242-A Evaporator/Liquid Effluent Retention Facility data quality objectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Von Bargen, B.H.

1994-01-01

The purpose of data quality objectives (DQO) is to determine the most cost effective methods of gathering the essential data necessary to make decisions to support successful operation of the facility. The essential data is defined by such information as sample amount, sample location, required analyses, and how sampling and analyses are performed. Successful operation is defined as meeting the campaign objectives while operating within established requirements. This DQO document addresses that portion of the system from 242-A Evaporator candidate feed tanks through discharge of process condensate to the Liquid Effluent Retention of Facility (LERF). Later revisions will incorporate and integrate the entire system, including the Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF)

242-A Evaporator/Liquid Effluent Retention Facility data quality objectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Von Bargen, B.H.

1994-09-29

The purpose of data quality objectives (DQO) is to determine the most cost effective methods of gathering the essential data necessary to make decisions to support successful operation of the facility. The essential data is defined by such information as sample amount, sample location, required analyses, and how sampling and analyses are performed. Successful operation is defined as meeting the campaign objectives while operating within established requirements. This DQO document addresses that portion of the system from 242-A Evaporator candidate feed tanks through discharge of process condensate to the Liquid Effluent Retention of Facility (LERF). Later revisions will incorporate and integrate the entire system, including the Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF).

Data quality objectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haeberer, F. [Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)

1993-12-31

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spends about $500 million annually in collecting environmental data for scientific research and regulatory decision making. In addition, the regulated community may spend as much as ten times more each year in responding to EPA compliance requirements. Among the EPA and the regulated community there are several important common concerns: both want to make informed decisions using the right type, quality, and quantity of data. Collecting new data is very resource intensive to all parties. Neither EPA nor the regulated community can afford to collect more or {open_quotes}better{close_quotes} data than are really needed; the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) process is a systematic planning tool for ensuring that the right data will be collected for arriving at a decision within the desired confidence constraints. Using the DQO process to plan environmental data collections can help improve their effectiveness and efficiency, and enhance the defensibility of the decisions for which the data are used.

Data quality objectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haeberer, F.

1993-01-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spends about $500 million annually in collecting environmental data for scientific research and regulatory decision making. In addition, the regulated community may spend as much as ten times more each year in responding to EPA compliance requirements. Among the EPA and the regulated community there are several important common concerns: both want to make informed decisions using the right type, quality, and quantity of data. Collecting new data is very resource intensive to all parties. Neither EPA nor the regulated community can afford to collect more or open-quotes betterclose quotes data than are really needed; the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) process is a systematic planning tool for ensuring that the right data will be collected for arriving at a decision within the desired confidence constraints. Using the DQO process to plan environmental data collections can help improve their effectiveness and efficiency, and enhance the defensibility of the decisions for which the data are used

+Psychometric evaluation of the MacDQoL individualised measure of the impact of macular degeneration on quality of life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ffytche Timothy

2005-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The MacDQoL is an individualised measure of the impact of macular degeneration (MD on quality of life (QoL. There is preliminary evidence of its psychometric properties and sensitivity to severity of MD. The aim of this study was to carry out further psychometric evaluation with a larger sample and investigate the measure's sensitivity to MD severity. Methods Patients with MD (n = 156: 99 women, 57 men, mean age 79 ± 13 years, recruited from eye clinics (one NHS, one private completed the MacDQoL by telephone interview and later underwent a clinic vision assessment including near and distance visual acuity (VA, comfortable near VA, contrast sensitivity, colour recognition, recovery from glare and presence or absence of distortion or scotoma in the central 10° of the visual field. Results The completion rate for the MacDQoL items was 99.8%. Of the 26 items, three were dropped from the measure due to redundancy. A fourth was retained in the questionnaire but excluded when computing the scale score. Principal components analysis and Cronbach's alpha (0.944 supported combining the remaining 22 items in a single scale. Lower MacDQoL scores, indicating more negative impact of MD on QoL, were associated with poorer distance VA (better eye r = -0.431 p Conclusion The MacDQoL 22-item scale has excellent internal consistency reliability and a single-factor structure. The measure is acceptable to respondents and the generic QoL item, MD-specific QoL item and average weighted impact score are related to several measures of vision. The MacDQoL demonstrates that MD has considerable negative impact on many aspects of QoL, particularly independence, leisure activities, dealing with personal affairs and mobility. The measure may be valuable for use in clinical trials and routine clinical care.

Professional judgment in the Data Quality Objectives process: A Bayesian approach to screening assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, P.K.; Neptune, M.D.; Ryti, R.T.; Hickmott, D.D.

1994-01-01

The Data Quality Objectives (DQO) process provides a logical planning structure for specifying the optimal sample allocation for defensible decision making, depending on acceptable levels of decision uncertainty and anticipated sampling and measurement errors. These planning inputs must be established prior to designing the data collection activity. Application of the DQO process has traditionally been performed under the framework of Classical statistical theory; elicited decision errors have been interpreted as Classical Type I and Type II errors; mean and variance constraints have been incorporated based on historical information; and, Classical statistical testing methods have been used to determine optimal sample sizes. However, decision errors are usually stated, for dichotomous hypotheses, in terms of the probability of making a false positive or false negative decision; these probabilities, at best, relate loosely to probabilities of Classical Type I and Type II errors. Statements of Classical error types are couched in the language of the probability of rejection of hypotheses as opposed to the probability that a hypothesis is correct. Also, historical or archival data are often insufficient to adequately support prior judgments of means and variances. In many circumstances, however, expert knowledge and opinion is not only available, but is substantial. Finally, a paradigm that provides solutions for other than dichotomous decision problems offers greater diversity for solving real world problems

Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Dangerous Waste Sampling and Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MULKEY, C.H.

1999-01-01

This document describes sampling and analytical requirements needed to meet state and federal regulations for dangerous waste (DW). The River Protection Project (RPP) is assigned to the task of storage and interim treatment of hazardous waste. Any final treatment or disposal operations, as well as requirements under the land disposal restrictions (LDRs), fall in the jurisdiction of another Hanford organization and are not part of this scope. The requirements for this Data Quality Objective (DQO) Process were developed using the RPP Data Quality Objective Procedure (Banning 1996), which is based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process (EPA 1994). Hereafter, this document is referred to as the DW DQO. Federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to waste contain requirements that are dependent upon the composition of the waste stream. These regulatory drivers require that pertinent information be obtained. For many requirements, documented process knowledge of a waste composition can be used instead of analytical data to characterize or designate a waste. When process knowledge alone is used to characterize a waste, it is a best management practice to validate the information with analytical measurements

Data quality objectives for two risk assessments at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lane, N.K.; Clark, S.W.; Tranbarger, R.K.; Roeck, F.V.

1996-01-01

The opportunity for innovative thinking prevails at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state. Two projects, in particular, challenged risk assessment staff. They are: (1) a combined Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)/Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) risk assessment, and (2) developing a risk assessment for a mixed-waste disposal facility. The combined CERCLA/RCRA risk assessment involved establishing data quality objectives (DQO) either to meet clean closure for a RCRA treatment, storage and/or disposal facility (TSD) or (if the former was not possible) to conform to goals established for industrial land use for Hanford Past-Practice Strategy (HPPS) sites. Radionuclide analysis was reduced by 60 percent through the DQO process

Data Quality Objectives for Tank Farms Waste Compatibility Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BANNING, D.L.

1999-01-01

There are 177 waste storage tanks containing over 210,000 m 3 (55 million gal) of mixed waste at the Hanford Site. The River Protection Project (RPP) has adopted the data quality objective (DQO) process used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (EPA 1994a) and implemented by RPP internal procedure (Banning 1999a) to identify the information and data needed to address safety issues. This DQO document is based on several documents that provide the technical basis for inputs and decision/action levels used to develop the decision rules that evaluate the transfer of wastes. A number of these documents are presently in the process of being revised. This document will need to be revised if there are changes to the technical criteria in these supporting documents. This DQO process supports various documents, such as sampling and analysis plans and double-shell tank (DST) waste analysis plans. This document identifies the type, quality, and quantity of data needed to determine whether transfer of supernatant can be performed safely. The requirements in this document are designed to prevent the mixing of incompatible waste as defined in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-303-040. Waste transfers which meet the requirements contained in this document and the Double-Shell Tank Waste Analysis Plan (Mulkey 1998) are considered to be compatible, and prevent the mixing of incompatible waste

Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Dangerous Waste Sampling and Analysis; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MULKEY, C.H.

1999-01-01

This document describes sampling and analytical requirements needed to meet state and federal regulations for dangerous waste (DW). The River Protection Project (RPP) is assigned to the task of storage and interim treatment of hazardous waste. Any final treatment or disposal operations, as well as requirements under the land disposal restrictions (LDRs), fall in the jurisdiction of another Hanford organization and are not part of this scope. The requirements for this Data Quality Objective (DQO) Process were developed using the RPP Data Quality Objective Procedure (Banning 1996), which is based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process (EPA 1994). Hereafter, this document is referred to as the DW DQO. Federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to waste contain requirements that are dependent upon the composition of the waste stream. These regulatory drivers require that pertinent information be obtained. For many requirements, documented process knowledge of a waste composition can be used instead of analytical data to characterize or designate a waste. When process knowledge alone is used to characterize a waste, it is a best management practice to validate the information with analytical measurements

Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Hazardous and Radioactive Air Emissions Sampling and Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MULKEY, C.H.

1999-01-01

This document describes the results of the data quality objective (DQO) process undertaken to define data needs for state and federal requirements associated with toxic, hazardous, and/or radiological air emissions under the jurisdiction of the River Protection Project (RPP). Hereafter, this document is referred to as the Air DQO. The primary drivers for characterization under this DQO are the regulatory requirements pursuant to Washington State regulations, that may require sampling and analysis. The federal regulations concerning air emissions are incorporated into the Washington State regulations. Data needs exist for nonradioactive and radioactive waste constituents and characteristics as identified through the DQO process described in this document. The purpose is to identify current data needs for complying with regulatory drivers for the measurement of air emissions from RPP facilities in support of air permitting. These drivers include best management practices; similar analyses may have more than one regulatory driver. This document should not be used for determining overall compliance with regulations because the regulations are in constant change, and this document may not reflect the latest regulatory requirements. Regulatory requirements are also expected to change as various permits are issued. Data needs require samples for both radionuclides and nonradionuclide analytes of air emissions from tanks and stored waste containers. The collection of data is to support environmental permitting and compliance, not for health and safety issues

Data Quality Objectives Summary Report for the Demolition of the 116-D and 116-DR Stacks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adler, J. G.

1999-01-01

This data quality objective (DQO) summary report has been developed to support demolition and disposal of the 116-D and 116-DR stacks in the 100-D Area of the Hanford Site. This project-specific summary was developed to meet the requirements in BHI-EE-01, Environmental Investigations Procedures, Procedure 1.2, ''Data Quality Objectives,'' using a simplified DQO process. The pathway for disposal of the 116-D and 116-DR stacks is the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF), which requires the development of a waste profile. A combination of process knowledge, history, and existing analogous data will be used to build a waste profile to dispose of the stack and plenum debris in the ERDF. Additional sample data are not necessary for waste designation. This report also addresses the Resources, Conservation, and Recovery Act of 1976 treatment, storage, and disposal closure requirements associated with the 116-DR stack

DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVES SUMMARY REPORT FOR THE 105K EAST BASIN ION EXCHANGE COLUMN MONOLITH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

JOCHEN, R.M.

2007-01-01

The 105-K East (KE) Basin Ion Exchange Column (IXC) cells, lead caves, and the surrounding vault are to be removed as necessary components in implementing ''Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consert Order'' (Ecology et al. 2003) milestone M-034-32 (Complete Removal of the K East Basin Structure). The IXCs consist of six units located in the KE Basin, three in operating positions in cells and three stored in a lead cave. Methods to remove the IXCs from the KE Basin were evaluated in KBC-28343, ''Disposal of K East Basin Ion Exchange Column Evaluation''. The method selected for removal was grouting of the six IXCs into a single monolith for disposal at the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF). Grout will be added to the IXC cells, IXC lead caves containing spent IXCs, and in the spaces between to immobilize the contaminants, provide self-shielding, minimize void space, and provide a structurally stable waste form. The waste to be offered for disposal is the encapsulated monolith defined by the exterior surfaces of the vault and the lower surface of the underlying slab. This document presents a summary of the data quality objective (DQO) process establishing the decisions and data required to support decision-making activities for disposition of the IXC monolith. The DQO process is completed in accordance with the seven-step planning process described in EPA QA/G-4, ''Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process'', which is used to clarify and study objectives; define the appropriate type, quantity, and quality of data; and support defensible decision-making. The DQO process involves the following steps: (1) state the problem; (2) identify the decision; (3) identify the inputs to the decision; (4) define the boundaries of the study; (5) develop a decision rule (DR); (6) specify tolerable limits on decision errors; and (7) optimize the design for obtaining data

Low-Activity Waste Feed Data Quality Objectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MJ Truex; KD Wiemers

1998-12-11

This document describes characterization requirements for the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Waste Disposal Program's privatization efforts in support of low-activity waste (LAW) treatment and immobilization, This revised Data Quality Objective (DQO) replaces earlier documents (PNNL 1997; DOE-W 1998zq Wiemers 1996). Revision O of this DQO was completed to meet Tri-Party Agreement (TPA) target milestone M-60-14-TO1. Revision 1 updates the data requirements based on the contract issued `August 1998 (DOE-RL 1998b). In addition, sections of Revision O pertaining to "environmental planning" were not acceptable to the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) and have been removed. Regulatory compliance for TWRS Privatization is being addressed in a separate DQO (Wiemers et al. 1998). The Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) Contractors and the private contractor may elect to complete issue-specific DQOS to accommodate their individual work scope.

Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Hazardous and Radioactive Air Emissions Sampling and Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MULKEY, C.H.

1999-07-06

This document describes the results of the data quality objective (DQO) process undertaken to define data needs for state and federal requirements associated with toxic, hazardous, and/or radiological air emissions under the jurisdiction of the River Protection Project (RPP). Hereafter, this document is referred to as the Air DQO. The primary drivers for characterization under this DQO are the regulatory requirements pursuant to Washington State regulations, that may require sampling and analysis. The federal regulations concerning air emissions are incorporated into the Washington State regulations. Data needs exist for nonradioactive and radioactive waste constituents and characteristics as identified through the DQO process described in this document. The purpose is to identify current data needs for complying with regulatory drivers for the measurement of air emissions from RPP facilities in support of air permitting. These drivers include best management practices; similar analyses may have more than one regulatory driver. This document should not be used for determining overall compliance with regulations because the regulations are in constant change, and this document may not reflect the latest regulatory requirements. Regulatory requirements are also expected to change as various permits are issued. Data needs require samples for both radionuclides and nonradionuclide analytes of air emissions from tanks and stored waste containers. The collection of data is to support environmental permitting and compliance, not for health and safety issues. This document does not address health or safety regulations or requirements (those of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) or continuous emission monitoring systems. This DQO is applicable to all equipment, facilities, and operations under the jurisdiction of RPP that emit or have the potential to emit regulated air pollutants.

Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Hazardous and Radioactive Air Emissions Sampling and Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MULKEY, C.H.

1999-01-01

This document describes the results of the data quality objective (DQO) process undertaken to define data needs for state and federal requirements associated with toxic, hazardous, and/or radiological air emissions under the jurisdiction of the River Protection Project (RPP). Hereafter, this document is referred to as the Air DQO. The primary drivers for characterization under this DQO are the regulatory requirements pursuant to Washington State regulations, that may require sampling and analysis. The federal regulations concerning air emissions are incorporated into the Washington State regulations. Data needs exist for nonradioactive and radioactive waste constituents and characteristics as identified through the DQO process described in this document. The purpose is to identify current data needs for complying with regulatory drivers for the measurement of air emissions from RPP facilities in support of air permitting. These drivers include best management practices; similar analyses may have more than one regulatory driver. This document should not be used for determining overall compliance with regulations because the regulations are in constant change, and this document may not reflect the latest regulatory requirements. Regulatory requirements are also expected to change as various permits are issued. Data needs require samples for both radionuclides and nonradionuclide analytes of air emissions from tanks and stored waste containers. The collection of data is to support environmental permitting and compliance, not for health and safety issues. This document does not address health or safety regulations or requirements (those of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) or continuous emission monitoring systems. This DQO is applicable to all equipment, facilities, and operations under the jurisdiction of RPP that emit or have the potential to emit regulated air pollutants

Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Hazardous and Radioactive Air Emissions Sampling and Analysis; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MULKEY, C.H.

1999-01-01

This document describes the results of the data quality objective (DQO) process undertaken to define data needs for state and federal requirements associated with toxic, hazardous, and/or radiological air emissions under the jurisdiction of the River Protection Project (RPP). Hereafter, this document is referred to as the Air DQO. The primary drivers for characterization under this DQO are the regulatory requirements pursuant to Washington State regulations, that may require sampling and analysis. The federal regulations concerning air emissions are incorporated into the Washington State regulations. Data needs exist for nonradioactive and radioactive waste constituents and characteristics as identified through the DQO process described in this document. The purpose is to identify current data needs for complying with regulatory drivers for the measurement of air emissions from RPP facilities in support of air permitting. These drivers include best management practices; similar analyses may have more than one regulatory driver. This document should not be used for determining overall compliance with regulations because the regulations are in constant change, and this document may not reflect the latest regulatory requirements. Regulatory requirements are also expected to change as various permits are issued. Data needs require samples for both radionuclides and nonradionuclide analytes of air emissions from tanks and stored waste containers. The collection of data is to support environmental permitting and compliance, not for health and safety issues. This document does not address health or safety regulations or requirements (those of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) or continuous emission monitoring systems. This DQO is applicable to all equipment, facilities, and operations under the jurisdiction of RPP that emit or have the potential to emit regulated air pollutants

DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVE SUMMARY REPORT FOR THE 105 K EAST ION EXCHANGE COLUMN MONOLITH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JOCHEN, R.M.

2007-08-02

The 105-K East (KE) Basin Ion Exchange Column (IXC) cells, lead caves, and the surrounding vault are to be removed as necessary components in implementing ''Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order'' (Ecology et al. 2003) milestone M-034-32 (Complete Removal of the K East Basin Structure). The IXCs consist of six units located in the KE Basin, three in operating positions in cells and three stored in a lead cave. Methods to remove the IXCs from the KE Basin were evaluated in KBC-28343, ''Disposal of K East Basin Ion Exchange Column Evaluation''. The method selected for removal was grouting the six IXCs into a single monolith for disposal at the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF). Grout will be added to the IXC cells, IXC lead caves containing spent IXCs, and in the spaces between the lead cave walls and metal skin, to immobilize the contaminants, provide self-shielding, minimize void space, and provide a structurally stable waste form. The waste to be offered for disposal is the encapsulated monolith defined by the exterior surfaces of the vault and the lower surface of the underlying slab. This document presents summary of the data quality objective (DQO) process establishing the decisions and data required to support decision-making activities for the disposition of the IXC monolith. The DQO process is completed in accordance with the seven-step planning process described in EPA QA/G-4, ''Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process'', which is used to clarify and study objectives; define the appropriate type, quantity, and quality of data; and support defensible decision-making. The DQO process involves the following steps: (1) state the problem; (2) identify the decision; (3) identify the inputs to the decision; (4) define the boundaries of the study; (5) develop a decision rule (DR); (6) specify tolerable limits on decision errors; and (7) optimize the design for

Data Quality Objectives for WTP Feed Acceptance Criteria - 12043

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arakali, Aruna V.; Benson, Peter A.; Duncan, Garth; Johnston, Jill C.; Lane, Thomas A.; Matis, George; Olson, John W. [Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (United States); Banning, Davey L.; Greer, Daniel A.; Seidel, Cary M.; Thien, Michael G. [Hanford Tank Operations Contractor - Washington River Protection Solutions, Richland, WA 99354 (United States)

2012-07-01

The Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is under construction for the U.S. Department of Energy by Bechtel National, Inc. and subcontractor URS Corporation (contract no. DE-AC27-01RV14136). The plant when completed will be the world's largest nuclear waste treatment facility. Bechtel and URS are tasked with designing, constructing, commissioning, and transitioning the plant to the long term operating contractor to process the legacy wastes that are stored in underground tanks (from nuclear weapons production between the 1940's and the 1980's). Approximately 56 million gallons of radioactive waste is currently stored in these tanks at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington. There are three major WTP facilities being constructed for processing the tank waste feed. The Pretreatment (PT) facility receives feed where it is separated into a low activity waste (LAW) fraction and a high level waste (HLW) fraction. These fractions are transferred to the appropriate (HLW or LAW) facility, combined with glass former material, and sent to high temperature melters for formation of the glass product. In addition to PT, HLW and LAW, other facilities in WTP include the Laboratory (LAB) for analytical services and the Balance of Facilities (BOF) for plant maintenance, support and utility services. The transfer of staged feed from the waste storage tanks and acceptance in WTP receipt vessels require data for waste acceptance criteria (WAC) parameters from analysis of feed samples. The Data Quality Objectives (DQO) development was a joint team effort between WTP and Tank Operations Contractor (TOC) representatives. The focus of this DQO effort was to review WAC parameters and develop data quality requirements, the results of which will determine whether or not the staged feed can be transferred from the TOC to WTP receipt vessels. The approach involved systematic planning for data collection consistent with EPA guidance for the seven

DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVES SUMMARY REPORT FOR THE 105K EAST BASIN ION EXCHANGE COLUMN MONOLITH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JOCHEN, R.M.

2007-02-07

The 105-K East (KE) Basin Ion Exchange Column (IXC) cells, lead caves, and the surrounding vault are to be removed as necessary components in implementing ''Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consert Order'' (Ecology et al. 2003) milestone M-034-32 (Complete Removal of the K East Basin Structure). The IXCs consist of six units located in the KE Basin, three in operating positions in cells and three stored in a lead cave. Methods to remove the IXCs from the KE Basin were evaluated in KBC-28343, ''Disposal of K East Basin Ion Exchange Column Evaluation''. The method selected for removal was grouting of the six IXCs into a single monolith for disposal at the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF). Grout will be added to the IXC cells, IXC lead caves containing spent IXCs, and in the spaces between to immobilize the contaminants, provide self-shielding, minimize void space, and provide a structurally stable waste form. The waste to be offered for disposal is the encapsulated monolith defined by the exterior surfaces of the vault and the lower surface of the underlying slab. This document presents a summary of the data quality objective (DQO) process establishing the decisions and data required to support decision-making activities for disposition of the IXC monolith. The DQO process is completed in accordance with the seven-step planning process described in EPA QA/G-4, ''Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process'', which is used to clarify and study objectives; define the appropriate type, quantity, and quality of data; and support defensible decision-making. The DQO process involves the following steps: (1) state the problem; (2) identify the decision; (3) identify the inputs to the decision; (4) define the boundaries of the study; (5) develop a decision rule (DR); (6) specify tolerable limits on decision errors; and (7) optimize the design for obtaining data.

Data Quality Objectives Report for the 115-B Gas Tunnel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, R.G.

1998-05-01

This workbook assisted the Data Quality Objectives Team in implementing the Data Quality Objectives Process through the use of a template which lists the important elements of the DQO. The completion of this workbook is a required element of the BHI-EE-01, Procedure 1.2, 'Data Quality Objectives.' The objective of this project is to define the sampling and analysis requirements for isolation and decontamination and decommissioning release of the 115- B Gas Tunnel. The 115-B Gas Tunnel is an underground concrete pipe tunnel that houses piping used to recirculate helium gas between the 105-B Reactor Building and the 115-B/C Gas Recirculation System

REMOCIÓN DE NÍQUEL Y DQO PRESENTES EN LAS AGUAS RESIDUALES DE LA INDUSTRIA AUTOMOTRIZ MEDIANTE ELECTROCOAGULACIÓN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iván Darío Mercado Martínez

Full Text Available Mediante este estudio se determinó si la técnica de electrocoagulación contribuye a minimizar la concentración de níquel y materia orgánica y la demanda química de oxígeno (DQO en las aguas residuales de la industria automotriz. Se empleó un diseño experimental factorial multinivel aleatorio en el que la densidad de la corriente y el tiempo de reacción fueron evaluados en tres niveles, mientras que la separación entre electrodos fue analizada en dos niveles. La electrocoagulación se llevó a cabo en un reactor batch usando electrodos de hierro con arreglo monopolar. Fueron utilizadas las técnicas analíticas de digestión ácida, absorción atómica de llama de aire-acetileno y reflujo cerradocolorimétrico (micro DQO para determinar el contenido de los contaminantes. Las condiciones con que se obtuvo la mayor descontaminación del agua analizada fue con la densidad de corriente aplicada: 1,04 A/dm² y tiempo de operación: 17 minutos; con estas variables se observó que la separación electródica no influyó. Los resultados indican que la electrocoagulación podría ser usada para disminuir el níquel y la materia orgánica (DQO presentes en las aguas residuales de la industria automotriz.

Rationale for Selection of Pesticides, Herbicides, and Related Compounds from the Hanford SST/DST Waste Considered for Analysis in Support of the Regulatory DQO (Privatization)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiemers, K.D.; Daling, P.; Meier, K.

1999-01-01

Regulated pesticides, herbicides, miticides, and fungicides were evaluated for their potential past and current use at the Hanford Site. The starting list of these compounds is based on regulatory analyte input lists discussed in the Regulatory DQO. Twelve pesticide, herbicide, miticide, and fungicide compounds are identified for analysis in the Hanford SST and DST waste in support of the Regulatory DQO. The compounds considered for additional analyses are non-detected, considered stable in the tank waste matrix, and of higher toxicity/carcinogenicity

Rationale for Selection of Pesticides, Herbicides, and Related Compounds from the Hanford SST/DST Waste Considered for Analysis in Support of the Regulatory DQO (Privatization)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiemers, K.D.; Daling, P.; Meier, K.

1999-01-04

Regulated pesticides, herbicides, miticides, and fungicides were evaluated for their potential past and current use at the Hanford Site. The starting list of these compounds is based on regulatory analyte input lists discussed in the Regulatory DQO. Twelve pesticide, herbicide, miticide, and fungicide compounds are identified for analysis in the Hanford SST and DST waste in support of the Regulatory DQO. The compounds considered for additional analyses are non-detected, considered stable in the tank waste matrix, and of higher toxicity/carcinogenicity.

Data Quality Objectives Summary Report for the 100-FR-1, 100-FR-2, 100-HR-1,100-KR-1, and 100-KR-2 Group 4 Waste Sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-10-01

The 100-FR-1, 100-FR-2, 100-HR-1, 100-KR-1, and 100-KR-2 Group 4 waste sites will be the fourth set of Hanford 100 Area sites to undergo remediation. Like the sites in Groups 1, 2,and 3, the majority of Group 4 sties are considered high priority because of the contaminants present and their proximity to the Columbia River. the data quality objectives process,summarized in this document, is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approach for addressing data collecting and decision-making issues that are part of an environmental remediation project. The basic cleanup assumptions made in the Group 1, 2, and 3 designs are retained for the Group 4 design. As was the case with Group 3, the most significant difference between this DQO Summary Report and the Group 1 and 2 DQO Summary Reports is the data gaps that exist for specific Group 4 waste sites. These data gaps affect the approach to waste profiling and are the principal focus of the Group 4 DQO process

Data quality objectives for Ion Exchange Module (IXM) disposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, I.

1995-01-01

This Data Quality Objective (DQO) document presents the data needs and accuracy requirements for sampling ion exchange modules at the K Basins, 100 K Area, to determine if there is a hydrogen gas buildup within the modules. This document was produced by PNL, with the assistance of Neptune and Associates, and was partly funded (for facilitator) by DOE-HQ as a demonstration DQO for EM activities. PNL involved a number of PNL, WHC and support contract staff (including external technical consultants) in meetings to define the data needed, along with the necessary accuracy, to resolve issues associated with hydrogen accumulation in Ion Exchange Modules (IXMS) that were generated prior to July 1994 and only have one nuc-fil vent. IXMs generated after July 1994 have multiple nuc-fil vents and do not require sampling. PNL transmitted this DQO to WHC on January 31, 1995. This Supporting Document is to assure that the document is captured into the document retrieval system. WHC review focused on the acceptability of the technical conclusions such that the data collected will meet minimum operational, safety and environmental needs

Data quality objectives for PUREX deactivation flushing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatia, R.K.

1995-01-01

This Data Quality Objection (DQO) defines the sampling and analysis requirements necessary to support the deactivation of the Plutonium-Uranium Extraction (PUREX) facility vessels that are regulated by WAC 173-303. Specifically, sampling and analysis requirements are identified for the flushing operations that are a major element of PUREX deactivation

Data quality objectives summary report for the 105-N monolith off-gas issue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pisarcik, D.J.

1997-01-01

The 105-N Basin hardware waste with radiation exposure rates high enough to make above-water handling and packaging impractical has been designated high exposure rate hardware (HERH) waste. This material, consisting primarily of irradiated reactor components, is packaged underwater for subsequent disposal as a grout-encapsulated solid monolith. The third HERH waste package that was created (Monolith No. 3) was not immediately removed from the basin because of administrative delays. During a routine facility walkdown, Monolith No. 3 was observed to be emitting bubbles. Mass spectroscopic analysis of a gas sample from Monolith No. 3 indicated that the gas was 85.2% hydrogen along with a trace of fission gases (stable isotopes of xenon). Gamma energy analysis of a gas sample from Monolith No. 3 also identified trace quantities of 85 Kr. The monolith off-gas Data Quality Objective (DQO) process concluded the following: Monolith No. 3 and similar monoliths can be safely transported following installation of spacers between the lids of the L3-181 transport cask to vent the hydrogen gas; The 85 Kr does not challenge personnel or environmental safety; Fumaroles in the surface of gassing monoliths renders them incompatible with Hanford Site Solid Waste Acceptance Criteria requirements unless placed in a qualified high integrity container overpack; and Gassing monoliths do meet Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility Waste Acceptance Criteria requirements. This DQO Summary Report is both an account of the Monolith Off-Gas DQO Process and a means of documenting the concurrence of each of the stakeholder organizations

Data quality objectives summary report for 105-N Basin sediment disposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pisarcik, D.J.

1998-01-01

During stabilization of the 105-N Basin, sediments that have accumulated on 105-N Basin surfaces will be vacuumed, collected in the North Cask Pit of the basin complex, and eventually removed. The Environmental Assessment for the Deactivation of the N Reactor Facilities describes two potential disposition paths for the 105-N Basin sediment: transfer in slurry form to a double-shell tank if determined to be a transuranic waste, or disposal in solid form as a low-level waste. Interim storage of the sediments may be required if a transfer to the Tank Waste Remediation System cannot meet schedule milestones. Selection of a particular alternative depends on the final characterization of the accumulated sediment, regulatory requirements, cost/benefit analyses, and 105-N Stabilization Project schedule requirements. Revision 0 of this Data Quality Objectives (DQO) report was issued to describe a formal DQO process that was performed according to BHI-EE-01, Environmental Investigations Procedures, EIP 1.2, Data Quality Objectives, Revision 1. Since publication of Revision 0 of this report, important changes to the disposition strategy for 100-N Deactivation sediment material have been proposed, evaluated, discussed with the US Department of Energy and State of Washington Department of Ecology, and implemented. Revision 1 of this report documents these changes

Data Quality Objectives Supporting the Environmental Direct Radiation Monitoring Program for the INL Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lundell, J. F. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Magnuson, S. O. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Scherbinske, P. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Case, M. J. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-07-01

This document presents the development of the data quality objectives (DQOs) for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Environmental Direct Radiation Monitoring Program and follows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) DQO process (EPA 2006). This document also develops and presents the logic to determine the specific number of direct radiation monitoring locations around INL facilities on the desert west of Idaho Falls and in Idaho Falls, at locations bordering the INL Site, and in the surrounding regional area. The selection logic follows the guidance from the Department of Energy (DOE) (2015) for environmental surveillance of DOE facilities.

Data Quality Objectives Supporting Radiological Air Emissions Monitoring for the PNNL Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barnett, J. Matthew; Meier, Kirsten M.; Snyder, Sandra F.; Fritz, Brad G.; Poston, Theodore M.; Antonio, Ernest J.

2012-11-12

considerations. This DQO report also updates the discussion of the Environmental Monitoring Plan for the PNNL Site air samples and how existing Hanford Site monitoring program results could be used. This document of Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) was prepared based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guidance on Systematic Planning Using the Data Quality Objectives Process, EPA, QA/G4, 2/2006 (EPA 2006) as well as several other published DQOs.

Tank 241-AZ-102 Privatization Push Mode Core Sampling and Analysis Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

RASMUSSEN, J.H.

