges include (i) potential bias due to channeling of patients to the newly marketed medication because of various patient-, physician-, and system-related factors; (ii) rapid changes in the characteristics of the user population during the early phase of marketing; and (iii) lack of timely data and the often small number of users in the first few months of marketing. We propose a mix of approaches to generate comparative-effectiveness data in the early marketing period, including sequential cohort monitoring with secondary health-care data and propensity score (PS) balancing, as well as extended follow-up of phase III and phase IV trials, indirect comparisons of placebo-controlled trials, and modeling and simulation of virtual trials.

THE NEWLY BORN MAGNETARS POWERING GAMMA-RAY BURST INTERNAL-PLATEAU EMISSION: ARE THERE STRANGE STARS?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Yunwei; Cao Xiaofeng; Zheng Xiaoping

2009-01-01

The internal-plateau X-ray emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) indicates that a newly born magnetar could be the central object of some GRBs. The observed luminosity and duration of the plateaus suggest that, for such a magnetar, a rapid spin with a sub- or millisecond period is sometimes able to last thousands of seconds. In this case, the conventional neutron star (NS) model for the magnetar may be challenged, since the rapid spin of nascent NSs would be remarkably decelerated within hundreds of seconds due to r-mode instability. In contrast, the r-modes can be effectively suppressed in nascent strange stars (SSs). In other words, to a certain extent, only SSs can keep nearly constant extremely rapid spin for a long period of time during the early ages of the stars. We thus propose that the sample of the GRB rapidly spinning magnetars can be used to test the SS hypothesis based on the distinct spin limits of NSs and SSs.

Tracer Methods for Characterizing Fracture Creation in Engineered Geothermal Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rose, Peter [Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Harris, Joel [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

2014-05-08

The aim of this proposal is to develop, through novel high-temperature-tracing approaches, three technologies for characterizing fracture creation within Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS). The objective of a first task is to identify, develop and demonstrate adsorbing tracers for characterizing interwell reservoir-rock surface areas and fracture spacing. The objective of a second task is to develop and demonstrate a methodology for measuring fracture surface areas adjacent to single wells. The objective of a third task is to design, fabricate and test an instrument that makes use of tracers for measuring fluid flow between newly created fractures and wellbores. In one method of deployment, it will be used to identify qualitatively which fractures were activated during a hydraulic stimulation experiment. In a second method of deployment, it will serve to measure quantitatively the rate of fluid flowing from one or more activated fracture during a production test following a hydraulic stimulation.

Profile of Infections in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Acute Leukemia During the Induction Phase of Treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sayed, H.A.; Talaat, S.M.; El-Mahallawy, H.A.; Kaddah, A.M.; Ismael, H.T.

2009-01-01

Acute leukemia is the most common pediatric malignancy. Despite the significant progress in the treatment of infectious complications, infection-related morbidity and mortality continue to be of great importance. Prompt initiation of the appropriate empiric antibiotic treatment has improved infection outcome. The aim of the present study is to assess the type, frequency, and severity of infectious complications in a cohort of pediatric cancer patients treated at a single medical institution. We also aim to identify factors affecting bloodstream infections in newly diagnosed ALL and AML pediatric patients during the induction phase of treatment. Patients and Methods: This study was carried out at the Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, during the time period from January 1st to June 30th 2007. Inclusion criteria were pediatric age group (from 0-16 years), newly diagnosed acute leukemia, positive blood culture and documented site of infection. Data were analyzed using the SPSS package version 15. A p-value £0.05 was considered significant. Results: This is a retrospective study including 100 newly diagnosed cases of acute leukemia. Fifty-four patients had ALL, and 46 patients had AML. 348 infectious episodes were recorded. Blood stream infections (BSI) occurred once or twice in 32%, 3-4 episodes in 58%, and five or more episodes in 10% of the cases. Gram-positive cocci were the most frequently observed cause of BSI, accounting for 77.9% of the total isolates followed by Gram negative organisms seen in 18.9% and mixed infections in 8%. The majority of the episodes (n= 208, 58.4%) responded to first-line empirical antibiotic therapy. Conclusion: Clinical and laboratory risk factors could be identified and can help prediction of serious BSI.

Short term use of the system tariffs : the substitution method revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Oliveira-De Jesus, P.M.; Ponce de Leao, M.T.

2007-01-01

In some countries, electricity network losses are evaluated using a substitution method in order to apply Use of the System Tariffs against generators and loads. Although the substitution method is widely used for loss pricing in real distribution systems with distributed generation, this method can produce inconsistent results, particularly when all users are included in the analysis. This paper demonstrated how all agents are responsible for some of the network loss reduction and no single user is responsible for the actual loss. For these reasons, a new and more complex procedure based on a cost-causality approach was introduced. In this study, the substitution method was revisited and reformulated with a new performance index in order to produce an equitable sharing of the benefits or added costs introduced by distributed generators. Under certain operating scenarios, the newly proposed method can emulate the solution provided by a marginal or incremental approach fulfilling some requirements for an effective loss allocation policy to ensure recovery of losses and send economic signals to agents. It was concluded that the reformulated method is a practical alternative for access pricing in distribution networks. 5 refs., 2 tabs., 5 figs., 1 appendix

Proposal of an ISO Standard: Classification of Transients and Accidents for Pressurized Water Reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jo, Jong Chull [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Bub Dong; Lee, Doo-Jeong; Kim, Jong In; Yoon, Ju Hyun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Jae Jun [Pusan National Univ., Busan (Korea, Republic of); Kim, An Sup; Lee, Sang Yoon [Korea Electric Association, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

Classification of the events for a nuclear power plant is a fundamental basis for defining nuclear safety functions, safety systems performing those functions, and specific acceptance criteria for safety analyses. Presently, the approaches for the event classification adopted by the nuclear suppliers are different, which makes a nuclear technology trade barrier. The IAEA and WENRA are making efforts to establish general requirements or guidelines on the classification of either plant states or defence-in-depth levels for the design of nuclear power plants. However, the requirements and guidelines do not provide the details for practical application to various types of commercial PWRs. Recently, Korea proposed a new ISO standardisation project to develop a harmonized or consolidated international standard for classifying the events in PWRs and for defining (or imposing) the acceptance criteria for reactor design and/or radiation protection corresponding to each event class. This paper briefs the method with strategies for developing the standard, the current various practices of the PWR event classification and acceptance criteria developed or adopted by several organizations in USA and Europe, and a draft of the proposed standard. The proposed standard will affect all the relevant stakeholders such as reactor designers, vendors, suppliers, utilities, regulatory bodies, and publics of the leading countries in the area of nuclear industry as well as utilities, regulatory bodies, and publics of the newly entering (starting) countries. It is expected that all of the stakeholders will benefit from the proposed deliverable which provides an internationally harmonized standard for classifying the PWR events as follows: The reactor design bases for assuring safety and related technical information can be effectively communicated and shared among them resulting in enhancement of the global nuclear safety and fosterage of the global nuclear trade. The countries starting

Disintegration of sublingual tablets: proposal for a validated test method and acceptance criterion.

Science.gov (United States)

Weda, M; van Riet-Nales, D A; van Aalst, P; de Kaste, D; Lekkerkerker, J F F

2006-12-01

In the Netherlands the market share of isosorbide dinitrate 5 mg sublingual tablets is dominated by 2 products (A and B). In the last few years complaints have been received from health care professionals on product B. During patient use the disintegration of the tablet was reported to be slow and/or incomplete, and ineffectiveness was experienced. In the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) no requirement is present for the disintegration time of sublingual tablets. The purpose of this study was to compare the in vitro disintegration time of products A and B, and to establish a suitable test method and acceptance criterion. A and B were tested with the Ph. Eur. method described in the monograph on disintegration of tablets and capsules as well as with 3 modified tests using the same Ph. Eur. apparatus, but without movement of the basket-rack assembly. In modified test 1 and modified test 2 water was used as medium (900 ml and 50 ml respectively), whereas in modified test 3 artificial saliva was used (50 ml). In addition, disintegration was tested in Nessler tubes with 0.5 and 2 ml of water. Finally, the Ph. Eur. method was also applied to other sublingual tablets with other drug substances on the Dutch market. With modified test 3 no disintegration could be achieved within 20 min. With the Ph. Eur. method and modified tests 1 and 2 product A and B differed significantly (p disintegration times. These 3 methods were capable of discriminating between products and between batches. The time measured with the Ph. Eur. method was significantly lower compared to modified tests 1 and 2 (p tablets the disintegration time should be tested. The Ph. Eur. method is considered suitable for this test. In view of the products currently on the market and taking into consideration requirements in the United States Pharmacopeia and Japanese Pharmacopoeia, an acceptance criterion of not more than 2 min is proposed.

33 CFR 150.515 - What are the requirements for weight testing of newly installed or relocated craft?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... weight testing of newly installed or relocated craft? 150.515 Section 150.515 Navigation and Navigable... testing of newly installed or relocated craft? (a) The operator must perform installation weight testing... (a) of this section, when survival crafts are relocated to another deepwater port. ...

18 CFR 347.1 - Material to support request for newly established or changed property account depreciation studies.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... request for newly established or changed property account depreciation studies. 347.1 Section 347.1... REGULATIONS UNDER THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE ACT OIL PIPELINE DEPRECIATION STUDIES § 347.1 Material to support request for newly established or changed property account depreciation studies. (a) Means of filing...

Further obsrvations on a newly located prawn fishery off Saurashtra coast

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Gopalan, U.K.

The abundance of prawns in a newly located ground off Saurashtra has been described Catch omposition showed that Metapenaeus affinis formed the bulk of the catches Previously this species was thought to be of not much commercial importance...

At the Bridging Point: Tutoring Newly Arrived Students in Sweden

Science.gov (United States)

Avery, Helen

2017-01-01

In Sweden, tutoring in the mother tongue is a special support measure primarily intended for newly arrived students to facilitate their transition into the Swedish school system. Tutoring is premised on the collaboration between the class teacher, responsible for subject-related expertise, and the tutor, who contributes with knowledge of the…

Newly Discovered Ebola Virus Associated with Hemorrhagic Fever Outbreak in Uganda

Science.gov (United States)

Towner, Jonathan S.; Sealy, Tara K.; Khristova, Marina L.; Albariño, César G.; Conlan, Sean; Reeder, Serena A.; Quan, Phenix-Lan; Lipkin, W. Ian; Downing, Robert; Tappero, Jordan W.; Okware, Samuel; Lutwama, Julius; Bakamutumaho, Barnabas; Kayiwa, John; Comer, James A.; Rollin, Pierre E.; Ksiazek, Thomas G.; Nichol, Stuart T.

2008-01-01

Over the past 30 years, Zaire and Sudan ebolaviruses have been responsible for large hemorrhagic fever (HF) outbreaks with case fatalities ranging from 53% to 90%, while a third species, Côte d'Ivoire ebolavirus, caused a single non-fatal HF case. In November 2007, HF cases were reported in Bundibugyo District, Western Uganda. Laboratory investigation of the initial 29 suspect-case blood specimens by classic methods (antigen capture, IgM and IgG ELISA) and a recently developed random-primed pyrosequencing approach quickly identified this to be an Ebola HF outbreak associated with a newly discovered ebolavirus species (Bundibugyo ebolavirus) distantly related to the Côte d'Ivoire ebolavirus found in western Africa. Due to the sequence divergence of this new virus relative to all previously recognized ebolaviruses, these findings have important implications for design of future diagnostic assays to monitor Ebola HF disease in humans and animals, and ongoing efforts to develop effective antivirals and vaccines. PMID:19023410

The clinically-integrated randomized trial: proposed novel method for conducting large trials at low cost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scardino Peter T

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Randomized controlled trials provide the best method of determining which of two comparable treatments is preferable. Unfortunately, contemporary randomized trials have become increasingly expensive, complex and burdened by regulation, so much so that many trials are of doubtful feasibility. Discussion Here we present a proposal for a novel, streamlined approach to randomized trials: the "clinically-integrated randomized trial". The key aspect of our methodology is that the clinical experience of the patient and doctor is virtually indistinguishable whether or not the patient is randomized, primarily because outcome data are obtained from routine clinical data, or from short, web-based questionnaires. Integration of a randomized trial into routine clinical practice also implies that there should be an attempt to randomize every patient, a corollary of which is that eligibility criteria are minimized. The similar clinical experience of patients on- and off-study also entails that the marginal cost of putting an additional patient on trial is negligible. We propose examples of how the clinically-integrated randomized trial might be applied in four distinct areas of medicine: comparisons of surgical techniques, "me too" drugs, rare diseases and lifestyle interventions. Barriers to implementing clinically-integrated randomized trials are discussed. Conclusion The proposed clinically-integrated randomized trial may allow us to enlarge dramatically the number of clinical questions that can be addressed by randomization.

48 CFR 315.605 - Content of unsolicited proposals.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Unsolicited Proposals 315.605 Content of... prepared under Government supervision; (b) The methods and approaches stated in the proposal were developed... Title (This certification shall be signed by a responsible management official of the proposing...

Ethical climate and nurse competence - newly graduated nurses' perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Numminen, Olivia; Leino-Kilpi, Helena; Isoaho, Hannu; Meretoja, Riitta

2015-12-01

Nursing practice takes place in a social framework, in which environmental elements and interpersonal relations interact. Ethical climate of the work unit is an important element affecting nurses' professional and ethical practice. Nevertheless, whatever the environmental circumstances, nurses are expected to be professionally competent providing high-quality care ethically and clinically. This study examined newly graduated nurses' perception of the ethical climate of their work environment and its association with their self-assessed professional competence, turnover intentions and job satisfaction. Descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational research design was applied. Participants consisted of 318 newly graduated nurses. Data were collected electronically and analysed statistically. Ethical approval and permissions to use instruments and conduct the study were obtained according to required procedures. Data were rendered anonymous to protect participant confidentiality. Completing the questionnaire was interpreted as consent to participate. Nurses' overall perception of the ethical climate was positive. More positive perceptions related to peers, patients and physicians, and less positive to hospitals and managers. Strong associations were found between perceived ethical climate and self-assessed competence, turnover intentions in terms of changing job, and job satisfaction in terms of quality of care. Nurses at a higher competence level with positive views of job satisfaction and low turnover intentions perceived the climate significantly more positively. Nursing management responsible for and having the power to implement changes should understand their contribution in ethical leadership, as well as the multidimensional nature of nurses' work environment and the interaction between work-related factors in planning developmental measures. Future research should focus on issues in nurse managers' ethical leadership in creating ethical work environments. There

A CUMULATIVE MIGRATION METHOD FOR COMPUTING RIGOROUS TRANSPORT CROSS SECTIONS AND DIFFUSION COEFFICIENTS FOR LWR LATTICES WITH MONTE CARLO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhaoyuan Liu; Kord Smith; Benoit Forget; Javier Ortensi

2016-05-01

A new method for computing homogenized assembly neutron transport cross sections and dif- fusion coefficients that is both rigorous and computationally efficient is proposed in this paper. In the limit of a homogeneous hydrogen slab, the new method is equivalent to the long-used, and only-recently-published CASMO transport method. The rigorous method is used to demonstrate the sources of inaccuracy in the commonly applied “out-scatter” transport correction. It is also demonstrated that the newly developed method is directly applicable to lattice calculations per- formed by Monte Carlo and is capable of computing rigorous homogenized transport cross sections for arbitrarily heterogeneous lattices. Comparisons of several common transport cross section ap- proximations are presented for a simple problem of infinite medium hydrogen. The new method has also been applied in computing 2-group diffusion data for an actual PWR lattice from BEAVRS benchmark.

High acceptability of a newly developed urological practical skills training program.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vries, A.H. de; Luijk, S.J. van; Scherpbier, A.J.J.A.; Hendrikx, A.J.M.; Koldewijn, E.L.; Wagner, C.; Schout, B.M.A.

2015-01-01

Background: Benefits of simulation training are widely recognized, but its structural implementation into urological curricula remains challenging. This study aims to gain insight into current and ideal urological practical skills training and presents the outline of a newly developed skills

High acceptability of a newly developed urological practical skills training program

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vries, A.H.; van Luijk, S.J.; Scherpbier, A.J.J.A.; Hendrikx, A.J.M.; Koldewijn, E.L.; Wagner, C.; Schout, B.M.A.

2015-01-01

Background: Benefits of simulation training are widely recognized, but its structural implementation into urological curricula remains challenging. This study aims to gain insight into current and ideal urological practical skills training and presents the outline of a newly developed skills

A Newly Naturalized Species in Taiwan: Phytolacca icosandra L. (Phytolaccaceae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szu-I Hsieh

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Phytolacca icosandra L. (Phytolaccaceae, native to the South America has been found recently in central Taiwan. This newly naturalized species is distinguished by its erect spike-like racemes and 12–20 stamens. This paper describes the morphology of the species and provides line drawing and photographs for identification.

The impact of female genital cutting on health of newly married women.

Science.gov (United States)

Elnashar, A; Abdelhady, R

2007-06-01

To detect the rate of female genital cutting among a sample of newly married women in Benha city, and make a comparison between circumcised and non-circumcised women regarding long-term health problems. Randomly selected (264) newly married women were the subjects of this work. Circumcised group constitutes 75.8% of the sample. All non-circumcised women were living in an urban area. Dysmenorrhea was more common among circumcised rather than non-circumcised, with statistically significant difference (Pwomen. Obstetric problems such as tears, episiotomy and consequently distressed babies were more events among circumcised mothers with statistical significance. Circumcised females had significant mental problems such as somatization, anxiety and phobia (Pwomen's life particularly the time of consummation of marriage and the time of childbirth.

Depression and cognitive impairment among newly admitted nursing home residents in the USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Ulbricht, Christine M; Rothschild, Anthony J; Hunnicutt, Jacob N; Lapane, Kate L

2017-11-01

The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of depression and cognitive impairment among newly admitted nursing home residents in the USA and to describe the treatment of depression by level of cognitive impairment. We identified 1,088,619 newly admitted older residents between 2011 and 2013 with an active diagnosis of depression documented on the Minimum Data Set 3.0. The prevalence of receiving psychiatric treatment was estimated by cognitive impairment status and depression symptoms. Binary logistic regression using generalized estimating equations provided adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association between level of cognitive impairment and receipt of psychiatric treatment, adjusted for clustering of residents within nursing homes and resident characteristics. Twenty-six percent of newly admitted residents had depression; 47% of these residents also had cognitive impairment. Of those who had staff assessments of depression, anhedonia, impaired concentration, psychomotor disturbances, and irritability were more commonly experienced by residents with cognitive impairment than residents without cognitive impairment. Forty-eight percent of all residents with depression did not receive any psychiatric treatment. Approximately one-fifth of residents received a combination of treatment. Residents with severe cognitive impairment were less likely than those with intact cognition to receive psychiatric treatment (adjusted odds ratio = 0.95; 95% confidence interval: 0.93-0.98). Many newly admitted residents with an active diagnosis of depression are untreated, potentially missing an important window to improve symptoms. The extent of comorbid cognitive impairment and depression and lack of treatment suggest opportunities for improved quality of care in this increasingly important healthcare setting. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Pediatrics Patients Newly Diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Effatpanah

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD is associated with a number of comorbidities in pediatrics. However, its association with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD has not been reported. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of ADHD in pediatric patients newly diagnosed with GERD. Materials and Methods: Sixty newly-diagnosed treatment naive GERD patients and sixty healthy controls aging between 5 to 12 years referring to the Children and Adolescent’s medical center, Tehran, Iran were recruited in a case-control study during the year 2015. Then patients were evaluated for ADHD by a psychiatrist according to the DSM-IV criteria. The revised Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-R was used for assessment of the symptoms of ADHD. To screen for psychiatry disorders other than ADHD, the Kiddie-Sads-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL questionnaire was used. Logistic regression analysis was used for modeling the association between GERD and ADHD in the study sample. Results: The mean age of GERD patients was 5.77±2.27 and for non-GERD controls was 6.03±2.52 (P= 0.543. Thirty-three out of 60 (55% GERD patients and 37 out of 60(61.66% non-GERD controls were male (P: 0.579. Prevalence of ADHD was 33.60 (55% in GERD patients and 10.60 (16.66% in non-GERD (P

Newly formed skeletal muscle fibers are prone to false positive immunostaining by rabbit antibodies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ditte C; Kliem, Anette; Schrøder, Henrik Daa

2011-01-01

rely on controls that reveal non-specific binding by the secondary antibody and neglect that the primary rabbit antibody itself may cause false positive staining of the muscle. We suggest that reliable immuno-based protein detection in newly formed muscle fibers at least requires a nonsense rabbit......Reports on muscle biology and regeneration often implicate immuno(cyto/histo)chemical protein characterization using rabbit polyclonal antibodies. In this study we demonstrate that newly formed myofibers are especially prone to false positive staining by rabbit antibodies and this unwanted staining...

Factorization method of quadratic template

Science.gov (United States)

Kotyrba, Martin

2017-07-01

Multiplication of two numbers is a one-way function in mathematics. Any attempt to distribute the outcome to its roots is called factorization. There are many methods such as Fermat's factorization, Dixońs method or quadratic sieve and GNFS, which use sophisticated techniques fast factorization. All the above methods use the same basic formula differing only in its use. This article discusses a newly designed factorization method. Effective implementation of this method in programs is not important, it only represents and clearly defines its properties.

Critical thinking dispositions among newly graduated nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Wangensteen, Sigrid; Johansson, Inger S; Björkström, Monica E; Nordström, Gun

2010-10-01

The aim of the study was to describe critical thinking dispositions among newly graduated nurses in Norway, and to study whether background data had any impact on critical thinking dispositions. Competence in critical thinking is one of the expectations of nursing education. Critical thinkers are described as well-informed, inquisitive, open-minded and orderly in complex matters. Critical thinking competence has thus been designated as an outcome for judging the quality of nursing education programmes and for the development of clinical judgement. The ability to think critically is also described as reducing the research-practice gap and fostering evidence-based nursing. A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed. The data were collected between October 2006 and April 2007 using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. The response rate was 33% (n = 618). Pearson's chi-square tests were used to analyse the data. Nearly 80% of the respondents reported a positive disposition towards critical thinking. The highest mean score was on the Inquisitiveness subscale and the lowest on the Truth-seeking subscale. A statistically significant higher proportion of nurses with high critical thinking scores were found among those older than 30 years, those with university education prior to nursing education, and those working in community health care. Nurse leaders and nurse teachers should encourage and nurture critical thinking among newly graduated nurses and nursing students. The low Truth-seeking scores found may be a result of traditional teaching strategies in nursing education and might indicate a need for more student-active learning models. © 2010 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Coping strategies among patients with newly diagnosed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakobsson Larsson, Birgitta; Nordin, Karin; Askmark, Håkan; Nygren, Ingela

2014-11-01

To prospectively identify different coping strategies among newly diagnosed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and whether they change over time and to determine whether physical function, psychological well-being, age and gender correlated with the use of different coping strategies. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal disease with impact on both physical function and psychological well-being. Different coping strategies are used to manage symptoms and disease progression, but knowledge about coping in newly diagnosed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients is scarce. This was a prospective study with a longitudinal and descriptive design. A total of 33 patients were included and evaluation was made at two time points, one to three months and six months after diagnosis. Patients were asked to complete the Motor Neuron Disease Coping Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Physical function was estimated using the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale. The most commonly used strategies were support and independence. Avoidance/venting and information seeking were seldom used at both time points. The use of information seeking decreased between the two time points. Men did not differ from women, but patients ≤64 years used positive action more often than older patients. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale was positively correlated with positive action at time point 1, but not at time point 2. Patients' psychological well-being was correlated with the use of different coping strategies. Support and independence were the most used coping strategies, and the use of different strategies changed over time. Psychological well-being was correlated with different coping strategies in newly diagnosed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. The knowledge about coping strategies in early stage of the disease may help the nurses to improve and develop the care and support for these patients. © 2014 John Wiley

A Newly Naturalized Species in Taiwan: Rauvolfia tetraphylla L. (Apocynaceae)

OpenAIRE

Yung-Nan Ko; Fu-Shan Chou; Chun-Kuei Liao

2011-01-01

A newly naturalized plant, Rauvolfia tetraphylla L., a native species of the Apocynaceae distributed in the tropical Americas, has recently been found in southern Taiwan. It is a new record for this species to the flora of this island. A detailed description, line-drawings, photographs and geographic distribution are provided for identification of this species.