1999-01-01

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for samples obtained from tank 241-AZ-102. The purpose of this sampling event is to obtain information about the characteristics of the contents of 241-AZ-102 required to satisfy the Data Quality Objectives For TWRS Privatization Phase I : Confirm Tank TIS An Appropriate Feed Source For High-Level Waste Feed Batch X(HLW DQO) (Nguyen 1999a), Data Quality Objectives For TWRS Privatization Phase 1: Confirm Tank TIS An Appropriate Feed Source For Low-Activity Waste Feed Batch X (LAW DQO) (Nguyen 1999b), Low Activity Waste and High Level Waste Feed Data Quality Objectives (L and H DQO) (Patello et al. 1999) and Characterization Data Needs for Development, Design, and Operation of Retrieval Equipment Developed through the Data Quality Objective Process (Equipment DQO) (Bloom 1996). The Tank Characterization Technical Sampling Basis document (Brown et al. 1998) indicates that these issues, except the Equipment DQO apply to tank 241-AZ-102 for this sampling event. The Equipment DQO is applied for shear strength measurements of the solids segments only. Poppiti (1999) requires additional americium-241 analyses of the sludge segments. Brown et al. (1998) also identify safety screening, regulatory issues and provision of samples to the Privatization Contractor(s) as applicable issues for this tank. However, these issues will not be addressed via this sampling event. Reynolds et al. (1999) concluded that information from previous sampling events was sufficient to satisfy the safety screening requirements for tank 241-AZ-102. Push mode core samples will be obtained from risers 15C and 24A to provide sufficient material for the chemical analyses and tests required to satisfy these data quality objectives. The 222-S Laboratory will extrude core samples, composite the liquids and solids, perform chemical analyses

COD biological removal and biogas production in anaerobic reactor treating cassava wastewater industry; Remocao biologica de DQO e producao de biogas em reator anaerobio tratando efluente de fecularia de madioca

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watthier, Elisangela [Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Parana (UNIOESTE), Cascavel, PR (Brazil). Curso de Mestrado em Engenharia Agricola; Andreani, Cristiane Lurdes [Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Brasilia, DF (Brazil); Gomes, Simone Damasceno [Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Parana (PGEAGRI/UNIOESTE), Cascavel, PR (Brazil). Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia Agricola; Moreschi, Roberson; Rufino, Mauricio de Oliveira [Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Parana (UNIOESTE), Cascavel, PR (Brazil). Curso de Engenharia Agricola

2010-07-01

The effluent from the cassava industry cause damage to the environment if released without treatment. One alternative is the implementation of anaerobic reactors, which also add value through the production of biogas. The support means increases the contact surface of micro-organisms and enhance their setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reduction of organic matter (DQO) and biogas production in a reactor of PVC with 90 cm long and 15 cm in diameter, through support rings of bamboo, 10 cm in length and diameter ranged from 1.7 to 2.5 cm, with a volume of 6 L. The organic loading used were 4,357, 4,708, 5,601 and 6,126 g DQO.L-1.day-1, corresponding to hydraulic retention time (TRH) of 3,5, 2,8, 3,25 and 2,7 days, respectively. It was observed that with the increase of organic load was increased production of biogas, the largest observed for a load of 6.126 g DQO.L-1.day-1 with an average of 9.146 L.day-1. Regarding the removal of organic matter were achieved values of 98.35, 99.09, 99.33 and 98.55% respectively for each load applied, with the highest efficiency observed in charge of 5.601 g COD. L-1. day-1, but without significant differences. (author)

REMOCIÓN DE NÍQUEL Y DQO PRESENTES EN LAS AGUAS RESIDUALES DE LA INDUSTRIA AUTOMOTRIZ MEDIANTE ELECTROCOAGULACIÓN

OpenAIRE

Mercado Martínez, Iván Darío; González Silva, Germán; Valencia Hurtado, Sergio Humberto

2013-01-01

Mediante este estudio se determinó si la técnica de electrocoagulación contribuye a minimizar la concentración de níquel y materia orgánica y la demanda química de oxígeno (DQO) en las aguas residuales de la industria automotriz. Se empleó un diseño experimental factorial multinivel aleatorio en el que la densidad de la corriente y el tiempo de reacción fueron evaluados en tres niveles, mientras que la separación entre electrodos fue analizada en dos niveles. La electrocoagulación se llevó a ...

Extension and Enhancement Methods for Setting Data Quality Objectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D. Goodman

2000-03-01

The project developed statistical tools for the application of decision theory and operations research methods, including cost-benefit analysis, to the DQO process for environmental clean up. A pilot study was conducted, using these methods at the Hanford site, to estimate vadose zone contamination plumes under the SX tank farm, and to help plan further sampling.

Extension and Enhancement Methods for Setting Data Quality Objectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodman, D.

2000-01-01

The project developed statistical tools for the application of decision theory and operations research methods, including cost-benefit analysis, to the DQO process for environmental clean up. A pilot study was conducted, using these methods at the Hanford site, to estimate vadose zone contamination plumes under the SX tank farm, and to help plan further sampling

Data quality objectives summary report for the 107-N Basin recirculation building liquid/sediment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nossardi, O.A.; Miller, M.S.; Carlson, D.

1997-01-01

The scope of the 107-N Basin Recirculation Facility Liquid/Sediment Data Quality Objectives (DQO) exclusively involves the determination of sampling and analytical requirements during the deactivation period. The sampling requirements are primarily directed at sample characterization for comparison to decontamination and decommissioning (D and D) endpoint acceptance criteria in preparation for turnover of the facilities (listed below) to D and D organization. If determined to be waste, the sample characterization is also used for comparison with the waste acceptance criteria (WAC) of the receiving facilities for selection of the appropriate disposition. Additionally, the data generated from the characterization will be used to support the selection of available disposition options. The primary media within the scope of this DQO includes the following: Accumulated liquids and sediment contained in tanks, vessels, pump wells, sumps, associated piping, and valve pit floors; and Limited solid debris (anticipated to be discovered). Although the title of this report refers only to the 107-N Basin Recirculation Building, this DQO encompasses the following four 100-N Buildings/areas: 1310-N valve pit area inside the Radioactive Chemical Waste Treatment Pump House (silo); 1314-N Waste Pump (Overflow) Tank at the Liquid Waste Disposal Station; 105-N Lift Station pump well and valve pit areas inside the 105-N Reactor Building; and 107-N Basin Recirculation Building

Tank 241-AY-101 Privatization Push Mode Core Sampling and Analysis Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TEMPLETON, A.M.

2000-01-01

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for samples obtained from tank 241-AY-101. The purpose of this sampling event is to obtain information about the characteristics of the contents of 241-AY-101 required to satisfy Data Quality Objectives For RPP Privatization Phase I: Confirm Tank T Is An Appropriate Feed Source For High-Level Waste Feed Batch X(HLW DQO) (Nguyen 1999a), Data Quality Objectives For TWRS Privatization Phase I : Confirm Tank T Is An Appropriate Feed Source For Low-Activity Waste Feed Batch X (LAW DQO) (Nguyen 1999b), Low Activity Waste and High-Level Waste Feed Data Quality Objectives (L and H DQO) (Patello et al. 1999), and Characterization Data Needs for Development, Design, and Operation of Retrieval Equipment Developed through the Data Quality Objective Process (Equipment DQO) (Bloom 1996). Special instructions regarding support to the LAW and HLW DQOs are provided by Baldwin (1999). Push mode core samples will be obtained from risers 15G and 150 to provide sufficient material for the chemical analyses and tests required to satisfy these data quality objectives. The 222-S Laboratory will extrude core samples; composite the liquids and solids; perform chemical analyses on composite and segment samples; archive half-segment samples; and provide subsamples to the Process Chemistry Laboratory. The Process Chemistry Laboratory will prepare test plans and perform process tests to evaluate the behavior of the 241-AY-101 waste undergoing the retrieval and treatment scenarios defined in the applicable DQOs. Requirements for analyses of samples originating in the process tests will be documented in the corresponding test plans and are not within the scope of this SAP

Tank 241-AY-101 Privatization Push Mode Core Sampling and Analysis Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TEMPLETON, A.M.

2000-01-01

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for samples obtained from tank 241-AY-101. The purpose of this sampling event is to obtain information about the characteristics of the contents of 241-AY-101 required to satisfy ''Data Quality Objectives For RPP Privatization Phase I: Confirm Tank T Is An Appropriate Feed Source For High-Level Waste Feed Batch X(HLW DQO)' (Nguyen 1999a), ''Data Quality Objectives For TWRS Privatization Phase I: Confirm Tank T Is An Appropriate Feed Source For Low-Activity Waste Feed Butch X (LAW DQO) (Nguyen 1999b)'', ''Low Activity Waste and High-Level Waste Feed Data Quality Objectives (L and H DQO)'' (Patello et al. 1999), and ''Characterization Data Needs for Development, Design, and Operation of Retrieval Equipment Developed through the Data Quality Objective Process (Equipment DQO)'' (Bloom 1996). Special instructions regarding support to the LAW and HLW DQOs are provided by Baldwin (1999). Push mode core samples will be obtained from risers 15G and 150 to provide sufficient material for the chemical analyses and tests required to satisfy these data quality objectives. The 222-S Laboratory will extrude core samples; composite the liquids and solids; perform chemical analyses on composite and segment samples; archive half-segment samples; and provide sub-samples to the Process Chemistry Laboratory. The Process Chemistry Laboratory will prepare test plans and perform process tests to evaluate the behavior of the 241-AY-101 waste undergoing the retrieval and treatment scenarios defined in the applicable DQOs. Requirements for analyses of samples originating in the process tests will be documented in the corresponding test plans and are not within the scope of this SAP

Interim Basis for PCB Sampling and Analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BANNING, D.L.

2001-01-01

This document was developed as an interim basis for sampling and analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and will be used until a formal data quality objective (DQO) document is prepared and approved. On August 31, 2000, the Framework Agreement for Management of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Hanford Tank Waste was signed by the US. Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) (Ecology et al. 2000). This agreement outlines the management of double shell tank (DST) waste as Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) PCB remediation waste based on a risk-based disposal approval option per Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations 761.61 (c). The agreement calls for ''Quantification of PCBs in DSTs, single shell tanks (SSTs), and incoming waste to ensure that the vitrification plant and other ancillary facilities PCB waste acceptance limits and the requirements of the anticipated risk-based disposal approval are met.'' Waste samples will be analyzed for PCBs to satisfy this requirement. This document describes the DQO process undertaken to assure appropriate data will be collected to support management of PCBs and is presented in a DQO format. The DQO process was implemented in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA QAlG4, Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process (EPA 1994) and the Data Quality Objectives for Sampling and Analyses, HNF-IP-0842/Rev.1 A, Vol. IV, Section 4.16 (Banning 1999)

Avaliação da DQO e da relação C/N obtidas no tratamento anaeróbio de resíduos fruti-hortículas - doi: 10.4025/actascitechnol.v33i4.8259

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Guerra Sgorlon

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Diariamente são geradas grandes quantidades de resíduos de frutas e verduras nos atacados, feiras e supermercados. A geração excessiva desses resíduos pode acarretar em danos para o meio ambiente. Nesse sentido, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a capacidade de biodegradação anaeróbia dos resíduos de frutas e verduras por meio do monitoramento da DQO e da relação C/N. Os resíduos depois de coletados, picados, triturados, inoculados com lodo de esgoto e caracterizados em termos de carbono orgânico, nitrogênio Kjeldahl e DQO solúvel e total, foram colocados em um biodigestor por 300 dias com monitoramento periódico. Os resultados obtidos permitem verificar que, durante os 300 dias de codigestão anaeróbia, não foi possível degradar a matéria orgânica do resíduo, o que foi evidenciado pelas baixas reduções de carbono e pelas baixas remoções de DQO, fato que provavelmente se deve ao aspecto físico da mistura dos resíduos. Acredita-se que a diluição do resíduo ou a adição de mais inoculante ao meio facilitaria o processo de biodigestão.

A systematic planning tool for environmental characterisation - 16010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilcox, Steven; Wilkins, Richard; Lyons, Martin

2009-01-01

Many organisations are currently dealing with long standing legacy issues in clean up, decommissioning and demolition projects. Industry is required to ensure that all bulk articles, substances and waste arisings are adequately characterised and assigned to the correct disposal routes in compliance with UK legislation and best practice. It is essential that data used to support waste sentencing is of the correct type, quality and quantity, and that it is appropriately assessed in order to support defensible, confident decisions that account for inherent uncertainties. AMEC has adopted the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) based methodology and the software package Visual Sample Plan (VSP) to provide a better, faster, and more cost effective approach to meeting regulatory and client requirements, whilst minimising the time spent gathering data and assessing the information. The DQO methodology is based on a scientific approach that requires clear objectives to be established from the outset of a project and that there is a demonstration of acceptability of the results. Through systematic planning, the team develops acceptance or performance criteria for the quality of the data collected and for the confidence in the final decision. The systematic planning process promotes communication between all departments and individuals involved in the decision-making process thus the planning phase gives an open and unambiguous method to support the decisions and enables the decision-makers (technical authorities on the materials of concern) to document all assumptions. The DQO process allows better planning, control and understanding of all the issues. All types of waste can be sentenced under one controllable system providing a more defensible position. This paper will explain that the DQO process consists of seven main steps that lead to a detailed Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP). The process gives transparency to any assumptions made about the site or material being

Tank 241-BY-111 tank characterization plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Homi, C.S.

1994-01-01

The sampling and analytical needs associated with the 51 Hanford Site underground storage tanks classified on one or more of the four Watch Lists (ferrocyanide, organic, flammable gas, and high heat), and the safety screening of all 177 tanks have been identified through the Data Quality Objective (DQO) process. DQO's identify information needed by a program group in the Tank Waste Remediation System concerned with safety issues, regulatory requirements, or the transporting and processing of tank waste. This Tank Characterization Plan will identify characterization objectives for Tank BY-111 pertaining to sample collection, sample preparation and analysis, and laboratory analytical evaluation and reporting requirements. In addition, an estimate of the current contents and status of the tank is given

SRNL Phase 1 Assessment Of The WAC/DQO And Unit Operations For The WTP Waste Qualification Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peeler, D.; Adamson, D.; Bannochie, C.; Cozzi, A.; Eibling, R.; Hay, M.; Hansen, E.; Herman, D.; Martino, C.; Nash, C.; Pennebaker, F.; Poirier, M.; Reboul, S.; Stone, M.; Taylor-Pashow, K.; White, T.; Wilmarth, B.

2012-01-01

The Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is currently transitioning its emphasis from a design and construction phase toward start-up and commissioning. With this transition, the WTP Project has initiated more detailed assessments of the requirements related to actual processing of the Hanford Site tank waste. One particular area of interest is the waste qualification program to be implemented to support the WTP. Given the successful implementation of similar waste qualification efforts at the Savannah River Site (SRS), based on critical technical support and guidance from the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), WTP requested the utilization of subject matter experts from SRNL to support a technology exchange to perform a review of the WTP waste qualification program, discuss the general qualification approach at SRS, and to identify critical lessons learned through the support of DWPF's sludge batch qualification efforts. As part of Phase 1, SRNL subject matter experts in critical technical and/or process areas reviewed specific WTP waste qualification information. The Phase 1 review was a collaborative, interactive, and iterative process between the two organizations. WTP provided specific analytical procedures, descriptions of equipment, and general documentation as baseline review material. SRNL subject matter experts reviewed the information and, as appropriate, requested follow-up information or clarification to specific areas of interest. This process resulted in multiple teleconferences with key technical contacts from both organizations resolving technical issues that lead to the results presented in this report. This report provides the results of SRNL's Phase 1 review of the WAC-DQO waste acceptance criteria and processability parameters, and the specific unit operations which are required to support WTP waste qualification efforts. The review resulted in SRNL providing concurrence, alternative methods, or gap identification

SRNL PHASE 1 ASSESSMENT OF THE WAC/DQO AND UNIT OPERATIONS FOR THE WTP WASTE QUALIFICATION PROGRAM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peeler, D.; Adamson, D.; Bannochie, C.; Cozzi, A.; Eibling, R.; Hay, M.; Hansen, E.; Herman, D.; Martino, C.; Nash, C.; Pennebaker, F.; Poirier, M.; Reboul, S.; Stone, M.; Taylor-Pashow, K.; White, T.; Wilmarth, B.

2012-05-16

The Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is currently transitioning its emphasis from a design and construction phase toward start-up and commissioning. With this transition, the WTP Project has initiated more detailed assessments of the requirements related to actual processing of the Hanford Site tank waste. One particular area of interest is the waste qualification program to be implemented to support the WTP. Given the successful implementation of similar waste qualification efforts at the Savannah River Site (SRS), based on critical technical support and guidance from the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), WTP requested the utilization of subject matter experts from SRNL to support a technology exchange to perform a review of the WTP waste qualification program, discuss the general qualification approach at SRS, and to identify critical lessons learned through the support of DWPF's sludge batch qualification efforts. As part of Phase 1, SRNL subject matter experts in critical technical and/or process areas reviewed specific WTP waste qualification information. The Phase 1 review was a collaborative, interactive, and iterative process between the two organizations. WTP provided specific analytical procedures, descriptions of equipment, and general documentation as baseline review material. SRNL subject matter experts reviewed the information and, as appropriate, requested follow-up information or clarification to specific areas of interest. This process resulted in multiple teleconferences with key technical contacts from both organizations resolving technical issues that lead to the results presented in this report. This report provides the results of SRNL's Phase 1 review of the WAC-DQO waste acceptance criteria and processability parameters, and the specific unit operations which are required to support WTP waste qualification efforts. The review resulted in SRNL providing concurrence, alternative methods, or gap

Tank safety screening data quality objective. Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, J.W.

1995-04-27

The Tank Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO) will be used to classify 149 single shell tanks and 28 double shell tanks containing high-level radioactive waste into safety categories for safety issues dealing with the presence of ferrocyanide, organics, flammable gases, and criticality. Decision rules used to classify a tank as ``safe`` or ``not safe`` are presented. Primary and secondary decision variables used for safety status classification are discussed. The number and type of samples required are presented. A tabular identification of each analyte to be measured to support the safety classification, the analytical method to be used, the type of sample, the decision threshold for each analyte that would, if violated, place the tank on the safety issue watch list, and the assumed (desired) analytical uncertainty are provided. This is a living document that should be evaluated for updates on a semiannual basis. Evaluation areas consist of: identification of tanks that have been added or deleted from the specific safety issue watch lists, changes in primary and secondary decision variables, changes in decision rules used for the safety status classification, and changes in analytical requirements. This document directly supports all safety issue specific DQOs and additional characterization DQO efforts associated with pretreatment and retrieval. Additionally, information obtained during implementation can assist in resolving assumptions for revised safety strategies, and in addition, obtaining information which will support the determination of error tolerances, confidence levels, and optimization schemes for later revised safety strategy documentation.

Tank 241-AZ-101 tank characterization plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreiber, R.D.

1995-01-01

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has advised the DOE to concentrate the near-term sampling and analysis activities on identification and resolution of safety issues. The Data Quality Objective (DQO) process was chosen as a tool to be used in the resolution of safety issues. As a result, A revision in the Federal Facilities Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) milestone M-44 has been made, which states that ''A Tank Characterization Plan (TCP) will also be developed for each double-shell tank (DST) and single-shell tank (SST) using the DQO process. Development of TCPs by the DQO process is intended to allow users to ensure their needs will be met and that resources are devoted to gaining only necessary information''. This document satisfies that requirement for Tank 241-AZ-101 (AZ-101) sampling activities. Tank AZ-101 is currently a non-Watch List tank, so the only DQOs applicable to this tank are the safety screening DQO and the compatibility DQO, as described below. The contents of Tank AZ-101, as of October 31, 1994, consisted of 3,630 kL (960 kgal) of dilute non-complexed waste and aging waste from PUREX (NCAW, neutralized current acid waste). Tank AZ-101 is expected to have two primary layers. The bottom layer is composed of 132 kL of sludge, and the top layer is composed of 3,500 kL of supernatant, with a total tank waste depth of approximately 8.87 meters

Tank 241-AZ-102 tank characterization plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreiber, R.D.

1995-01-01

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has advised the DOE to concentrate the near-term sampling and analysis activities on identification and resolution of safety issues. The Data Quality Objective (DQO) process was chosen as a tool to be used in the resolution of safety issues. As a result, a revision in the Federal Facilities Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) milestone M-44 has been made, which states that ''A Tank Characterization Plan (TCP) will also be developed for each double-shell tank (DST) and single-shell tank (SST) using the DQO process ... Development of TCPs by the DQO process is intended to allow users to ensure their needs will be met and that resources are devoted to gaining only necessary information''. This document satisfies that requirement for tank 241-AZ-102 (AZ-102) sampling activities. Tank AZ-102 is currently a non-Watch List tank, so the only DQOs applicable to this tank are the safety screening DQO and the compatibility DQO, as described below. The current contents of Tank AZ-102, as of October 31, 1994, consisted of 3,600 kL (950 kgal) of dilute non-complexed waste and aging waste from PUREX (NCAW, neutralized current acid waste). Tank AZ-102 is expected to have two primary layers. The bottom layer is composed of 360 kL of sludge, and the top layer is composed of 3,240 kL of supernatant, with a total tank waste depth of approximately 8.9 meters

Summary status of K Basins sludge characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, R.B.

1995-01-01

A number of activities are underway as part of the Spent Nuclear Fuels Project (SNFP) related to the processing and disposing of sludge in the 105-K Basins (K Basins). Efforts to rigorously define data requirements for these activities are being made using the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) process. Summaries of current sludge characterization data are required to both help support this DQO process and to allow continued progress with on-going engineering activities (e.g., evaluations of disposal alternatives). This document provides the status of K Basins sludge characterization data currently available to the Nuclear Fuel Evaluations group. This group is tasked by the SNFP to help develop and maintain the characterization baseline for the K Basins. The specific objectives of this document are to: (1) provide a current summary (and set of references) of sludge characterization data for use by SNFP initiatives, to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort and to support on-going initiatives; (2) submit these data to an open forum for review and comment, and identify additional sources of significant data that may be available; (3) provide a summary of current data to use as part of the basis to develop requirements for additional sludge characterization data through the DQO process; (4) provide an overview of the intended activities that will be used to develop and maintain the sludge characterization baseline

Recurrent processing during object recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Randall C. O'Reilly

2013-04-01

Full Text Available How does the brain learn to recognize objects visually, and perform this difficult feat robustly in the face of many sources of ambiguity and variability? We present a computational model based on the biology of the relevant visual pathways that learns to reliably recognize 100 different object categories in the face of of naturally-occurring variability in location, rotation, size, and lighting. The model exhibits robustness to highly ambiguous, partially occluded inputs. Both the unified, biologically plausible learning mechanism and the robustness to occlusion derive from the role that recurrent connectivity and recurrent processing mechanisms play in the model. Furthermore, this interaction of recurrent connectivity and learning predicts that high-level visual representations should be shaped by error signals from nearby, associated brain areas over the course of visual learning. Consistent with this prediction, we show how semantic knowledge about object categories changes the nature of their learned visual representations, as well as how this representational shift supports the mapping between perceptual and conceptual knowledge. Altogether, these findings support the potential importance of ongoing recurrent processing throughout the brain's visual system and suggest ways in which object recognition can be understood in terms of interactions within and between processes over time.

Eficiência do reator seqüencial em batelada (RSB na remoção de nitrogênio no tratamento de esgoto doméstico com DQO baixa The sequencing batch reactor (SBR efficiency in the removal of nitrogen on the treatment of domestic sewage with low COD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luiz Fernando de Abreu Cybis

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Este trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar a eficiência e a estabilidade do RSB na remoção de nitrogênio no tratamento de esgoto doméstico com DQO baixa. O reator utilizado no experimento possui volume de trabalho de 600 L e trata 1200 L/d de esgoto bruto em três bateladas de oito horas. A partir dos dados obtidos na pesquisa, observou-se que o reator seqüencial em batelada possibilitou a remoção média de nitrogênio total igual a 88 % no tratamento de esgoto doméstico com DQO média de 257 mg/L. A remoção de DQO foi de 90 %, a média da alcalinidade total no efluente foi 72 mgCaCO3/L e o índice volumétrico de lodo médio ficou em 86 mL/g. Estes resultados indicam que é possível utilizar RSB para o tratamento de esgoto doméstico com matéria orgânica reduzida sem comprometer a qualidade do efluente, a remoção de nitrogênio e a estabilidade operacional do sistema.This work had the objective of evaluating the SBR efficiency and stability in the removal of nitrogen on the treatment of domestic sewage with low COD. The reactor used in the experiment has a working volume of 600 L, and treats 1200 L/d of raw sewage in three 8-hour cycles. From the data gathered during the research, it was realized that the SBR fostered an average removal of total nitrogen equal to 88% in the treatment of a domestic sewage with an average COD of 257 mg/L. The COD removal was 90%, the final effluent total alkalinity was 72 mgCaCO3/L, and the sludge volumetric index was 86 mL/g. The results indicate that is possible to use SBR for the treatment of domestic sewage with low organic matter without compromising the final effluent quality, the nitrogen removal ability, and the stability of the system.

Tank 241-U-106, cores 147 and 148, analytical results for the final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steen, F.H.

1996-09-27

This document is the final report deliverable for tank 241-U-106 push mode core segments collected between May 8, 1996 and May 10, 1996 and received by the 222-S Laboratory between May 14, 1996 and May 16, 1996. The segments were subsampled and analyzed in accordance with the Tank 241-U-106 Push Mode Core Sampling and analysis Plan (TSAP), the Historical Model Evaluation Data Requirements (Historical DQO), Data Quality Objective to Support Resolution of the Organic Complexant Safety Issue (Organic DQO) and the Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO). The analytical results are included in Table 1.

An object-oriented description method of EPMM process

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Zuo; Yang, Fan

2017-06-01

In order to use the object-oriented mature tools and language in software process model, make the software process model more accord with the industrial standard, it’s necessary to study the object-oriented modelling of software process. Based on the formal process definition in EPMM, considering the characteristics that Petri net is mainly formal modelling tool and combining the Petri net modelling with the object-oriented modelling idea, this paper provides this implementation method to convert EPMM based on Petri net into object models based on object-oriented description.

Description of work for the drilling within the chromium plume west of 100-D/DR Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, R.E.; Walker, L.D.

1997-07-01

This document describes the work scope associated with installing four new monitoring wells in the 100-D/DR Area (100-HR-3 Operable Unit). The strategy relies on estimates for flow paths that might have existed during operation of the 100-D Reactor and on experience gained during the recent installation of well 199-D4-1. A Data Quality Objectives (DQO) workshop was held to evaluate data collection needs during well installation. The workshop included input from key project team members and the lead regulatory agency. Decisions concerning data resulting from the DQO process have been incorporated into this document

Processing subject-object ambiguities in Dutch

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaan, Edith

1997-01-01

Various clause types in Dutch and German are at least temporarily ambiguous with respect to the order of subject and object. A number of previous studies regarding the processing of such subject-object ambiguities have reported a preference for a subject-object interpretation. This order preference

Dissociating verbal and nonverbal audiovisual object processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hocking, Julia; Price, Cathy J

2009-02-01

This fMRI study investigates how audiovisual integration differs for verbal stimuli that can be matched at a phonological level and nonverbal stimuli that can be matched at a semantic level. Subjects were presented simultaneously with one visual and one auditory stimulus and were instructed to decide whether these stimuli referred to the same object or not. Verbal stimuli were simultaneously presented spoken and written object names, and nonverbal stimuli were photographs of objects simultaneously presented with naturally occurring object sounds. Stimulus differences were controlled by including two further conditions that paired photographs of objects with spoken words and object sounds with written words. Verbal matching, relative to all other conditions, increased activation in a region of the left superior temporal sulcus that has previously been associated with phonological processing. Nonverbal matching, relative to all other conditions, increased activation in a right fusiform region that has previously been associated with structural and conceptual object processing. Thus, we demonstrate how brain activation for audiovisual integration depends on the verbal content of the stimuli, even when stimulus and task processing differences are controlled.

Data quality objectives summary report for 105-N Basin sediment disposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pisarcik, D.J.

1996-10-01

During stabilization of the 105-N Basin, sediments that have accumulated on basin surfaces will be vacuumed, collected in the North Cask Pit of the basin complex, and eventually removed. The environmental assessment for the deactivation of the N Reactor Facilities describes two potential disposition paths for the 105-N Basin sediment: transfer in slurry form to a double-shell tank if determined to be a transuranic waste, or disposal in solid form as a low-level waste. Interim storage of the sediments may be required if a transfer to the Tank Waste Remediation System cannot meet scheduled milestones. Selection of a particular alternative depends on the final characterization of the accumulated sediment, regulatory requirements, cost/benefit analyses, and 105-N Stabilization Project schedule requirements. The 105-N Basin Sediment Process is being conducted in two phases. The scope of the first phase includes identification of the sampling requirements, and the specific analyses required to support evaluation of the sediment disposition options. The objectives of the first phase of the 105-N Basin Sediment DQO Process include the following: identify the relevant acceptance criteria for each of the disposition options; and develop a sampling and analysis plan (SAP) sufficiently through to allow evaluation of sediment analysis results against each set of acceptance criteria

Integral urban wastewater treatment process with a combined anaerobic and aerobic system; Tratamiento integral de aguas residuales urbanas mediante procesos combinados anaerobios y aerobios. Aplicacion de sistema Bioredox a escala piloto

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moreno Carmona, A; Angulo Sanchez, R.

1997-04-01

A pilot study was carried out of an integral urban sewage treatment process involving a combined anaerobic and aerobic system. the anaerobic digester has a fixed bed on a ceramic support and a 10m``3 upward flow. It operates at ambient temperature (12-15 degree centigree) with hydraulic retention to,es (HRTs) of 24-12 hours and a load of 4-2.6 kg DQO/m``3/day. Anaerobic digestion reduced SSt by over 90% for HRT of 16 and 12 hours. The 20 m``3 prolonged oxidation reactor operates with a load of 0.17-0.45 kg DQO/m``3/day. the plant`s DQO and SST reduction varied between 81% and 89% for the 16 and 12 hour tests and 85-92% (HRT=16 hours and 12 hours respectively). the overall proportions of pathogenic microorganisms eliminated in the experimental plant was greater than 97%. (Author) 23 refs.

Emotion and Object Processing in Parkinson's Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Henri; Gagne, Marie-Helene; Hess, Ursula; Pourcher, Emmanuelle

2010-01-01

The neuropsychological literature on the processing of emotions in Parkinson's disease (PD) reveals conflicting evidence about the role of the basal ganglia in the recognition of facial emotions. Hence, the present study had two objectives. One was to determine the extent to which the visual processing of emotions and objects differs in PD. The…

Tank 241-C-103 tank characterization plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreiber, R.D.

1994-01-01

The data quality objective (DQO) process was chosen as a tool to be used to identify the sampling analytical needs for the resolution of safety issues. A Tank Characterization Plant (TCP) will be developed for each double shell tank (DST) and single-shell tank (SST) using the DQO process. There are four Watch list tank classifications (ferrocyanide, organic salts, hydrogen/flammable gas, and high heat load). These classifications cover the six safety issues related to public and worker health that have been associated with the Hanford Site underground storage tanks. These safety issues are as follows: ferrocyanide, flammable gas, organic, criticality, high heat, and vapor safety issues. Tank C-103 is one of the twenty tanks currently on the Organic Salts Watch List. This TCP will identify characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, hot cell sample isolation, and laboratory analytical evaluation and reporting requirements in accordance with the appropriate DQO documents. In addition, the current contents and status of the tank are projected from historical information. The relevant safety issues that are of concern for tanks on the Organic Salts Watch List are: the potential for an exothermic reaction occurring from the flammable mixture of organic materials and nitrate/nitrite salts that could result in a release of radioactive material and the possibility that other safety issues may exist for the tank

Process Grammar and Process History for 2D Objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Thomas W.

]. The article describes how it is possible to derive the process history for an object from its state at two stages in its development. The aim in this priject is to describe and test an algorithm for deriving the process history of an object form it state at two different stages. First I give a short summary...... and explaining them. As this is a course project some parts and peripheral topics will be teated superficially. Some will be described, som named and some omitted. A few concepts that are directly connected to the problems or their solutions will be treated. The implementation and testing of the methods...

The probability of object-scene co-occurrence influences object identification processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauvé, Geneviève; Harmand, Mariane; Vanni, Léa; Brodeur, Mathieu B

2017-07-01

Contextual information allows the human brain to make predictions about the identity of objects that might be seen and irregularities between an object and its background slow down perception and identification processes. Bar and colleagues modeled the mechanisms underlying this beneficial effect suggesting that the brain stocks information about the statistical regularities of object and scene co-occurrence. Their model suggests that these recurring regularities could be conceptualized along a continuum in which the probability of seeing an object within a given scene can be high (probable condition), moderate (improbable condition) or null (impossible condition). In the present experiment, we propose to disentangle the electrophysiological correlates of these context effects by directly comparing object-scene pairs found along this continuum. We recorded the event-related potentials of 30 healthy participants (18-34 years old) and analyzed their brain activity in three time windows associated with context effects. We observed anterior negativities between 250 and 500 ms after object onset for the improbable and impossible conditions (improbable more negative than impossible) compared to the probable condition as well as a parieto-occipital positivity (improbable more positive than impossible). The brain may use different processing pathways to identify objects depending on whether the probability of co-occurrence with the scene is moderate (rely more on top-down effects) or null (rely more on bottom-up influences). The posterior positivity could index error monitoring aimed to ensure that no false information is integrated into mental representations of the world.