Sedum sarmentosum Bunge (Crassulaceae, a Newly Naturalized Herb in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mong-Huai Su

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Sedum sarmentosum Bunge (Crassulaceae, a newly naturalized fleshy herb in Taiwan, is reported here. The taxonomic description, line drawing, and photographs are provided. The population is colonized on Mt. Tatun, Yangmingshan National Park, north Taiwan. Since this species was reported being invasive, its impacts on the local ecosystem should be concerned.

Proposed method for reconstructing velocity profiles using a multi-electrode electromagnetic flow meter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kollár, László E; Lucas, Gary P; Zhang, Zhichao

2014-01-01

An analytical method is developed for the reconstruction of velocity profiles using measured potential distributions obtained around the boundary of a multi-electrode electromagnetic flow meter (EMFM). The method is based on the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), and is implemented in Matlab. The method assumes the velocity profile in a section of a pipe as a superposition of polynomials up to sixth order. Each polynomial component is defined along a specific direction in the plane of the pipe section. For a potential distribution obtained in a uniform magnetic field, this direction is not unique for quadratic and higher-order components; thus, multiple possible solutions exist for the reconstructed velocity profile. A procedure for choosing the optimum velocity profile is proposed. It is applicable for single-phase or two-phase flows, and requires measurement of the potential distribution in a non-uniform magnetic field. The potential distribution in this non-uniform magnetic field is also calculated for the possible solutions using weight values. Then, the velocity profile with the calculated potential distribution which is closest to the measured one provides the optimum solution. The reliability of the method is first demonstrated by reconstructing an artificial velocity profile defined by polynomial functions. Next, velocity profiles in different two-phase flows, based on results from the literature, are used to define the input velocity fields. In all cases, COMSOL Multiphysics is used to model the physical specifications of the EMFM and to simulate the measurements; thus, COMSOL simulations produce the potential distributions on the internal circumference of the flow pipe. These potential distributions serve as inputs for the analytical method. The reconstructed velocity profiles show satisfactory agreement with the input velocity profiles. The method described in this paper is most suitable for stratified flows and is not applicable to axisymmetric flows in

Patients newly diagnosed with clinical type 2 diabetes mellitus but presenting with HbA1c within normal range: 19-year mortality and clinical outcomes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Veloso, A.G.; Siersma, V.; Heldgaard, P.E.

2013-01-01

AIMS: To investigate whether long-term mortality or clinical outcomes differed between patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and presenting with HbA1c within or above normal range at time of diagnosis. METHODS: Data were from a population-based sample of 1136 individuals with newly dia...

Technical Equivalency Documentation for a Newly Acquired Alpha Spectroscopy System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hickman, D P; Fisher, S K; Hann, P R; Hume, R

2007-01-01

The response of a recently acquired Canberra(trademark) Alpha Analyst 'Blue' system (Chamber Number's 173-208) used by the Hazards Control, Radiation Safety Section, WBC/Spectroscopy Team has been studied with respect to an existing Canberra system. The existing Canberra system consists of thirty Alpha Analyst dual chambers Model XXXX comprising a total of sixty detectors (Chambers Number's 101-124 and 137-172). The existing chambers were previously compared to an older system consisting of thirty-six Model 7401 alpha spectrometry chambers (Chamber Number's 1-36) Chambers 101-124 and 137-172 are DOELAP accredited. The older system was previously DOELAP accredited for the routine Alpha Spectroscopy program used in LLNL's in vitro bioassay program. The newly acquired Alpha Analyst system operates on a network with software that controls and performs analysis of the current Alpha Analyst system (Chamber Number's 101-124 and 137-172). This exact same software is used for the current system and the newly acquired system and is DOELAP accredited. This document compares results from the existing Alpha System with the newer Alpha Analyst system

Scandinavian exceptionalism? Civic integration and labour market activation for newly arrived immigrants.

Science.gov (United States)

Breidahl, Karen N

2017-01-01

Since the late 1990s, a wide range of so-called new civic integration policies aimed at civilizing or disciplining newcomers have been introduced. Consequently, migration scholars have discussed whether a converging restrictive 'civic turn' has taken place in Western Europe or whether national models have been resilient: Based on an in-depth historical and comparative analysis of labour market activation policies targeting newly arrived immigrants in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark since the early 1990s, the article contributes to the overall question: To what extent do the institutional pathways of the Scandinavian welfare states prevail when confronted with newcomers? Activation policies targeting newly arrived immigrants exemplifies how the ambition of states to promote functional, individual autonomy is also an important, ongoing process in diverse policy areas of the welfare state and not restricted to early integration instruments. While the Scandinavian welfare states differ on a number of counts with respect to immigration control, national integration philosophies and citizenship policies, the article outlines how activation policies aimed at newly arrived immigrants share several features. One of the key factors in this turn involves path dependency from, among others, a lengthy tradition for strong state involvement and norms about employment. Another factor in this turn involves transnational policy learning. On some points, national versions of these policies are also found due to country-specific citizenship traditions, integration philosophies and party political constellations.

Newly introduced sample preparation techniques: towards miniaturization.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Rosaria

2014-01-01

Sampling and sample preparation are of crucial importance in an analytical procedure, representing quite often a source of errors. The technique chosen for the isolation of analytes greatly affects the success of a chemical determination. On the other hand, growing concerns about environmental and human safety, along with the introduction of international regulations for quality control, have moved the interest of scientists towards specific needs. Newly introduced sample preparation techniques are challenged to meet new criteria: (i) miniaturization, (ii) higher sensitivity and selectivity, and (iii) automation. In this survey, the most recent techniques introduced in the field of sample preparation will be described and discussed, along with many examples of applications.

Thorium utilization as a Pu-burner: proposal of Plutonium-Thorium Mixed Oxide (PT-MOX) Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aizawa, Otohiko

2000-01-01

In this paper, a Pu-Th mixed oxide (PT-MOX) project is proposed for a thorium utilization and a plutonium burning. None of plutonium can be newly produced from PT-MOX fuel, and the plutonium mass of about 1 ton can be consumed with one reactor (total heavy metal assumed: 100 tons) for 1 year. In order to consume plutonium produced from usual Light Water Reactor, it should be better to operate one PT-MOX reactor for three to five Light Water Reactors. (author)

Depth-variable settlement patterns and predation influence on newly settled reef fishes (Haemulon spp., Haemulidae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lance K B Jordan

Full Text Available During early demersal ontogeny, many marine fishes display complex habitat-use patterns. Grunts of the speciose genus Haemulon are among the most abundant fishes on western North Atlantic coral reefs, with most species settling to shallow habitats (≤12 m. To gain understanding into cross-shelf distributional patterns exhibited by newly settled stages of grunts (<2 cm total length, we examined: 1 depth-specific distributions of congeners at settlement among sites at 8 m, 12 m, and 21 m, and 2 depth-variable predation pressure on newly settled individuals (species pooled. Of the six species identified from collections of newly settled specimens (n = 2125, Haemulon aurolineatum (tomtate, H. flavolineatum (French grunt, and H. striatum (striped grunt comprised 98% of the total abundance; with the first two species present at all sites. Prevalence of H. aurolineatum and H. flavolineatum decreased substantially from the 8-m site to the two deeper sites. In contrast, H. striatum was absent from the 8-m site and exhibited its highest frequency at the 21-m site. Comparison of newly settled grunt delta density for all species on caged (predator exclusion and control artificial reefs at the shallowest site (8-m revealed no difference, while the 12-m and 21-m sites exhibited significantly greater delta densities on the caged treatment. This result, along with significantly higher abundances of co-occurring piscivorous fishes at the deeper sites, indicated lower predation pressure at the 8-m site. This study suggests habitat-use patterns of newly settled stages of some coral reef fishes that undergo ontogenetic shifts are a function of depth-variable predation pressure while, for at least one deeper-water species, proximity to adult habitat appears to be an important factor affecting settlement distribution.

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the safety of newly adjuvanted vaccines among children.

Science.gov (United States)

Stassijns, Jorgen; Bollaerts, Kaatje; Baay, Marc; Verstraeten, Thomas

2016-02-03

New adjuvants such as the AS- or the MF59-adjuvants improve vaccine efficacy and facilitate dose-sparing. Their use in influenza and malaria vaccines has resulted in a large body of evidence on their clinical safety in children. We carried out a systematic search for safety data from published clinical trials on newly adjuvanted vaccines in children ≤10 years of age. Serious adverse events (SAEs), solicited AEs, unsolicited AEs and AEs of special interest were evaluated for four new adjuvants: the immuno-stimulants containing adjuvant systems AS01 and AS02, and the squalene containing oil-in-water emulsions AS03 and MF59. Relative risks (RR) were calculated, comparing children receiving newly adjuvanted vaccines to children receiving other vaccines with a variety of antigens, both adjuvanted and unadjuvanted. Twenty-nine trials were included in the meta-analysis, encompassing 25,056 children who received at least one dose of the newly adjuvanted vaccines. SAEs did not occur more frequently in adjuvanted groups (RR 0.85, 95%CI 0.75-0.96). Our meta-analyses showed higher reactogenicity following administration of newly adjuvanted vaccines, however, no consistent pattern of solicited AEs was observed across adjuvant systems. Pain was the most prevalent AE, but often mild and of short duration. No increased risks were found for unsolicited AEs, febrile convulsions, potential immune mediated diseases and new onset of chronic diseases. Our meta-analysis did not show any safety concerns in clinical trials of the newly adjuvanted vaccines in children ≤10 years of age. An unexplained increase of meningitis in one Phase III AS01-adjuvanted malaria trial and the link between narcolepsy and the AS03-adjuvanted pandemic vaccine illustrate that continued safety monitoring is warranted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Database marketing practices and opportunities in a newly emerging African market

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Paas, L.J.

2009-01-01

In this paper, qualitative research is conducted to gain insight into the current application and potential of database marketing in a newly emerging African economy, Tanzania. It is found that database marketing applications in Tanzania are currently limited, but that there is potential. The most

Yield evaluation and stability analysis in newly selected `KSA' cotton ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Yield evaluation and stability analysis in newly selected `KSA' cotton cultivars in Western Kenya. R M Opondo, G A Ombakho. Abstract. (African Crop Science Journal, 1997 5(2): 119-126). http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/acsj.v5i2.27854 · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians ...

A Newly Naturalized Species in Taiwan: Rauvolfia tetraphylla L. (Apocynaceae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yung-Nan Ko

2011-06-01

Full Text Available A newly naturalized plant, Rauvolfia tetraphylla L., a native species of the Apocynaceae distributed in the tropical Americas, has recently been found in southern Taiwan. It is a new record for this species to the flora of this island. A detailed description, line-drawings, photographs and geographic distribution are provided for identification of this species.