Functional activation of the infant cortex during object processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilcox, Teresa; Stubbs, Jessica; Hirshkowitz, Amy; Boas, David A

2012-09-01

A great deal is known about the functional organization of the neural structures that mediate visual object processing in the adult observer. These findings have contributed significantly to our conceptual models of object recognition and identification and provided unique insight into the nature of object representations extracted from visual input. In contrast, little is known about the neural basis of object processing in the infant. The current research used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a neuroimaging tool to investigate functional activation of the infant cortex during an object processing task that has been used extensively with infants. The neuroimaging data revealed that the infant cortex is functionally specialized for object processing (i.e., individuation-by-feature) early in the first year but that patterns of activation also change between 3 and 12 months. These changes may reflect functional reorganization of the immature cortex or age-related differences in the cognitive processes engaged during the task. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An application of object-oriented programming to process simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, J.T.; Otaduy, P.J.

1988-01-01

This paper discusses the application of object-oriented programming to dynamic simulation of continuous processes. Processes may be modeled using this technique as a collection of objects which communicate with each other via message passing. Arriving messages invoke methods that describe the state and/or dynamic behavior of the receiving object. The objects fall into four broad categories actual plant components such as pumps, pipes, and tanks, abstract objects such as heat sources and conductors, plant systems such as flow loops, and simulation control and interface objects. This technique differs from traditional approaches to process simulation, in which the process is represented by either a system of differential equations or a block diagram of mathematical operators. The use of objects minimizes the representational gap between the model and actual process. From the users point of view, construction of a simulation model becomes equivalent to drawing a plant schematic. As an example application, a package developed for the simulation of nuclear power plants is described. The package allows users to build simulation models by selecting iconic representations of plant components from a menu and connecting them with a mouse. Objects for generating a mathematical model of the system and for controlling the simulation are automatically generated, freeing the user to concentrate on describing his process. This example illustrates the use of object-oriented programming to create a highly interactive and automated simulation environment. 2 figs

Modeling the Object-Oriented Software Process: OPEN and the Unified Process

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Berg, Klaas; Aksit, Mehmet; van den Broek, P.M.

A short introduction to software process modeling is presented, particularly object-oriented modeling. Two major industrial process models are discussed: the OPEN model and the Unified Process model. In more detail, the quality assurance in the Unified Process tool (formally called Objectory) is

The representational dynamics of task and object processing in humans

Science.gov (United States)

Bankson, Brett B; Harel, Assaf

2018-01-01

Despite the importance of an observer’s goals in determining how a visual object is categorized, surprisingly little is known about how humans process the task context in which objects occur and how it may interact with the processing of objects. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and multivariate techniques, we studied the spatial and temporal dynamics of task and object processing. Our results reveal a sequence of separate but overlapping task-related processes spread across frontoparietal and occipitotemporal cortex. Task exhibited late effects on object processing by selectively enhancing task-relevant object features, with limited impact on the overall pattern of object representations. Combining MEG and fMRI data, we reveal a parallel rise in task-related signals throughout the cerebral cortex, with an increasing dominance of task over object representations from early to higher visual areas. Collectively, our results reveal the complex dynamics underlying task and object representations throughout human cortex. PMID:29384473

Modeling the Object-Oriented Software Process: OPEN and the Unified Process

OpenAIRE

van den Berg, Klaas; Aksit, Mehmet; van den Broek, P.M.

1999-01-01

A short introduction to software process modeling is presented, particularly object-oriented modeling. Two major industrial process models are discussed: the OPEN model and the Unified Process model. In more detail, the quality assurance in the Unified Process tool (formally called Objectory) is reviewed.

Avaliação da DQO e da relação C/N obtidas no tratamento anaeróbio de resíduos fruti-hortículas=Evaluation of the COD and the C/N ratio in the anaerobic treatment of fruit and vegetable wastes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Guerra Sgorlon

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Diariamente são geradas grandes quantidades de resíduos de frutas e verduras nos atacados, feiras e supermercados. A geração excessiva desses resíduos pode acarretar em danos para o meio ambiente. Nesse sentido, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a capacidade de biodegradação anaeróbia dos resíduos de frutas e verduras por meio do monitoramento da DQO e da relação C/N. Os resíduos depois de coletados, picados, triturados, inoculados com lodo de esgoto e caracterizados em termos de carbono orgânico, nitrogênio Kjeldahl e DQO solúvel e total, foram colocados em um biodigestor por 300 dias com monitoramento periódico. Os resultados obtidos permitem verificar que, durante os 300 dias de codigestão anaeróbia, não foi possível degradar a matéria orgânica do resíduo, o que foi evidenciado pelas baixas reduções de carbono e pelas baixas remoções de DQO, fato que provavelmente se deve ao aspecto físico da mistura dos resíduos. Acredita-se que a diluição do resíduo ou a adição de mais inoculante ao meio facilitaria o processo de biodigestão.Daily, there are generated large quantities of fruit and vegetable wastes on wholesale fruit and vegetable markets, local orthofruit shops and supermarkets. The excessive generation of these wastes can cause environmental problems. So, the aim of this study was to evaluate the anaerobic biodegradation of fruit and vegetable wastes by the COD and C/N ratio monitoring. The wastes were collected in a central distribution market for food, shredded, blended, inoculated with sewage sludge and characterized. The waste was characterized in terms of organic carbon, soluble and total COD and Kjeldahl nitrogen, so it was put in an anaerobic reactor for the biological degradation that was monitored during 300 days. The results show that during the experiment, the degradation of the organic material wasn’t possible, because of the low COD and C/N ratio removal. Probably, this fact

Design of object processing systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grigoras, D.R.; Hoede, C.

Object processing systems are met rather often in every day life, in industry, tourism, commerce, etc. When designing such a system, many problems can be posed and considered, depending on the scope and purpose of design. We give here a general approach which involves graph theory, and which can

The highs and lows of object impossibility: effects of spatial frequency on holistic processing of impossible objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Freud, Erez; Avidan, Galia; Ganel, Tzvi

2015-02-01

Holistic processing, the decoding of a stimulus as a unified whole, is a basic characteristic of object perception. Recent research using Garner's speeded classification task has shown that this processing style is utilized even for impossible objects that contain an inherent spatial ambiguity. In particular, similar Garner interference effects were found for possible and impossible objects, indicating similar holistic processing styles for the two object categories. In the present study, we further investigated the perceptual mechanisms that mediate such holistic representation of impossible objects. We relied on the notion that, whereas information embedded in the high-spatial-frequency (HSF) content supports fine-detailed processing of object features, the information conveyed by low spatial frequencies (LSF) is more crucial for the emergence of a holistic shape representation. To test the effects of image frequency on the holistic processing of impossible objects, participants performed the Garner speeded classification task on images of possible and impossible cubes filtered for their LSF and HSF information. For images containing only LSF, similar interference effects were observed for possible and impossible objects, indicating that the two object categories were processed in a holistic manner. In contrast, for the HSF images, Garner interference was obtained only for possible, but not for impossible objects. Importantly, we provided evidence to show that this effect could not be attributed to a lack of sensitivity to object possibility in the LSF images. Particularly, even for full-spectrum images, Garner interference was still observed for both possible and impossible objects. Additionally, performance in an object classification task revealed high sensitivity to object possibility, even for LSF images. Taken together, these findings suggest that the visual system can tolerate the spatial ambiguity typical to impossible objects by relying on information

Reasoning about objects using process calculus techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kleist, Josva

This thesis investigates the applicability of techniques known from the world of process calculi to reason about properties of object-oriented programs. The investigation is performed upon a small object-oriented language - The Sigma-calculus of Abadi and Cardelli. The investigation is twofold: We......-calculus turns out to be insufficient. Based on our experiences, we present a translation of a typed imperative Sigma-calculus, which looks promising. We are able to provide simple proofs of the equivalence of different Sigma-calculus objects using this translation. We use a labelled transition system adapted...... to the Sigma-calculus to investigate the use of process calculi techniques directly on the Sigma-calculus. The results obtained are of a fairly theoretical nature. We investigate the connection between the operational and denotaional semantics for a typed functional Sigma-calculus. The result is that Abadi...

Tank 241-B-103 tank characterization plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, B.C.

1995-01-01

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has advised the US Department of Energy (DOE) to concentrate the near-term sampling and analysis activities on identification and resolution of safety issues. The data quality objective (DQO) process was chosen as a tool to be used to identify sampling and analytical needs for the resolution of safety issues. As a result, a revision in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement or TPA) milestone M-44-00 has been made, which states that ''A Tank Characterization Plan (TCP) will also be developed for each double-shell tank (DST) and single-shell tank (SST) using the DQO process... Development of TCPs by the DQO process is intended to allow users (e.g., Hanford Facility user groups, regulators) to ensure their needs will be met and that resources are devoted to gaining only necessary information.'' This document satisfies that requirement for Tank 241-B-103 (B-103) sampling activities. Tank B-103 was placed on the Organic Watch List in January 1991 due to review of TRAC data that predicts a TOC content of 3.3 dry weight percent. The tank was classified as an assumed leaker of approximately 30,280 liters (8,000 gallons) in 1978 and declared inactive. Tank B-103 is passively ventilated with interim stabilization and intrusion prevention measures completed in 1985

Automatic processing of unattended object features by functional connectivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katja Martina Mayer

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Observers can selectively attend to object features that are relevant for a task. However, unattended task-irrelevant features may still be processed and possibly integrated with the attended features. This study investigated the neural mechanisms for processing both task-relevant (attended and task-irrelevant (unattended object features. The Garner paradigm was adapted for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI to test whether specific brain areas process the conjunction of features or whether multiple interacting areas are involved in this form of feature integration. Observers attended to shape, colour, or non-rigid motion of novel objects while unattended features changed from trial to trial (change blocks or remained constant (no-change blocks during a given block. This block manipulation allowed us to measure the extent to which unattended features affected neural responses which would reflect the extent to which multiple object features are automatically processed. We did not find Garner interference at the behavioural level. However, we designed the experiment to equate performance across block types so that any fMRI results could not be due solely to differences in task difficulty between change and no-change blocks. Attention to specific features localised several areas known to be involved in object processing. No area showed larger responses on change blocks compared to no-change blocks. However, psychophysiological interaction analyses revealed that several functionally-localised areas showed significant positive interactions with areas in occipito-temporal and frontal areas that depended on block type. Overall, these findings suggest that both regional responses and functional connectivity are crucial for processing multi-featured objects.

Participatory ergonomics in design processes: The role of boundary objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Broberg, Ole; Andersen, Vibeke; Seim, Rikke

2011-01-01

The aim of this paper is to introduce the concept of boundary objects in order to better understand the role of objects in participatory ergonomics (PE) design processes. The research question is: What characterizes boundary objects in PE processes? Based on two case studies, we identify eight...... enable workers’ participation and collaborative design in different ways. The framework developed may serve to provide criteria to guide practitioners and intervention researchers in the selection of objects to facilitate a PE process. The paper concludes with a list of recommendations for ergonomic...

Sampling and analysis plan for sludge located on the floor and in the pits of the 105-K basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BAKER, R.B.

1998-01-01

This Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) provides direction for the sampling of the sludge found on the floor and in the remote pits of the 105-K Basins to provide: (1) basic data for the sludges that have not been characterized to-date and (2) representative Sludge material for process tests to be made by the SNF Project/K Basins sludge treatment process subproject. The sampling equipment developed will remove representative samples of the radioactive sludge from underwater at the K Basins, depositing them in shielded containers for transport to the Hanford Site laboratories. Included in the present document is the basic background logic for selection of the samples to meet the requirements established in the Data Quality Objectives (DQO), HNF-2033, for this sampling activity. The present document also includes the laboratory analyses, methods, procedures, and reporting that will be required to meet the DQO

Dynamic information processing states revealed through neurocognitive models of object semantics

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, Alex

2015-01-01

Recognising objects relies on highly dynamic, interactive brain networks to process multiple aspects of object information. To fully understand how different forms of information about objects are represented and processed in the brain requires a neurocognitive account of visual object recognition that combines a detailed cognitive model of semantic knowledge with a neurobiological model of visual object processing. Here we ask how specific cognitive factors are instantiated in our mental processes and how they dynamically evolve over time. We suggest that coarse semantic information, based on generic shared semantic knowledge, is rapidly extracted from visual inputs and is sufficient to drive rapid category decisions. Subsequent recurrent neural activity between the anterior temporal lobe and posterior fusiform supports the formation of object-specific semantic representations – a conjunctive process primarily driven by the perirhinal cortex. These object-specific representations require the integration of shared and distinguishing object properties and support the unique recognition of objects. We conclude that a valuable way of understanding the cognitive activity of the brain is though testing the relationship between specific cognitive measures and dynamic neural activity. This kind of approach allows us to move towards uncovering the information processing states of the brain and how they evolve over time. PMID:25745632

Magnetohydrodynamical processes near compact objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisnovatyi Kogan, G.S.

1979-01-01

Magnetohydrodynamical processes near compact objects are reviewed in this paper. First the accretion of the magnetized matter into a single black hole and spectra of radiation are considered. Then the magnetic-field phenomena in the disk accretion, when the black hole is in a pair are discussed. Furthermore, the magnetohydrodynamics phenomena during supernova explosion are considered. Finally the magnetohydrodynamics in the accretion of a neutron star is considered in connection With x-ray sources

Data quality objectives for sampling of sludge from the K West and K East Basin floor and from other Basin areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MAKENAS, B.J.

1998-01-01

This document addresses the characterization strategy for those types of sludge not previously characterized or discussed in previous DQO documents. It seeks to ascertain those characteristics of uncharacterized Sludge which are unique with respect to the properties already determined for canister and K East Basin floor Sludge. Also recent decisions have resulted in the need for treatment of the Sludge prior to its currently identified disposal path to the Hanford waste tanks. This has resulted in a need for process development testing for the treatment system development

A novice's process of object-oriented programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caspersen, Michael Edelgaard; Kölling, Michael

2006-01-01

Exposing students to the process of programming is merely implied but not explicitly addressed in texts on programming which appear to deal with 'program' as a noun rather than as a verb.We present a set of principles and techniques as well as an informal but systematic process of decomposing...... a programming problem. Two examples are used to demonstrate the application of process and techniques.The process is a carefully down-scaled version of a full and rich software engineering process particularly suited for novices learning object-oriented programming. In using it, we hope to achieve two things...

Fast and accurate edge orientation processing during object manipulation

Science.gov (United States)

Flanagan, J Randall; Johansson, Roland S

2018-01-01

Quickly and accurately extracting information about a touched object’s orientation is a critical aspect of dexterous object manipulation. However, the speed and acuity of tactile edge orientation processing with respect to the fingertips as reported in previous perceptual studies appear inadequate in these respects. Here we directly establish the tactile system’s capacity to process edge-orientation information during dexterous manipulation. Participants extracted tactile information about edge orientation very quickly, using it within 200 ms of first touching the object. Participants were also strikingly accurate. With edges spanning the entire fingertip, edge-orientation resolution was better than 3° in our object manipulation task, which is several times better than reported in previous perceptual studies. Performance remained impressive even with edges as short as 2 mm, consistent with our ability to precisely manipulate very small objects. Taken together, our results radically redefine the spatial processing capacity of the tactile system. PMID:29611804

Holistic processing of impossible objects: evidence from Garner's speeded-classification task.

Science.gov (United States)

Freud, Erez; Avidan, Galia; Ganel, Tzvi

2013-12-18

Holistic processing, the decoding of the global structure of a stimulus while the local parts are not explicitly represented, is a basic characteristic of object perception. The current study was aimed to test whether such a representation could be created even for objects that violate fundamental principles of spatial organization, namely impossible objects. Previous studies argued that these objects cannot be represented holistically in long-term memory because they lack coherent 3D structure. Here, we utilized Garner's speeded classification task to test whether the perception of possible and impossible objects is mediated by similar holistic processing mechanisms. To this end, participants were asked to make speeded classifications of one object dimension while an irrelevant dimension was kept constant (baseline condition) or when this dimension varied (filtering condition). It is well accepted that ignoring the irrelevant dimension is impossible when holistic perception is mandatory, thus the extent of Garner interference in performance between the baseline and filtering conditions serves as an index of holistic processing. Critically, in Experiment 1, similar levels of Garner interference were found for possible and impossible objects implying holistic perception of both object types. Experiment 2 extended these results and demonstrated that even when depth information was explicitly processed, participants were still unable to process one dimension (width/depth) while ignoring the irrelevant dimension (depth/width, respectively). The results of Experiment 3 replicated the basic pattern found in Experiments 1 and 2 using a novel set of object exemplars. In Experiment 4, we used possible and impossible versions of the Penrose triangles in which information about impossibility is embedded in the internal elements of the objects which participant were explicitly asked to judge. As in Experiments 1-3, similar Garner interference was found for possible and

Spatialization of social process vs singular object of architecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lujak Mihailo

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The fundamental subject of this research is spatialization of social process in the period of modernism manifested through transformation and/or change in meaning of space under a variety of social processes without changing the physical structure of space. These changes in meaning represent the specificity of development in space under the influence of the said social processes, which in this case is Yugoslav modernism, resulting in the creation of a singular object of architecture specific of a certain environment. These processes have been researched in the residential complex of Block 19a in New Belgrade, designed by architects Milan Lojanica, Predrag Cagić, and Borivoje Jovanović, and constructed between 1975 and 1982. The basic objective of this paper is to establish crucial causes for this complex to be considered the landmark in the designing practice of the time in Yugoslavia through research and critical analysis of the residential complex of Block 19a, and to try and determine the importance and potential influence in further architectural development in the period following its construction. In other words, the basic objective of this paper is to establish whether residential complex Block 19a represents a singular object of architecture in Yugoslavia/Serbia.

Task context impacts visual object processing differentially across the cortex

Science.gov (United States)

Harel, Assaf; Kravitz, Dwight J.; Baker, Chris I.

2014-01-01

Perception reflects an integration of “bottom-up” (sensory-driven) and “top-down” (internally generated) signals. Although models of visual processing often emphasize the central role of feed-forward hierarchical processing, less is known about the impact of top-down signals on complex visual representations. Here, we investigated whether and how the observer’s goals modulate object processing across the cortex. We examined responses elicited by a diverse set of objects under six distinct tasks, focusing on either physical (e.g., color) or conceptual properties (e.g., man-made). Critically, the same stimuli were presented in all tasks, allowing us to investigate how task impacts the neural representations of identical visual input. We found that task has an extensive and differential impact on object processing across the cortex. First, we found task-dependent representations in the ventral temporal and prefrontal cortex. In particular, although object identity could be decoded from the multivoxel response within task, there was a significant reduction in decoding across tasks. In contrast, the early visual cortex evidenced equivalent decoding within and across tasks, indicating task-independent representations. Second, task information was pervasive and present from the earliest stages of object processing. However, although the responses of the ventral temporal, prefrontal, and parietal cortex enabled decoding of both the type of task (physical/conceptual) and the specific task (e.g., color), the early visual cortex was not sensitive to type of task and could only be used to decode individual physical tasks. Thus, object processing is highly influenced by the behavioral goal of the observer, highlighting how top-down signals constrain and inform the formation of visual representations. PMID:24567402

Figure-ground organization and object recognition processes: an interactive account.

Science.gov (United States)

Vecera, S P; O'Reilly, R C

1998-04-01

Traditional bottom-up models of visual processing assume that figure-ground organization precedes object recognition. This assumption seems logically necessary: How can object recognition occur before a region is labeled as figure? However, some behavioral studies find that familiar regions are more likely to be labeled figure than less familiar regions, a problematic finding for bottom-up models. An interactive account is proposed in which figure-ground processes receive top-down input from object representations in a hierarchical system. A graded, interactive computational model is presented that accounts for behavioral results in which familiarity effects are found. The interactive model offers an alternative conception of visual processing to bottom-up models.

Motor cortical processing is causally involved in object recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Decloe, Rebecca; Obhi, Sukhvinder S

2013-12-14

Motor activity during vicarious experience of actions is a widely reported and studied phenomenon, and motor system activity also accompanies observation of graspable objects in the absence of any actions. Such motor activity is thought to reflect simulation of the observed action, or preparation to interact with the object, respectively. Here, in an initial exploratory study, we ask whether motor activity during observation of object directed actions is involved in processes related to recognition of the object after initial exposure. Single pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) was applied over the thumb representation of the motor cortex, or over the vertex, during observation of a model thumb typing on a cell-phone, and performance on a phone recognition task at the end of the trial was assessed. Disrupting motor processing over the thumb representation 100 ms after the onset of the typing video impaired the ability to recognize the phone in the recognition test, whereas there was no such effect for TMS applied over the vertex and no TMS trials. Furthermore, this effect only manifested for videos observed from the first person perspective. In an additional control condition, there was no evidence for any effects of TMS to the thumb representation or vertex when observing and recognizing non-action related shape stimuli. Overall, these data provide evidence that motor cortical processing during observation of object-directed actions from a first person perspective is causally linked to the formation of enduring representations of objects-of-action.

Motor cortical processing is causally involved in object recognition

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Motor activity during vicarious experience of actions is a widely reported and studied phenomenon, and motor system activity also accompanies observation of graspable objects in the absence of any actions. Such motor activity is thought to reflect simulation of the observed action, or preparation to interact with the object, respectively. Results Here, in an initial exploratory study, we ask whether motor activity during observation of object directed actions is involved in processes related to recognition of the object after initial exposure. Single pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) was applied over the thumb representation of the motor cortex, or over the vertex, during observation of a model thumb typing on a cell-phone, and performance on a phone recognition task at the end of the trial was assessed. Disrupting motor processing over the thumb representation 100 ms after the onset of the typing video impaired the ability to recognize the phone in the recognition test, whereas there was no such effect for TMS applied over the vertex and no TMS trials. Furthermore, this effect only manifested for videos observed from the first person perspective. In an additional control condition, there was no evidence for any effects of TMS to the thumb representation or vertex when observing and recognizing non-action related shape stimuli. Conclusion Overall, these data provide evidence that motor cortical processing during observation of object-directed actions from a first person perspective is causally linked to the formation of enduring representations of objects-of-action. PMID:24330638

Process for the interference measurement of an object

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bryngdahl, O.

1977-01-01

The invention concerns a process for the interference measurement of an object and has the task of indicating its phase-related properties with as high a resolution as possible. For this purpose a hologram is drawn of the object to be measured, with which an interference grating is produced. The holograph splits the coherent light coming from a laser into two part rays, in a well known way; one of these rays passes through the object and then together with the other one falls on the indicating element. There both parts of the ray are reunited, where the angle of unification s of this arrangement is about 45 0 . After the hologram has been developed, it is placed in the interferometer. A parallel ray of coherent light passes through the hologram and produces two pictures, one orthoscopic and one pseudoscopic. These two pictures are combined, so that an interference pattern is created, which reproduces the phase variations of the object, with twice the resolution, as the angle between the two rays is twice as large as the unification angle s. Further processes are given which can multiply the angle and therefore the resolution by four and by six times. (ORU) [de

Support system, excavation arrangement, and process of supporting an object

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Bill W.

2017-08-01

A support system, an excavation arrangement, and a process of supporting an object are disclosed. The support system includes a weight-bearing device and a camming mechanism positioned below the weight-bearing device. A downward force on the weight-bearing device at least partially secures the camming mechanism to opposing surfaces. The excavation arrangement includes a borehole, a support system positioned within and secured to the borehole, and an object positioned on and supported by the support system. The process includes positioning and securing the support system and positioning the object on the weight-bearing device.

Tank 241-S-106, cores 183, 184 and 187 analytical results for the final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esch, R.A.

1997-01-01

This document is the final laboratory report for tank 241-S-106 push mode core segments collected between February 12, 1997 and March 21, 1997. The segments were subsampled and analyzed in accordance with the Tank Push Mode Core Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP), the Tank Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (Safety DQO), the Historical Model Evaluation Data Requirements (Historical DQO) and the Data Quality Objective to Support Resolution of the Organic Complexant Safety Issue (Organic DQO). The analytical results are included in Table 1. Six of the twenty-four subsamples submitted for the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis exceeded the notification limit of 480 Joules/g stated in the DQO. Appropriate notifications were made. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analyses were performed on all samples that produced exotherms during the DSC analysis. All results were less than the notification limit of three weight percent TOC. No cyanide analysis was performed, per agreement with the Tank Safety Program. None of the samples submitted for Total Alpha Activity exceeded notification limits as stated in the TSAP. Statistical evaluation of results by calculating the 95% upper confidence limit is not performed by the 222-S Laboratory and is not considered in this report. No core composites were created because there was insufficient solid material from any of the three core sampling events to generate a composite that would be representative of the tank contents

Automating the Object-Oriented Software Development Process: Workshop Report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aksit, Mehmet; Tekinerdogan, B.

1998-01-01

Cost-effective realization of robust, adaptable and reusable software systems demands efficient and effective management of the overall software production process. Current object-oriented methods are not completely formalized and lack the ability of reasoning about the quality of processes and

Automating the Object-Oriented Software Development Process: Workshop Report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aksit, Mehmet; Demeyer, S.; Bosch, H.G.P.; Tekinerdogan, B.

Cost-effective realization of robust, adaptable and reusable software systems demands efficient and effective management of the overall software production process. Current object-oriented methods are not completely formalized and lack the ability of reasoning about the quality of processes and

Tank 241-C-107 tank characterization plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreiber, R.D.

1995-01-01

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has advised the US Department of Energy (DOE) to concentrate the near-term sampling and analysis activities on identification and resolution of safety issues. The data quality objective (DQO) process was chosen as a tool to be used to identify sampling and analytical needs for the resolution of safety issues. As a result, a revision in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement or TPA) milestone M-44-00 has been made, which states that ''A Tank Characterization Plan (TCP) will also be developed for each double-shell tank (DST) and single-shell tank (SST) using the DQO process... Development of TCPs by the DQO process is intended to allow users (e.g., Hanford Facility user groups, regulators) to ensure their needs will be met and that resources are devoted to gaining only necessary information.'' This document satisfies that requirement for the Tank 241-C-107 (C-107) sampling activities. Currently tank C-107 is categorized as a sound, low-heat load tank with partial isolation completed in December 1982. The tank is awaiting stabilization. Tank C-107 is expected to contain three primary layers of waste. The bottom layer should contain a mixture of the following wastes: ion exchange, concentrated phosphate waste from N-Reactor, Hanford Lab Operations, strontium semi-works, Battelle Northwest, 1C, TBP waste, cladding waste, and the hot semi-works. The middle layer should contain strontium recovery supernate. The upper layer should consist of non-complexed waste

Analysis of process parameters in surface grinding using single objective Taguchi and multi-objective grey relational grade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prashant J. Patil

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Close tolerance and good surface finish are achieved by means of grinding process. This study was carried out for multi-objective optimization of MQL grinding process parameters. Water based Al2O3 and CuO nanofluids of various concentrations are used as lubricant for MQL system. Grinding experiments were carried out on instrumented surface grinding machine. For experimentation purpose Taguchi's method was used. Important process parameters that affect the G ratio and surface finish in MQL grinding are depth of cut, type of lubricant, feed rate, grinding wheel speed, coolant flow rate, and nanoparticle size. Grinding performance was calculated by the measurement G ratio and surface finish. For improvement of grinding process a multi-objective process parameter optimization is performed by use of Taguchi based grey relational analysis. To identify most significant factor of process analysis of variance (ANOVA has been used.

Task and spatial frequency modulations of object processing: an EEG study.

Science.gov (United States)

Craddock, Matt; Martinovic, Jasna; Müller, Matthias M

2013-01-01

Visual object processing may follow a coarse-to-fine sequence imposed by fast processing of low spatial frequencies (LSF) and slow processing of high spatial frequencies (HSF). Objects can be categorized at varying levels of specificity: the superordinate (e.g. animal), the basic (e.g. dog), or the subordinate (e.g. Border Collie). We tested whether superordinate and more specific categorization depend on different spatial frequency ranges, and whether any such dependencies might be revealed by or influence signals recorded using EEG. We used event-related potentials (ERPs) and time-frequency (TF) analysis to examine the time course of object processing while participants performed either a grammatical gender-classification task (which generally forces basic-level categorization) or a living/non-living judgement (superordinate categorization) on everyday, real-life objects. Objects were filtered to contain only HSF or LSF. We found a greater positivity and greater negativity for HSF than for LSF pictures in the P1 and N1 respectively, but no effects of task on either component. A later, fronto-central negativity (N350) was more negative in the gender-classification task than the superordinate categorization task, which may indicate that this component relates to semantic or syntactic processing. We found no significant effects of task or spatial frequency on evoked or total gamma band responses. Our results demonstrate early differences in processing of HSF and LSF content that were not modulated by categorization task, with later responses reflecting such higher-level cognitive factors.

The COGs (context, object, and goals) in multisensory processing.

Science.gov (United States)

ten Oever, Sanne; Romei, Vincenzo; van Atteveldt, Nienke; Soto-Faraco, Salvador; Murray, Micah M; Matusz, Pawel J

2016-05-01

Our understanding of how perception operates in real-world environments has been substantially advanced by studying both multisensory processes and "top-down" control processes influencing sensory processing via activity from higher-order brain areas, such as attention, memory, and expectations. As the two topics have been traditionally studied separately, the mechanisms orchestrating real-world multisensory processing remain unclear. Past work has revealed that the observer's goals gate the influence of many multisensory processes on brain and behavioural responses, whereas some other multisensory processes might occur independently of these goals. Consequently, other forms of top-down control beyond goal dependence are necessary to explain the full range of multisensory effects currently reported at the brain and the cognitive level. These forms of control include sensitivity to stimulus context as well as the detection of matches (or lack thereof) between a multisensory stimulus and categorical attributes of naturalistic objects (e.g. tools, animals). In this review we discuss and integrate the existing findings that demonstrate the importance of such goal-, object- and context-based top-down control over multisensory processing. We then put forward a few principles emerging from this literature review with respect to the mechanisms underlying multisensory processing and discuss their possible broader implications.

Action and object processing in brain-injured speakers of Chinese.

Science.gov (United States)

Arévalo, Analia L; Lu, Ching-Ching; Huang, Lydia B-Y; Bates, Elizabeth A; Dronkers, Nina F

2011-11-01

To see whether action and object processing across different tasks and modalities differs in brain-injured speakers of Chinese with varying fluency and lesion locations within the left hemisphere. Words and pictures representing actions and objects were presented to a group of 33 participants whose native and/or dominant language was Mandarin Chinese: 23 patients with left-hemisphere lesions due to stroke and 10 language-, age- and education-matched healthy control participants. A set of 120 stimulus items was presented to each participant in three different forms: as black and white line drawings (for picture-naming), as written words (for reading) and as aurally presented words (for word repetition). Patients were divided into groups for two separate analyses: Analysis 1 divided and compared patients based on fluency (Fluent vs. Nonfluent) and Analysis 2 compared patients based on lesion location (Anterior vs. Posterior). Both analyses yielded similar results: Fluent, Nonfluent, Anterior, and Posterior patients all produced significantly more errors when processing action (M = 0.73, SD = 0.45) relative to object (M = 0.79, SD = 0.41) stimuli, and this effect was strongest in the picture-naming task. As in our previous study with English-speaking participants using the same experimental design (Arévalo et al., 2007, Arévalo, Moineau, Saygin, Ludy, & Bates, 2005), we did not find evidence for a double-dissociation in action and object processing between groups with different lesion and fluency profiles. These combined data bring us closer to a more informed view of action/object processing in the brain in both healthy and brain-injured individuals.

Task and spatial frequency modulations of object processing: an EEG study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matt Craddock

Full Text Available Visual object processing may follow a coarse-to-fine sequence imposed by fast processing of low spatial frequencies (LSF and slow processing of high spatial frequencies (HSF. Objects can be categorized at varying levels of specificity: the superordinate (e.g. animal, the basic (e.g. dog, or the subordinate (e.g. Border Collie. We tested whether superordinate and more specific categorization depend on different spatial frequency ranges, and whether any such dependencies might be revealed by or influence signals recorded using EEG. We used event-related potentials (ERPs and time-frequency (TF analysis to examine the time course of object processing while participants performed either a grammatical gender-classification task (which generally forces basic-level categorization or a living/non-living judgement (superordinate categorization on everyday, real-life objects. Objects were filtered to contain only HSF or LSF. We found a greater positivity and greater negativity for HSF than for LSF pictures in the P1 and N1 respectively, but no effects of task on either component. A later, fronto-central negativity (N350 was more negative in the gender-classification task than the superordinate categorization task, which may indicate that this component relates to semantic or syntactic processing. We found no significant effects of task or spatial frequency on evoked or total gamma band responses. Our results demonstrate early differences in processing of HSF and LSF content that were not modulated by categorization task, with later responses reflecting such higher-level cognitive factors.