Rivina humilis L. (Phytolaccaceae, a Newly Naturalized Plant in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yen-Hsueh Tseng

2008-12-01

Full Text Available A newly naturalized plant, Rivina humilis L., was found recently in the central part of Taiwan. This plant represents a new record of this genus and species for Taiwan. This Neotropical plant, native to the southern USA, Mexico, the Caribbean islands, and Central and South America, is described and illustrated in this report.

Assessment of the Quality of Newly Formed Bone around Titanium Alloy Implants by Using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroshi Nakada

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in bones quality between newly formed bone and cortical bone formed around titanium alloy implants by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As a result of narrow scan measurement at 4 weeks, the newly formed bone of C1s, P2p, O1s, and Ca2p were observed at a different peak range and strength compared with a cortical bone. At 8 weeks, the peak range and strength of newly formed bone were similar to those of cortical bone at C1s, P2p, and Ca2p, but not O1s. The results from this analysis indicate that the peaks and quantities of each element of newly formed bone were similar to those of cortical bone at 8 weeks, suggestive of a strong physicochemical resemblance.

Assessment of SKB's proposal for encapsulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lundin, M.; Gustafsson, Oskar; Broemsen, B. von; Troell, E.

2001-01-01

This report accounts for an independent assessment of a proposal regarding manufacturing of copper canisters, which has been presented by SKB (Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co) in cooperation with MABU Consulting. IVF (The Swedish Institute for Production Engineering Research) has performed the assessment by commission of SKI (Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate). IVF generally believe that the proposed method, recommended manufacturing equipment and organisation will most likely mean that a functioning manufacturing of canisters can be realised. No significant deficiencies have been identified, which would mean serious problems during the manufacturing process. In some cases IVF recommends a further evaluation regarding proposed methods and/or equipment. Basically these concerns the welding processes. However, it should be stressed that SKB has emphasised that further investigation will be performed regarding this subject. Furthermore IVF recommend that proposed methods and equipment for machining of copper cylinders and for blasting of inserts should be further evaluated

Small Private Online Research: A Proposal for A Numerical Methods Course Based on Technology Use and Blended Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Cepeda, Francisco Javier Delgado

2017-01-01

This work presents a proposed model in blended learning for a numerical methods course evolved from traditional teaching into a research lab in scientific visualization. The blended learning approach sets a differentiated and flexible scheme based on a mobile setup and face to face sessions centered on a net of research challenges. Model is…

Age-stratified 5-year risks of cervical precancer among women with enrollment and newly detected HPV infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Gage, Julia C; Katki, Hormuzd A; Schiffman, Mark; Fetterman, Barbara; Poitras, Nancy E; Lorey, Thomas; Cheung, Li C; Castle, Philip E; Kinney, Walter K

2015-04-01

It is unclear whether a woman's age influences her risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse (CIN3+) upon detection of HPV. A large change in risk as women age would influence vaccination and screening policies. Among 972,029 women age 30-64 undergoing screening with Pap and HPV testing (Hybrid Capture 2, Qiagen, Germantown, MD) at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), we calculated age-specific 5-year CIN3+ risks among women with HPV infections detected at enrollment, and among women with "newly detected" HPV infections at their second screening visit. Women (57,899, 6.0%) had an enrollment HPV infection. Among the women testing HPV negative at enrollment with a second screening visit, 16,724 (3.3%) had a newly detected HPV infection at their second visit. Both enrollment and newly detected HPV rates declined with age (p < 0.001). Women with enrollment versus newly detected HPV infection had higher 5-year CIN3+ risks: 8.5% versus 3.9%, (p < 0.0001). Risks did not increase with age but declined slightly from 30-34 years to 60-64 years: 9.4% versus 7.4% (p = 0.017) for enrollment HPV and 5.1% versus 3.5% (p = 0.014) for newly detected HPV. Among women age 30-64 in an established screening program, women with newly detected HPV infections were at lower risk than women with enrollment infections, suggesting reduced benefit vaccinating women at older ages. Although the rates of HPV infection declined dramatically with age, the subsequent CIN3+ risks associated with HPV infection declined only slightly. The CIN3+ risks among older women are sufficiently elevated to warrant continued screening through age 65. © 2014 UICC.

Measurement of T-lymphocyte responses in whole-blood cultures using newly synthesized DNA and ATP.

Science.gov (United States)

Sottong, P R; Rosebrock, J A; Britz, J A; Kramer, T R

2000-03-01

The proliferative response is most frequently determined by estimating the amount of [(3)H]thymidine incorporated into newly synthesized DNA. The [(3)H]thymidine procedure requires the use of radioisotopes as well as lengthy periods of incubation (>72 h). An alternative method of assessing T-lymphocyte activation in whole-blood cultures involves the measurement of the nucleotide ATP instead of [(3)H]thymidine incorporation. In addition, the Luminetics assay of T-cell activation measures specific T-lymphocyte subset responses through the use of paramagnetic particles coated with monoclonal antibodies against CD antigens. This assay permits rapid (24 h) analysis of lymphocyte subset activation responses to mitogens and recall antigens in small amounts of blood.

A hardenability test proposal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murthy, N.V.S.N. [Ingersoll-Rand (I) Ltd., Bangalore (India)

1996-12-31

A new approach for hardenability evaluation and its application to heat treatable steels will be discussed. This will include an overview and deficiencies of the current methods and discussion on the necessity for a new approach. Hardenability terminology will be expanded to avoid ambiguity and over-simplification as encountered with the current system. A new hardenability definition is proposed. Hardenability specification methods are simplified and rationalized. The new hardenability evaluation system proposed here utilizes a test specimen with varying diameter as an alternative to the cylindrical Jominy hardenability test specimen and is readily applicable to the evaluation of a wide variety of steels with different cross-section sizes.

Generating region proposals for histopathological whole slide image retrieval.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Yibing; Jiang, Zhiguo; Zhang, Haopeng; Xie, Fengying; Zheng, Yushan; Shi, Huaqiang; Zhao, Yu; Shi, Jun

2018-06-01

Content-based image retrieval is an effective method for histopathological image analysis. However, given a database of huge whole slide images (WSIs), acquiring appropriate region-of-interests (ROIs) for training is significant and difficult. Moreover, histopathological images can only be annotated by pathologists, resulting in the lack of labeling information. Therefore, it is an important and challenging task to generate ROIs from WSI and retrieve image with few labels. This paper presents a novel unsupervised region proposing method for histopathological WSI based on Selective Search. Specifically, the WSI is over-segmented into regions which are hierarchically merged until the WSI becomes a single region. Nucleus-oriented similarity measures for region mergence and Nucleus-Cytoplasm color space for histopathological image are specially defined to generate accurate region proposals. Additionally, we propose a new semi-supervised hashing method for image retrieval. The semantic features of images are extracted with Latent Dirichlet Allocation and transformed into binary hashing codes with Supervised Hashing. The methods are tested on a large-scale multi-class database of breast histopathological WSIs. The results demonstrate that for one WSI, our region proposing method can generate 7.3 thousand contoured regions which fit well with 95.8% of the ROIs annotated by pathologists. The proposed hashing method can retrieve a query image among 136 thousand images in 0.29 s and reach precision of 91% with only 10% of images labeled. The unsupervised region proposing method can generate regions as predictions of lesions in histopathological WSI. The region proposals can also serve as the training samples to train machine-learning models for image retrieval. The proposed hashing method can achieve fast and precise image retrieval with small amount of labels. Furthermore, the proposed methods can be potentially applied in online computer-aided-diagnosis systems. Copyright

MGMT inactivation and clinical response in newly diagnosed GBM patients treated with Gliadel.

Science.gov (United States)

Grossman, Rachel; Burger, Peter; Soudry, Ethan; Tyler, Betty; Chaichana, Kaisorn L; Weingart, Jon; Olivi, Alessandro; Gallia, Gary L; Sidransky, David; Quiñones-Hinojosa, Alfredo; Ye, Xiaobu; Brem, Henry

2015-12-01

We examined the relationship between the O(6)-methylguanine-methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation status and clinical outcomes in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients who were treated with Gliadel wafers (Eisai, Tokyo, Japan). MGMT promoter methylation has been associated with increased survival among patients with GBM who are treated with various alkylating agents. MGMT promoter methylation, in DNA from 122 of 160 newly diagnosed GBM patients treated with Gliadel, was determined by a quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction, and was correlated with overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). The MGMT promoter was methylated in 40 (32.7%) of 122 patients. The median OS was 13.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 11.0-14.5) and RFS was 9.4 months (95% CI 7.8-10.2). After adjusting for age, Karnofsky performance score, extent of resection, temozolomide (TMZ) and radiation therapy (RT), the newly diagnosed GBM patients with MGMT methylation had a 15% reduced mortality risk, compared to patients with unmethylated MGMT (hazard ratio 0.85; 95% CI 0.56-1.31; p=0.46). The patients aged over 70 years with MGMT methylation had a significantly longer median OS of 13.5 months, compared to 7.6 months in patients with unmethylated MGMT (p=0.027). A significant difference was also found in older patients, with a median RFS of 13.1 versus 7.6 months for methylated and unmethylated MGMT groups, respectively (p=0.01). Methylation of the MGMT promoter in newly diagnosed GBM patients treated with Gliadel, RT and TMZ, was associated with significantly improved OS compared to the unmethylated population. In elderly patients, methylation of the MGMT promoter was associated with significantly better OS and RFS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sport as a context for integration:newly arrived immigrant children in Sweden drawing sporting experiences

OpenAIRE

Hertting, Krister; Karlefors, Inger

2013-01-01

Sport is a global phenomenon, which can make sport an important arena for integration into new societies. However, sport is also an expression of national culture and identities. The aim of this study is to explore images and experiences that newly-arrived immigrant children in Sweden have about sport in their country of origin, and challenges that can arise in processes of integration through sport. We asked 20 newly arrived children aged 10 to 13 to make drawings about sporting experiences ...

A Novel Multimodal Biometrics Recognition Model Based on Stacked ELM and CCA Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jucheng Yang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Multimodal biometrics combine a variety of biological features to have a significant impact on identification performance, which is a newly developed trend in biometrics identification technology. This study proposes a novel multimodal biometrics recognition model based on the stacked extreme learning machines (ELMs and canonical correlation analysis (CCA methods. The model, which has a symmetric structure, is found to have high potential for multimodal biometrics. The model works as follows. First, it learns the hidden-layer representation of biological images using extreme learning machines layer by layer. Second, the canonical correlation analysis method is applied to map the representation to a feature space, which is used to reconstruct the multimodal image feature representation. Third, the reconstructed features are used as the input of a classifier for supervised training and output. To verify the validity and efficiency of the method, we adopt it for new hybrid datasets obtained from typical face image datasets and finger-vein image datasets. Our experimental results demonstrate that our model performs better than traditional methods.

A multi-region boundary element method for multigroup neutron diffusion calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozgener, H.A.; Ozgener, B.

2001-01-01

For the analysis of a two-dimensional nuclear system consisting of a number of homogeneous regions (termed cells), first the cell matrices which depend solely on the material composition and geometrical dimension of the cell (hence on the cell type) are constructed using a boundary element formulation based on the multigroup boundary integral equation. For a particular nuclear system, the cell matrices are utilized in the assembly of the global system matrix in block-banded form using the newly introduced concept of virtual side. For criticality calculations, the classical fission source iteration is employed and linear system solutions are by the block Gaussian-elimination algorithm. The numerical applications show the validity of the proposed formulation both through comparison with analytical solutions and assessment of benchmark problem results against alternative methods

A calibration method for proposed XRF measurements of arsenic and selenium in nail clippings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gherase, Mihai R; Fleming, David E B

2011-01-01

A calibration method for proposed x-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements of arsenic and selenium in nail clippings is demonstrated. Phantom nail clippings were produced from a whole nail phantom (0.7 mm thickness, 25 x 25 mm 2 area) and contained equal concentrations of arsenic and selenium ranging from 0 to 20 μg g -1 in increments of 5 μg g -1 . The phantom nail clippings were then grouped in samples of five different masses: 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg for each concentration. Experimental x-ray spectra were acquired for each of the sample masses using a portable x-ray tube and a detector unit. Calibration lines (XRF signal in a number of counts versus stoichiometric elemental concentration) were produced for each of the two elements. A semi-empirical relationship between the mass of the nail phantoms (m) and the slope of the calibration line (s) was determined separately for arsenic and selenium. Using this calibration method, one can estimate elemental concentrations and their uncertainties from the XRF spectra of human nail clippings. (note)

New clinical validation method for automated sphygmomanometer: a proposal by Japan ISO-WG for sphygmomanometer standard.

Science.gov (United States)

Shirasaki, Osamu; Asou, Yosuke; Takahashi, Yukio

2007-12-01

Owing to fast or stepwise cuff deflation, or measuring at places other than the upper arm, the clinical accuracy of most recent automated sphygmomanometers (auto-BPMs) cannot be validated by one-arm simultaneous comparison, which would be the only accurate validation method based on auscultation. Two main alternative methods are provided by current standards, that is, two-arm simultaneous comparison (method 1) and one-arm sequential comparison (method 2); however, the accuracy of these validation methods might not be sufficient to compensate for the suspicious accuracy in lateral blood pressure (BP) differences (LD) and/or BP variations (BPV) between the device and reference readings. Thus, the Japan ISO-WG for sphygmomanometer standards has been studying a new method that might improve validation accuracy (method 3). The purpose of this study is to determine the appropriateness of method 3 by comparing immunity to LD and BPV with those of the current validation methods (methods 1 and 2). The validation accuracy of the above three methods was assessed in human participants [N=120, 45+/-15.3 years (mean+/-SD)]. An oscillometric automated monitor, Omron HEM-762, was used as the tested device. When compared with the others, methods 1 and 3 showed a smaller intra-individual standard deviation of device error (SD1), suggesting their higher reproducibility of validation. The SD1 by method 2 (P=0.004) significantly correlated with the participant's BP, supporting our hypothesis that the increased SD of device error by method 2 is at least partially caused by essential BPV. Method 3 showed a significantly (P=0.0044) smaller interparticipant SD of device error (SD2), suggesting its higher interparticipant consistency of validation. Among the methods of validation of the clinical accuracy of auto-BPMs, method 3, which showed the highest reproducibility and highest interparticipant consistency, can be proposed as being the most appropriate.

Alterations found with computerized tomography in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruna, J.

1989-01-01

In 28 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients (insulin-independent), computerized tomography (CT) was used to determine the density of the pancreas and the kidneys, densities of the liver, spleen and blood in the abdominal aorta, and to investigate pathological changes in the tissues mentioned above. The results were correlated with laboratory findings. The following changes were found: decreased density of the pancreas (29.4 H) and the liver (49.1 H) and increased density of the spleen (56.3 H) and blood in the abdominal aorta (43.7 H). The decreased density of the pancreas appears to be connected with disorders of lipoprotein metabolism. The decreased liver density was related to increased energy intake by food and to overweight evaluated by Broc's index. Other CT findings in the newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics (changes in the size of the pancreas, and kidneys, kidney cysts, nephrolithiasis, sclerotic plaques on aorta) were not significant. (author). 2 tabs., 11 refs

Multi-reader ROC studies with split-plot designs: a comparison of statistical methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Obuchowski, Nancy A; Gallas, Brandon D; Hillis, Stephen L

2012-12-01

Multireader imaging trials often use a factorial design, in which study patients undergo testing with all imaging modalities and readers interpret the results of all tests for all patients. A drawback of this design is the large number of interpretations required of each reader. Split-plot designs have been proposed as an alternative, in which one or a subset of readers interprets all images of a sample of patients, while other readers interpret the images of other samples of patients. In this paper, the authors compare three methods of analysis for the split-plot design. Three statistical methods are presented: the Obuchowski-Rockette method modified for the split-plot design, a newly proposed marginal-mean analysis-of-variance approach, and an extension of the three-sample U-statistic method. A simulation study using the Roe-Metz model was performed to compare the type I error rate, power, and confidence interval coverage of the three test statistics. The type I error rates for all three methods are close to the nominal level but tend to be slightly conservative. The statistical power is nearly identical for the three methods. The coverage of 95% confidence intervals falls close to the nominal coverage for small and large sample sizes. The split-plot multireader, multicase study design can be statistically efficient compared to the factorial design, reducing the number of interpretations required per reader. Three methods of analysis, shown to have nominal type I error rates, similar power, and nominal confidence interval coverage, are available for this study design. Copyright © 2012 AUR. All rights reserved.

Shared decision making in the management of children with newly diagnosed immune thrombocytopenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, Carolyn E; Boydell, Katherine M; Stasiulis, Elaine; Blanchette, Victor S; Llewellyn-Thomas, Hilary; Birken, Catherine S; Breakey, Vicky R; Parkin, Patricia C

2014-10-01

This study aimed to examine the treatment decision-making process for children hospitalized with newly diagnosed immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Using focus groups, we studied children with ITP, parents of children with ITP, and health care professionals, inquiring about participants' experience with decision support and decision making in newly diagnosed ITP. Data were examined using thematic analysis. Themes that emerged from children were feelings of "anxiety, fear, and confusion"; the need to "understand information"; and "treatment choice," the experience of which was age dependent. For parents, "anxiety, fear, and confusion" was a dominant theme; "treatment choice" revealed that participants felt directed toward intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) for initial treatment. For health care professionals, "comfort level" highlighted factors contributing to professionals' comfort with offering options; "assumptions" were made about parental desire for participation in shared decision making (SDM) and parental acceptance of treatment options; "providing information" was informative regarding modes of facilitating SDM; and "treatment choice" revealed a discrepancy between current practice (directed toward IVIG) and the ideal of SDM. At our center, families of children with newly diagnosed ITP are not experiencing SDM. Our findings support the implementation of SDM to facilitate patient-centered care for the management of pediatric ITP.

Biomedical, lifestyle and psychosocial characteristics of people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khunti, K.; Skinner, T. C.; Heller, S.

2008-01-01

Aims: To describe the characteristics of newly diagnosed people with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and compare these with published studies. Methods: Baseline data of participants recruited to the DESMOND randomized controlled trial conducted in 13 sites across England and Scotland were used. Biomedical...... measures and questionnaires on psychological characteristics were collected within 4 weeks of diagnosis. Results: Of 1109 participants referred, 824 consented to participate (74.3%). Mean (± sd) age was 59.5 ± 12 years and 54.9% were male. Mean HbA1c was 8.1 ± 2.1% and did not differ by gender. Mean body...... mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in women (33.7 vs. 31.3 kg/m2; P 30 kg/m2). Total cholesterol was significantly higher in women (5.6 vs. 5.2 mmol/l; P

Replication and Comparison of the Newly Proposed ADOS-2, Module 4 Algorithm in ASD without ID: A Multi-Site Study

Science.gov (United States)

Pugliese, Cara E.; Kenworthy, Lauren; Bal, Vanessa Hus; Wallace, Gregory L.; Yerys, Benjamin E.; Maddox, Brenna B.; White, Susan W.; Popal, Haroon; Armour, Anna Chelsea; Miller, Judith; Herrington, John D.; Schultz, Robert T.; Martin, Alex; Anthony, Laura Gutermuth

2015-01-01

Recent updates have been proposed to the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 Module 4 diagnostic algorithm. This new algorithm, however, has not yet been validated in an independent sample without intellectual disability (ID). This multi-site study compared the original and revised algorithms in individuals with ASD without ID. The revised…

Qualitative methods in radiography research: a proposed framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, J.; Smith, T.

2003-01-01

Introduction: While radiography is currently developing a research base, which is important in terms of professional development and informing practice and policy issues in the field, the amount of research published by radiographers remains limited. However, a range of qualitative methods offer further opportunities for radiography research. Purpose: This paper briefly introduces a number of key qualitative methods (qualitative interviews, focus groups, observational methods, diary methods and document/text analysis) and sketches one possible framework for future qualitative work in radiography research. The framework focuses upon three areas for study: intra-professional issues; inter-professional issues; and clinical practice, patient and health delivery issues. While the paper outlines broad areas for future focus rather than providing a detailed protocol for how individual pieces of research should be conducted, a few research questions have been chosen and examples of possible qualitative methods required to answer such questions are outlined for each area. Conclusion: Given the challenges and opportunities currently facing the development of a research base within radiography, the outline of key qualitative methods and broad areas suitable for their application is offered as a useful tool for those within the profession looking to embark upon or enhance their research career

Improved Object Proposals with Geometrical Features for Autonomous Driving

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Yiliu Feng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper aims at generating high-quality object proposals for object detection in autonomous driving. Most existing proposal generation methods are designed for the general object detection, which may not perform well in a particular scene. We propose several geometrical features suited for autonomous driving and integrate them into state-of-the-art general proposal generation methods. In particular, we formulate the integration as a feature fusion problem by fusing the geometrical features with existing proposal generation methods in a Bayesian framework. Experiments on the challenging KITTI benchmark demonstrate that our approach improves the existing methods significantly. Combined with a convolutional neural net detector, our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance on all three KITTI object classes.

Newly Qualified Teachers' Professional Digital Competence: Implications for Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Gudmundsdottir, Greta Björk; Hatlevik, Ove Edvard

2018-01-01

The professional digital competence (PDC) of teachers is of growing importance in classrooms, now that digital resources and digital media are becoming important parts of teachers' everyday practice. This study explores how newly qualified teachers are prepared to use information and communication technology (ICT) in their initial teacher…

The Finite-Surface Method for incompressible flow: a step beyond staggered grid

Science.gov (United States)

Hokpunna, Arpiruk; Misaka, Takashi; Obayashi, Shigeru

2017-11-01

We present a newly developed higher-order finite surface method for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations (NSE). This method defines the velocities as a surface-averaged value on the surfaces of the pressure cells. Consequently, the mass conservation on the pressure cells becomes an exact equation. The only things left to approximate is the momentum equation and the pressure at the new time step. At certain conditions, the exact mass conservation enables the explicit n-th order accurate NSE solver to be used with the pressure treatment that is two or four order less accurate without loosing the apparent convergence rate. This feature was not possible with finite volume of finite difference methods. We use Fourier analysis with a model spectrum to determine the condition and found that the range covers standard boundary layer flows. The formal convergence and the performance of the proposed scheme is compared with a sixth-order finite volume method. Finally, the accuracy and performance of the method is evaluated in turbulent channel flows. This work is partially funded by a research colloaboration from IFS, Tohoku university and ASEAN+3 funding scheme from CMUIC, Chiang Mai University.

Drag resistance measurements for newly applied antifouling coatings and welding seams on ship hull surface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Xueting; Olsen, S. M.; Andres, E.

Drag resistances of newly applied antifouling coatings and welding seams on ship hull surface have been investigated using a pilot-scale rotary setup. Both conventional biocide-based antifouling (AF) coatings and silicone-based fouling release (FR) coatings have been studied and compared in their......Drag resistances of newly applied antifouling coatings and welding seams on ship hull surface have been investigated using a pilot-scale rotary setup. Both conventional biocide-based antifouling (AF) coatings and silicone-based fouling release (FR) coatings have been studied and compared...