241-Z-361 Sludge Characterization Sampling and Analysis Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BANNING, D.L.

1999-08-05

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies the type, quantity, and quality of data needed to support characterization of the sludge that remains in Tank 241-2-361. The procedures described in this SAP are based on the results of the 241-2-361 Sludge Characterization Data Quality Objectives (DQO) (BWHC 1999) process for the tank. The primary objectives of this project are to evaluate the contents of Tank 241-2-361 in order to resolve safety and safeguards issues and to assess alternatives for sludge removal and disposal.

241-Z-361 Sludge Characterization Sampling and Analysis Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BANNING, D.L.

1999-07-29

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies the type, quantity, and quality of data needed to support characterization of the sludge that remains in Tank 241-2-361. The procedures described in this SAP are based on the results of the 241-2-361 Sludge Characterization Data Quality Objectives (DQO) (BWHC 1999) process for the tank. The primary objectives of this project are to evaluate the contents of Tank 241-2-361 in order to resolve safety and safeguards issues and to assess alternatives for sludge removal and disposal.

PROBABILISTIC APPROACH TO OBJECT DETECTION AND RECOGNITION FOR VIDEOSTREAM PROCESSING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volodymyr Kharchenko

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The represented research results are aimed to improve theoretical basics of computer vision and artificial intelligence of dynamical system. Proposed approach of object detection and recognition is based on probabilistic fundamentals to ensure the required level of correct object recognition. Methods: Presented approach is grounded at probabilistic methods, statistical methods of probability density estimation and computer-based simulation at verification stage of development. Results: Proposed approach for object detection and recognition for video stream data processing has shown several advantages in comparison with existing methods due to its simple realization and small time of data processing. Presented results of experimental verification look plausible for object detection and recognition in video stream. Discussion: The approach can be implemented in dynamical system within changeable environment such as remotely piloted aircraft systems and can be a part of artificial intelligence in navigation and control systems.

Hierarchical processing of auditory objects in humans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukhbinder Kumar

2007-06-01

Full Text Available This work examines the computational architecture used by the brain during the analysis of the spectral envelope of sounds, an important acoustic feature for defining auditory objects. Dynamic causal modelling and Bayesian model selection were used to evaluate a family of 16 network models explaining functional magnetic resonance imaging responses in the right temporal lobe during spectral envelope analysis. The models encode different hypotheses about the effective connectivity between Heschl's Gyrus (HG, containing the primary auditory cortex, planum temporale (PT, and superior temporal sulcus (STS, and the modulation of that coupling during spectral envelope analysis. In particular, we aimed to determine whether information processing during spectral envelope analysis takes place in a serial or parallel fashion. The analysis provides strong support for a serial architecture with connections from HG to PT and from PT to STS and an increase of the HG to PT connection during spectral envelope analysis. The work supports a computational model of auditory object processing, based on the abstraction of spectro-temporal "templates" in the PT before further analysis of the abstracted form in anterior temporal lobe areas.

Multi-objective Optimization of Process Parameters in Friction Stir Welding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tutum, Cem Celal; Hattel, Jesper Henri

The objective of this paper is to investigate optimum process parameters in Friction Stir Welding (FSW) to minimize residual stresses in the work piece and maximize production efficiency meanwhile satisfying process specific constraints as well. More specifically, the choices of tool rotational...... speed and traverse welding speed have been sought in order to achieve the goals mentioned above using an evolutionary multi-objective optimization (MOO) algorithm, i.e. non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), integrated with a transient, 2- dimensional sequentially coupled thermo...

[Electrophysiological bases of semantic processing of objects].

Science.gov (United States)

Kahlaoui, Karima; Baccino, Thierry; Joanette, Yves; Magnié, Marie-Noële

2007-02-01

How pictures and words are stored and processed in the human brain constitute a long-standing question in cognitive psychology. Behavioral studies have yielded a large amount of data addressing this issue. Generally speaking, these data show that there are some interactions between the semantic processing of pictures and words. However, behavioral methods can provide only limited insight into certain findings. Fortunately, Event-Related Potential (ERP) provides on-line cues about the temporal nature of cognitive processes and contributes to the exploration of their neural substrates. ERPs have been used in order to better understand semantic processing of words and pictures. The main objective of this article is to offer an overview of the electrophysiologic bases of semantic processing of words and pictures. Studies presented in this article showed that the processing of words is associated with an N 400 component, whereas pictures elicited both N 300 and N 400 components. Topographical analysis of the N 400 distribution over the scalp is compatible with the idea that both image-mediated concrete words and pictures access an amodal semantic system. However, given the distinctive N 300 patterns, observed only during picture processing, it appears that picture and word processing rely upon distinct neuronal networks, even if they end up activating more or less similar semantic representations.

Radiation processing of inhomogeneous objects at the 300 MeV electron linear accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demeshko, O.A.; Kochetov, S.S.; Makhnenko, L.A.; Melnitsky, I.V.; Shopen, O.A.

2009-01-01

Comparison is made between the calculated and experimental doses absorbed by complex density-inhomogeneous objects during their radiation processing. The process of fast electron passage through the object and depth dose formation has been simulated by the Monte Carlo technique with the use of the licensed program package PENELOPE. The calculated and experimental data are found to be in good agreement (∼ 30 %). Preliminary simulation of the process of object irradiation at given conditions provides the necessary information when developing the methods for a particular group of objects. This is of particular importance at performing bilateral irradiation, when an insignificant density variance of different objects may lead to appreciable errors of dose determination in the symmetry plane of the object.

Waste compatibility safety issues and final results for tank 241-T-110 push mode samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuzum, J.L.

1997-01-01

This document is the final laboratory report for Tank 241-T-110. Push mode core segments were removed from risers 2 and 6 between January 29, 1997, and February 7, 1997. Segments were received and extruded at 222-S Laboratory. Analyses were performed in accordance with Tank 241-T-110 Push Mode Core Sampling and analysis Plan (TSAP) and Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO). None of the subsamples submitted for total alpha activity (AT) or differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses exceeded the notification limits stated in DQO

Controlling Business Object States in Business Process Models to Support Compliance

OpenAIRE

Peņicina, L

2016-01-01

The doctoral thesis addresses the existing gap between business process models and states of business objects. Existing modelling methods such as BPMN and ArchiMate lack an explicitly declarative approach for capturing states of business objects and laws of state transitions. This gap hinders the compliance of business process models with regulations imposed internally or externally, and can result in potential legal problems for organizations. Also this g...

In-Situ Measurements of Low Enrichment Uranium Holdup Process Gas Piping at K-25 - Paper for Waste Management Symposia 2010 East Tennessee Technology Park Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasmussen, B.

2010-01-01

This document is the final version of a paper submitted to the Waste Management Symposia, Phoenix, 2010, abstract BJC/OR-3280. The primary document from which this paper was condensed is In-Situ Measurement of Low Enrichment Uranium Holdup in Process Gas Piping at K-25 Using NaI/HMS4 Gamma Detection Systems, BJC/OR-3355. This work explores the sufficiency and limitations of the Holdup Measurement System 4 (HJVIS4) software algorithms applied to measurements of low enriched uranium holdup in gaseous diffusion process gas piping. HMS4 has been used extensively during the decommissioning and demolition project of the K-25 building for U-235 holdup quantification. The HMS4 software is an integral part of one of the primary nondestructive assay (NDA) systems which was successfully tested and qualified for holdup deposit quantification in the process gas piping of the K-25 building. The initial qualification focused on the measurement of highly enriched UO 2 F 2 deposits. The purpose of this work was to determine if that qualification could be extended to include the quantification of holdup in UO 2 F 2 deposits of lower enrichment. Sample field data are presented to provide evidence in support of the theoretical foundation. The HMS4 algorithms were investigated in detail and found to sufficiently compensate for UO 2 F 2 source self-attenuation effects, over the range of expected enrichment (4-40%), in the North and East Wings of the K-25 building. The limitations of the HMS4 algorithms were explored for a described set of conditions with respect to area source measurements of low enriched UO 2 F 2 deposits when used in conjunction with a 1 inch by 1/2 inch sodium iodide (NaI) scintillation detector. The theoretical limitations of HMS4, based on the expected conditions in the process gas system of the K-25 building, are related back to the required data quality objectives (DQO) for the NBA measurement system established for the K-25 demolition project. The combined

Fast processing of microscopic images using object-based extended depth of field.

Science.gov (United States)

Intarapanich, Apichart; Kaewkamnerd, Saowaluck; Pannarut, Montri; Shaw, Philip J; Tongsima, Sissades

2016-12-22

Microscopic analysis requires that foreground objects of interest, e.g. cells, are in focus. In a typical microscopic specimen, the foreground objects may lie on different depths of field necessitating capture of multiple images taken at different focal planes. The extended depth of field (EDoF) technique is a computational method for merging images from different depths of field into a composite image with all foreground objects in focus. Composite images generated by EDoF can be applied in automated image processing and pattern recognition systems. However, current algorithms for EDoF are computationally intensive and impractical, especially for applications such as medical diagnosis where rapid sample turnaround is important. Since foreground objects typically constitute a minor part of an image, the EDoF technique could be made to work much faster if only foreground regions are processed to make the composite image. We propose a novel algorithm called object-based extended depths of field (OEDoF) to address this issue. The OEDoF algorithm consists of four major modules: 1) color conversion, 2) object region identification, 3) good contrast pixel identification and 4) detail merging. First, the algorithm employs color conversion to enhance contrast followed by identification of foreground pixels. A composite image is constructed using only these foreground pixels, which dramatically reduces the computational time. We used 250 images obtained from 45 specimens of confirmed malaria infections to test our proposed algorithm. The resulting composite images with all in-focus objects were produced using the proposed OEDoF algorithm. We measured the performance of OEDoF in terms of image clarity (quality) and processing time. The features of interest selected by the OEDoF algorithm are comparable in quality with equivalent regions in images processed by the state-of-the-art complex wavelet EDoF algorithm; however, OEDoF required four times less processing time. This

Temporal brain dynamics of multiple object processing: the flexibility of individuation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veronica Mazza

Full Text Available The ability to process concurrently multiple visual objects is fundamental for a coherent perception of the world. A core component of this ability is the simultaneous individuation of multiple objects. Many studies have addressed the mechanism of object individuation but it remains unknown whether the visual system mandatorily individuates all relevant elements in the visual field, or whether object indexing depends on task demands. We used a neural measure of visual selection, the N2pc component, to evaluate the flexibility of multiple object individuation. In three ERP experiments, participants saw a variable number of target elements among homogenous distracters and performed either an enumeration task (Experiment 1 or a detection task, reporting whether at least one (Experiment 2 or a specified number of target elements (Experiment 3 was present. While in the enumeration task the N2pc response increased as a function of the number of targets, no such modulation was found in Experiment 2, indicating that individuation of multiple targets is not mandatory. However, a modulation of the N2pc similar to the enumeration task was visible in Experiment 3, further highlighting that object individuation is a flexible mechanism that binds indexes to object properties and locations as needed for further object processing.

Data quality objective to support resolution of the organic fuel rich tank safety issue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckley, L.L.

1995-01-01

During years of Hanford process history, large quantities of complexants used in waste management operations as well as an unknown quantity of degradation products of the solvents used in fuel reprocessing and metal recovery were added to man of the 149 single-shell tanks. These waste tanks also contain a presumed stoichiometric excess of sodium nitrate/nitrite oxidizers, sufficient to exothermically oxidize the organic compounds if suitably initiated. This DQO identifies the questions that must be answered to appropriately disposition organic watchlist tanks, identifies a strategy to deal with false positive or negative judgements associated with analytical uncertainty, and list the analytes of concern to support dealing with organic watchlist concerns. Uncertainties associated with both assay limitations and matrix effects complicate selection of analytes. This results in requiring at least two independent measures of potential fuel reactivity

Organic layer sampling for SST 241-C-103 background, and Data Quality Objectives, and analytical plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, T.W.; Willingham, C.E.; Campbell, J.A.

1993-08-01

A layer of organic material floating on the surface of the high level radioactive waste in single-shell tank 241-C-103 has been declared an Unreviewed Safety Question (USQ). This designation is motivated by concern that a ''pool fire'' in this layer could release radioactive material from the tank. This layer is believed to consist largely of Tri-Butyl Phosphate (TBP) and Normal Paraffin Hydrocarbon (NPH), but its composition is not known definitively. Resolution of this USQ hinges on a more complete and detailed understanding of the flammability potential of this layer and vapors that could evolve from it, and to a lesser extent on the propagation and energetics of such a pool ire if initiated, and the source-term associated with a release event following a pool fire. This increased understanding of the risk posed by this layer in turn requires better information on its composition. This report documents a Data Quality Objectives (DQO) study conducted to define this information in detail

Tracker: Image-Processing and Object-Tracking System Developed

Science.gov (United States)

Klimek, Robert B.; Wright, Theodore W.

1999-01-01

Tracker is an object-tracking and image-processing program designed and developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center to help with the analysis of images generated by microgravity combustion and fluid physics experiments. Experiments are often recorded on film or videotape for analysis later. Tracker automates the process of examining each frame of the recorded experiment, performing image-processing operations to bring out the desired detail, and recording the positions of the objects of interest. It can load sequences of images from disk files or acquire images (via a frame grabber) from film transports, videotape, laser disks, or a live camera. Tracker controls the image source to automatically advance to the next frame. It can employ a large array of image-processing operations to enhance the detail of the acquired images and can analyze an arbitrarily large number of objects simultaneously. Several different tracking algorithms are available, including conventional threshold and correlation-based techniques, and more esoteric procedures such as "snake" tracking and automated recognition of character data in the image. The Tracker software was written to be operated by researchers, thus every attempt was made to make the software as user friendly and self-explanatory as possible. Tracker is used by most of the microgravity combustion and fluid physics experiments performed by Lewis, and by visiting researchers. This includes experiments performed on the space shuttles, Mir, sounding rockets, zero-g research airplanes, drop towers, and ground-based laboratories. This software automates the analysis of the flame or liquid s physical parameters such as position, velocity, acceleration, size, shape, intensity characteristics, color, and centroid, as well as a number of other measurements. It can perform these operations on multiple objects simultaneously. Another key feature of Tracker is that it performs optical character recognition (OCR). This feature is useful in

Abnormalities of Object Visual Processing in Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Feusner, Jamie D.; Hembacher, Emily; Moller, Hayley; Moody, Teena D.

2013-01-01

Background Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder may have perceptual distortions for their appearance. Previous studies suggest imbalances in detailed relative to configural/holistic visual processing when viewing faces. No study has investigated the neural correlates of processing non-symptom-related stimuli. The objective of this study was to determine whether individuals with body dysmorphic disorder have abnormal patterns of brain activation when viewing non-face/non-body object stimuli. Methods Fourteen medication-free participants with DSM-IV body dysmorphic disorder and 14 healthy controls participated. We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging while participants matched photographs of houses that were unaltered, contained only high spatial frequency (high detail) information, or only low spatial frequency (low detail) information. The primary outcome was group differences in blood oxygen level-dependent signal changes. Results The body dysmorphic disorder group showed lesser activity in the parahippocampal gyrus, lingual gyrus, and precuneus for low spatial frequency images. There were greater activations in medial prefrontal regions for high spatial frequency images, although no significant differences when compared to a low-level baseline. Greater symptom severity was associated with lesser activity in dorsal occipital cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex for normal and high spatial frequency images. Conclusions Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder have abnormal brain activation patterns when viewing objects. Hypoactivity in visual association areas for configural and holistic (low detail) elements and abnormal allocation of prefrontal systems for details is consistent with a model of imbalances in global vs. local processing. This may occur not only for appearance but also for general stimuli unrelated to their symptoms. PMID:21557897

Intermediary object for participative design processes based on the ergonomic work analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Souza da Conceição, Carolina; Duarte, F.; Broberg, Ole

2012-01-01

The objective of this paper is to present and discuss the use of an intermediary object, built from the ergonomic work analysis, in a participative design process. The object was a zoning pattern, developed as a visual representation ‘mapping’ of the interrelations among the functional units of t...

Neural regions supporting lexical processing of objects and actions: A case series analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bonnie L Breining

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Linking semantic representations to lexical items is an important cognitive process for both producing and comprehending language. Past research has suggested that the bilateral anterior temporal lobes are critical for this process (e.g. Patterson, Nestor, & Rogers, 2007. However, the majority of studies focused on object concepts alone, ignoring actions. The few that considered actions suggest that the temporal poles are not critical for their processing (e.g. Kemmerer et al., 2010. In this case series, we investigated the neural substrates of linking object and action concepts to lexical labels by correlating the volume of defined regions of interest with behavioral performance on picture-word verification and picture naming tasks of individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA. PPA is a neurodegenerative condition with heterogeneous neuropathological causes, characterized by increasing language deficits for at least two years in the face of relatively intact cognitive function in other domains (Gorno-Tempini et al., 2011. This population displays appropriate heterogeneity of performance and focal atrophy for investigating the neural substrates involved in lexical semantic processing of objects and actions. Method. Twenty-one individuals with PPA participated in behavioral assessment within six months of high resolution anatomical MRI scans. Behavioral assessments consisted of four tasks: picture-word verification and picture naming of objects and actions. Performance on these assessments was correlated with brain volume measured using atlas-based analysis in twenty regions of interest that are commonly atrophied in PPA and implicated in language processing. Results. Impaired performance for all four tasks significantly correlated with atrophy in the right superior temporal pole, left anterior middle temporal gyrus, and left fusiform gyrus. No regions were identified in which volume correlated with performance for both

Cortical processing of object affordances for self and others’ action

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monica eMaranesi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The perception of objects does not rely only on visual brain areas, but also involves cortical motor regions. In particular, different parietal and premotor areas host neurons discharging during both object observation and grasping. Most of these cells often show similar visual and motor selectivity for a specific object (or set of objects, suggesting that they might play a crucial role in representing the potential motor act afforded by the object. The existence of such a mechanism for the visuomotor transformation of object physical properties in the most appropriate motor plan for interacting with them has been convincingly demonstrated in humans as well. Interestingly, human studies have shown that visually presented objects can automatically trigger the representation of an action provided that they are located within the observer’s reaching space (peripersonal space. The affordance effect also occurs when the presented object is outside the observer’s peripersonal space, but inside the peripersonal space of an observed agent. These findings recently received direct support by single neuron studies in monkey, indicating that space-constrained processing of objects in the ventral premotor cortex might be relevant to represent objects as potential targets for one’s own or others' action.

Beyond Faces and Expertise: Facelike Holistic Processing of Nonface Objects in the Absence of Expertise.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Mintao; Bülthoff, Heinrich H; Bülthoff, Isabelle

2016-02-01

Holistic processing-the tendency to perceive objects as indecomposable wholes-has long been viewed as a process specific to faces or objects of expertise. Although current theories differ in what causes holistic processing, they share a fundamental constraint for its generalization: Nonface objects cannot elicit facelike holistic processing in the absence of expertise. Contrary to this prevailing view, here we show that line patterns with salient Gestalt information (i.e., connectedness, closure, and continuity between parts) can be processed as holistically as faces without any training. Moreover, weakening the saliency of Gestalt information in these patterns reduced holistic processing of them, which indicates that Gestalt information plays a crucial role in holistic processing. Therefore, holistic processing can be achieved not only via a top-down route based on expertise, but also via a bottom-up route relying merely on object-based information. The finding that facelike holistic processing can extend beyond the domains of faces and objects of expertise poses a challenge to current dominant theories. © The Author(s) 2015.

Final report for tank 241-BX-104 push mode core 126 and 127

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, T.A.

1996-01-01

This is the final sample analysis report for tank 241-BX-104 (BX-104), cores 126 and 127. Two segments from each core yielded a total of 11 samples which were analyzed. The data quality objectives (DQOs) applicable to this sampling event were the Safety Screening DQO (Dukelow et al. 1995) and the Organic Safety DQO (Turner et al. 1995). The samples were received, extruded and analyzed at PNNL 325 Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL). The analyses were performed in accordance with the Sample Analysis Plan (Gretsinger 1996) and indicated that the tank is safe with respect to the criteria in the Safety Screening and Organic DQO. Detailed analytical results were described in the analytical laboratory 45-day Report (Attachment 1, WHC-SD-WM-DP-171, REV. 0) and final report (Attachment 2, PNL-BX-104 REV.1) prepared by PNNL, 325 Laboratory. Corrections and/or exceptions to the PNNL final report are provided

Mirror-Image Confusions: Implications for Representation and Processing of Object Orientation

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, Emma; McCloskey, Michael

2010-01-01

Perceiving the orientation of objects is important for interacting with the world, yet little is known about the mental representation or processing of object orientation information. The tendency of humans and other species to confuse mirror images provides a potential clue. However, the appropriate characterization of this phenomenon is not…

UNIFICATION OF PROCESSES OF SORTING OUT OF DESTROYED CONSTRUCTION OBJECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SHATOV S. V.

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Summary. Problem statement. Technogenic catastrophes, failures or natural calamities, result in destruction of build objects. Under the obstructions of destructions can be victims. The most widespread technogenic failure is explosions of gas. The structure of obstructions changes and depends on parameters and direction of explosion, firstly its size and location of wreckages. Sorting out of obstructions is carried out with machines and mechanisms which do not meet the requirements of these works, that predetermines of carrying out of rescue or restoration works on imperfect scheme , especially on the initial stages, and it increases terms and labour intensiveness of their conduct. Development technological solution is needed for the effective sorting out of destructions of construction objects. Purpose. Development of unification solution on the improvement of technological processes of sorting out of destructions of buildings and constructions. Conclusion. The analysis of experience of works shows on sorting out of the destroyed construction objects, show that they are carried out on imperfect scheme, which do not take into account character of destruction of objects and are based on the use of construction machines which do not meet the requirements of these processes, and lead to considerable resource losses. Developed unified scheme of sorting out of the destroyed construction objects depending on character of their destruction and possibility of line of works, and also with the use of build machines with a multipurpose equipment, provide the increase of efficiency of carrying out of rescue and construction works.

Compatibility grab sampling and analysis plan for fiscal year 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

SASAKI, L.M.

1999-01-01

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for grab samples obtained to address waste compatibility. Analytical requirements are taken from two revisions of the Compatibility data quality objectives (DQOs). Revision 1 of the DQO (Fowler 1995) listed analyses to be performed to meet both safety and operational data needs for the Compatibility program. Revision 2A of the DQO (Mulkey and Miller 1998) addresses only the safety-related requirements; the operational requirements of Fowler (1995) have not been superseded by Mulkey and Miller (1998). Therefore, safety-related data needs are taken from Mulkey and Miller (1998) and operational-related data needs are taken from Fowler (1995). Ammonia and total alpha analyses are also performed in accordance with Fowler (1998a, 1998b)

Development of the remote-handled transuranic waste radioassay data quality objectives. An evaluation of RH-TRU waste inventories, characteristics, radioassay methods and capabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meeks, A.M.; Chapman, J.A.

1997-09-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant will accept remote-handled transuranic waste as early as October of 2001. Several tasks must be accomplished to meet this schedule, one of which is the development of Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) and corresponding Quality Assurance Objectives (QAOs) for the assay of radioisotopes in RH-TRU waste. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was assigned the task of providing to the DOE QAO, information necessary to aide in the development of DQOs for the radioassay of RH-TRU waste. Consistent with the DQO process, information needed and presented in this report includes: identification of RH-TRU generator site radionuclide data that may have potential significance to the performance of the WIPP repository or transportation requirements; evaluation of existing methods to measure the identified isotopic and quantitative radionuclide data; evaluation of existing data as a function of site waste streams using documented site information on fuel burnup, radioisotope processing and reprocessing, special research and development activities, measurement collection efforts, and acceptable knowledge; and the current status of technologies and capabilities at site facilities for the identification and assay of radionuclides in RH-TRU waste streams. This report is intended to provide guidance in developing the RH-TRU waste radioassay DQOs, first by establishing a baseline from which to work, second, by identifying needs to fill in the gaps between what is known and achievable today and that which will be required before DQOs can be formulated, and third, by recommending measures that should be taken to assure that the DQOs in fact balance risk and cost with an achievable degree of certainty.

Development of the remote-handled transuranic waste radioassay data quality objectives. An evaluation of RH-TRU waste inventories, characteristics, radioassay methods and capabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meeks, A.M.; Chapman, J.A.

1997-09-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant will accept remote-handled transuranic waste as early as October of 2001. Several tasks must be accomplished to meet this schedule, one of which is the development of Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) and corresponding Quality Assurance Objectives (QAOs) for the assay of radioisotopes in RH-TRU waste. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was assigned the task of providing to the DOE QAO, information necessary to aide in the development of DQOs for the radioassay of RH-TRU waste. Consistent with the DQO process, information needed and presented in this report includes: identification of RH-TRU generator site radionuclide data that may have potential significance to the performance of the WIPP repository or transportation requirements; evaluation of existing methods to measure the identified isotopic and quantitative radionuclide data; evaluation of existing data as a function of site waste streams using documented site information on fuel burnup, radioisotope processing and reprocessing, special research and development activities, measurement collection efforts, and acceptable knowledge; and the current status of technologies and capabilities at site facilities for the identification and assay of radionuclides in RH-TRU waste streams. This report is intended to provide guidance in developing the RH-TRU waste radioassay DQOs, first by establishing a baseline from which to work, second, by identifying needs to fill in the gaps between what is known and achievable today and that which will be required before DQOs can be formulated, and third, by recommending measures that should be taken to assure that the DQOs in fact balance risk and cost with an achievable degree of certainty

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 550: Smoky Contamination Area Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, Patrick K. [Navarro-Intera, LLC (N-I), Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2015-02-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report presents information supporting the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 550: Smoky Contamination Area, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada. CAU 550 includes 19 corrective action sites (CASs), which consist of one weapons-related atmospheric test (Smoky), three safety experiments (Ceres, Oberon, Titania), and 15 debris sites (Table ES-1). The CASs were sorted into the following study groups based on release potential and technical similarities: • Study Group 1, Atmospheric Test • Study Group 2, Safety Experiments • Study Group 3, Washes • Study Group 4, Debris The purpose of this document is to provide justification and documentation supporting the conclusion that no further corrective action is needed for CAU 550 based on implementation of the corrective actions listed in Table ES-1. Corrective action investigation (CAI) activities were performed between August 2012 and October 2013 as set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 550: Smoky Contamination Area; and in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan. The approach for the CAI was to investigate and make data quality objective (DQO) decisions based on the types of releases present. The purpose of the CAI was to fulfill data needs as defined during the DQO process. The CAU 550 dataset of investigation results was evaluated based on a data quality assessment. This assessment demonstrated the dataset is complete and acceptable for use in fulfilling the DQO data needs.

Optical processing of holographic lateral shear interferograms recorded by displacing an object

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyalikov, A M

2008-01-01

A new approach is considered which is used in holographic lateral shear interferometry and allows the combination of the displacement of a phase object under study during the recording of holographic interferograms with the optical processing of displaced and optically conjugate holographic interferograms. Depending on the method of optical processing of such a pair of holographic interferograms, several aberration-free interference patterns are observed, which reflect with different sensitivities variations in the light wave phase caused by the phase object. Due to the lateral shear, which is equal to or exceeds the linear size of the object, the interference patterns of the object are identical to interference patterns obtained in a two-beam, reference-wave interferometer. The possibility of using this method to control optical inhomogeneities in active crystals in solid-state lasers is studied experimentally. (interferometry)

Brain activity related to integrative processes in visual object recognition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gerlach, Christian; Aaside, C T; Humphreys, G W

2002-01-01

We report evidence from a PET activation study that the inferior occipital gyri (likely to include area V2) and the posterior parts of the fusiform and inferior temporal gyri are involved in the integration of visual elements into perceptual wholes (single objects). Of these areas, the fusiform a......) that perceptual and memorial processes can be dissociated on both functional and anatomical grounds. No evidence was obtained for the involvement of the parietal lobes in the integration of single objects....

Processing graspable object images and their nouns is impaired in Parkinson's disease patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Buccino, Giovanni; Dalla Volta, Riccardo; Arabia, Gennarina; Morelli, Maurizio; Chiriaco, Carmelina; Lupo, Angela; Silipo, Franco; Quattrone, Aldo

2018-03-01

According to embodiment, the recruitment of the motor system is necessary to process language material expressing a motor content. Coherently, an impairment of the motor system should affect the capacity to process language items with a motor content. The aim of the present study was to assess the capacity to process graspable objects and their nouns in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and healthy controls. Participants saw photos and nouns depicting graspable and non-graspable objects. Scrambled images and pseudo-words served as control stimuli. At 150 msec after stimulus presentation, they had to respond when the stimulus referred to a real object, and refrain from responding when it was meaningless (go-no go paradigm). In the control group, participants gave slower motor responses for stimuli (both photos and nouns) related to graspable objects as compared to non-graspable ones. This in keeping with data obtained in a previous study with young healthy participants. In the PD group, motor responses were similar for both graspable and non-graspable items. Moreover, error number was significantly greater than in controls. These findings support the notion that when the motor circuits are lesioned, like in PD, patients do not show the typical modulation of motor responses and have troubles in processing graspable objects and their nouns. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Protocol for VOC-Arid ID remediation performance characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tegner, B.J.; Hassig, N.L.; Last, G.V.

1994-09-01

The Volatile Organic Compound-Arid Integrated Demonstration (VOC-Arid ID) is a technology development program sponsored by the US Department of Energy's Office of Technology Development that is targeted to acquire, develop, demonstrate, and deploy new technologies for the remediation of VOC contaminants in the soils and groundwaters of arid DOE sites. Technologies cannot be adequately evaluated unless sufficient site characterization and technology performance data have been collection and analyzed. The responsibility for identifying these data needs has been placed largely on the Principal Investigators (PIs) developing the remediation technology, who usually are not experts in site characterization or in identification of appropriate sampling, analysis, and monitoring techniques to support the field testing. This document provides a protocol for planning the collection of data before, during, and after a test of a new technology. This generic protocol provides the PIs and project managers with a set of steps to follow. The protocol is based on a data collection planning process called the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) process, which was originally developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency and has been expanded by DOE to support site cleanup decisions. The DQO process focuses on the quality and quantity of data required to make decision. Stakeholders to the decisions must negotiate such key inputs to the process as the decision rules that will be used and the acceptable probabilities of making decision errors

Close interpersonal proximity modulates visuomotor processing of object affordances in shared, social space.

Science.gov (United States)

Saccone, Elizabeth J; Szpak, Ancret; Churches, Owen; Nicholls, Michael E R

2018-01-01

Research suggests that the human brain codes manipulable objects as possibilities for action, or affordances, particularly objects close to the body. Near-body space is not only a zone for body-environment interaction but also is socially relevant, as we are driven to preserve our near-body, personal space from others. The current, novel study investigated how close proximity of a stranger modulates visuomotor processing of object affordances in shared, social space. Participants performed a behavioural object recognition task both alone and with a human confederate. All object images were in participants' reachable space but appeared relatively closer to the participant or the confederate. Results revealed when participants were alone, objects in both locations produced an affordance congruency effect but when the confederate was present, only objects nearer the participant elicited the effect. Findings suggest space is divided between strangers to preserve independent near-body space boundaries, and in turn this process influences motor coding for stimuli within that social space. To demonstrate that this visuomotor modulation represents a social phenomenon, rather than a general, attentional effect, two subsequent experiments employed nonhuman joint conditions. Neither a small, Japanese, waving cat statue (Experiment 2) nor a metronome (Experiment 3) modulated the affordance effect as in Experiment 1. These findings suggest a truly social explanation of the key interaction from Experiment 1. This study represents an important step toward understanding object affordance processing in real-world, social contexts and has implications broadly across fields of social action and cognition, and body space representation.

Contextual System of Symbol Structural Recognition based on an Object-Process Methodology

OpenAIRE

Delalandre, Mathieu

2005-01-01

We present in this paper a symbol recognition system for the graphic documents. This one is based on a contextual approach for symbol structural recognition exploiting an Object-Process Methodology. It uses a processing library composed of structural recognition processings and contextual evaluation processings. These processings allow our system to deal with the multi-representation of symbols. The different processings are controlled, in an automatic way, by an inference engine during the r...

Process Architecture for Managing Digital Object Identifiers

Science.gov (United States)

Wanchoo, L.; James, N.; Stolte, E.

2014-12-01

In 2010, NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project implemented a process for registering Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for data products distributed by Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). For the first 3 years, ESDIS evolved the process involving the data provider community in the development of processes for creating and assigning DOIs, and guidelines for the landing page. To accomplish this, ESDIS established two DOI User Working Groups: one for reviewing the DOI process whose recommendations were submitted to ESDIS in February 2014; and the other recently tasked to review and further develop DOI landing page guidelines for ESDIS approval by end of 2014. ESDIS has recently upgraded the DOI system from a manually-driven system to one that largely automates the DOI process. The new automated feature include: a) reviewing the DOI metadata, b) assigning of opaque DOI name if data provider chooses, and c) reserving, registering, and updating the DOIs. The flexibility of reserving the DOI allows data providers to embed and test the DOI in the data product metadata before formally registering with EZID. The DOI update process allows the changing of any DOI metadata except the DOI name unless the name has not been registered. Currently, ESDIS has processed a total of 557 DOIs of which 379 DOIs are registered with EZID and 178 are reserved with ESDIS. The DOI incorporates several metadata elements that effectively identify the data product and the source of availability. Of these elements, the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) attribute has the very important function of identifying the landing page which describes the data product. ESDIS in consultation with data providers in the Earth Science community is currently developing landing page guidelines that specify the key data product descriptive elements to be included on each data product's landing page. This poster will describe in detail the unique automated process and

Navon's classical paradigm concerning local and global processing relates systematically to visual object classification performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerlach, Christian; Poirel, Nicolas

2018-01-10

Forty years ago David Navon tried to tackle a central problem in psychology concerning the time course of perceptual processing: Do we first see the details (local level) followed by the overall outlay (global level) or is it rather the other way around? He did this by developing a now classical paradigm involving the presentation of compound stimuli; large letters composed of smaller letters. Despite the usefulness of this paradigm it remains uncertain whether effects found with compound stimuli relate directly to visual object recognition. It does so because compound stimuli are not actual objects but rather formations of elements and because the elements that form the global shape of compound stimuli are not features of the global shape but rather objects in their own right. To examine the relationship between performance on Navon's paradigm and visual object processing we derived two indexes from Navon's paradigm that reflect different aspects of the relationship between global and local processing. We find that individual differences on these indexes can explain a considerable amount of variance in two standard object classification paradigms; object decision and superordinate categorization, suggesting that Navon's paradigm does relate to visual object processing.

Multi-objective optimization of two alkali catalyzed processes for biodiesel from waste cooking oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patle, Dipesh S.; Sharma, Shivom; Ahmad, Z.; Rangaiah, G.P.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Biodiesel processes use waste cooking oil and are close to industrial practice. • Detailed constituents of waste cooking oil and detailed kinetics are used. • Two complete processes are optimized for economic and environmental objectives. • Obtained trade-offs provide deeper understanding and alternative optimal solutions. - Abstract: In view of the finite availability and environmental concerns of fossil fuels, biodiesel is one of the promising fuel alternatives. This study considers waste cooking palm oil with 6% free fatty acids (FFA) as feed-stock, which facilitates its better utilization and promotes sustainability. Two biodiesel production processes (both involving esterification catalyzed by sulfuric acid and trans-esterification catalyzed by sodium hydroxide) are compared for economic and environmental objectives. Firstly, these processes are simulated, considering detailed constituents of palm oil and also detailed kinetics for both esterification and trans-esterification, in Aspen Plus simulator. Subsequently, both the processes are optimized considering profit, heat duty and organic waste as objectives, and using an Excel-based multi-objective optimization (EMOO) program for the elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II). The results show that the profit improves with the increase in heat duty, and that the profit increase is accompanied by larger amount of organic waste. Process 1 having three trans-esterification reactors produces significantly lower organic waste (by 32%), requires lower heat duty (by 39%) and slightly more profitable (by 1.6%) compared to Process 2 having a single trans-esterification reactor and also a different separation sequence. Overall, the obtained quantitative trade-offs between objectives enable better decision making about the process design for biodiesel production from waste cooking oil

Product assurance planning in an environment of increased need for accountability

Science.gov (United States)

Esparza, V.; Casey, C.

1991-10-01

Projects producing data are too often providing a product that is neither defensible nor usable. Instead of planning for data of known and required quality, managers are too often asking for (and getting) the wrong thing. The problem is a lack of correct planning strategy. A planning strategy to produce usable, defensible data requires communication from the customer to top-level management and from top-level management to the project leader, who must then communicate with the technical experts who will run the project. EPA requires that data quality objectives (DQOs) be derived for RI/FS projects. The DQO process is a top-down planning process that requires two-way communication; some organizations do not have structures suited for implementing DQOs as mandated by EPA. This paper discusses specific tools for imposing structure that will make the DQO process easier to follow for many organizations. The tools include a steering committee, a test design team, and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) matrices. The steering committee is a strong technical forum that can develop technical issues systematically and break down technical issues into manageable pieces that can be stated as test objectives. The test design team plans each test, systematically designs the test matrix, and guides the completion of test documentation that will be used to defend the data collected. QFD matrices are used as tools by both steering committee and test design team as a highly structured, systematic means of relating top-level (customer) requirements to data quality needs and measurement system design.

Functional Dissociations within the Ventral Object Processing Pathway: Cognitive Modules or a Hierarchical Continuum?

Science.gov (United States)

Cowell, Rosemary A.; Bussey, Timothy J.; Saksida, Lisa M.

2010-01-01

We examined the organization and function of the ventral object processing pathway. The prevailing theoretical approach in this field holds that the ventral object processing stream has a modular organization, in which visual perception is carried out in posterior regions and visual memory is carried out, independently, in the anterior temporal…

A multi-objective optimization for brush monofilament tufting process design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Salmasnia

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the optimization of monofilament tufting process as the most important and the main stage of toothbrush production in sanitary industries. In order to minimize both process time and depreciation costs, and ultimately increase the production efficiency in such an industrial unit, we propose a metaheuristic based optimization approach to solve it. The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP is used to formulate the proposed problem. Then by using multi-objective evolutionary algorithms, NSGA-II and MOPSO, we seek to obtain the best solution and objective functions described above. Extensive computational experiments on three different kinds of toothbrush handles are performed and the results demonstrate the applicability and appropriate performance of algorithms. The comparison metrics like spacing, number of Pareto solutions, time, mean distance from the ideal solution and diversity are used to evaluate the quality of solutions. Moreover a sensitivity analysis is done for investigation of the performance in various setting of parameters.

A single-rate context-dependent learning process underlies rapid adaptation to familiar object dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ingram, James N; Howard, Ian S; Flanagan, J Randall; Wolpert, Daniel M

2011-09-01

Motor learning has been extensively studied using dynamic (force-field) perturbations. These induce movement errors that result in adaptive changes to the motor commands. Several state-space models have been developed to explain how trial-by-trial errors drive the progressive adaptation observed in such studies. These models have been applied to adaptation involving novel dynamics, which typically occurs over tens to hundreds of trials, and which appears to be mediated by a dual-rate adaptation process. In contrast, when manipulating objects with familiar dynamics, subjects adapt rapidly within a few trials. Here, we apply state-space models to familiar dynamics, asking whether adaptation is mediated by a single-rate or dual-rate process. Previously, we reported a task in which subjects rotate an object with known dynamics. By presenting the object at different visual orientations, adaptation was shown to be context-specific, with limited generalization to novel orientations. Here we show that a multiple-context state-space model, with a generalization function tuned to visual object orientation, can reproduce the time-course of adaptation and de-adaptation as well as the observed context-dependent behavior. In contrast to the dual-rate process associated with novel dynamics, we show that a single-rate process mediates adaptation to familiar object dynamics. The model predicts that during exposure to the object across multiple orientations, there will be a degree of independence for adaptation and de-adaptation within each context, and that the states associated with all contexts will slowly de-adapt during exposure in one particular context. We confirm these predictions in two new experiments. Results of the current study thus highlight similarities and differences in the processes engaged during exposure to novel versus familiar dynamics. In both cases, adaptation is mediated by multiple context-specific representations. In the case of familiar object dynamics

A single-rate context-dependent learning process underlies rapid adaptation to familiar object dynamics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James N Ingram

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Motor learning has been extensively studied using dynamic (force-field perturbations. These induce movement errors that result in adaptive changes to the motor commands. Several state-space models have been developed to explain how trial-by-trial errors drive the progressive adaptation observed in such studies. These models have been applied to adaptation involving novel dynamics, which typically occurs over tens to hundreds of trials, and which appears to be mediated by a dual-rate adaptation process. In contrast, when manipulating objects with familiar dynamics, subjects adapt rapidly within a few trials. Here, we apply state-space models to familiar dynamics, asking whether adaptation is mediated by a single-rate or dual-rate process. Previously, we reported a task in which subjects rotate an object with known dynamics. By presenting the object at different visual orientations, adaptation was shown to be context-specific, with limited generalization to novel orientations. Here we show that a multiple-context state-space model, with a generalization function tuned to visual object orientation, can reproduce the time-course of adaptation and de-adaptation as well as the observed context-dependent behavior. In contrast to the dual-rate process associated with novel dynamics, we show that a single-rate process mediates adaptation to familiar object dynamics. The model predicts that during exposure to the object across multiple orientations, there will be a degree of independence for adaptation and de-adaptation within each context, and that the states associated with all contexts will slowly de-adapt during exposure in one particular context. We confirm these predictions in two new experiments. Results of the current study thus highlight similarities and differences in the processes engaged during exposure to novel versus familiar dynamics. In both cases, adaptation is mediated by multiple context-specific representations. In the case of familiar

Evaluation of cephalogram using multi-objective frequency processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hagiwara, Sakae; Takizawa, Tsutomu; Osako, Miho; Kaneda, Takashi; Kasai, Kazutaka [Nihon Univ., Chiba (Japan). School of Dentistry at Matsudo

2002-12-01

A diagnosis with cephalogram is important for orthodontic treatment. Recently, computed radiography (CR) has been performed to the cephalogram. However, evaluation of multi-objective frequency processing (MFP) for cephalograms has been received little attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cephalogram using MFP CR. At first, 450 lateral cephalograms were made, from 50 orthodontic patients, with 9 possible spatial frequency parameter combinations and a contrast scale held fixed in images processing. For each film, the clarity of radiographic images were estimated and scored with respect to landmark identification (total 26 points, 20 points of hard tissue and 6 points of soft tissue). A specific combination of spatial frequency scales (multi-frequency balance types (MRB) F-type, multi-frequency enhancement (MRE) 8) was proved to be adequate to achieve the optimal image quality in the cephalogram. (author)

Evaluation of cephalogram using multi-objective frequency processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagiwara, Sakae; Takizawa, Tsutomu; Osako, Miho; Kaneda, Takashi; Kasai, Kazutaka

2002-01-01

A diagnosis with cephalogram is important for orthodontic treatment. Recently, computed radiography (CR) has been performed to the cephalogram. However, evaluation of multi-objective frequency processing (MFP) for cephalograms has been received little attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cephalogram using MFP CR. At first, 450 lateral cephalograms were made, from 50 orthodontic patients, with 9 possible spatial frequency parameter combinations and a contrast scale held fixed in images processing. For each film, the clarity of radiographic images were estimated and scored with respect to landmark identification (total 26 points, 20 points of hard tissue and 6 points of soft tissue). A specific combination of spatial frequency scales (multi-frequency balance types (MRB) F-type, multi-frequency enhancement (MRE) 8) was proved to be adequate to achieve the optimal image quality in the cephalogram. (author)

Prioritization of pavement maintenance sections using objective based Analytic Hierarchy Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarfaraz Ahmed

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP method for the prioritization of pavement maintenance sections is widespread now-a-days. Although the evaluation of pavement maintenance section through AHP method is simple, where the relative importance (on Saaty’s scale assigned to each parameter in the hierarchy varies between the experts (transportation professionals consulted, which leads to discrepancies in the final rankings of the sections’, due to the subjectivity in the process. Further, experts base their decisions solely on their experience while consideration is not given to the actual quantitative physical condition of the roads. To overcome these difficulties an objective based AHP method is proposed in this study, where pairwise comparison values are assigned based on the collected field data from a road network in Mumbai city, consisting of 28 road sections. The final ranking list of candidate sections takes into consideration the priority weight of alternatives, which reflect the road conditions. The solution of priority ratings of AHP method is compared with the corresponding solution of road condition index method, a traditional pavement maintenance procedure. The findings of the present study suggest that objective based AHP method is more suitable for the prioritization of pavement maintenance of roads. Keywords: Prioritization, Analytic Hierarchy Process, Road condition index, Objective method, Rating and ranking

Indexing, Query Processing, and Clustering of Spatio-Temporal Text Objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovsgaard, Anders

With the increasing mobile use of the web from geo-positioned devices, the Internet is increasingly acquiring a spatial aspect, with still more types of content being geo-tagged. As a result of this development, a wide range of location-aware queries and applications have emerged. The large amounts...... of data available coupled with the increasing number of location-aware queries calls for efficient indexing and query processing techniques. This dissertation investigates how to manage geo-tagged text content to support these workloads in three specific areas: (i) grouping of spatio-textual objects, (ii......, the grouping of spatio-textual objects is done without considering query locations, and a clustering approach is proposed that takes into account both the spatial and textual attributes of the objects. The technique expands clusters based on a proposed quality function that enables clusters of arbitrary shape...

Functional Activation in the Ventral Object Processing Pathway during the First Year

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa eWilcox

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Infants' capacity to represent objects in visual working memory changes substantially during the first year of life. There is a growing body of research focused on identifying neural mechanisms that support this emerging capacity, and the extent to which visual object processing elicits different patterns of cortical activation in the infant as compared to the adult. Recent studies have identified areas in temporal and occipital cortex that mediate infants' developing capacity to track objects on the basis of their featural properties. The current research (Experiments 1 and 2 assessed patterns of activation in posterior temporal cortex and occipital cortex using fNIRS in infants 3 to 13 months of age as they viewed occlusion events. In the occlusion events, either the same object or featurally distinct objects emerged to each side of a screen. The outcome of these studies, combined, revealed that in infants 3 to 6 months, posterior temporal cortex was activated to all events, regardless of the featural properties of the objects and whether the event involved one object or two (featurally distinct objects. Infants 7 to 8 infants months showed a waning posterior temporal response and by 10 to 13 months this response was negligible. Additional analysis showed that the age groups did not differ in their visual attention to the events and that changes in HbO were better explained by age in days than head circumference. In contrast to posterior temporal cortex, robust activation was obtained in occipital cortex across all ages tested. One interpretation of these results is that they reflect pruning of the visual object-processing network during the first year. The functional contribution of occipital and posterior temporal cortex, along with higher-level temporal areas, to infants' capacity to keep track of distinct entities in visual working memory is discussed.

An object-oriented model for complex bills of materials in process industries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vegetti M.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, many process industries have been forced to drastically increase their product variety and adopt mass customization production strategies. Many of them have found that traditional bill of material (BOM processing systems do not sufficiently support the maintenance of the very large amounts of data (concerned with product structure demanded by these new production policies. Due to the use of BOM technology within the framework of integrated information systems, there is a demand for both (i a new representation of BOMs, able to deal efficiently with product variants and to handle decomposition-based production strategies, and (ii its corresponding BOM information processing system. This paper describes a conceptual representation that integrates elements of semantic relationships with object-oriented concepts to develop a data model for a hybrid bill of materials. The proposed semantic relationships include composed-of, decomposed-into, variant-of, restriction-of, and their corresponding reverse relationships. The conceptual model has been implemented using object-oriented data-based management system (OODBMS technology that allows creation of persistent Java objects. Preliminary tests show a remarkable reduction in the number of relationships when compared with former approaches.

Development of an energy module for the multi-objective optimisation of complex distillation processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tijani, Alhassan Salami

2010-06-04

Reduction of energy consumption has increasingly come into sharp focus in the chemical process industry. This is of great value not only for existing plant but also for the development of new processes. Therefore, the challenge for process design engineers to develop an integrated chemical process that simultaneously satisfies economic and environmental objectives has increased considerably. Particularly, multi-objective optimization in the chemical industry has become increasingly popular during the last decade. The main problem lies, in selecting the alternative best design during decision making with multiple and often conflicting objectives. This thesis work presents a methodology for the multi-objective optimization of process design alternatives under economic and environmental objectives and also to establish the linkage between exergy and the environment. Four distillation units design alternatives with increasing level of heat integration were considered. Each design is analysed from exergy, potential environmental impact (PEI) and economic point of view. A non-dominated solution known as the ''Pareto optimal solution'' is generated for decision making. The thermodynamic efficiency indicates where exergy losses occur. The demand for industrial process heat by means of solar energy has generated much interest because it offers an innovative way to reduce operating cost and improve clean renewable electric power. Concentrated Solar Thermal Power (CSP) can provide solution to global energy problems within a relatively short time and is capable of contributing to carbon dioxide reduction, which is an important step towards zero emissions in the process industries. This work provides an overview of a simulation model to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of two case studies of solar thermal power plants. A methodology is presented to integrate solar thermal power plant into industrial processes and this is then compared with an existing

Development of an energy module for the multi-objective optimisation of complex distillation processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tijani, Alhassan Salami

2010-06-04

Reduction of energy consumption has increasingly come into sharp focus in the chemical process industry. This is of great value not only for existing plant but also for the development of new processes. Therefore, the challenge for process design engineers to develop an integrated chemical process that simultaneously satisfies economic and environmental objectives has increased considerably. Particularly, multi-objective optimization in the chemical industry has become increasingly popular during the last decade. The main problem lies, in selecting the alternative best design during decision making with multiple and often conflicting objectives. This thesis work presents a methodology for the multi-objective optimization of process design alternatives under economic and environmental objectives and also to establish the linkage between exergy and the environment. Four distillation units design alternatives with increasing level of heat integration were considered. Each design is analysed from exergy, potential environmental impact (PEI) and economic point of view. A non-dominated solution known as the ''Pareto optimal solution'' is generated for decision making. The thermodynamic efficiency indicates where exergy losses occur. The demand for industrial process heat by means of solar energy has generated much interest because it offers an innovative way to reduce operating cost and improve clean renewable electric power. Concentrated Solar Thermal Power (CSP) can provide solution to global energy problems within a relatively short time and is capable of contributing to carbon dioxide reduction, which is an important step towards zero emissions in the process industries. This work provides an overview of a simulation model to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of two case studies of solar thermal power plants. A methodology is presented to integrate solar thermal power plant into industrial processes and this is then compared with

Tank 241-TX-118, core 236 analytical results for the final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ESCH, R.A.

1998-01-01

This document is the analytical laboratory report for tank 241-TX-118 push mode core segments collected between April 1, 1998 and April 13, 1998. The segments were subsampled and analyzed in accordance with the Tank 241-TX-118 Push Mode Core sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) (Benar, 1997), the Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO) (Dukelow, et al., 1995), the Data Quality Objective to Support Resolution of the Organic Complexant Safety Issue (Organic DQO) (Turner, et al, 1995) and the Historical Model Evaluation Data Requirements (Historical DQO) (Sipson, et al., 1995). The analytical results are included in the data summary table (Table 1). None of the samples submitted for Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) exceeded notification limits as stated in the TSAP (Benar, 1997). One sample exceeded the Total Alpha Activity (AT) analysis notification limit of 38.4microCi/g (based on a bulk density of 1.6), core 236 segment 1 lower half solids (S98T001524). Appropriate notifications were made. Plutonium 239/240 analysis was requested as a secondary analysis. The statistical results of the 95% confidence interval on the mean calculations are provided by the Tank Waste Remediation Systems Technical Basis Group in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (Schreiber, 1997) and are not considered in this report

Optimum design of pultrusion process via evolutionary multi-objective optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tutum, Cem Celal; Baran, Ismet; Deb, Kalyanmoy

2014-01-01

Pultrusion is one of the most cost-effective manufacturing techniques for producing fiber-reinforced composites with constant cross-sectional profiles. This obviously makes it more attractive for both researchers and practitioners to investigate the optimum process parameters, i.e., pulling speed......, power, and dimensions of the heating platens, length and width of the heating die, design of the resin injection chamber, etc., to provide better understanding of the process, consequently to improve the efficiency of the process as well as the product quality. Using validated computer simulations...... this type of problems without any biased treatment of objectives such as weighting constants serving as pre-assumed user preferences. In this paper, first, a thermochemical simulation of the pultrusion process has been presented considering the steady-state conditions. Following that, it is integrated...

Incrementally Detecting Change Types of Spatial Area Object: A Hierarchical Matching Method Considering Change Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanhui Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Detecting and extracting the change types of spatial area objects can track area objects’ spatiotemporal change pattern and provide the change backtracking mechanism for incrementally updating spatial datasets. To respond to the problems of high complexity of detection methods, high redundancy rate of detection factors, and the low automation degree during incrementally update process, we take into account the change process of area objects in an integrated way and propose a hierarchical matching method to detect the nine types of changes of area objects, while minimizing the complexity of the algorithm and the redundancy rate of detection factors. We illustrate in details the identification, extraction, and database entry of change types, and how we achieve a close connection and organic coupling of incremental information extraction and object type-of-change detection so as to characterize the whole change process. The experimental results show that this method can successfully detect incremental information about area objects in practical applications, with the overall accuracy reaching above 90%, which is much higher than the existing weighted matching method, making it quite feasible and applicable. It helps establish the corresponding relation between new-version and old-version objects, and facilitate the linked update processing and quality control of spatial data.

Object-oriented process dose modeling for glovebox operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boerigter, S.T.; Fasel, J.H.; Kornreich, D.E.

1999-01-01

The Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory supports several defense and nondefense-related missions for the country by performing fabrication, surveillance, and research and development for materials and components that contain plutonium. Most operations occur in rooms with one or more arrays of gloveboxes connected to each other via trolley gloveboxes. Minimizing the effective dose equivalent (EDE) is a growing concern as a result of steadily declining allowable dose limits being imposed and a growing general awareness of safety in the workplace. In general, the authors discriminate three components of a worker's total EDE: the primary EDE, the secondary EDE, and background EDE. A particular background source of interest is the nuclear materials vault. The distinction between sources inside and outside of a particular room is arbitrary with the underlying assumption that building walls and floors provide significant shielding to justify including sources in other rooms in the background category. Los Alamos has developed the Process Modeling System (ProMoS) primarily for performing process analyses of nuclear operations. ProMoS is an object-oriented, discrete-event simulation package that has been used to analyze operations at Los Alamos and proposed facilities such as the new fabrication facilities for the Complex-21 effort. In the past, crude estimates of the process dose (the EDE received when a particular process occurred), room dose (the EDE received when a particular process occurred in a given room), and facility dose (the EDE received when a particular process occurred in the facility) were used to obtain an integrated EDE for a given process. Modifications to the ProMoS package were made to utilize secondary dose information to use dose modeling to enhance the process modeling efforts

Using the analytic hierarchy process to support teams in defining new product objectives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hummel, J.M.; Verkerke, G.J.; van Rossum, W.; Rakhorst, G.; Hummel, J.M.

2001-01-01

Defining new product objectives is a critical problem solving activity to new product success. The analytic hierarchy process appears to be an adequate technique for multi-criteria decision analysis to support the definition of new product objectives. To illustrate this support, we applied this

Combined object-oriented approach for development of process control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonova, I.; Batchkova, I.

2013-01-01

Full text: The traditional approaches for development of software control system in automation an information technology based on a directly code creation are no longer effective and successful enough. The response to these challenges is the Model Driven Engineering (MDE) or its counter part in the field of architectures Model Driven Architecture (MDA). One of the most promising approach supporting MDE and MDA is UML. It does not specify a methodology for software or system design but aims to provide an integrated modeling framework for structural, functional and behavior descriptions. The success of UML in many object-oriented approaches led to an idea of applying UML to design of multi agent systems. The approach proposed in this paper applies modified Harmony methodology and is based on the combined use of UML profile for system engineering, IEC61499 standard and FIPA standard protocols. The benefits of object-oriented paradigm and the models of IEC61499 standard are extended with UML/SysML and FIPA notations. The development phases are illustrated with the UML models of a simple process control system. The main benefits of using the proposed approach can be summarized as: it provides consistency in the syntax and underlying semantics; increases the potential and likelihood of reuse; supports the whole software development life cycle in the field of process control. Including the SysML features, based on extended activity and parametric diagrams, flow ports and items to the proposed approach opens the possibilities for modeling of continuous system and support the development in field of process control. Another advantage, connected to the UML/MARTE profile is the possibility for analysis of the designed system and detailed design of the hardware and software platform of the modeled application. Key words: object-oriented modeling, control system, UML, SysML, IEC 61499

Tank 241-AN-104, cores 163 and 164 analytical results for the final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steen, F.H.

1997-01-01

This document is the analytical laboratory report for tank 241-AN-104 push mode core segments collected between August 8, 1996 and September 12, 1996. The segments were subsampled and analyzed in accordance with the Tank 241-AAr-1 04 Push Mode Core Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) (Winkelman, 1996), the Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO) (Dukelow, et at., 1995) and the Flammable Gas Data Quality Objective (DQO) (Benar, 1995). The analytical results are included in a data summary table. None of the samples submitted for Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Total Alpha Activity (AT), Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Plutonium analyses (239,240 Pu) exceeded notification limits as stated in the TSAP. The statistical results of the 95% confidence interval on the mean calculations are provided by the Tank Waste Remediation Systems Technical Basis Group in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (Schreiber, 1997) and not considered in this report

Birth of the Object: Detection of Objectness and Extraction of Object Shape through Object Action Complexes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kraft, Dirk; Pugeault, Nicolas; Baseski, Emre

2008-01-01

We describe a process in which the segmentation of objects as well as the extraction of the object shape becomes realized through active exploration of a robot vision system. In the exploration process, two behavioral modules that link robot actions to the visual and haptic perception of objects...... interact. First, by making use of an object independent grasping mechanism, physical control over potential objects can be gained. Having evaluated the initial grasping mechanism as being successful, a second behavior extracts the object shape by making use of prediction based on the motion induced...... system, knowledge about its own embodiment as well as knowledge about geometric relationships such as rigid body motion. This prior knowledge allows the extraction of representations that are semantically richer compared to many other approaches....

Environmental Aspects, Objectives and Targets Identification Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, R.

2002-01-01

The purpose of this report is to document the environmental aspects and associated environmental impacts of the Bechtel SAIC Company (BSC) scope of work, evaluate the significance of those environmental aspects based on established criteria, and establish environmental objectives and targets for specific environmental aspects. This report is intended to be used by environmental staff in the evaluation of BSC work packages during the annual risk-based planning process. This report shall be fully reviewed and revised annually during the annual work planning process to reflect changes in BSC operations, facilities, and scope of work. Planned BSC work will be evaluated to determine if the work is covered by a previously defined activity, product or service (see Table 2); if work activities require redefinition or addition of a new activity; and if the significant evaluation for each environment aspect is still valid based on scope of planned work. New workscope initiated during the fiscal year through the Baseline Change Proposal process (i.e., not as part of the annual work plan) also will be reviewed for new environmental aspects and determination of whether the new workscope would change the significance rating of any environmental aspect. If a new environmental aspect is identified in a new work activity, product, or service but the aspect is not determined to be significant (see Section 4), then this report can be changed through an interim change notice (ICN). This report can be changed five times through an ICN before a full revision is required. However, if new workscope causes an environmental aspect to be graded as significant using the evaluation process in Section 4, this report shall be revised though a full review and revision

BIODEGRADABILIDAD DE LAS DIFERENTES FRACCIONES DE AGUA RESIDUAL PRODUCIDAS EN UNA TENERÍA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Carolina Pire Sierra

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Los efluentes de las tenerías están conformados por componentes orgánicos con diferentes niveles de biodegradabilidad, conocer su contenido biodegradable e inerte permite seleccionar los tratamientos de depuración más adecuados. El fraccionamiento de la materia orgánica, medida como demanda química de oxígeno (DQO, permitió cuantificar el contenido de DQO fácilmente biodegradable (DQOFB, DQO lentamente biodegradable (DQOLB, DQO no biodegradable soluble (DQONBs, y DQO no biodegradable particulada (DQONBp, contenidas en tres tipos de efluentes producidos en una tenería (mezcla pelambre-teñido, mezcla curtidoteñido y el efluente almacenado en una laguna. El objetivo fue seleccionar el efluente con mejores características de biodegradabilidad y así proponer los tratamientos de depuración más adecuados. Para tal fin, se utilizó un reactor por carga de 2 L de capacidad, alimentado con 70% de efluente industrial y 30% de biomasa. El sistema permaneció aireado durante el ciclo (24 h. Se midió la DQO total y soluble del agua residual cruda y licor mezcla, al inicio y al final del proceso. Se concluyó que el efluente con mayor contenido de DQO biodegradable fue el almacenado en la laguna con 57,4%, conformado por 33,1% de DQOFB y 24,3% de DQOLB, mientras que los efluentes segregados P-T y C-T mostraron menor contenido de DQO biodegradable (35,8 y 34,0%, respectivamente. Por lo tanto, el fraccionamiento de la DQO mostró que un tratamiento biológico sería más efectivo para tratar los efluentes almacenados en la laguna, porque podría remover hasta 57,4% de DQO por vía biológica. Así mismo, los resultados mostraron que se requería de un postratamiento que removiera la parte coloidal de la fracción no biodegradable (29,0% DQONBs y 13,6% DQONBp.

The efficiency of two anaerobic reactor components; Eficiencias de dos componentes de un reactor anaerobio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vazquez Borges, E.; Mendez Novelo, R.; Magana Pietra, A. [Facultad de Ingenieria. Universidad de Yucatan (Mexico); Martinez Pereda, P.; Fernandez Villagomez, G. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Division de Estudios de posgrado de la Facultad de Ingenieria. Mexico (Mexico)

1997-09-01

This study examined the behaviour of an anaerobic digester in treating pig farm sewage. The experimental model consisted of a UASB reactor at the bottom and a high-rate sedimentator at the top with a total capacity of 534 litres. The digester was installed on a pig farm and its performance under different operating conditions was determined, with hydraulic retention time (HRT) as the critical parameter for evaluating the anaerobic system`s efficiency. The results obtained during the experiment to establish the critical operating parameters are reported. The organic loads applied for a HRT of 1 day were 7.3 kg/m``3/day of total DQO and 3 kg/m``3/day of soluble DQO, following organic matter removal rates (as total DQO) of 36% and 49% respectively and removal rates (as soluble DQO) of 74% in the UASB and 8% in the sedimentator. The efficiency of the reactor as a whole at this HRT time was a removal rate of 74% of total DQO and 75% of soluble DQO. (Author) 25 refs.

Adaptive Moving Object Tracking Integrating Neural Networks And Intelligent Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, James S. J.; Nguyen, Dziem D.; Lin, C.

1989-03-01

A real-time adaptive scheme is introduced to detect and track moving objects under noisy, dynamic conditions including moving sensors. This approach integrates the adaptiveness and incremental learning characteristics of neural networks with intelligent reasoning and process control. Spatiotemporal filtering is used to detect and analyze motion, exploiting the speed and accuracy of multiresolution processing. A neural network algorithm constitutes the basic computational structure for classification. A recognition and learning controller guides the on-line training of the network, and invokes pattern recognition to determine processing parameters dynamically and to verify detection results. A tracking controller acts as the central control unit, so that tracking goals direct the over-all system. Performance is benchmarked against the Widrow-Hoff algorithm, for target detection scenarios presented in diverse FLIR image sequences. Efficient algorithm design ensures that this recognition and control scheme, implemented in software and commercially available image processing hardware, meets the real-time requirements of tracking applications.

Tank 241-AX-103, cores 212 and 214 analytical results for the final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steen, F.H.

1998-01-01

This document is the analytical laboratory report for tank 241-AX-103 push mode core segments collected between July 30, 1997 and August 11, 1997. The segments were subsampled and analyzed in accordance with the Tank 241-AX-103 Push Mode Core Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) (Comer, 1997), the Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO) (Dukelow, et al., 1995) and the Data Quality Objective to Support Resolution of the Organic Complexant Safety Issue (Organic DQO) (Turner, et al., 1995). The analytical results are included in the data summary table (Table 1). None of the samples submitted for Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Total Alpha Activity (AT), plutonium 239 (Pu239), and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) exceeded notification limits as stated in the TSAP (Conner, 1997). The statistical results of the 95% confidence interval on the mean calculations are provided by the Tank Waste Remediation Systems Technical Basis Group in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (Schreiber, 1997) and not considered in this report

Development of Tool Representations in the Dorsal and Ventral Visual Object Processing Pathways

Science.gov (United States)

Kersey, Alyssa J.; Clark, Tyia S.; Lussier, Courtney A.; Mahon, Bradford Z.; Cantlon, Jessica F.

2016-01-01

Tools represent a special class of objects, because they are processed across both the dorsal and ventral visual object processing pathways. Three core regions are known to be involved in tool processing: the left posterior middle temporal gyrus, the medial fusiform gyrus (bilaterally), and the left inferior parietal lobule. A critical and relatively unexplored issue concerns whether, in development, tool preferences emerge at the same time and to a similar degree across all regions of the tool-processing network. To test this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure the neural amplitude, peak location, and the dispersion of tool-related neural responses in the youngest sample of children tested to date in this domain (ages 4–8 years). We show that children recruit overlapping regions of the adult tool-processing network and also exhibit similar patterns of co-activation across the network to adults. The amplitude and co-activation data show that the core components of the tool-processing network are established by age 4. Our findings on the distributions of peak location and dispersion of activation indicate that the tool network undergoes refinement between ages 4 and 8 years. PMID:26108614

Object and technologies in the working process of an itinerant team in mental health.