New strain measurement method at axial tensile test of thin films through direct imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ha, Jong-Eun [Department of Automotive Engineering, Seoul National Uinversity of Technolgy, 172 Gongneung-2 Dong, Nowon-Gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jun-Hyub [Department of Mechatronics Engineering, College of Engineering, Tongmyong University, 535, Yongdang-Dong, Nam-Gu, Busan 608-711 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Dong-Joong [School of Mechanical Eng., Pusan National University, Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: jhyubpark@korea.com

2008-09-07

This paper proposes a new method for measuring strain during a tensile test of the specimen with micrometre size through direct imaging. A specimen was newly designed for adoption of direct imaging which was the main contribution of the proposed system. The structure of the specimen has eight indicators that make it possible to adopt direct imaging and it is fabricated using the same process of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices to guarantee the feasibility of the tensile test. We implemented a system for non-contact in situ measurement of strain with the specimen, the image-based displacement measurement system. Extension of the gauge length in the specimen could be found robustly by computing the positions of the eight rectangular-shape indicators on the image. Also, for an easy setup procedure, the region of interest was found automatically through the analysis of the edge projection profile along the horizontal direction. To gain confidence in the reliability of the system, the tensile test for the Al-3%Ti thin film was performed, which is widely used as a material in MEMS devices. Tensile tests were performed and displacements were measured using the proposed method and also the capacitance type displacement sensor for comparison. It is demonstrated that the new strain measurement system can be effectively used in the tensile test of the specimen at microscale with easy setup and better accuracy.

Localization and movement of newly synthesized cholesterol in rat ovarian granulosa cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lange, Y.; Schmit, V.M.; Schreiber, J.R.

1988-01-01

The distribution and movement of cholesterol were studied in granulosa cells from the ovaries of estrogen-stimulated hypophysectomized immature rats cultured in serum-free medium. Plasma membrane cholesterol was distinguished from intracellular cholesterol with cholesterol oxidase, an enzyme that converts cell surface cholesterol to cholestenone, leaving intracellular cholesterol untouched. Using this approach we showed that 82% of unesterified cholesterol was associated with the plasma membrane in granulosa cells cultured for 48 h in serum-free medium in both the presence and absence of added androstenedione and FSH. FSH and androstenedione stimulated a marked increase in steroid hormone (progestin) production. The movement of newly synthesized cholesterol to the plasma membrane also was followed using cholesterol oxidase. Newly synthesized cholesterol reached the plasma membrane too rapidly to be measured in unstimulated cells (t1/2 less than 20 min); however, in cells stimulated by FSH and androstenedione, this rate was considerably slower (t1/2 approximately 2h). Therefore, cholesterol movement to the plasma membrane appears to be regulated by gonadotropins in these cells. We tested whether steroid biosynthesis used all cell cholesterol pools equally. To this end we administered [3H]acetate and [14C]acetate at different times and determined their relative specific contents in various steroids after defined intervals. The relative ages of the steroids (youngest to oldest) were: lanosterol, progestins, intracellular cholesterol, and plasma membrane cholesterol. This finding suggests that progestins use newly synthesized intracellular cholesterol in preference to preexisting intracellular or cell surface cholesterol

Typical design/qualification acceptance criteria for newly installed pipelines and equipment components of VVER-type NPPs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masopust, R.

2003-01-01

This paper describes in general the typical design/qualification acceptance criteria and seismic acceptance criteria in particular that are applicable for important to safety newly installed pipelines and equipment components of VVER-type already existing NPPs, specifically during the design verification phase of this newly installed equipment. These criteria are currently used for VVER 440-213 and VVER 1000 NPPs in Czech Republic and in Slovakia. The similar criteria are also used in Hungary. (author)

Settlement behavior of the container for high-level nuclear waste disposal. Centrifuge model tests and proposal for simple evaluation method for settlement behavior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Kunihiko; Tanaka, Yukihisa

2004-01-01

In Japan, bentonite will be used as buffer materials in high-level nuclear waste disposal. In the softened buffer material with the infiltration of various properties of under ground water, if the container deeply sinks, the decrease of the thickness of the buffer materials may lose the required abilities. Therefore, it is very important to consider settlement of container. In this study, influences of distilled water and artificial seawater on the settlement of the container were investigated and a simple evaluation method for settlement of the container was proposed. The following findings were obtained from this study. (1) Under the distilled water, amount of settlement decreases exponentially as dry density becomes larger. (2) While the amount of settlement of container under the 10% artificial seawater was almost equal to the one in the distilled water, the container was floating under the 100% artificial seawater. (3) The simple evaluation method for settlement of container was proposed based on the diffuse double layer theory, and the effectiveness of the proposed method was demonstrated by the results of several experiments. (author)

The Colonization of Newly Built Fishponds by the Macroinvertebrate Assemblages

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Pavla Řezníčková

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The succession of standing waters by aquatic macroinvertebrates is a present and insufficiently surveyed topic. This study is addressed to the issue of colonisation of newly created small standing waters. Two fishponds situated in the north of Moravia (Czech Republic were studied. The aim of this study was to determine the character and colonisation rate of these ponds by macroinvertebrates, to evaluate the abundance, taxonomic composition and changes in composition of freshwater assemblages as a result of the fish stock influence. Basic abiotic parameters were also measured within the sampling occasions (e.g. water temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. Samples of aquatic macroinvertebrates were taken monthly during the years 2012 and 2013, by kick sampling method using the hand net. The character of sampled fishponds was very similar, environmental parameters (e.g. area, substrate, depth etc. were comparable. The colonisation of both fishponds was very fast. The pioneer colonists were mainly insect larvae (e.g. chironomids. Very low numbers of macroinvertebrates as a result of fish stock influence were recorded on both sites during the observation with the highest abundances in summer season.

Selection of unadapted, pathogenic SHIVs encoding newly transmitted HIV-1 envelope proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Del Prete, Gregory Q; Ailers, Braiden; Moldt, Brian; Keele, Brandon F; Estes, Jacob D; Rodriguez, Anthony; Sampias, Marissa; Oswald, Kelli; Fast, Randy; Trubey, Charles M; Chertova, Elena; Smedley, Jeremy; LaBranche, Celia C; Montefiori, David C; Burton, Dennis R; Shaw, George M; Markowitz, Marty; Piatak, Michael; KewalRamani, Vineet N; Bieniasz, Paul D; Lifson, Jeffrey D; Hatziioannou, Theodora

2014-09-10

Infection of macaques with chimeric viruses based on SIVMAC but expressing the HIV-1 envelope (Env) glycoproteins (SHIVs) remains the most powerful model for evaluating prevention and therapeutic strategies against AIDS. Unfortunately, only a few SHIVs are currently available. Furthermore, their generation has required extensive adaptation of the HIV-1 Env sequences in macaques so they may not accurately represent HIV-1 Env proteins circulating in humans, potentially limiting their translational utility. We developed a strategy for generating large numbers of SHIV constructs expressing Env proteins from newly transmitted HIV-1 strains. By inoculating macaques with cocktails of multiple SHIV variants, we selected SHIVs that can replicate and cause AIDS-like disease in immunologically intact rhesus macaques without requiring animal-to-animal passage. One of these SHIVs could be transmitted mucosally. We demonstrate the utility of the SHIVs generated by this method for evaluating neutralizing antibody administration as a protection against mucosal SHIV challenge. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Time perspective and weight management behaviors in newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes: a mediational analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Peter A; Fong, Geoffrey T; Cheng, Alice Y

2012-12-01

The primary objective of the current study was to examine the extent to which domain-specific time perspective predicts weight management behaviors (dietary behavior and physical activity) among those newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. A secondary objective was to test potential mediators of the hypothesized effect (behavioral intention, self-efficacy and control beliefs). A total of 204 adults newly diagnosed (≤6 months) with Type 2 diabetes participated in the study, which included a baseline assessment of domain-general and domain-specific time perspective, as well as strength of intention to perform two weight-management behaviors (dietary choice and physical activity); both weight-management behaviors were assessed again at 6 month follow-up. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed a prospective association between domain-specific time perspective and uptake of weight management behaviors. Individuals with newly diagnosed T2DM possessing a future-oriented time perspective reported making less frequent fatty food choices and greater increases in physical activity over the 6-month follow-up interval. These effects were selectively mediated by intention strength, and not competing social cognitive variables. For both behaviors, the total effects and meditational models were robust to adjustments for demographics, body composition and disease variables. A future-oriented time perspective is prospectively associated with superior uptake of weight management behaviors among those with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. The facilitating effect of future-oriented thinking appears to occur via enhanced strength of intentions to perform weight management behaviors.

Healthcare professionals' views of group structured education for people with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Winkley, K; Upsher, R; Keij, S M; Chamley, M; Ismail, K; Forbes, A

2018-04-06

To determine healthcare professionals' (HCP) views of group structured education for people with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews to ascertain primary care HCPs' views and experiences of education for people with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. A thematic framework method was applied to analyse the data. Participants were HCPs (N = 22) from 15 general practices in three south London boroughs. All but one HCP viewed diabetes education favourably and all identified that low attendance was a problem. Three key themes emerged from the qualitative data: (1) benefits of diabetes education, including the group mode of delivery, improved patient interactions, saving HCPs' time and improved patient outcomes; (2) factors limiting uptake of education, including patient-level problems such as access and the appropriateness of the programme for certain groups, and difficulties communicating the benefits to patients and integration of education management plans into ongoing diabetes care; and (3) suggestions for improvement, including strategies to improve attendance at education with more localized and targeted marketing and enhanced programme content including follow-up sessions and support for people with pre-existing psychological issues. Most HCPs valued diabetes education and all highlighted the lack of provision for people with different levels of health literacy. Because there was wide variation in terms of the level of knowledge regarding the education on offer, future studies may want to focus on how to help HCPs encourage their patients to attend. © 2018 Diabetes UK.

Proposed Suitable Methods to Detect Transient Regime Switching to Improve Power Quality with Wavelet Transform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javad Safaee Kuchaksaraee

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The increasing consumption of electrical energy and the use of non-linear loads that create transient regime states in distribution networks is increasing day by day. This is the only reason due to which the analysis of power quality for energy sustainability in power networks has become more important. Transients are often created by energy injection through switching or lightning and make changes in voltage and nominal current. Sudden increase or decrease in voltage or current makes characteristics of the transient regime. This paper shed some lights on the capacitor bank switching, which is one of the main causes for oscillatory transient regime states in the distribution network, using wavelet transform. The identification of the switching current of capacitor bank and the internal fault current of the transformer to prevent the unnecessary outage of the differential relay, it propose a new smart method. The accurate performance of this method is shown by simulation in EMTP and MATLAB (matrix laboratory software.

Asymmetric Dimethylarginine Plasma Levels and Endothelial Function in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic Patients

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Francesco Perticone

2012-10-01

Full Text Available It is now well established that major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD impact upon endothelial function by decreasing nitric oxide (NO bioavailability. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA, an endogenous analog of l-arginine, is able to inhibit the activity of endothelial-NO synthase, promoting endothelial dysfunction. Type 2 diabetes (T2D is characterized by a reduced endothelium-dependent vasodilation and increased ADMA levels and ADMA is strongly associated with micro- and macrovascular diabetic complications. However, there are not a lot of data about the role of ADMA on endothelial function in newly diagnosed T2D patients without cardiovascular (CV complications. For this aim, we have enrolled forty-five newly diagnosed T2D patients, evaluated by a oral glucose tolerance test, and thirty normal subjects. Endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilatation was investigated by intra-arterial infusion of increasing doses of acetylcholine (ACh and sodium nitroprusside. ADMA was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and insulin resistance (IR by HOMA. Newly diagnosed T2D patients showed higher ADMA and l-arginine mean values in comparison with normal subjects and a significantly reduced ACh-stimulated forearm blood flow (FBF. In T2D patients FBF was significantly and inversely correlated with ADMA (r = −0.524, p < 0.0001 and in a multivariate regression analysis, ADMA resulted the stronger predictor of FBF, explaining the 27.5% of variability (p < 0.0001. In conclusion, ADMA was strongly related to endothelial dysfunction also in patients with newly diagnosed T2D, without clinically manifest vascular complications. This field is of great interest for understanding the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of diabetic disease and its CV complications.