Science.gov (United States)

Eslabão, Adriane Domingues; Pinho, Leandro Barbosa de; Coimbra, Valéria Cristina Christello; Lima, Maria Alice Dias da Silva; Camatta, Marcio Wagner; Santos, Elitiele Ortiz Dos

2017-01-01

Objective To analyze the work object and the technologies in the working process of a Mental Health Itinerant Team in the attention to drug users. Methods Qualitative case study, carried out in a municipality in the South of Brazil. The theoretical framework was the Healthcare Labor Process. The data was collected through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with the professionals of an itinerant team in the year of 2015. For data analysis we used the Thematic Content Analysis. Results In the first empirical category - work object - the user is considered as a focus, bringing new challenges in the team's relationship with the network. In the second category - technologies of the work process - potentialities and contradictions of the team work tools are highlighted. Conclusions As an innovation in the mental health context, the itinerant team brings real possibilities to reinvent the care for the drug user as well as new institutional challenges.

AIRCRAFT POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM DESIGN PROCESS AS AN AUTOMATION OBJECT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris V. Zhmurov

2018-01-01

aircraft and take into account all the requirements of the customer and the regulatory and technical documentation is its automation.Automation of the design of EPS aircraft as an optimization task involves the formalization of the object of optimization, as well as the choice of the criterion of efficiency and control actions. Under the object of optimization in this case we mean the design process of the EPS, the formalization of which includes formalization and the design object – the aircraft power supply system.

Dissociable intrinsic functional networks support noun-object and verb-action processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Huichao; Lin, Qixiang; Han, Zaizhu; Li, Hongyu; Song, Luping; Chen, Lingjuan; He, Yong; Bi, Yanchao

2017-12-01

The processing mechanism of verbs-actions and nouns-objects is a central topic of language research, with robust evidence for behavioral dissociation. The neural basis for these two major word and/or conceptual classes, however, remains controversial. Two experiments were conducted to study this question from the network perspective. Experiment 1 found that nodes of the same class, obtained through task-evoked brain imaging meta-analyses, were more strongly connected with each other than nodes of different classes during resting-state, forming segregated network modules. Experiment 2 examined the behavioral relevance of these intrinsic networks using data from 88 brain-damaged patients, finding that across patients the relative strength of functional connectivity of the two networks significantly correlated with the noun-object vs. verb-action relative behavioral performances. In summary, we found that verbs-actions and nouns-objects are supported by separable intrinsic functional networks and that the integrity of such networks accounts for the relative noun-object- and verb-action-selective deficits. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Processing ser and estar to locate objects and events

Science.gov (United States)

Dussias, Paola E.; Contemori, Carla; Román, Patricia

2016-01-01

In Spanish locative constructions, a different form of the copula is selected in relation to the semantic properties of the grammatical subject: sentences that locate objects require estar while those that locate events require ser (both translated in English as ‘to be’). In an ERP study, we examined whether second language (L2) speakers of Spanish are sensitive to the selectional restrictions that the different types of subjects impose on the choice of the two copulas. Twenty-four native speakers of Spanish and two groups of L2 Spanish speakers (24 beginners and 18 advanced speakers) were recruited to investigate the processing of ‘object/event + estar/ser’ permutations. Participants provided grammaticality judgments on correct (object + estar; event + ser) and incorrect (object + ser; event + estar) sentences while their brain activity was recorded. In line with previous studies (Leone-Fernández, Molinaro, Carreiras, & Barber, 2012; Sera, Gathje, & Pintado, 1999), the results of the grammaticality judgment for the native speakers showed that participants correctly accepted object + estar and event + ser constructions. In addition, while ‘object + ser’ constructions were considered grossly ungrammatical, ‘event + estar’ combinations were perceived as unacceptable to a lesser degree. For these same participants, ERP recording time-locked to the onset of the critical word ‘en’ showed a larger P600 for the ser predicates when the subject was an object than when it was an event (*La silla es en la cocina vs. La fiesta es en la cocina). This P600 effect is consistent with syntactic repair of the defining predicate when it does not fit with the adequate semantic properties of the subject. For estar predicates (La silla está en la cocina vs. *La fiesta está en la cocina), the findings showed a central-frontal negativity between 500–700 ms. Grammaticality judgment data for the L2 speakers of Spanish showed that beginners were significantly less

Multi-objective optimization of p-xylene oxidation process using an improved self-adaptive differential evolution algorithm

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Lili Tao; Bin Xu; Zhihua Hu; Weimin Zhong

2017-01-01

The rise in the use of global polyester fiber contributed to strong demand of the Terephthalic acid (TPA). The liquid-phase catalytic oxidation of p-xylene (PX) to TPA is regarded as a critical and efficient chemical process in industry [1]. PX oxidation reaction involves many complex side reactions, among which acetic acid combustion and PX combustion are the most important. As the target product of this oxidation process, the quality and yield of TPA are of great concern. However, the improvement of the qualified product yield can bring about the high energy consumption, which means that the economic objectives of this process cannot be achieved simulta-neously because the two objectives are in conflict with each other. In this paper, an improved self-adaptive multi-objective differential evolution algorithm was proposed to handle the multi-objective optimization prob-lems. The immune concept is introduced to the self-adaptive multi-objective differential evolution algorithm (SADE) to strengthen the local search ability and optimization accuracy. The proposed algorithm is successfully tested on several benchmark test problems, and the performance measures such as convergence and divergence metrics are calculated. Subsequently, the multi-objective optimization of an industrial PX oxidation process is carried out using the proposed immune self-adaptive multi-objective differential evolution algorithm (ISADE). Optimization results indicate that application of ISADE can greatly improve the yield of TPA with low combustion loss without degenerating TA quality.

Bio-objects and the media: the role of communication in bio-objectification processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Maeseele, Pieter; Allgaier, Joachim; Martinelli, Lucia

2013-06-01

The representation of biological innovations in and through communication and media practices is vital for understanding the nature of "bio-objects" and the process we call "bio-objectification." This paper discusses two ideal-typical analytical approaches based on different underlying communication models, ie, the traditional (science- and media-centered) and media sociological (a multi-layered process involving various social actors in defining the meanings of scientific and technological developments) approach. In this analysis, the latter is not only found to be the most promising approach for understanding the circulation, (re)production, and (re)configuration of meanings of bio-objects, but also to interpret the relationship between media and science. On the basis of a few selected examples, this paper highlights how media function as a primary arena for the (re)production and (re)configuration of scientific and biomedical information with regards to bio-objects in the public sphere in general, and toward decision-makers, interest groups, and the public in specific.

Extracting Spatiotemporal Objects from Raster Data to Represent Physical Features and Analyze Related Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Zollweg, J. A.

2017-10-01

Numerous ground-based, airborne, and orbiting platforms provide remotely-sensed data of remarkable spatial resolution at short time intervals. However, this spatiotemporal data is most valuable if it can be processed into information, thereby creating meaning. We live in a world of objects: cars, buildings, farms, etc. On a stormy day, we don't see millions of cubes of atmosphere; we see a thunderstorm `object'. Temporally, we don't see the properties of those individual cubes changing, we see the thunderstorm as a whole evolving and moving. There is a need to represent the bulky, raw spatiotemporal data from remote sensors as a small number of relevant spatiotemporal objects, thereby matching the human brain's perception of the world. This presentation reveals an efficient algorithm and system to extract the objects/features from raster-formatted remotely-sensed data. The system makes use of the Python object-oriented programming language, SciPy/NumPy for matrix manipulation and scientific computation, and export/import to the GeoJSON standard geographic object data format. The example presented will show how thunderstorms can be identified and characterized in a spatiotemporal continuum using a Python program to process raster data from NOAA's High-Resolution Rapid Refresh v2 (HRRRv2) data stream.

A flexible object-based software framework for modeling complex systems with interacting natural and societal processes.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christiansen, J. H.

2000-06-15

The Dynamic Information Architecture System (DIAS) is a flexible, extensible, object-based framework for developing and maintaining complex multidisciplinary simulations. The DIAS infrastructure makes it feasible to build and manipulate complex simulation scenarios in which many thousands of objects can interact via dozens to hundreds of concurrent dynamic processes. The flexibility and extensibility of the DIAS software infrastructure stem mainly from (1) the abstraction of object behaviors, (2) the encapsulation and formalization of model functionality, and (3) the mutability of domain object contents. DIAS simulation objects are inherently capable of highly flexible and heterogeneous spatial realizations. Geospatial graphical representation of DIAS simulation objects is addressed via the GeoViewer, an object-based GIS toolkit application developed at ANL. DIAS simulation capabilities have been extended by inclusion of societal process models generated by the Framework for Addressing Cooperative Extended Transactions (FACET), another object-based framework developed at Argonne National Laboratory. By using FACET models to implement societal behaviors of individuals and organizations within larger DIAS-based natural systems simulations, it has become possible to conveniently address a broad range of issues involving interaction and feedback among natural and societal processes. Example DIAS application areas discussed in this paper include a dynamic virtual oceanic environment, detailed simulation of clinical, physiological, and logistical aspects of health care delivery, and studies of agricultural sustainability of urban centers under environmental stress in ancient Mesopotamia.

Object width modulates object-based attentional selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Nah, Joseph C; Neppi-Modona, Marco; Strother, Lars; Behrmann, Marlene; Shomstein, Sarah

2018-04-24

Visual input typically includes a myriad of objects, some of which are selected for further processing. While these objects vary in shape and size, most evidence supporting object-based guidance of attention is drawn from paradigms employing two identical objects. Importantly, object size is a readily perceived stimulus dimension, and whether it modulates the distribution of attention remains an open question. Across four experiments, the size of the objects in the display was manipulated in a modified version of the two-rectangle paradigm. In Experiment 1, two identical parallel rectangles of two sizes (thin or thick) were presented. Experiments 2-4 employed identical trapezoids (each having a thin and thick end), inverted in orientation. In the experiments, one end of an object was cued and participants performed either a T/L discrimination or a simple target-detection task. Combined results show that, in addition to the standard object-based attentional advantage, there was a further attentional benefit for processing information contained in the thick versus thin end of objects. Additionally, eye-tracking measures demonstrated increased saccade precision towards thick object ends, suggesting that Fitts's Law may play a role in object-based attentional shifts. Taken together, these results suggest that object-based attentional selection is modulated by object width.

LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF PROCESSES OF SORTING OUT OF THE DESTROYED BUILDING OBJECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SHATOV S. V.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Summary. Raising of problem. Natural calamities, technogenic catastrophes and failures, result in destruction of building objects. Under the obstructions of destructions there can be victims. The most widespread technogenic failure are explosions of domestic gas. The structure of obstructions changes depending on parameters and direction of explosion, first of all size and location of wreckages. Sorting out of obstructions is executed by machines and mechanisms which do not answer the requirements of these works, that predetermines falling short of logistical support to the requirements of rescue or restoration works, and it increases terms and labour intensiveness of their conduct. Development of technological decisions is therefore needed for the effective sorting out of destructions of building objects. Purpose. Development of methodology of determination of logistical support of processes of sorting out of destructions of building and building. Conclusion. Experience of works shows on sorting out of the destroyed building objects, that they are executed with the use of imperfect logistical support, which are not taken into account by character of destruction of objects and is based on the use of buildings machines which do not answer the requirements of these processes, that results in considerable resource losses. Building machines with a multipurpose equipment, which provide the increase of efficiency of implementation of rescue and restoration works, are worked out. Methodology of determination of number of technique is worked out for providing of material-supply of sorting out of destructions, in particular on the initial stage of rescue works for liberation of victims from under obstructions.

Optimization of multi-objective integrated process planning and scheduling problem using a priority based optimization algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Ausaf, Muhammad Farhan; Gao, Liang; Li, Xinyu

2015-12-01

For increasing the overall performance of modern manufacturing systems, effective integration of process planning and scheduling functions has been an important area of consideration among researchers. Owing to the complexity of handling process planning and scheduling simultaneously, most of the research work has been limited to solving the integrated process planning and scheduling (IPPS) problem for a single objective function. As there are many conflicting objectives when dealing with process planning and scheduling, real world problems cannot be fully captured considering only a single objective for optimization. Therefore considering multi-objective IPPS (MOIPPS) problem is inevitable. Unfortunately, only a handful of research papers are available on solving MOIPPS problem. In this paper, an optimization algorithm for solving MOIPPS problem is presented. The proposed algorithm uses a set of dispatching rules coupled with priority assignment to optimize the IPPS problem for various objectives like makespan, total machine load, total tardiness, etc. A fixed sized external archive coupled with a crowding distance mechanism is used to store and maintain the non-dominated solutions. To compare the results with other algorithms, a C-matric based method has been used. Instances from four recent papers have been solved to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed method is an efficient approach for solving the MOIPPS problem.

EXTRACTING SPATIOTEMPORAL OBJECTS FROM RASTER DATA TO REPRESENT PHYSICAL FEATURES AND ANALYZE RELATED PROCESSES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. A. Zollweg

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Numerous ground-based, airborne, and orbiting platforms provide remotely-sensed data of remarkable spatial resolution at short time intervals. However, this spatiotemporal data is most valuable if it can be processed into information, thereby creating meaning. We live in a world of objects: cars, buildings, farms, etc. On a stormy day, we don’t see millions of cubes of atmosphere; we see a thunderstorm ‘object’. Temporally, we don’t see the properties of those individual cubes changing, we see the thunderstorm as a whole evolving and moving. There is a need to represent the bulky, raw spatiotemporal data from remote sensors as a small number of relevant spatiotemporal objects, thereby matching the human brain’s perception of the world. This presentation reveals an efficient algorithm and system to extract the objects/features from raster-formatted remotely-sensed data. The system makes use of the Python object-oriented programming language, SciPy/NumPy for matrix manipulation and scientific computation, and export/import to the GeoJSON standard geographic object data format. The example presented will show how thunderstorms can be identified and characterized in a spatiotemporal continuum using a Python program to process raster data from NOAA’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh v2 (HRRRv2 data stream.

Sampling and Analysis Plan for the 233-S Plutonium Concentration Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihalic, M.A.

1998-02-01

This Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) provides the information and instructions to be used for sampling and analysis activities in the 233-S Plutonium Concentration Facility. The information and instructions herein are separated into three parts and address the Data Quality Objective (DQO) Summary Report, Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAP), and SAP

Operation room tool handling and miscommunication scenarios: an object-process methodology conceptual model.

Science.gov (United States)

Wachs, Juan P; Frenkel, Boaz; Dori, Dov

2014-11-01

Errors in the delivery of medical care are the principal cause of inpatient mortality and morbidity, accounting for around 98,000 deaths in the United States of America (USA) annually. Ineffective team communication, especially in the operation room (OR), is a major root of these errors. This miscommunication can be reduced by analyzing and constructing a conceptual model of communication and miscommunication in the OR. We introduce the principles underlying Object-Process Methodology (OPM)-based modeling of the intricate interactions between the surgeon and the surgical technician while handling surgical instruments in the OR. This model is a software- and hardware-independent description of the agents engaged in communication events, their physical activities, and their interactions. The model enables assessing whether the task-related objectives of the surgical procedure were achieved and completed successfully and what errors can occur during the communication. The facts used to construct the model were gathered from observations of various types of operations miscommunications in the operating room and its outcomes. The model takes advantage of the compact ontology of OPM, which is comprised of stateful objects - things that exist physically or informatically, and processes - things that transform objects by creating them, consuming them or changing their state. The modeled communication modalities are verbal and non-verbal, and errors are modeled as processes that deviate from the "sunny day" scenario. Using OPM refinement mechanism of in-zooming, key processes are drilled into and elaborated, along with the objects that are required as agents or instruments, or objects that these processes transform. The model was developed through an iterative process of observation, modeling, group discussions, and simplification. The model faithfully represents the processes related to tool handling that take place in an OR during an operation. The specification is at

Intermediary objects in the workspace design process: means of experience transfer in the offshore sector

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Souza da Conceição, Carolina; Silva, Gislaine; Broberg, Ole

2012-01-01

The aim of this paper is to discuss the use of intermediary objects in the workspace design process of offshore accommodations module. The integration of ergonomics in the design process can lead to better work conditions, more effectiveness in the work process and less health and safety issues...

Influencia de la velocidad de carga orgánica sobre el proceso de digestión anaerobia de aguas de lavado de aceitunas de almazara en reactores de lecho fluidizado

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Borja, Rafael

1998-02-01

Full Text Available A study of the anaerobic digestion process of wastewaters from the washing of olives prior to the oil production process was carried out in a fluidized bed reactor with sepiolite immobilised biomass at 35°G. The bioreactor worked satisfactorily using Influent COD concentrations of 4.5,3.5,2.5 and 1.5 g COD/I for a hydraulic retention time (HRT range of 4.5 to 1,25 days. COD removal efficiencies in the range 50-90% were achieved in the reactor, when evaluated at organic loading rates of between 0.46 and 2.25 g COD/I day using the highest influent substrate concentration (S_o = 4.5 g COD/I. COD and volatile fatty acid (VFA concentration were Increased In parallel with the increase of organic loading rate in the reactor, VFA concentration showing a maximum value of 1.55 g acetic acid/I at the most unfavourable case studied (S_o = 4,5 g COD/I and HRT = 1.25 days. The increase in effluent VFA concentrations was always counteracted by the high alkalinity values (3440-4670 mg CaCO₃/l which brought about the high stability of the process and values of the alkalinity/VFA ratio lower than 0.3-0.5, except for the above-mentioned case, limit value over which the anaerobic process is destabilized. The yield coefficient of methane production was 0.281 methane STP/g COD removed.

Se ha efectuado un estudio del proceso de digestión anaerobia en régimen continuo de aguas de lavado de aceitunas de almazara en un reactor de lecho fluidizado utilizando sepiolita como soporte de adhesión bacteriana a la temperatura de 35°C. El biorreactor operó de modo satisfactorio utilizando concentraciones de alimento de 4,5, 3,5, 2,5, y 1,5 g DQO/I en un rango de 4,5 a 1,25 días de tiempo de retención hidráulico (TRH. Se han obtenido porcentajes de eliminación de DQO entre el 50 y el 90% para velocidades de carga orgánica variables entre 0,46 y 2,25 g DQO/I día utilizando la concentración de alimento más elevada (S

K25/K27 Characterization for Demonstrating Criticality Incredibility K-25 / K-27 D and D Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haghighi, Mahmoud H.; Howe, Kathleen E.; Chandler, John R.

2008-01-01

The K-25 and K-27 Buildings are currently undergoing decontamination and decommissioning (D and D) as part of a non-time critical removal action. When the enrichment process was shut-down, the process gas equipment and piping was purged to remove UF 6 , but the process gas system was not generally chemically treated to remove solid holdup. Generally, chemical treatment was completed it was not very effective in removing the larger deposits. Because of this, uranium deposits continue to reside throughout the process gas system. There is the potential for unreacted UF 6 to be present, as well. A key part of this project is to locate the remaining significant uranium deposits and manage them appropriately. Since some process gas components in the K-25 and K-27 Buildings contain enriched uranium holdup, it is important to ensure nuclear criticality safety during demolition or subsequent loading and transport of waste. Therefore, a major task in preparation for demolition is to demonstrate that 'criticality is incredible (CI)' in each building area. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC (BJC) are in agreement that proper and thorough characterization of fissile holdup material in the K-25 and K-27 process gas components is a key element in achieving and demonstrating that criticality is incredible, as well as in management of demolition wastes and collection of holdup material. While the classic project scheduling wisdom may indicate that performing all of the data quality objectives (DQO) and planning before the field work starts, the size of the K-25 / K-27 D and D Project combined with the evolving decommissioning plans and re-plans have indicated that a fresh look at what further characterization data are needed to meet the current project requirements. Performing a DQO in the middle of the project allowed a much greater degree of accuracy of the real project data needs than was possible even 22 months ago. The outcome of the DQO work

Spent nuclear fuel sampling strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergmann, D.W.

1995-01-01

This report proposes a strategy for sampling the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) stored in the 105-K Basins (105-K East and 105-K West). This strategy will support decisions concerning the path forward SNF disposition efforts in the following areas: (1) SNF isolation activities such as repackaging/overpacking to a newly constructed staging facility; (2) conditioning processes for fuel stabilization; and (3) interim storage options. This strategy was developed without following the Data Quality Objective (DQO) methodology. It is, however, intended to augment the SNF project DQOS. The SNF sampling is derived by evaluating the current storage condition of the SNF and the factors that effected SNF corrosion/degradation

Rethinking infant knowledge: toward an adaptive process account of successes and failures in object permanence tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Munakata, Y; McClelland, J L; Johnson, M H; Siegler, R S

1997-10-01

Infants seem sensitive to hidden objects in habituation tasks at 3.5 months but fail to retrieve hidden objects until 8 months. The authors first consider principle-based accounts of these successes and failures, in which early successes imply knowledge of principles and failures are attributed to ancillary deficits. One account is that infants younger than 8 months have the object permanence principle but lack means-ends abilities. To test this, 7-month-olds were trained on means-ends behaviors and were tested on retrieval of visible and occluded toys. Means-ends demands were the same, yet infants made more toy-guided retrievals in the visible case. The authors offer an adaptive process account in which knowledge is graded and embedded in specific behavioral processes. Simulation models that learn gradually to represent occluded objects show how this approach can account for success and failure in object permanence tasks without assuming principles and ancillary deficits.

Neural processes underlying the"same"-"different" judgment of two simultaneously presented objects--an EEG study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruiling Zhang

Full Text Available The present study investigated the neural processes underlying "same" and -"different" judgments for two simultaneously presented objects, that varied on one or both, of two dimensions: color and shape. Participants judged whether or not the two objects were "same" or "different" on either the color dimension (color task or the shape dimension (shape task. The unattended irrelevant dimension of the objects was either congruent (same-same; different-different or incongruent (same-different. ERP data showed a main effect of color congruency in the time window 190-260 ms post-stimulus presentation and a main effect of shape congruency in the time window 220-280 ms post-stimulus presentation in both color and shape tasks. The interaction between color and shape congruency in the ERP data occurred in a later time window than the two main effects, indicating that mismatches in task-relevant and task-irrelevant dimensions were processed automatically and independently before a response was selected. The fact that the interference of the task-irrelevant dimension occurred after mismatch detection, supports a confluence model of processing.

Breaking object correspondence across saccadic eye movements deteriorates object recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian H. Poth

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Visual perception is based on information processing during periods of eye fixations that are interrupted by fast saccadic eye movements. The ability to sample and relate information on task-relevant objects across fixations implies that correspondence between presaccadic and postsaccadic objects is established. Postsaccadic object information usually updates and overwrites information on the corresponding presaccadic object. The presaccadic object representation is then lost. In contrast, the presaccadic object is conserved when object correspondence is broken. This helps transsaccadic memory but it may impose attentional costs on object recognition. Therefore, we investigated how breaking object correspondence across the saccade affects postsaccadic object recognition. In Experiment 1, object correspondence was broken by a brief postsaccadic blank screen. Observers made a saccade to a peripheral object which was displaced during the saccade. This object reappeared either immediately after the saccade or after the blank screen. Within the postsaccadic object, a letter was briefly presented (terminated by a mask. Observers reported displacement direction and letter identity in different blocks. Breaking object correspondence by blanking improved displacement identification but deteriorated postsaccadic letter recognition. In Experiment 2, object correspondence was broken by changing the object’s contrast-polarity. There were no object displacements and observers only reported letter identity. Again, breaking object correspondence deteriorated postsaccadic letter recognition. These findings identify transsaccadic object correspondence as a key determinant of object recognition across the saccade. This is in line with the recent hypothesis that breaking object correspondence results in separate representations of presaccadic and postsaccadic objects which then compete for limited attentional processing resources (Schneider, 2013. Postsaccadic

Double-Shell Tank (DST) Ventilation System Vapor Sampling and Analysis Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

SASAKI, L.M.

2000-01-01

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for vapor samples from the primary ventilation systems of the AN, AP, AW, and AY/AZ tank farms. Sampling will be performed in accordance with Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Hazardous and Radioactive Air Emissions Sampling and Analysis (Air DQO) (Mulkey 1999). The sampling will verify if current air emission estimates used in the permit application are correct and provide information for future air permit applications. Vapor samples will be obtained from tank farm ventilation systems, downstream from the tanks and upstream of any filtration. Samples taken in support of the DQO will consist of SUMMA(trademark) canisters, triple sorbent traps (TSTs), sorbent tube trains (STTs), polyurethane foam (PUF) samples. Particulate filter samples and tritium traps will be taken for radiation screening to allow the release of the samples for analysis. The following sections provide the general methodology and procedures to be used in the preparation, retrieval, transport, analysis, and reporting of results from the vapor samples

Top-down modulation of visual processing and knowledge after 250 ms supports object constancy of category decisions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haline E. Schendan

2015-09-01

Full Text Available People categorize objects slowly when visual input is highly impoverished instead of optimal. While bottom-up models may explain a decision with optimal input, perceptual hypothesis testing (PHT theories implicate top-down processes with impoverished input. Brain mechanisms and the time course of PHT are largely unknown. This event-related potential study used a neuroimaging paradigm that implicated prefrontal cortex in top-down modulation of occipitotemporal cortex. Subjects categorized more impoverished and less impoverished real and pseudo objects. PHT theories predict larger impoverishment effects for real than pseudo objects because top-down processes modulate knowledge only for real objects, but different PHT variants predict different timing. Consistent with parietal-prefrontal PHT variants, around 250 ms, the earliest impoverished real object interaction started on an N3 complex, which reflects interactive cortical activity for object cognition. N3 impoverishment effects localized to both prefrontal and occipitotemporal cortex for real objects only. The N3 also showed knowledge effects by 230 ms that localized to occipitotemporal cortex. Later effects reflected (a word meaning in temporal cortex during the N400, (b internal evaluation of prior decision and memory processes and secondary higher-order memory involving anterotemporal parts of a default mode network during posterior positivity (P600, and (c response related activity in posterior cingulate during an anterior slow wave (SW after 700 ms. Finally, response activity in supplementary motor area during a posterior SW after 900 ms showed impoverishment effects that correlated with RTs. Convergent evidence from studies of vision, memory, and mental imagery which reflects purely top-down inputs, indicates that the N3 reflects the critical top-down processes of PHT. A hybrid multiple-state interactive, PHT and decision theory best explains the visual constancy of object cognition.

Top-down modulation of visual processing and knowledge after 250 ms supports object constancy of category decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Schendan, Haline E; Ganis, Giorgio

2015-01-01

People categorize objects more slowly when visual input is highly impoverished instead of optimal. While bottom-up models may explain a decision with optimal input, perceptual hypothesis testing (PHT) theories implicate top-down processes with impoverished input. Brain mechanisms and the time course of PHT are largely unknown. This event-related potential study used a neuroimaging paradigm that implicated prefrontal cortex in top-down modulation of occipitotemporal cortex. Subjects categorized more impoverished and less impoverished real and pseudo objects. PHT theories predict larger impoverishment effects for real than pseudo objects because top-down processes modulate knowledge only for real objects, but different PHT variants predict different timing. Consistent with parietal-prefrontal PHT variants, around 250 ms, the earliest impoverished real object interaction started on an N3 complex, which reflects interactive cortical activity for object cognition. N3 impoverishment effects localized to both prefrontal and occipitotemporal cortex for real objects only. The N3 also showed knowledge effects by 230 ms that localized to occipitotemporal cortex. Later effects reflected (a) word meaning in temporal cortex during the N400, (b) internal evaluation of prior decision and memory processes and secondary higher-order memory involving anterotemporal parts of a default mode network during posterior positivity (P600), and (c) response related activity in posterior cingulate during an anterior slow wave (SW) after 700 ms. Finally, response activity in supplementary motor area during a posterior SW after 900 ms showed impoverishment effects that correlated with RTs. Convergent evidence from studies of vision, memory, and mental imagery which reflects purely top-down inputs, indicates that the N3 reflects the critical top-down processes of PHT. A hybrid multiple-state interactive, PHT and decision theory best explains the visual constancy of object cognition.

A Quasi-Dynamic Optimal Control Strategy for Non-Linear Multivariable Processes Based upon Non-Quadratic Objective Functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jens G. Balchen

1984-10-01

Full Text Available The problem of systematic derivation of a quasi-dynamic optimal control strategy for a non-linear dynamic process based upon a non-quadratic objective function is investigated. The wellknown LQG-control algorithm does not lead to an optimal solution when the process disturbances have non-zero mean. The relationships between the proposed control algorithm and LQG-control are presented. The problem of how to constrain process variables by means of 'penalty' - terms in the objective function is dealt with separately.

Idea work between object worlds - political process in product development?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gish, Liv; Clausen, Christian

product ideas come from a variety of sources, but how do they actually emerge, develop, gain momentum and stabilise (van de Ven 1986) in an organisational setting including a diversity of knowledge domains and perspectives? This paper illustrates how an STS approach including notions of translation......Concerns for companies’ ability to innovate are increasingly focused on so called ‘front-end innovation’ being identified as a space where ideas for new products are created, exchanged and developed. The work with product ideas is claimed as being crucial to the innovation process in companies. New...... of actor networks (Callon 1986), object worlds (Bucciarelli 2005) and political process theory (Dawson et al 2000) can inform the staging of innovative work with product ideas. The paper reports on an in-depth case study of the development of a new product, the so called “A” labelled Alpha Pro circulation...

Community College Management by Objectives: Process, Progress, Problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Deegan, William L.; And Others

The objectives of this book are: (1) to present a theoretical framework for management by objectives in community colleges, (2) to present information about alternative methods for conducting needs assessment and implementing management by objectives, (3) to present a framework for integrating academic and fiscal planning through management by…

Modelling and Bi-objective Optimization of Soil Cutting and Pushing Process for Bulldozer and its Blade

Science.gov (United States)

Barakat, Nada; Sharma, Deepak

2017-12-01

Bulldozer is an earth moving machine, which is mainly used for cutting and pushing soil. The process of soil cutting and pushing involves various decisions making to make it optimum. The decisions are generally made based on the experience of practitioners that may not be optimum for different working conditions. In this paper, a bi-objective optimization problem is modelled so that the optimum values of decision variables can be determined. The objective functions are proposed to make the process economic and productive by minimizing the cutting force on a bulldozer blade and maximizing the blade capacity. A constraint is also developed on the power requirement from a bulldozer to overcome resistance. The problem is solved using ɛ-constraint method and multi-objective genetic algorithm. The approximate Pareto-optimal solutions and their perturbation analysis are presented. Various relationships are evolved from the post-optimal analysis that can be used for making guidelines for decision making for the process. The originality of this paper lies in developing the bi-objective formulation and in presenting various relationships by the post-optimal analysis, which has sparingly done in the domain literature.

Approach and strategy for performing ecological risk assessments for the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation: 1995 revision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suter, G.W. II; Sample, B.E.; Jones, D.S.; Ashwood, T.L.; Loar, J.M.

1995-09-01

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for planning and performing ecological risk assessments (ERAs) on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). It is the third such document prepared for this purpose. The first ecorisk strategy document described the ERA process and presented a tiered approach to ERAs appropriate to complex sites. The first revision was necessitated by the considerable progress that has been made by the parties to the Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA) for the ORR in resolving specific issues relating to ERA as a result of a series of data quality objectives (DQOs) meetings. The tiered approach to ERAs as recommended in the first document was implemented, generic conceptual models were developed, and a general approach for developing ecological assessment endpoints and measurement endpoints was agreed upon. This revision is necessitated by comments from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Region IV and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) which clarified and modified the positions taken during the DQO process. In particular, support for the collection of data that would support ERAs for all OUs on the ORR have been withdrawn. Therefore, the work plan developed to fill the reservation-wide data needs identified in the DQO process has also been withdrawn, and portions that are still relevant have been incorporated into this document. The reader should be aware that this guidance is complex and lengthy because it attempts to cover all the reasonable contingencies that were considered to be potentially important to the FFA parties

Approach and strategy for performing ecological risk assessments for the US Department of Energy`s Oak Ridge Reservation: 1995 revision

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suter, G.W. II; Sample, B.E.; Jones, D.S.; Ashwood, T.L.; Loar, J.M.

1995-09-01

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for planning and performing ecological risk assessments (ERAs) on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). It is the third such document prepared for this purpose. The first ecorisk strategy document described the ERA process and presented a tiered approach to ERAs appropriate to complex sites. The first revision was necessitated by the considerable progress that has been made by the parties to the Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA) for the ORR in resolving specific issues relating to ERA as a result of a series of data quality objectives (DQOs) meetings. The tiered approach to ERAs as recommended in the first document was implemented, generic conceptual models were developed, and a general approach for developing ecological assessment endpoints and measurement endpoints was agreed upon. This revision is necessitated by comments from the US Environmental Protection Agency`s Region IV and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) which clarified and modified the positions taken during the DQO process. In particular, support for the collection of data that would support ERAs for all OUs on the ORR have been withdrawn. Therefore, the work plan developed to fill the reservation-wide data needs identified in the DQO process has also been withdrawn, and portions that are still relevant have been incorporated into this document. The reader should be aware that this guidance is complex and lengthy because it attempts to cover all the reasonable contingencies that were considered to be potentially important to the FFA parties.