A study on an efficient prediction of welding deformation for T-joint laser welding of sandwich panel PART I : Proposal of a heat source model

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Jae Woong Kim

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The use of I-Core sandwich panel has increased in cruise ship deck structure since it can provide similar bending strength with conventional stiffened plate while keeping lighter weight and lower web height. However, due to its thin plate thickness, i.e. about 4~6 mm at most, it is assembled by high power CO2 laser welding to minimize the welding deformation. This research proposes a volumetric heat source model for T-joint of the I-Core sandwich panel and a method to use shell element model for a thermal elasto-plastic analysis to predict welding deformation. This paper, Part I, focuses on the heat source model. A circular cone type heat source model is newly suggested in heat transfer analysis to realize similar melting zone with that observed in experiment. An additional suggestion is made to consider negative defocus, which is commonly applied in T-joint laser welding since it can provide deeper penetration than zero defocus. The proposed heat source is also verified through 3D thermal elasto-plastic analysis to compare welding deformation with experimental results. A parametric study for different welding speeds, defocus values, and welding powers is performed to investigate the effect on the melting zone and welding deformation. In Part II, focuses on the proposed method to employ shell element model to predict welding deformation in thermal elasto-plastic analysis instead of solid element model.

Psychometric Properties of Newly Translated Spanish Life Events Inventory and Daily Hassles Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Hannan, Jean; Youngblut, JoAnne M; Brooten, Dorothy; Bazzani, Dianne; Romero, Norma R; Chavez, Blanca; Picanes, Joann

2015-01-01

Measuring stress in Hispanic Americans, the fastest growing U.S. minority, is problematic. The Life Events Inventory (LEI) and the Daily Hassles Scale (DHS), widely used stress instruments, are not available in Spanish. To test the psychometric properties of the translated Spanish versions of the LEI and DHS. A convenience sample of 63 Hispanic women completed both instruments in Spanish and English 2 weeks apart. Internal consistency reliability and stability were strong for both instruments (.85-.97). Reliability and validity evidence for the translated Spanish versions were strong and similar to the English version. Psychometric findings suggest that the newly translated Spanish versions are good representations of the English versions and that these newly translated instruments are ready for use.

On the use of adaptive multiresolution method with time-varying tolerance for compressible fluid flows

Science.gov (United States)

Soni, V.; Hadjadj, A.; Roussel, O.

2017-12-01

In this paper, a fully adaptive multiresolution (MR) finite difference scheme with a time-varying tolerance is developed to study compressible fluid flows containing shock waves in interaction with solid obstacles. To ensure adequate resolution near rigid bodies, the MR algorithm is combined with an immersed boundary method based on a direct-forcing approach in which the solid object is represented by a continuous solid-volume fraction. The resulting algorithm forms an efficient tool capable of solving linear and nonlinear waves on arbitrary geometries. Through a one-dimensional scalar wave equation, the accuracy of the MR computation is, as expected, seen to decrease in time when using a constant MR tolerance considering the accumulation of error. To overcome this problem, a variable tolerance formulation is proposed, which is assessed through a new quality criterion, to ensure a time-convergence solution for a suitable quality resolution. The newly developed algorithm coupled with high-resolution spatial and temporal approximations is successfully applied to shock-bluff body and shock-diffraction problems solving Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Results show excellent agreement with the available numerical and experimental data, thereby demonstrating the efficiency and the performance of the proposed method.

Translocation of radiocesium from stems and leaves of plants and the effect on radiocesium concentrations in newly emerged plant tissues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tagami, Keiko; Uchida, Shigeo; Ishii, Nobuyoshi; Kagiya, Shigeo

2012-01-01

An accident occurred at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011 at which time large amounts of radionuclides were released into the atmosphere and the sea. In early May 2011, it was found that newly emerged tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves contained radiocesium, both 134 Cs and 137 Cs in some areas more than 300 km away from the Fukushima plant. To understand the mechanisms of radiocesium transfer to newly emerged tissues (shoots, leaves and fruits) of other plants in the future, radiocesium concentrations in newly emerged leaves of 14 plant species collected from the sampling areas in and near National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba, Japan. The studied plant types were: (1) herbaceous plants, (2) woody plants with no old leaves at the time of the March accident, and (3) woody plants with old leaves out before the accident. About 40–50 d after the start of the accident, newly emerged leaves from woody plant with old leaves tended to show higher values than other woody or herbaceous plants. Concentrations of radiocesium in newly emerged tissues of trees decreased with time, but they did not decrease to the level of herbaceous plants. The type of the plant and presence of old leaves at the time of the heavy deposition period affected the radiocesium concentrations in newly emerged tissues.

Practices influenced by policy? An exploration of newly hired science teachers at sites in South Africa and the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Navy, S. L.; Luft, J. A.; Toerien, R.; Hewson, P. W.

2018-05-01

In many parts of the world, newly hired science teachers' practices are developing in a complex policy environment. However, little is known about how newly hired science teachers' practices are enacted throughout a cycle of instruction and how these practices can be influenced by macro-, meso-, and micro-policies. Knowing how policies impact practice can result in better policies or better support for certain policies in order to enhance the instruction of newly hired teachers. This comparative study investigated how 12 newly hired science teachers at sites in South Africa (SA) and the United States (US) progressed through an instructional cycle of planning, teaching, and reflection. The qualitative data were analysed through beginning teacher competency frameworks, the cycle of instruction, and institutional theory. Data analysis revealed prevailing areas of practice and connections to levels of policy within the instructional cycle phases. There were some differences between the SA and US teachers and among first-, second-, and third-year teachers. More importantly, this study indicates that newly hired teachers are susceptible to micro-policies and are progressively developing their practice. It also shows the importance of meso-level connectors. It suggests that teacher educators and policy makers must consider how to prepare and support newly hired science teachers to achieve the shared global visions of science teaching.

Limited role for extended maintenance temozolomide for newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Gramatzki, Dorothee; Kickingereder, Philipp; Hentschel, Bettina; Felsberg, Jörg; Herrlinger, Ulrich; Schackert, Gabriele; Tonn, Jörg-Christian; Westphal, Manfred; Sabel, Michael; Schlegel, Uwe; Wick, Wolfgang; Pietsch, Torsten; Reifenberger, Guido; Loeffler, Markus; Bendszus, Martin; Weller, Michael

2017-04-11

To explore an association with survival of modifying the current standard of care for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma of surgery followed by radiotherapy plus concurrent and 6 cycles of maintenance temozolomide chemotherapy (TMZ/RT → TMZ) by extending TMZ beyond 6 cycles. The German Glioma Network cohort was screened for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma who received TMZ/RT → TMZ and completed ≥6 cycles of maintenance chemotherapy without progression. Associations of clinical patient characteristics, molecular markers, and residual tumor determined by magnetic resonance imaging after 6 cycles of TMZ with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed with the log-rank test. Multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model were performed to assess associations of prolonged TMZ use with outcome. Sixty-one of 142 identified patients received at least 7 maintenance TMZ cycles (median 11, range 7-20). Patients with extended maintenance TMZ treatment had better PFS (20.5 months, 95% confidence interval [CI] 17.7-23.3, vs 17.2 months, 95% CI 10.2-24.2, p = 0.035) but not OS (32.6 months, 95% CI 28.9-36.4, vs 33.2 months, 95% CI 25.3-41.0, p = 0.126). However, there was no significant association of prolonged TMZ chemotherapy with PFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.8, 95% CI 0.4-1.6, p = 0.559) or OS (HR = 1.6, 95% CI 0.8-3.3, p = 0.218) adjusted for age, extent of resection, Karnofsky performance score, presence of residual tumor, O 6 -methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation status, or isocitrate dehydrogenase ( IDH ) mutation status. These data may not support the practice of prolonging maintenance TMZ chemotherapy beyond 6 cycles. This study provides Class III evidence that in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma, prolonged TMZ chemotherapy does not significantly increase PFS or OS. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

Facade Proposals for Urban Augmented Reality

OpenAIRE

Fond , Antoine; Berger , Marie-Odile; Simon , Gilles

2017-01-01

International audience; We introduce a novel object proposals method specific to building facades. We define new image cues that measure typical facadecharacteristics such as semantic, symmetry and repetitions. They are combined to generate a few facade candidates in urban environments fast. We show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art object proposals techniques for this task on the 1000 images of the Zurich Building Database. We demonstrate the interest of this procedure for augment...

Exploring the individual patterns of spiritual well-being in people newly diagnosed with advanced cancer: a cluster analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Mei; Dixon, Jane; Williams, Anna-Leila; Jeon, Sangchoon; Lazenby, Mark; McCorkle, Ruth

2016-11-01

Research shows that spiritual well-being correlates positively with quality of life (QOL) for people with cancer, whereas contradictory findings are frequently reported with respect to the differentiated associations between dimensions of spiritual well-being, namely peace, meaning and faith, and QOL. This study aimed to examine individual patterns of spiritual well-being among patients newly diagnosed with advanced cancer. Cluster analysis was based on the twelve items of the 12-item Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale at Time 1. A combination of hierarchical and k-means (non-hierarchical) clustering methods was employed to jointly determine the number of clusters. Self-rated health, depressive symptoms, peace, meaning and faith, and overall QOL were compared at Time 1 and Time 2. Hierarchical and k-means clustering methods both suggested four clusters. Comparison of the four clusters supported statistically significant and clinically meaningful differences in QOL outcomes among clusters while revealing contrasting relations of faith with QOL. Cluster 1, Cluster 3, and Cluster 4 represented high, medium, and low levels of overall QOL, respectively, with correspondingly high, medium, and low levels of peace, meaning, and faith. Cluster 2 was distinguished from other clusters by its medium levels of overall QOL, peace, and meaning and low level of faith. This study provides empirical support for individual difference in response to a newly diagnosed cancer and brings into focus conceptual and methodological challenges associated with the measure of spiritual well-being, which may partly contribute to the attenuated relation between faith and QOL.

MUSICOLOGY AS AN EVOLUTIONARY SYSTEM OF THE MUSICAL THINKING CATEGORIES (PROPOSED FORAMETHODOLOGICAL-HERMENEUTICS APPROACH

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GARAZ OLEG

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The appearance of musicology as a science is due yo Guido Adler’s foundation act of 1885. The dialectical formulation of musicology as an interaction between systematic and historical disciplines were to confer it sufficien methodological force so that the newly invented science could become practicable as soon as possible. Historically being a descendant of the German historical method (Leopold von Ranke and the one contemporary with positivism (Auguste Comte, musicology affirms itself quickly as an academic discipline (begun by Wilhelm von Humboldt and takes in both sociology (Max Weber and hermeneutics (Hermann Kretzschmar as constituent disciplines. In one sense, musicology presented itself as an open conceptual system, permeable to the evolutionary changes of the thinking field and musical practices and, in a second sense, the methodology of systematic conceptual organization was oriented towards the university teaching field as an offer for pedagogical and research activities. In our text, we propose a hipothesis of approaching the conceptual system of musicology as a cosubstantional system of botn the constituent parts — the systematic and the historical ones, in such a way motivating and explaining its dialectical-evolutionary nature.