Decolorization and mineralization of Diarylide Yellow 12 (PY12) by photo-Fenton process: the Response Surface Methodology as the optimization tool.

Science.gov (United States)

GilPavas, Edison; Dobrosz-Gómez, Izabela; Gómez-García, Miguel Ángel

2012-01-01

The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied as a tool for the optimization of the operational conditions of the photo-degradation of highly concentrated PY12 wastewater, resulting from a textile industry located in the suburbs of Medellin (Colombia). The Box-Behnken experimental Design (BBD) was chosen for the purpose of response optimization. The photo-Fenton process was carried out in a laboratory-scale batch photo-reactor. A multifactorial experimental design was proposed, including the following variables: the initial dyestuff concentration, the H(2)O(2) and the Fe(+2) concentrations, as well as the UV wavelength radiation. The photo-Fenton process performed at the optimized conditions resulted in ca. 100% of dyestuff decolorization, 92% of COD and 82% of TOC degradation. A kinetic study was accomplished, including the identification of some intermediate compounds generated during the oxidation process. The water biodegradability reached a final DBO(5)/DQO = 0.86 value.

Individuating Faces and Common Objects Produces Equal Responses in Putative Face Processing Areas in the Ventral Occipitotemporal Cortex

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Frank Haist

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Controversy surrounds the proposal that specific human cortical regions in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex, commonly called the fusiform face area (FFA and occipital face area (OFA, are specialized for face processing. Here, we present findings from a fMRI study of identity discrimination of faces and objects that demonstrates the FFA and OFA are equally responsive to processing stimuli at the level of individuals (i.e., individuation, be they human faces or non-face objects. The FFA and OFA were defined via a passive viewing task as regions that produced greater activation to faces relative to non-face stimuli within the middle fusiform gyrus and inferior occipital gyrus. In the individuation task, participants judged whether sequentially presented images of faces, diverse objects, or wristwatches depicted the identical or a different exemplar. All three stimulus types produced equivalent BOLD activation within the FFA and OFA; that is, there was no face-specific or face-preferential processing. Critically, individuation processing did not eliminate an object superiority effect relative to faces within a region more closely linked to object processing in the lateral occipital complex (LOC, suggesting that individuation processes are reasonably specific to the FFA and OFA. Taken together, these findings challenge the prevailing view that the FFA and OFA are face-specific processing regions, demonstrating instead that they function to individuate -- i.e., identify specific individuals -- within a category. These findings have significant implications for understanding the function of a brain region widely believed to play an important role in social cognition.

Proposal of flexible atomic and molecular process management for Monte Carlo impurity transport code based on object oriented method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asano, K.; Ohno, N.; Takamura, S.

2001-01-01

Monte Carlo simulation code on impurity transport has been developed by several groups to be utilized mainly for fusion related edge plasmas. State of impurity particle is determined by atomic and molecular processes such as ionization, charge exchange in plasma. A lot of atomic and molecular processes have been considered because the edge plasma has not only impurity atoms, but also impurity molecules mainly related to chemical erosion of carbon materials, and their cross sections have been given experimentally and theoretically. We need to reveal which process is essential in a given edge plasma condition. Monte Carlo simulation code, which takes such various atomic and molecular processes into account, is necessary to investigate the behavior of impurity particle in plasmas. Usually, the impurity transport simulation code has been intended for some specific atomic and molecular processes so that the introduction of a new process forces complicated programming work. In order to evaluate various proposed atomic and molecular processes, a flexible management of atomic and molecular reaction should be established. We have developed the impurity transport simulation code based on object-oriented method. By employing object-oriented programming, we can handle each particle as 'object', which enfolds data and procedure function itself. A user (notice, not programmer) can define property of each particle species and the related atomic and molecular processes and then each 'object' is defined by analyzing this information. According to the relation among plasma particle species, objects are connected with each other and change their state by themselves. Dynamic allocation of these objects to program memory is employed to adapt for arbitrary number of species and atomic/molecular reactions. Thus we can treat arbitrary species and process starting from, for instance, methane and acetylene. Such a software procedure would be useful also for industrial application plasmas

Developmental Changes in Children’s Processing of Redundant Modifiers in Definite Object Descriptions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koolen, Ruud; Krahmer, Emiel; Swerts, Marc

2016-01-01

This paper investigates developmental changes in children’s processing of redundant information in definite object descriptions. In two experiments, children of two age groups (6 or 7, and 9 or 10 years old) were presented with pictures of sweets. In the first experiment (pairwise comparison), two

Bi-Objective Flexible Job-Shop Scheduling Problem Considering Energy Consumption under Stochastic Processing Times.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xin; Zeng, Zhenxiang; Wang, Ruidong; Sun, Xueshan

2016-01-01

This paper presents a novel method on the optimization of bi-objective Flexible Job-shop Scheduling Problem (FJSP) under stochastic processing times. The robust counterpart model and the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) are used to solve the bi-objective FJSP with consideration of the completion time and the total energy consumption under stochastic processing times. The case study on GM Corporation verifies that the NSGA-II used in this paper is effective and has advantages to solve the proposed model comparing with HPSO and PSO+SA. The idea and method of the paper can be generalized widely in the manufacturing industry, because it can reduce the energy consumption of the energy-intensive manufacturing enterprise with less investment when the new approach is applied in existing systems.

Optical derotator alignment using image-processing algorithm for tracking laser vibrometer measurements of rotating objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalil, Hossam; Kim, Dongkyu; Jo, Youngjoon; Park, Kyihwan

2017-06-01

An optical component called a Dove prism is used to rotate the laser beam of a laser-scanning vibrometer (LSV). This is called a derotator and is used for measuring the vibration of rotating objects. The main advantage of a derotator is that it works independently from an LSV. However, this device requires very specific alignment, in which the axis of the Dove prism must coincide with the rotational axis of the object. If the derotator is misaligned with the rotating object, the results of the vibration measurement are imprecise, owing to the alteration of the laser beam on the surface of the rotating object. In this study, a method is proposed for aligning a derotator with a rotating object through an image-processing algorithm that obtains the trajectory of a landmark attached to the object. After the trajectory of the landmark is mathematically modeled, the amount of derotator misalignment with respect to the object is calculated. The accuracy of the proposed method for aligning the derotator with the rotating object is experimentally tested.

Evaluation of mature landfill leachates Treatment systems: the case of the landfill Curva de Rodas (Medellín-Colombia

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Sebastian Canizales

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Los lixiviados producidos en el relleno sanitario clausurado Curva de Rodas de la ciudad de Medellín se catalogan como “lixiviados maduros”, estos se caracterizan por ser un residuo poco biodegradable. En este trabajo se evalúa la eficiencia de cinco posibles tratamientos fisicoquímicos: adsorción con 5 tipos de carbón activado granular (CAG, adsorción con Zeolita tipo A, oxidación Fenton, precipitación química con Ca(OH2 y coagulación- floculación con Sulfato de Aluminio Tipo A. Mediante la adsorción con CAG se alcanzaron remociones de hasta 39% para DQO y 50% para Color. En el caso de adsorción con Zeolita tipo A se lograron remociones de hasta 3% en DQO y 7% en Color. En los ensayos de precipitación química se lograron remociones máximas de 16% en DQO y 50% en color y por el proceso de coagulación-floculación hasta del 27% en DQO y del 63% en color. Los mejores resultados se obtuvieron con el proceso de oxidación Fenton, neutralizando con NaOH se lograron remociones máximas de 95% en DQO y 97% en color. Al neutralizar con lixiviado sin tratar las remociones alcanzadas fueron de hasta 79% en DQO y 87% en color.

Integrated removal of organic load, P, N, on a filters serial system, anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic on dynamic conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Correa Mauricio Andres; Sierra, Jorge Humberto

2004-01-01

This paper shows the results obtained during the operation under dynamic conditions of a three biofilters serial system, anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic at lab scale to evaluate the N, P, and organic matter removal. The reactors were continuously fed for 200 days, including the adherence and stability periods, with hydraulic retention time among 2,27 and 0,66 d. for the ANABF and among 1,5 and 0,5 d. for the ANXBF. The adherence period was followed by a control of SSV and the DQO removal in each BF. After good results of adherence the system was fed with an initial average volumetric organic load of 0,441 kg DQO/m 3 /d. and gradually increase during the results of DQO removal over the 50%, until the achievement of the system stability for a maximum organic load of 1,5 kg. The reactor control was made by DQO, PO 4 3 , NTK, NO 2 , NO 3 , SS and alkalinity, determined at enter and exit of each reactor. The removal results for the system of growing adherence was among 90-96% for DQO, 80-90% for total P, and 65-70% for total N

Multi-objective Optimization of Pulsed Gas Metal Arc Welding Process Using Neuro NSGA-II

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Kamal; Pal, Surjya K.

2018-05-01

Weld quality is a critical issue in fabrication industries where products are custom-designed. Multi-objective optimization results number of solutions in the pareto-optimal front. Mathematical regression model based optimization methods are often found to be inadequate for highly non-linear arc welding processes. Thus, various global evolutionary approaches like artificial neural network, genetic algorithm (GA) have been developed. The present work attempts with elitist non-dominated sorting GA (NSGA-II) for optimization of pulsed gas metal arc welding process using back propagation neural network (BPNN) based weld quality feature models. The primary objective to maintain butt joint weld quality is the maximization of tensile strength with minimum plate distortion. BPNN has been used to compute the fitness of each solution after adequate training, whereas NSGA-II algorithm generates the optimum solutions for two conflicting objectives. Welding experiments have been conducted on low carbon steel using response surface methodology. The pareto-optimal front with three ranked solutions after 20th generations was considered as the best without further improvement. The joint strength as well as transverse shrinkage was found to be drastically improved over the design of experimental results as per validated pareto-optimal solutions obtained.

Multi-objective optimization of a continuous bio-dissimilation process of glycerol to 1, 3-propanediol.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Gongxian; Liu, Ying; Gao, Qunwang

2016-02-10

This paper deals with multi-objective optimization of continuous bio-dissimilation process of glycerol to 1, 3-propanediol. In order to maximize the production rate of 1, 3-propanediol, maximize the conversion rate of glycerol to 1, 3-propanediol, maximize the conversion rate of glycerol, and minimize the concentration of by-product ethanol, we first propose six new multi-objective optimization models that can simultaneously optimize any two of the four objectives above. Then these multi-objective optimization problems are solved by using the weighted-sum and normal-boundary intersection methods respectively. Both the Pareto filter algorithm and removal criteria are used to remove those non-Pareto optimal points obtained by the normal-boundary intersection method. The results show that the normal-boundary intersection method can successfully obtain the approximate Pareto optimal sets of all the proposed multi-objective optimization problems, while the weighted-sum approach cannot achieve the overall Pareto optimal solutions of some multi-objective problems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Double-contained receiver tank 244-TX, grab samples, 244TX-97-1 through 244TX-97-3 analytical results for the final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esch, R.A.

1997-01-01

This document is the final report for the double-contained receiver tank (DCRT) 244-TX grab samples. Three grabs samples were collected from riser 8 on May 29, 1997. Analyses were performed in accordance with the Compatibility Grab Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) and the Data Quality Objectives for Tank Farms Waste Compatibility Program (DQO). The analytical results are presented in a table

Learning objects as coadjuvants in the human physiology teaching-learning process

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Marcus Vinícius Lara

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs in the academic environment of biomedical area has gained much importance, both for their ability to complement the understanding of the subject obtained in the classroom, is the ease of access, or makes more pleasure the learning process, since these tools are present in everyday of the students and use a simple language. Considering that, this study aims to report the experience of building learning objects in human physiology as a tool for learning facilitation, and discuss the impact of this teaching methodology

Road-safety education: spatial decentering and subjective or objective picture processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Guercin, F

2007-10-01

The current study examined children's ability to analyse pictures of a risky situation, both in relation to the characteristics of the pictures and in relation to the centering/decentering process of cognitive development. Sixty children aged 6, 9 or 11 years were given an objective or subjective version of a story about a risky situation involving road crossing and were asked to reconstruct it by putting six pictures in chronological order. The type of picture series, objective or subjective, had a different effect on the children's understanding and performance, according to the age. The older children were better at ordering the pictures, but on the subjective version only. The picture-version effect on planning time decreased with age; only the younger children took more time to start touching the pictures. On one hand, it is concluded that for the youngest children, objective representations are essential to analysing pictures showing a risk, whereas the oldest children will profit more from a subjective view. On the other hand, subjective representations, which give a more realistic view, provide an excellent tool for testing children's abilities. Subjective representations can be used to detect potentially risky behaviour in virtual situations (static pictures, or multimedia tools), since it permits one to predict at-risk behaviour in the street and to assess the effectiveness of remedial measures.

Force-controlled robotic assembly processes of rigid and flexible objects methodologies and applications

CERN Document Server

Ghalyan, Ibrahim Fahad Jasim

2016-01-01

This book provides comprehensive and integrated approaches for rigid and flexible object assembly. It presents comparison studies with the available force-guided robotic processes and covers contact-state modeling, scheme control strategies, and position searching algorithms. Further, it includes experimental validations for different assembly situations, including those for the assembly of industrial parts taken from the automotive industry. .

Analysis and design of the SI-simulator software system for the VHTR-SI process by using the object-oriented analysis and object-oriented design methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Jiwoon; Shin, Youngjoon; Kim, Jihwan; Lee, Kiyoung; Lee, Wonjae; Chang, Jonghwa; Youn, Cheung

2008-01-01

The SI-simulator is an application software system that simulates the dynamic behavior of the VHTR-SI process by the use of mathematical models. Object-oriented analysis (OOA) and object-oriented design (OOD) methodologies were employed for the SI simulator system development. OOA is concerned with developing software engineering requirements and specifications that are expressed as a system's object model (which is composed of a population of interacting objects), as opposed to the traditional data or functional views of systems. OOD techniques are useful for the development of large complex systems. Also, OOA/OOD methodology is usually employed to maximize the reusability and extensibility of a software system. In this paper, we present a design feature for the SI simulator software system by the using methodologies of OOA and OOD

Automation of 3D micro object handling process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gegeckaite, Asta; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard

2007-01-01

Most of the micro objects in industrial production are handled with manual labour or in semiautomatic stations. Manual labour usually makes handling and assembly operations highly flexible, but slow, relatively imprecise and expensive. Handling of 3D micro objects poses special challenges due to ...

Conceptual Coherence Affects Phonological Activation of Context Objects During Object Naming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oppermann, F.; Jescheniak, J.D.; Schriefers, H.J.

2008-01-01

In 4 picture-word interference experiments, speakers named a target object that was presented with a context object. Using auditory distractors that were phonologically related or unrelated either to the target object or the context object, the authors assessed whether phonological processing was

Multi-objective optimization model of CNC machining to minimize processing time and environmental impact

Science.gov (United States)

Hamada, Aulia; Rosyidi, Cucuk Nur; Jauhari, Wakhid Ahmad

2017-11-01

Minimizing processing time in a production system can increase the efficiency of a manufacturing company. Processing time are influenced by application of modern technology and machining parameter. Application of modern technology can be apply by use of CNC machining, one of the machining process can be done with a CNC machining is turning. However, the machining parameters not only affect the processing time but also affect the environmental impact. Hence, optimization model is needed to optimize the machining parameters to minimize the processing time and environmental impact. This research developed a multi-objective optimization to minimize the processing time and environmental impact in CNC turning process which will result in optimal decision variables of cutting speed and feed rate. Environmental impact is converted from environmental burden through the use of eco-indicator 99. The model were solved by using OptQuest optimization software from Oracle Crystal Ball.

Efeito do bicarbonato de sódio no tratamento de vinhaça em AnSBBR operado a 55 e 35ºC Effect of the sodium bicarbonate in the treatment of vinasse in AnSBBR operated at 55 and 35ºC

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Maria Magdalena Ribas Döll

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Avaliou-se a influência do bicarbonato de sódio (NaHCO3 no desempenho do reator anaeróbio batelada sequencial com biomassa imobilizada tratando vinhaça a 55 e a 35ºC. O reator foi preenchido com espuma de poliuretano e agitado a 300 rpm. A adaptação a 55ºC estendeu-se por 50 dias, tendo o reator sido alimentado com vinhaça (DQO de 0,3 a 1,0 g/L. Para a operação a 35ºC, procedeu-se inicialmente ao enriquecimento da população metanogênica, durante 21 dias, com substrato à base de etanol (2,5 gDQO/L. Posteriormente, cargas orgânicas volumétricas (COV de 0,85 a 5,70 gDQO/L.d foram aplicadas no reator a 55ºC, com suplementação de 1,2 a 0,4 gHCO3-/gDQO. A 35ºC, o reator foi submetido a COV de 2,85 a 36,0 gDQO/L.d com 0,4 a 0,2 gHCO3-/gDQO. A remoção de DQO variou de 43 a 78% a 55ºC e de 75 a 85% a 35ºC. A suplementação de alcalinidade mostrou-se essencial para a estabilidade do processo, sendo requerida em menor quantidade a 35ºC.The influence of the sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3 on the performance of an anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor treating vinasse at 55 and 35ºC was evaluated. The reactor was filled with polyurethane foam and agitated at 300 rpm. The acclimatization period at 55ºC lasted 50 days, and the reactor was fed with vinasse (COD from 0.3 to 1.0 g/L. A previous enrichment of methanogenic population was provided for the reactor operated at 35ºC, feeding it with an ethanol based substrate (2.5 gCOD/L during 21 days. Further on, organic loading rates (OLR ranging from 0.85 to 5.70 gCOD/L.d were applied to the reactor at 55ºC, supplemented with 1.2 to 0.4 gHCO3-/gCOD. At 35ºC the reactor was subjected to OLR ranging from 2.85 to 36.0 gCOD/L.d with 0.4 to 0.2 gHCO3-/gCOD. COD removal ranged from 43 to 78% at 55ºC and from 75 to 85% at 35ºC. Alkalinity supplementation was found to be essential for process stability, but the amount required was lower at 35ºC.

Integração de processos físico-químicos e oxidativos avançados para remediação de percolado de aterro sanitário (chorume Integration of physical chemistry and advanced oxidative processes for remediation of landfill leachate

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Jailson Rodrigo Pacheco

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Neste trabalho está sendo proposto um processo integrado para a remediação de chorume, consistente na separação preliminar das substâncias húmicas, por precipitação em meio ácido, e o tratamento subseqüente do sobrenadante por meio de processos oxidativos avançados. Em geral, a precipitação preliminar permite remover uma pequena parcela da DQO (14% e grande parte da cor, o que permite significativas melhoras no tratamento fotoquímico posterior. Quando aplicado na forma de um sistema de múltiplas adições de peróxido de hidrogênio, o sistema UV/H2O2 permite descolorações da ordem de 95% e reduções de DQO de 75%, em tempos de reação de 120 min. Trata-se de um resultado bastante promissor, principalmente levando-se em consideração a elevada resistência da matriz em estudo.In this work, we propose the integration of processes for remediation of landfill leachate, where humic substances are preliminary precipited and separated in acidic conditions and an advanced oxidative process further treats the soluble fraction. Typically, the precipitation of humic substances reduces 14% of the COD content and a great part of the intrinsic color, fact that significantly improves the efficiency of the photochemical treatment. When applied as a successive H2O2 additions system the UV/H2O2 process induce color and COD reductions of 95 and 75% respectively, in reaction times of 120 min. This results are very promissory, principally because the recalcitrant character of the leachate matrix.

Is the Screening Test of the French Version of the Dementia Quality of Life Questionnaire Indispensable

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A. Wolak

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the screening questions in the French version of the Dementia Quality of Life (DQoL questionnaire. To assess the psychometric properties of the French DQoL, 155 patients with mild-to-moderate dementia were recruited. Here, we compared the psychometric properties of the instrument between patients who passed the screening test (n = 109 and the whole study population (n = 155. The French DQoL version showed a good test-retest reliability at a 2-week interval (0.95 ≤ intraclass correlation coefficients ≤ 1.0, and an average internal consistency (0.58 ≤ Cronbach’s α ≤ 0.87 for the 2 study groups. Significant differences were observed in the 2 groups for 4 dimensions of the DQoL regarding dementia severity (Cornell scale, and for 3 dimensions evaluating depression (MMSE. Convergent validity with the Duke Health Profile revealed many significant correlations between dimensions not only in the 109 patients, but also in the whole study population. Our study demonstrated that patients who failed the screening procedure nonetheless seemed to be able to answer the DQoL questionnaire, the whole study group showing acceptable psychometric properties.

Multi-objective optimization of glycopeptide antibiotic production in batch and fed batch processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maiti, Soumen K.; Eliasson Lantz, Anna; Bhushan, Mani

2011-01-01

batch operations using process model for Amycolatopsis balhimycina, a glycopeptide antibiotic producer. This resulted in a set of several pareto optimal solutions with the two objectives ranging from (0.75gl−1, 3.97g$-1) to (0.44gl−1, 5.19g$-1) for batch and from (1.5gl−1, 5.46g$-1) to (1.1gl−1, 6.34g...

Estudio cinético del proceso de biometanización de alpechín de almazara clásica previamente sometido a tratamiento aerobio con Geotrichum candidum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Durán Barrantes, M. M.

1992-04-01

Full Text Available The apparent kinetic constant was determined for the anaerobic digetion of olive mill wastewater (OMW which comes from clasical press factory previously subjected to aerobic digestion with Geotrichum candidum in view of his high content in organic matter. The results obtained revealed it to markedly decrease (from 1 to 0,2 days-1 with increase in its COD (from 6 to 11 g/l in the presence of both free and supported on Sepiolite (Pansil biomass. This shows the existence of an inhibition process which is determined by using the Levenspiel kinetic model. Anaerobic digestion allowed up to 80% of the COD present to be removed with an average yield coefficient of 315 ml CH4 STP/g COD.Se ha determinado la constante cinética aparente del proceso de digestión anaerobia de alpechín procedente de almazara clásica de prensas, que previamente se somete a un proceso de digestión aerobia con Geotrichum candidum dado su alto contenido en materia orgánica (DQO. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto una acusada disminución de la misma (1-0,2 días-1 al aumentar la DQO (6-11 g O2 tanto en presencia de biomasa libre como soportada sobre Sepiolita (Pansil, lo que demuestra la existencia de un proceso de inhibición que se cuantifica utilizando el modelo cinético de Levenspiel. La digestión anaerobia es capaz de eliminar el 80% de la DQO presente con un coeficiente de rendimiento medio de 315 ml CH4 en condiciones estándar de presión y temperatura/g DQO.

A process for the treatment of olive mill waste waters by immobilized cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ElYachioui, M.

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Mould strains were immobilized on sawdust from woods as a solid material for the treatment of Olive Mill Waste (OMW waters. Assays were carried out in flasks. The treatment process was monitored by physico-chemical determinations including pH, polyphenols and COD, which were followed up during the incubation time. In parallel the chemical inhibitory activity of OMW was confirmed biologically by the determination of some microorganisms in the medium including the plate count, yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. Results indicated that the polyphenol degradation level was 87 %. The COD was also reduced by 60 %. The pH of the effluent increased from 4.5 to 6.6. The microbial profiles showed their best growth during the treatment period indicating a removal of the inhibitory activities from the OMW waters. The growth patterns of all microorganism groups were similar and could reach high levels in the effluent.Cepas de moho fueron inmovilizadas sobre serrín de madera como material sólido para el tratamiento de aguas residuales de un molino de aceituna (OMW. Los ensayos se realizaron en matraces. El proceso de tratamiento se monitorizó mediante determinaciones físico-químicas incluyendo pH, polifenoles y DQO, que también se analizaron durante el tiempo de incubación. En paralelo, la actividad inhibidora química de las OMW se confirma biológicamente mediante su efecto sobre algunos microorganismos incluyendo levaduras y bactérias ácido lácticas. Los resultados indicaron que los polifenoles se degradan hasta un nivel del 87 %. La DQO se redujo también al 60 %. El pH del efluente aumentó de 4.5 a 6.6. Los perfiles microbiológicos mostraron un mejor crecimiento a medida que avanzaba el tratamiento indicando una supresión de las actividades inhibidoras de las aguas (OMW. El comportamiento del crecimiento de todos los grupos de microorganismos fue similar y puede alcanzar altos niveles en el efluente

Advantages and disadvantages of an objective selection process for early intervention in employees at risk for sickness absence.

Science.gov (United States)

Duijts, Saskia F A; Kant, Ijmert; Swaen, Gerard M H

2007-05-02

It is unclear if objective selection of employees, for an intervention to prevent sickness absence, is more effective than subjective 'personal enlistment'. We hypothesize that objectively selected employees are 'at risk' for sickness absence and eligible to participate in the intervention program. The dispatch of 8603 screening instruments forms the starting point of the objective selection process. Different stages of this process, throughout which employees either dropped out or were excluded, were described and compared with the subjective selection process. Characteristics of ineligible and ultimately selected employees, for a randomized trial, were described and quantified using sickness absence data. Overall response rate on the screening instrument was 42.0%. Response bias was found for the parameters sex and age, but not for sickness absence. Sickness absence was higher in the 'at risk' (N = 212) group (42%) compared to the 'not at risk' (N = 2503) group (25%) (OR 2.17 CI 1.63-2.89; p = 0.000). The selection process ended with the successful inclusion of 151 eligible, i.e. 2% of the approached employees in the trial. The study shows that objective selection of employees for early intervention is effective. Despite methodological and practical problems, selected employees are actually those at risk for sickness absence, who will probably benefit more from the intervention program than others.

Tank 241-T-201, core 192 analytical results for the final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuzum, J.L.

1997-08-07

This document is the final laboratory report for Tank 241-T-201. Push mode core segments were removed from Riser 3 between April 24, 1997, and April 25, 1997. Segments were received and extruded at 222-S Laboratory. Analyses were performed in accordance with Tank 241-T-201 Push Mode Core Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) (Hu, 1997), Letter of Instruction for Core Sample Analysis of Tanks 241-T-201, 241-T-202, 241-T-203, and 241-T-204 (LOI) (Bell, 1997), Additional Core Composite Sample from Drainable Liquid Samples for Tank 241-T-2 01 (ACC) (Hall, 1997), and Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO) (Dukelow, et al., 1995). None of the subsamples submitted for total alpha activity (AT) or differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses exceeded the notification limits stated in DQO. The statistical results of the 95% confidence interval on the mean calculations are provided by the Tank Waste Remediation Systems Technical Basis Group, and are not considered in this report.

Application of ''Confirm tank T is an appropriate feed source for Low-Activity waste feed batch X'' to specific feed batches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

JO, J.

1999-01-01

This document addresses the characterization needs of tanks as set forth in the ''Confirm Tank T is an Appropriate Feed Source for Low-Activity Waste Feed Batch X'' Data Quality Objective (DQO) (Certa and Jo 1998). The primary purpose of this document is to collect existing data and identify the data needed to determine whether or not the feed source(s) are appropriate for a specific batch before transfer is made to the feed staging tanks. To answer these questions, the existing tank data must be collected and a detailed review performed. If the existing data are insufficient to complete a full comparison, additional data must be obtained from the feed source(s). Additional information requirements need to be identified and formally documented, then the source tank waste must be sampled or resampled and analyzed. Once the additional data are obtained, the data shall be incorporated into the existing database for the source tank and a reevaluation of the data against the DQO must be made

Tank 241-T-201, core 192 analytical results for the final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuzum, J.L.

1997-01-01

This document is the final laboratory report for Tank 241-T-201. Push mode core segments were removed from Riser 3 between April 24, 1997, and April 25, 1997. Segments were received and extruded at 222-S Laboratory. Analyses were performed in accordance with Tank 241-T-201 Push Mode Core Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) (Hu, 1997), Letter of Instruction for Core Sample Analysis of Tanks 241-T-201, 241-T-202, 241-T-203, and 241-T-204 (LOI) (Bell, 1997), Additional Core Composite Sample from Drainable Liquid Samples for Tank 241-T-2 01 (ACC) (Hall, 1997), and Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO) (Dukelow, et al., 1995). None of the subsamples submitted for total alpha activity (AT) or differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses exceeded the notification limits stated in DQO. The statistical results of the 95% confidence interval on the mean calculations are provided by the Tank Waste Remediation Systems Technical Basis Group, and are not considered in this report

Cultural differences in the visual processing of meaning: detecting incongruities between background and foreground objects using the N400.

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Goto, Sharon G; Ando, Yumi; Huang, Carol; Yee, Alicia; Lewis, Richard S

2010-06-01

East Asians have been found to allocate relatively greater attention to background objects, whereas European Americans have been found to allocate relatively greater attention to foreground objects. This is well documented across a variety of cognitive measures. We used a modification of the Ganis and Kutas (2003) N400 event-related potential design to measure the degree to which Asian Americans and European Americans responded to semantic incongruity between target objects and background scenes. As predicted, Asian Americans showed a greater negativity to incongruent trials than to congruent trials. In contrast, European Americans showed no difference in amplitude across the two conditions. Furthermore, smaller magnitude N400 incongruity effects were associated with higher independent self-construal scores. These data suggest that Asian Americans are processing the relationship between foreground and background objects to a greater degree than European Americans, which is consistent with hypothesized greater holistic processing among East Asians. Implications for using neural measures, the role of semantic processing to understand cultural differences in cognition, and the relationship between self construal and neural measures of cognition are discussed.

Object-based spatial attention when objects have sufficient depth cues.

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Takeya, Ryuji; Kasai, Tetsuko

2015-01-01

Attention directed to a part of an object tends to obligatorily spread over all of the spatial regions that belong to the object, which may be critical for rapid object-recognition in cluttered visual scenes. Previous studies have generally used simple rectangles as objects and have shown that attention spreading is reflected by amplitude modulation in the posterior N1 component (150-200 ms poststimulus) of event-related potentials, while other interpretations (i.e., rectangular holes) may arise implicitly in early visual processing stages. By using modified Kanizsa-type stimuli that provided less ambiguity of depth ordering, the present study examined early event-related potential spatial-attention effects for connected and separated objects, both of which were perceived in front of (Experiment 1) and in back of (Experiment 2) the surroundings. Typical P1 (100-140 ms) and N1 (150-220 ms) attention effects of ERP in response to unilateral probes were observed in both experiments. Importantly, the P1 attention effect was decreased for connected objects compared to separated objects only in Experiment 1, and the typical object-based modulations of N1 were not observed in either experiment. These results suggest that spatial attention spreads over a figural object at earlier stages of processing than previously indicated, in three-dimensional visual scenes with multiple depth cues.

Seeing Objects as Faces Enhances Object Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Kohske; Watanabe, Katsumi

2015-10-01

The face is a special visual stimulus. Both bottom-up processes for low-level facial features and top-down modulation by face expectations contribute to the advantages of face perception. However, it is hard to dissociate the top-down factors from the bottom-up processes, since facial stimuli mandatorily lead to face awareness. In the present study, using the face pareidolia phenomenon, we demonstrated that face awareness, namely seeing an object as a face, enhances object detection performance. In face pareidolia, some people see a visual stimulus, for example, three dots arranged in V shape, as a face, while others do not. This phenomenon allows us to investigate the effect of face awareness leaving the stimulus per se unchanged. Participants were asked to detect a face target or a triangle target. While target per se was identical between the two tasks, the detection sensitivity was higher when the participants recognized the target as a face. This was the case irrespective of the stimulus eccentricity or the vertical orientation of the stimulus. These results demonstrate that seeing an object as a face facilitates object detection via top-down modulation. The advantages of face perception are, therefore, at least partly, due to face awareness.

Seeing Objects as Faces Enhances Object Detection

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Kohske Takahashi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The face is a special visual stimulus. Both bottom-up processes for low-level facial features and top-down modulation by face expectations contribute to the advantages of face perception. However, it is hard to dissociate the top-down factors from the bottom-up processes, since facial stimuli mandatorily lead to face awareness. In the present study, using the face pareidolia phenomenon, we demonstrated that face awareness, namely seeing an object as a face, enhances object detection performance. In face pareidolia, some people see a visual stimulus, for example, three dots arranged in V shape, as a face, while others do not. This phenomenon allows us to investigate the effect of face awareness leaving the stimulus per se unchanged. Participants were asked to detect a face target or a triangle target. While target per se was identical between the two tasks, the detection sensitivity was higher when the participants recognized the target as a face. This was the case irrespective of the stimulus eccentricity or the vertical orientation of the stimulus. These results demonstrate that seeing an object as a face facilitates object detection via top-down modulation. The advantages of face perception are, therefore, at least partly, due to face awareness.

Quality Assistance Objectives for Nondestructive Assay at the Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CANTALOUB, M.G.