NEWLY-PACKAGED BALI TOURIST PERFORMING ARTS IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF CULTURAL STUDIES

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Ni Made Ruastiti

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This research is focused on the newly packaged tourist performing arts; they are anew concept and seem to be different from the general tourist performing arts. They arepackaged from various components of Balinese arts and managed as large scale-touristperforming arts in terms of materials, space, and time of their performances. The researchercalls them new types of Bali tourist performing arts because how they are presented isnew and different from the traditional tourist performing arts which are simply performed.In this research, the newly-packaged performing arts are analyzed in the perspective ofcultural studies.The research was carried out at three palaces in Bali; they are Mengwi Palace inBadung regency, Anyar Palace at Kerambitan, Tabanan regency, and Banyuning Palace atBongkasa, Badung regency. There are three main problems to be discussed: firstly, how dothe tourist performing arts emerge in all the palaces? Secondly, are they related to thetourist industry developed in the palaces?, thirdly, what is the impact and meaning of themfor the sake of the palaces, society, and Balinese culture? The researcher uses a qualitativemethod and an interdisciplinary approach as characteristics of cultural studies. The theoriesused are hegemony, deconstruction, and structuration.The result shows that the tourism development at all the palaces has made the localsociety become more critical. The money-oriented economy based on the spirit of gettingbenefit has made the emergence of comodification in all sectors of life. The emergence oftourist industry at the palaces has led to the idea of showing all of the useful art and culturalpotentials which at the palaces and their surroundings. Theoretically, the palaces can bestated to have deconstructed the concept of presenting the Bali tourist performing arts into anew one, that is, “the newly packaged Bali tourist performing arts”.It has been observed that all the palaces have developed t “Newly

Age-Dependent Fecal Bacterial Correlation to Inflammatory Bowel Disease for Newly Diagnosed Untreated Children

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Felix Chinweije Nwosu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The knowledge about correlation patterns between the fecal microbiota and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD—comprising the two subforms Crohn's disease (CD and ulcerative colitis (UC—for newly diagnosed untreated children is limited. To address this knowledge gap, a selection of faecal specimens (CD, n=27 and UC, n=16 and non-IBD controls (n=30 children (age < 18 years was analysed utilising bacterial small subunit (SSU rRNA. We found, surprising age dependence for the fecal microbiota correlating to IBD. The most pronounced patterns were that E. coli was positively (R2=0.16, P=0.05 and Bacteroidetes, negatively (R2=0.15, P=0.05 correlated to age for CD patients. For UC, we found an apparent opposite age-related disease correlation for both Bacteroides and Escherichia. In addition, there was an overrepresentation of Haemophilus for the UC children. From our, results we propose a model where the aetiology of IBD is related to an on-going immunological development in children requiring different age-dependent bacterial stimuli. The impact of our findings could be a better age stratification for understanding and treating IBD in children.

Developing an Agent-Based Simulation System for Post-Earthquake Operations in Uncertainty Conditions: A Proposed Method for Collaboration among Agents

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Navid Hooshangi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Agent-based modeling is a promising approach for developing simulation tools for natural hazards in different areas, such as during urban search and rescue (USAR operations. The present study aimed to develop a dynamic agent-based simulation model in post-earthquake USAR operations using geospatial information system and multi agent systems (GIS and MASs, respectively. We also propose an approach for dynamic task allocation and establishing collaboration among agents based on contract net protocol (CNP and interval-based Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS methods, which consider uncertainty in natural hazards information during agents’ decision-making. The decision-making weights were calculated by analytic hierarchy process (AHP. In order to implement the system, earthquake environment was simulated and the damage of the buildings and a number of injuries were calculated in Tehran’s District 3: 23%, 37%, 24% and 16% of buildings were in slight, moderate, extensive and completely vulnerable classes, respectively. The number of injured persons was calculated to be 17,238. Numerical results in 27 scenarios showed that the proposed method is more accurate than the CNP method in the terms of USAR operational time (at least 13% decrease and the number of human fatalities (at least 9% decrease. In interval uncertainty analysis of our proposed simulated system, the lower and upper bounds of uncertain responses are evaluated. The overall results showed that considering uncertainty in task allocation can be a highly advantageous in the disaster environment. Such systems can be used to manage and prepare for natural hazards.

PREVALENCE OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY IN PATIENTS WITH NEWLY DIAGNOSED TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS

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A. Bostak

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of type II diabetes mellitus and carries with it the threat of blindness. Accurate information regarding the incidence of diabetic retinopathy and associated risk factors is important in the prevention of its development and of the visual impairment caused by this complication. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in newly diagnosed patients with type II diabetes mellitus. We have also evaluated the association of diabetic retinopathy with clinical and biochemical variables. In a cross-sectional study, 152 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed type II diabetes mellitus were referred from two outpatient clinics in Tehran for ophthalmologic exam to detect retinopathy. Indirect ophthalmoscopy was performed and data regarding risk factors were extracted from routine medical records. Chi square and Mann Whitney U tests were used to analyze the data. The overall prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was 13.8 %( 21 cases: three cases with microaneurysm only, 10 with mild, 5 with moderate and 2 with severe non proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Only one patient had advanced proliferative retinopathy. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was positively associated with age, duration of disease, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, and systolic blood pressure. Diabetic retinopathy is common in newly diagnosed type II diabetes mellitus patients. Ophthalmologic consultation is essential at the time of diagnosis for all patients.

On the Matching of Seen and Felt Shape by Newly Sighted Subjects

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John Schwenkler

2012-04-01

Full Text Available How do we recognize identities between seen shapes and felt ones? Is this due to associative learning, or intrinsic connections these sensory modalities? We can address this question by testing the capacities of newly sighted subjects to match seen and felt shapes, but only if the subjects can see the objects well enough to form adequate visual representations of their shapes. In light of this, a recent study by R. Held and colleagues fails to demonstrate that their newly sighted subjects' inability to match seen and felt shape was due to a lack of intermodal connections rather than a purely visual deficit, as the subjects may not have been able visually to represent 3D shape in the perspective-invariant manner required for intermodal matching. However, the study could be modified in any of several ways to help avoid this problem.

Identification, characterization and quantification of new impurities by LC-ESI/MS/MS and LC-UV methods in rivastigmine tartrate active pharmaceutical ingredient.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Saji; Shandilya, Sanjeev; Bharati, Amber; Paul, Saroj Kumar; Agarwal, Ashutosh; Mathela, Chandra S

2012-01-05

Six impurities were detected at trace level in rivastigmine tartrate drug substance by a newly developed high performance liquid chromatography method. Three impurities were characterized rapidly and three impurities were found to be unknown. The unknown impurities were enriched and identified with a combination of semi-preparative HPLC and LC/MS/MS techniques. Proposed structures were further confirmed by characterization using NMR, FT-IR, and EA techniques of impurity standards. Based on the spectroscopic, spectrometric and elemental analysis data unknown impurities were characterized as 3-[1-(dimethylamino)ethyl]phenyl N-ethyl-N-methyl carbamate N-oxide, ethyl-methyl-carbamic acid 4-(1-dimethylamino-ethyl)-phenyl ester and ethyl-methyl-carbamic acid 2-(1-dimethylamino-ethyl)-phenyl ester. A plausible mechanism for the formation of these impurities is also proposed. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines for fourteen impurities to demonstrate specificity, precision, linearity, accuracy and stability indicating nature of the method. Regression analysis showed correlation coefficient value greater than 0.999 for rivastigmine tartrate and its impurities. Accuracy of the method was established based on the recovery obtained between 93.41 and 113.33% for all impurities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Wave actions and topography determine the small-scale spatial distribution of newly settled Asari clams Ruditapes philippinarum on a tidal flat

Science.gov (United States)

Nambu, Ryogen; Saito, Hajime; Tanaka, Yoshio; Higano, Junya; Kuwahara, Hisami

2012-03-01

There are many studies on spatial distributions of Asari clam Ruditapes philippinarum adults on tidal flats but few have dealt with spatial distributions of newly settled Asari clam (physical/topographical conditions on tidal flats. We examined small-scale spatial distributions of newly settled individuals on the Matsunase tidal flat, central Japan, during the low spring tides on two days 29th-30th June 2007, together with the shear stress from waves and currents on the flat. The characteristics of spatial distribution of newly settled Asari clam markedly varied depending on both of hydrodynamic and topographical conditions on the tidal flat. Using generalized linear models (GLMs), factors responsible for affecting newly settled Asari clam density and its spatial distribution were distinguished between sampling days, with "crest" sites always having a negative influence each on the density and the distribution on both sampling days. The continuously recorded data for the wave-current flows at the "crest" site on the tidal flat showed that newly settled Asari clam, as well as bottom sediment particles, at the "crest" site to be easily displaced. Small-scale spatial distributions of newly settled Asari clam changed with more advanced benthic stages in relation to the wave shear stress.

The Control of Posture in Newly Standing Infants is Task Dependent

Science.gov (United States)

Claxton, Laura J.; Melzer, Dawn K.; Ryu, Joong Hyun; Haddad, Jeffrey M.

2012-01-01

The postural sway patterns of newly standing infants were compared under two conditions: standing while holding a toy and standing while not holding a toy. Infants exhibited a lower magnitude of postural sway and more complex sway patterns when holding the toy. These changes suggest that infants adapt postural sway in a manner that facilitates…

A lower baseline glomerular filtration rate predicts high mortality and newly cerebrovascular accidents in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Kai; Huang, Xiaoqin; Zhang, Qian; Yu, Zhipeng; Ding, Jianping; Song, Haiqing

2017-02-01

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is gradually recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and cardio-/cerebrovascular disease. This study aimed to examine the association of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and clinical outcomes at 3 months after the onset of ischemic stroke in a hospitalized Chinese population.Totally, 972 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled into this study. Modified of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equations were used to calculate eGFR and define CKD. The site and degree of the stenosis were examined. Patients were followed-up for 3 months. Endpoint events included all-cause death and newly ischemic events. The multivariate logistic model was used to determine the association between renal dysfunction and patients' outcomes.Of all patients, 130 patients (13.4%) had reduced eGFR (<60 mL/min/1.73 m), and 556 patients had a normal eGFR (≥90 mL/min/1.73 m). A total of 694 patients suffered from cerebral artery stenosis, in which 293 patients only had intracranial artery stenosis (ICAS), 110 only with extracranial carotid atherosclerotic stenosis (ECAS), and 301 with both ICAS and ECAS. The patients with eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73m had a higher proportion of death and newly ischemic events compared with those with a relatively normal eGFR. Multivariate analysis revealed that a baseline eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m increased the risk of mortality by 3.089-fold and newly ischemic events by 4.067-fold. In further analysis, a reduced eGFR was associated with increased rates of mortality and newly events both in ICAS patients and ECAS patients. However, only an increased risk of newly events was found as the degree of renal function deteriorated in ICAS patients (odds ratio = 8.169, 95% confidence interval = 2.445-14.127).A low baseline eGFR predicted a high mortality and newly ischemic events at 3 months in ischemic stroke patients. A low baseline eGFR was also a strong independent predictor for newly

Proposed method for assigning metric tons of heavy metal values to defense high-level waste forms to be disposed of in a geologic repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-08-01

A proposed method is described for assigning an equivalent metric ton heavy metal (eMTHM) value to defense high-level waste forms to be disposed of in a geologic repository. This method for establishing a curie equivalency between defense high-level waste and irradiated commercial fuel is based on the ratio of defense fuel exposure to the typical commercial fuel exposure, MWd/MTHM. application of this technique to defense high-level wastes is described. Additionally, this proposed technique is compared to several alternate calculations for eMTHM. 15 refs., 2 figs., 10 tabs

Proposal for evaluation methodology on impact resistant performance and construction method of tornado missile protection net structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Namba, Kosuke; Shirai, Koji

2014-01-01

In nuclear power plants, the necessity of the Tornado Missile Protection Structure is becoming a technical key issue. Utilization of the net structure seems to be one of the realistic counter measures from the point of the view of the mitigation wind and seismic loads. However, the methodology for the selection of the net suitable materials, the energy absorption design method and the construction method are not sufficiently established. In this report, three materials (high-strength metal mesh, super strong polyethylene fiber net and steel grating) were selected for the candidate material and the material screening tests, the energy absorption tests by free drop test using the heavy weight and the impact tests with the small diameter missile. As a result, high-strength metal mesh was selected as a suitable material for tornado missile protection net structure. Moreover, the construction method to obtain the good energy absorption performance of the material and the practical design method to estimate the energy absorption of the high-strength metal mesh under tornado missile impact load were proposed. (author)