2000-01-01

The Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) facility, located on the Word Site in southeast Washington, is a key link in the certification of transuranic (TRU) waste for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Waste characterization is one of the vital functions performed at WRAP, and nondestructive assay (NDA) measurements of TRU waste containers is one of two required methods used for waste characterization. The Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, DOE/WIPP-069 (WIPP-WAC) delineates the quality assurance objectives which have been established for NDA measurement systems. Sites must demonstrate that the quality assurance objectives can be achieved for each radioassay system over the applicable ranges of measurement. This report summarizes the validation of the WRAP NDA systems against the radioassay quality assurance objectives or QAOs. A brief description of the each test and significant conclusions are included. Variables that may have affected test outcomes and system response are also addressed

Results of comparative evaluations concerning the psychic process of perceiving and assessing risk-objects by the general public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, H.P.; Renn, O.

1983-01-01

The perception of risk has become a mayor research field, after scientists and politicians recognized that scientific risk studies like the Rasmussen-Report on nuclear energy had no large impact on the public acceptance. With our surveys we aimed to combine two methodological approaches (object perception and attitude theory) and to develop a technique in which the psychic process of perceiving and assessing risk-objects by the general public was followed up and analyzed. Psychological experiments in the field of isolating relevant factors of qualitative risk properties as well as demographic surveys for the measurement of the belief structure were carried out. Our results indicate that in objection to the common conception by natural scientists people in general have a good estimative ability to judge the expected value of different risks. But beyond this estimation of fatalities people also use other criteria (like personal control) to order different objects in respect to their riskiness. The perceived risk is but one factor influencing attitude. A simplified model of the acceptance-building process is carried out showing that acceptance-building is not a purely individual process. Individuals are linked together by their social environment so that every individual decision is influenced by the decision of other people

Transfer after process-based object-location memory training in healthy older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmermann, Kathrin; von Bastian, Claudia C; Röcke, Christina; Martin, Mike; Eschen, Anne

2016-11-01

A substantial part of age-related episodic memory decline has been attributed to the decreasing ability of older adults to encode and retrieve associations among simultaneously processed information units from long-term memory. In addition, this ability seems to share unique variance with reasoning. In this study, we therefore examined whether process-based training of the ability to learn and remember associations has the potential to induce transfer effects to untrained episodic memory and reasoning tasks in healthy older adults (60-75 years). For this purpose, the experimental group (n = 36) completed 30 sessions of process-based object-location memory training, while the active control group (n = 31) practiced visual perception on the same material. Near (spatial episodic memory), intermediate (verbal episodic memory), and far transfer effects (reasoning) were each assessed with multiple tasks at four measurements (before, midway through, immediately after, and 4 months after training). Linear mixed-effects models revealed transfer effects on spatial episodic memory and reasoning that were still observed 4 months after training. These results provide first empirical evidence that process-based training can enhance healthy older adults' associative memory performance and positively affect untrained episodic memory and reasoning abilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

On image pre-processing for PIV of sinlge- and two-phase flows over reflecting objects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deen, N.G.; Willems, P.; van Sint Annaland, M.; Kuipers, J.A.M.; Lammertink, Rob G.H.; Kemperman, Antonius J.B.; Wessling, Matthias; van der Meer, Walterus Gijsbertus Joseph

2010-01-01

A novel image pre-processing scheme for PIV of single- and two-phase flows over reflecting objects which does not require the use of additional hardware is discussed. The approach for single-phase flow consists of image normalization and intensity stretching followed by background subtraction. For

Image Processing Methods Usable for Object Detection on the Chessboard

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Beran Ladislav

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Image segmentation and object detection is challenging problem in many research. Although many algorithms for image segmentation have been invented, there is no simple algorithm for image segmentation and object detection. Our research is based on combination of several methods for object detection. The first method suitable for image segmentation and object detection is colour detection. This method is very simply, but there is problem with different colours. For this method it is necessary to have precisely determined colour of segmented object before all calculations. In many cases it is necessary to determine this colour manually. Alternative simply method is method based on background removal. This method is based on difference between reference image and detected image. In this paper several methods suitable for object detection are described. Thisresearch is focused on coloured object detection on chessboard. The results from this research with fusion of neural networks for user-computer game checkers will be applied.

Brain dynamics of upstream perceptual processes leading to visual object recognition: a high density ERP topographic mapping study.

Science.gov (United States)

Schettino, Antonio; Loeys, Tom; Delplanque, Sylvain; Pourtois, Gilles

2011-04-01

Recent studies suggest that visual object recognition is a proactive process through which perceptual evidence accumulates over time before a decision can be made about the object. However, the exact electrophysiological correlates and time-course of this complex process remain unclear. In addition, the potential influence of emotion on this process has not been investigated yet. We recorded high density EEG in healthy adult participants performing a novel perceptual recognition task. For each trial, an initial blurred visual scene was first shown, before the actual content of the stimulus was gradually revealed by progressively adding diagnostic high spatial frequency information. Participants were asked to stop this stimulus sequence as soon as they could correctly perform an animacy judgment task. Behavioral results showed that participants reliably gathered perceptual evidence before recognition. Furthermore, prolonged exploration times were observed for pleasant, relative to either neutral or unpleasant scenes. ERP results showed distinct effects starting at 280 ms post-stimulus onset in distant brain regions during stimulus processing, mainly characterized by: (i) a monotonic accumulation of evidence, involving regions of the posterior cingulate cortex/parahippocampal gyrus, and (ii) true categorical recognition effects in medial frontal regions, including the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. These findings provide evidence for the early involvement, following stimulus onset, of non-overlapping brain networks during proactive processes eventually leading to visual object recognition. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

X-ray image processing software for computing object size and object location coordinates from acquired optical and x-ray images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiwari, Akash; Tiwari, Shyam Sunder; Tiwari, Railesha; Panday, Lokesh; Panday, Jeet; Suri, Nitin

2004-01-01

X-ray and Visible image data processing software has been developed in Visual Basic for real time online and offline image information processing for NDT and Medical Applications. Software computes two dimension image size parameters from its sharp boundary lines by raster scanning the image contrast data. Code accepts bit map image data and hunts for multiple tumors of different sizes that may be present in the image definition and then computes size of each tumor and locates its approximate center for registering its location coordinates. Presence of foreign metal and glass balls industrial product such as chocolate and other food items imaged out using x-ray imaging technique are detected by the software and their size and position co-ordinates are computed by the software. Paper discusses ways and means to compute size and coordinated of air bubble like objects present in the x-ray and optical images and their multiple existences in image of interest. (author)

IMPLEMENTATION OF IMAGE PROCESSING ALGORITHMS AND GLVQ TO TRACK AN OBJECT USING AR.DRONE CAMERA

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Muhammad Nanda Kurniawan

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract In this research, Parrot AR.Drone as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV was used to track an object from above. Development of this system utilized some functions from OpenCV library and Robot Operating System (ROS. Techniques that were implemented in the system are image processing al-gorithm (Centroid-Contour Distance (CCD, feature extraction algorithm (Principal Component Analysis (PCA and an artificial neural network algorithm (Generalized Learning Vector Quantization (GLVQ. The final result of this research is a program for AR.Drone to track a moving object on the floor in fast response time that is under 1 second.

工业PTA氧化过程的多目标优化%Multi-objective Optimization of Industrial Purified Terephthalic Acid Oxidation Process

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

牟盛静; 苏宏业; 古勇; 褚健

2003-01-01

Multi-objective optimization of a purified terephthalic acid (PTA) oxidation unit is carried out in this paper by using a process model that has been proved to describe industrial process quite well. The model is a semiempirical structured into two series ideal continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) models. The optimal objectives include maximizing the yield or inlet rate and minimizing the concentration of 4-carboxy-benzaldhyde, which is the main undesirable intermediate product in the reaction process. The multi-objective optimization algorithm applied in this study is non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm Ⅱ (NSGA-Ⅱ). The performance of NSGA-Ⅱ is further illustrated by application to the title process.

MEASUREMENT PROCESS OF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR SUPPORTING STRATEGIC BUSINESS OBJECTIVES IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPING COMPANIES

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Sandra Lais Pedroso

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Software developing companies work in a competitive market and are often challenged to make business decisions with impact on competitiveness. Models accessing maturity for software development processes quality, such as CMMI and MPS-BR, comprise process measurements systems (PMS. However, these models are not necessarily suitable to support business decisions, neither to achieve strategic goals. The objective of this work is to analyze how the PMS of software development projects could support business strategies for software developing companies. Results taken from this work show that PMS results from maturity models for software processes can be suited to help evaluating operating capabilities and supporting strategic business decisions.

The perception of odor objects in everyday life: a review on the processing of odor mixtures

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Thierry eThomas-Danguin

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Smelling monomolecular odors hardly ever occurs in everyday life, and the daily functioning of the sense of smell relies primarily on the processing of complex mixtures of volatiles that are present in the environment (e.g., emanating from food or conspecifics. Such processing allows for the instantaneous recognition and categorization of smells and also for the discrimination of odors among others to extract relevant information and to adapt efficiently in different contexts. The neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning this highly efficient analysis of complex mixtures of odorants is beginning to be unraveled and support the idea that olfaction, as vision and audition, relies on odor-objects encoding. This configural processing of odor mixtures, which is empirically subject to important applications in our societies (e.g., the art of perfumers, flavorists, and wine makers, has been scientifically studied only during the last decades. This processing depends on many individual factors, among which are the developmental stage, lifestyle, physiological and mood state, and cognitive skills; this processing also presents striking similarities between species. The present review gathers the recent findings, as observed in animals, healthy subjects, and/or individuals with affective disorders, supporting the perception of complex odor stimuli as odor objects. It also discusses peripheral to central processing, and cognitive and behavioral significance. Finally, this review highlights that the study of odor mixtures is an original window allowing for the investigation of daily olfaction and emphasizes the need for knowledge about the underlying biological processes, which appear to be crucial for our representation and adaptation to the chemical environment.

Medical students' perception of objective structured clinical examination: a feedback for process improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Nasir, Abdulrasheed A; Yusuf, Ayodeji S; Abdur-Rahman, Lukman O; Babalola, Olasunkanmi M; Adeyeye, Ademola A; Popoola, Ademola A; Adeniran, James O

2014-01-01

Medical educators have always been desirous of the best methods for formative and summative evaluation of trainees. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is an approach for student assessment in which aspects of clinical competence are evaluated in a comprehensive, consistent, and structured manner with close attention to the objectivity of the process. Though popular in most medical schools globally, its use in Nigeria medical schools appears limited. This study was conceived to explore students' perception about the acceptability of OSCE process and to provide feedback to be used to improve the assessment technique. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on final-year medical students, who participated in the final MBBS surgery examination in June 2011. A 19-item self-administered structured questionnaire was employed to obtain relevant data on demographics of respondents and questions evaluating the OSCE stations in terms of the quality of instructions and organization, learning opportunities, authenticity and transparency of the process, and usefulness of the OSCE as an assessment instrument compared with other formats. Students' responses were based on a 5-point Likert scales ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The data were analyzed using SPSS, version 15 (SPSS, Inc, Chicago, IL). The study took place at the University of Ilorin, College of Health Science. A total of 187 final-year medical students were enrolled in to the survey. Of 187 eligible students, 151 completed the self-administered questionnaire representing 80.7% response rate. A total of 61 (40.4%) students felt that it was easy to understand written instructions at the OSCE stations. In total, 106 (70.2%) students felt that the time allocated to each station was adequate. A total of 89 (58.9%) students agreed that the OSCE accurately measured their knowledge and skill, and 85 (56.3%) reported that OSCE enhanced their communication skill. Of the respondents, 80 (53

TRATAMIENTO POR FERMENTACIÓN ANAEROBIA DE LAS VINAZAS PRODUCIDAS EN LA FABRICACIÓN DE ALCOHOL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Belalcazar de Galvis

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Con el fin de disminuir su carga contaminante, las vinazas se sometieron a tratamiento en cuatro reactores tipo filtro anaerobio de flujo ascendente, los cuales se evaluaron bajo diferentes condiciones de tiempo de retención hidráulico TRH y de carga orgánica. Para una Demanda Química de Oxígeno DQO, afluente de 5000 a 30000 mg/1 y TRH de 3.0 días o más, se obtuvieron eficiencias de remoción superiores a 90% en términos de DQO. Para una DQO afluente constante de 20000 mg/1 y TRH de 1.3 días, se alcanzaron eficiencias entre 75-80%.

OBJECTIVES AND PROCESSES OF SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING.

Science.gov (United States)

SIZEMORE, MAMIE

THE OBJECTIVES OF SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING, AND SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FOR PRESENTING AND DRILLING STRUCTURES BY THE USE OF CERTAIN GESTURES, WERE PRESENTED. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONCENTRATING EFFORTS ON THE ESSENTIALS OF LANGUAGE LEARNING REVOLVED AROUND AN EMPHASIS ON THE TEACHING OF THE LANGUAGE ITSELF RATHER THAN ABOUT ITS HISTORY, VOCABULARY,…

Discoloration of wastewater from a paint industry by the microalgae Chlorella sp

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Edgardo Angulo M

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Objective. Decoloring wastewater from a paint factory making use of Chlorella sp., microalgae as a biological way of treatment. Materials and methods. Samples of this microalgae previously cultivated with nourishing fertilizer under photoperiods of light and darkness were taken to test the microalgae Chlorella sp., initial concentration effect in the bioremoval process. For this purpose, it was cultivated in 0.10, 0.20 and 0.30 units of absorbance in bioreactors with 200 mL wastewater with and without nutrients. The biotest with the best rate of colour removal was chosen and the DBO5 and DQO were marked out. The immobilized Chlorella sp., in kappa carrageenan was also tested. Results. In the tests colour decrease percentage were 81.7, 69.7 and 58.3% without nutrients in the initial concentrations of 0.10, 0.20 and 0.30 units of absorbance respectively and 72.6, 69.0 and 86.8% for 0.10, 0.20 and 0.30 units of absorbance with nutrients respectively in the day of maximum growth. The immobilized microalgae score were 72.60% and 78.36% of color removal for 0.4 and 1.6 units of absorbance respectively. The higher colour removal test score was that with nutrients at 0.30 units of absorbance with several changes in DBO5 and DQO values. Conclusion. The biological wastewater treatment making use of Chlorella sp., microalgae can be considered as an effective choice in decolorating wastewater.

Processing Technology Selection for Municipal Sewage Treatment Based on a Multi-Objective Decision Model under Uncertainty.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xudong; Xu, Zhongwen; Yao, Liming; Ma, Ning

2018-03-05

This study considers the two factors of environmental protection and economic benefits to address municipal sewage treatment. Based on considerations regarding the sewage treatment plant construction site, processing technology, capital investment, operation costs, water pollutant emissions, water quality and other indicators, we establish a general multi-objective decision model for optimizing municipal sewage treatment plant construction. Using the construction of a sewage treatment plant in a suburb of Chengdu as an example, this paper tests the general model of multi-objective decision-making for the sewage treatment plant construction by implementing a genetic algorithm. The results show the applicability and effectiveness of the multi-objective decision model for the sewage treatment plant. This paper provides decision and technical support for the optimization of municipal sewage treatment.

Young drivers' responses to anti-speeding advertisements: Comparison of self-report and objective measures of persuasive processing and outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaye, Sherrie-Anne; Lewis, Ioni; Algie, Jennifer; White, Melanie J

2016-05-18

Self-report measures are typically used to assess the effectiveness of road safety advertisements. However, psychophysiological measures of persuasive processing (i.e., skin conductance response [SCR]) and objective driving measures of persuasive outcomes (i.e., in-vehicle Global Positioning System [GPS] devices) may provide further insights into the effectiveness of these advertisements. This study aimed to explore the persuasive processing and outcomes of 2 anti-speeding advertisements by incorporating both self-report and objective measures of speeding behavior. In addition, this study aimed to compare the findings derived from these different measurement approaches. Young drivers (N = 20, M age = 21.01 years) viewed either a positive or negative emotion-based anti-speeding television advertisement. While viewing the advertisement, SCR activity was measured to assess ad-evoked arousal responses. The RoadScout GPS device was then installed in participants' vehicles for 1 week to measure on-road speed-related driving behavior. Self-report measures assessed persuasive processing (emotional and arousal responses) and actual driving behavior. There was general correspondence between the self-report measures of arousal and the SCR and between the self-report measure of actual driving behavior and the objective driving data (as assessed via the GPS devices). This study provides insights into how psychophysiological and GPS devices could be used as objective measures in conjunction with self-report measures to further understand the persuasive processes and outcomes of emotion-based anti-speeding advertisements.

Multi-objective LQR with optimum weight selection to design FOPID controllers for delayed fractional order processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Saptarshi; Pan, Indranil; Das, Shantanu

2015-09-01

An optimal trade-off design for fractional order (FO)-PID controller is proposed with a Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) based technique using two conflicting time domain objectives. A class of delayed FO systems with single non-integer order element, exhibiting both sluggish and oscillatory open loop responses, have been controlled here. The FO time delay processes are handled within a multi-objective optimization (MOO) formalism of LQR based FOPID design. A comparison is made between two contemporary approaches of stabilizing time-delay systems withinLQR. The MOO control design methodology yields the Pareto optimal trade-off solutions between the tracking performance and total variation (TV) of the control signal. Tuning rules are formed for the optimal LQR-FOPID controller parameters, using median of the non-dominated Pareto solutions to handle delayed FO processes. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural encoding processes contribute to individual differences in face and object cognition: Inferences from psychometric test performance and event-related brain potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Nowparast Rostami, Hadiseh; Sommer, Werner; Zhou, Changsong; Wilhelm, Oliver; Hildebrandt, Andrea

2017-10-01

The enhanced N1 component in event-related potentials (ERP) to face stimuli, termed N170, is considered to indicate the structural encoding of faces. Previously, individual differences in the latency of the N170 have been related to face and object cognition abilities. By orthogonally manipulating content domain (faces vs objects) and task demands (easy/speed vs difficult/accuracy) in both psychometric and EEG tasks, we investigated the uniqueness of the processes underlying face cognition as compared with object cognition and the extent to which the N1/N170 component can explain individual differences in face and object cognition abilities. Data were recorded from N = 198 healthy young adults. Structural equation modeling (SEM) confirmed that the accuracies of face perception (FP) and memory are specific abilities above general object cognition; in contrast, the speed of face processing was not differentiable from the speed of object cognition. Although there was considerable domain-general variance in the N170 shared with the N1, there was significant face-specific variance in the N170. The brain-behavior relationship showed that faster face-specific processes for structural encoding of faces are associated with higher accuracy in both perceiving and memorizing faces. Moreover, in difficult task conditions, qualitatively different processes are additionally needed for recognizing face and object stimuli as compared with easy tasks. The difficulty-dependent variance components in the N170 amplitude were related with both face and object memory (OM) performance. We discuss implications for understanding individual differences in face cognition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Constructal design of a blast furnace iron-making process based on multi-objective optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Xiong; Chen, Lingen; Feng, Huijun; Qin, Xiaoyong; Sun, Fengrui

2016-01-01

For the fixed total raw material cost and based on constructal theory and finite time thermodynamics, a BFIM (blast furnace iron-making) process is optimized by taking a complex function as optimization objective. The complex function is integrated with HM (hot metal) yield and useful energy of the BF (blast furnace). The optimal cost distribution of raw materials (namely “generalized optimal construct”) is obtained. The effects of some parameters, such as oxygen enrichment, blast temperature and pulverized coal dosage, on the optimization results are analyzed. The results show that the HM yield, useful energy and complex function are, respectively, increased by 3.13%, 2.66% and 2.90% after generalized constructal optimization. The utilization efficiencies of the BFG (blast furnace gas) and slag are 41.3% and 57.1%, respectively, which means that the utilization potentials of the BFG and slag can be further exploited. Increasing pulverized coal dosage and decreasing the agglomerate ratio can increase the complex function. The performance the BFIM process can be improved by adjusting the oxygen enrichment, blast temperature, blast dosage, pressure ratio of the Brayton cycle's air compressor and relative pressure drop of the air compressor inlet to their optimal values, respectively, which are new findings of this paper. - Highlights: • Constructal optimization of a blast furnace iron-making process is performed. • Finite time thermodynamic model of open Brayton cycle is adopted. • Weighting function is taken as optimization objective. • Optimal cost distribution of the raw materials is obtained.

Reliability and validity of the Malay translated version of diabetes quality of life for youth questionnaire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jamaiyah H

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Many studies reported poorer quality of life (QoL in youth with diabetes compared to healthy peers. One of the tools used is the Diabetes Quality of Life for Youth (DQoLY questionnaire in English. A validated instrument in Malay is needed to assess the perception of QoL among youth with diabetes in Malaysia. Objective: To translate the modified version, i.e., the DQoLY questionnaire,into Malay and determine its reliability and validity.Methods: Translation and back-translation were used. An expert panel reviewed the translated version for conceptual and content equivalence. The final version was then administered to youths with type 1 diabetes mellitus from the universities and Ministry of Health hospitals between August 2006 and September 2007. Reliability was analysed using Cronbach’s alpha, while validity was confirmed using concurrent validity (HbA1c and self-rated health score.Results: A total of 82 youths with type 1 diabetes (38 males aged 10-18 years were enrolled from eight hospitals. The reliability of overall questionnaire was 0.917, and the reliabilities of the three domains ranged from 0.832 to 0.867. HbA1c was positively correlated with worry (p=0.03. The self-rated health score was found to have significant negative correlation with the “satisfaction” (p=0.013 and “impact” (p=0.007 domains.Conclusion: The Malay translated version of DQoLY questionnaire was reliable and valid to be used among youths with type 2 diabetes in Malaysia.

Processing Technology Selection for Municipal Sewage Treatment Based on a Multi-Objective Decision Model under Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xudong Chen

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This study considers the two factors of environmental protection and economic benefits to address municipal sewage treatment. Based on considerations regarding the sewage treatment plant construction site, processing technology, capital investment, operation costs, water pollutant emissions, water quality and other indicators, we establish a general multi-objective decision model for optimizing municipal sewage treatment plant construction. Using the construction of a sewage treatment plant in a suburb of Chengdu as an example, this paper tests the general model of multi-objective decision-making for the sewage treatment plant construction by implementing a genetic algorithm. The results show the applicability and effectiveness of the multi-objective decision model for the sewage treatment plant. This paper provides decision and technical support for the optimization of municipal sewage treatment.

Flexible recruitment of semantic richness: Context modulates body-object interaction effects in lexical-semantic processing

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Cody eTousignant

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Body-object interaction (BOI is a semantic richness variable that measures the perceived ease with which the human body can physically interact with a word’s referent. Lexical and semantic processing is facilitated when words are associated with relatively more bodily experience (high BOI words, e.g., belt. To date, BOI effects have been examined in only one semantic decision context (is it imageable?. It has been argued that semantic processing is dynamic and can be modulated by context. We examined these influences by testing how task knowledge modulated BOI effects. We presented the same stimuli (high- and low-BOI entity words and a set of action words in each of four action/entity semantic categorization tasks (SCTs. Task framing was manipulated: participants were told about one (actions or entities or both (actions and entities categories of words in the decision task. Facilitatory BOI effects were observed when participants knew that ‘entity’ was part of the decision category, regardless of whether the high- and low-BOI entity words appeared on the affirmative or negative side of the decision. That BOI information was only useful when participants had expectations that object words would be presented suggests a strong role for the decision context in lexical-semantic processing, and supports a dynamic view of conceptual knowledge.

Object-Action Complexes: Grounded Abstractions of Sensori-motor Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krüger, Norbert; Geib, Christopher; Piater, Justus

2011-01-01

This paper formalises Object-Action Complexes (OACs) as a basis for symbolic representations of sensorimotor experience and behaviours. OACs are designed to capture the interaction between objects and associated actions in articial cognitive systems. This paper gives a formal denition of OACs, pr......, provides examples of their use for autonomous cognitive robots, and enumerates a number of critical learning problems in terms of OACs....

Effect of objective function on multi-objective inverse planning of radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Guoli; Wu Yican; Song Gang; Wang Shifang

2006-01-01

There are two kinds of objective functions in radiotherapy inverse planning: dose distribution-based and Dose-Volume Histogram (DVH)-based functions. The treatment planning in our days is still a trial and error process because the multi-objective problem is solved by transforming it into a single objective problem using a specific set of weights for each object. This work investigates the problem of objective function setting based on Pareto multi-optimization theory, and compares the effect on multi-objective inverse planning of those two kinds of objective functions including calculation time, converge speed, etc. The basis of objective function setting on inverse planning is discussed. (authors)

Object similarity affects the perceptual strategy underlying invariant visual object recognition in rats

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Federica Bianca Rosselli

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, a number of studies have explored the possible use of rats as models of high-level visual functions. One central question at the root of such an investigation is to understand whether rat object vision relies on the processing of visual shape features or, rather, on lower-order image properties (e.g., overall brightness. In a recent study, we have shown that rats are capable of extracting multiple features of an object that are diagnostic of its identity, at least when those features are, structure-wise, distinct enough to be parsed by the rat visual system. In the present study, we have assessed the impact of object structure on rat perceptual strategy. We trained rats to discriminate between two structurally similar objects, and compared their recognition strategies with those reported in our previous study. We found that, under conditions of lower stimulus discriminability, rat visual discrimination strategy becomes more view-dependent and subject-dependent. Rats were still able to recognize the target objects, in a way that was largely tolerant (i.e., invariant to object transformation; however, the larger structural and pixel-wise similarity affected the way objects were processed. Compared to the findings of our previous study, the patterns of diagnostic features were: i smaller and more scattered; ii only partially preserved across object views; and iii only partially reproducible across rats. On the other hand, rats were still found to adopt a multi-featural processing strategy and to make use of part of the optimal discriminatory information afforded by the two objects. Our findings suggest that, as in humans, rat invariant recognition can flexibly rely on either view-invariant representations of distinctive object features or view-specific object representations, acquired through learning.

Involvement of hippocampal NMDA receptors in encoding and consolidation, but not retrieval, processes of spontaneous object location memory in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Kazuo; Arai, Misaki; Suenaga, Toshiko; Ichitani, Yukio

2017-07-28

The hippocampus is thought to be involved in object location recognition memory, yet the contribution of hippocampal NMDA receptors to the memory processes, such as encoding, retention and retrieval, is unknown. First, we confirmed that hippocampal infusion of a competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, AP5 (2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid, 20-40nmol), impaired performance of spontaneous object location recognition test but not that of novel object recognition test in Wistar rats. Next, the effects of hippocampal AP5 treatment on each process of object location recognition memory were examined with three different injection times using a 120min delay-interposed test: 15min before the sample phase (Time I), immediately after the sample phase (Time II), and 15min before the test phase (Time III). The blockade of hippocampal NMDA receptors before and immediately after the sample phase, but not before the test phase, markedly impaired performance of object location recognition test, suggesting that hippocampal NMDA receptors play an important role in encoding and consolidation/retention, but not retrieval, of spontaneous object location memory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Neural Correlates of the Body-Object Interaction Effect in Semantic Processing

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Ian Scott Hargreaves

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The semantic richness dimension referred to as body-object interaction (BOI measures perceptions of the ease with which people can physically interact with words’ referents. Previous studies have shown facilitated lexical and semantic processing for words rated high in BOI (e.g., belt than for words rated low in BOI (e.g., sun (e.g., Siakaluk, Pexman, Sears, Wilson, Locheed, & Owen, 2008b. These BOI effects have been taken as evidence that embodied information is relevant to word recognition. However, to date there is no evidence linking BOI manipulations to differences in the utilization of perceptual or sensorimotor areas of the brain. The current study used event-related fMRI to examine the neural correlates of BOI in a semantic categorization task (SCT. Sixteen healthy adults participated. Results showed that high BOI words were associated with activation in the left inferior parietal lobule (supramarginal gyrus, BA 40, a sensory association area involved in kinesthetic memory. These results provide evidence that the BOI dimension captures sensorimotor information, and that this contributes to semantic processing.

Decision Making Under Objective Risk Conditions-a Review of Cognitive and Emotional Correlates, Strategies, Feedback Processing, and External Influences.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiebener, Johannes; Brand, Matthias

2015-06-01

While making decisions under objective risk conditions, the probabilities of the consequences of the available options are either provided or calculable. Brand et al. (Neural Networks 19:1266-1276, 2006) introduced a model describing the neuro-cognitive processes involved in such decisions. In this model, executive functions associated with activity in the fronto-striatal loop are important for developing and applying decision-making strategies, and for verifying, adapting, or revising strategies according to feedback. Emotional rewards and punishments learned from such feedback accompany these processes. In this literature review, we found support for the role of executive functions, but also found evidence for the importance of further cognitive abilities in decision making. Moreover, in addition to reflective processing (driven by cognition), decisions can be guided by impulsive processing (driven by anticipation of emotional reward and punishment). Reflective and impulsive processing may interact during decision making, affecting the evaluation of available options, as both processes are affected by feedback. Decision-making processes are furthermore modulated by individual attributes (e.g., age), and external influences (e.g., stressors). Accordingly, we suggest a revised model of decision making under objective risk conditions.

Evaluation of sequential aerated treatment of wastewater from hardboard mill

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S. Videla

1998-01-01

Full Text Available Wastewater from a hardboard mill characterized by a high organic content (15-30 g/L COD was studied in a bench scale sequential aerated system in order to define a start up strategy. Inlet COD concentration varied from 0.5 to 25 g/L and the hydraulic retention time was maintained at 5 days. The sequential system proposed could reduce BOD, COD, TSS and phenol over 90% except when the inlet COD concentration was lower than 25 g/L.Água residual proveniente de uma indústria de tabuleiro de fibra dura caracterizada por ter um elevado conteúdo orgânico (15-30 g/L DQO foi estudada utilizando um sistema arejado seqüêncial de forma a definir uma estratégia de start up. A concentração de DQO na entrada do sistema variou na faixa de 0,5-25 g/L e o tempo de residência hidráulico foi mantido em 5 dias. O sistema seqüêncial proposto reduziu DBO, DQO, SST e fenol sobre 90% quando a concentração de DQO na entrada foi menor a 25 g/L.

A comparison of moving object detection methods for real-time moving object detection

Science.gov (United States)

Roshan, Aditya; Zhang, Yun

2014-06-01

Moving object detection has a wide variety of applications from traffic monitoring, site monitoring, automatic theft identification, face detection to military surveillance. Many methods have been developed across the globe for moving object detection, but it is very difficult to find one which can work globally in all situations and with different types of videos. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate existing moving object detection methods which can be implemented in software on a desktop or laptop, for real time object detection. There are several moving object detection methods noted in the literature, but few of them are suitable for real time moving object detection. Most of the methods which provide for real time movement are further limited by the number of objects and the scene complexity. This paper evaluates the four most commonly used moving object detection methods as background subtraction technique, Gaussian mixture model, wavelet based and optical flow based methods. The work is based on evaluation of these four moving object detection methods using two (2) different sets of cameras and two (2) different scenes. The moving object detection methods have been implemented using MatLab and results are compared based on completeness of detected objects, noise, light change sensitivity, processing time etc. After comparison, it is observed that optical flow based method took least processing time and successfully detected boundary of moving objects which also implies that it can be implemented for real-time moving object detection.

Comparison between two different supporting media at the manipueira anaerobic treatment: bamboo and polyurethane; Comparacao entre dois diferentes meios de suportes no tratamento anaerobico da manipueira: bambu e poliuretano

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torres, Douglas Guedes Batista; Citolin, Antonio Carlos; Gomes, Simone Damasceno; Alcantara, Michael Steinhorst; Mendonca, Elisabete Ferro [Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Parana (UNIOESTE), PR (Brazil). Curso de Engenharia Agricola], E-mail: simoned@unioeste.br

2009-07-01

It was compared the anaerobic bio digestion for the processing starch waste water in natura at horizontal reactors with continuous flux, 15 cm diameter and 90 cm, using two supporting media: bamboo and polyurethane, varying the load rate. The organic load evaluated were 0.548, 1.156, 1.471, 3.049 gCOD.L{sub reactorday}{sup -1} and it was shown that there wasn't supporting media influence on the total and volatile solid removals, with greatest reductions 85 % and 93 %, significantly equals by the Tukey test, for the 1.156 and 1.471 gDQO.L{sub reactorday}{sup -1} loads. The biogas production was greatest at the bio digestion with bamboo acting as supporting media, resulting in 1.696 L{sub biogas}.gSV{sub consumida}{sup -1} for the organic load value of 3.049 gDQO.L{sub reactorday}{sup -1}. (author)

Determining the optimal dose of Fenton reagent in a leachate treatment by Fenton-adsorption; Determinacion de la dosis optima de reactivo Fenton en un tratamiento de lixiviados por Fenton-adsorcion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mendez Novelo, Roger Ivan; Pietrogiovanna Bronca, Jose Alfredo; Santos Ocampo, Beatriz; Sauri Riancho, Maria Rosa; Giacoman Vallejos, German; Castillo Borges, Elba Rene [Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Facultad de Ingenieria, Merida, Yucatan (Mexico)]. E-mail: mnovelo@uady.mx

2010-07-01

Leachates are formed as a result of the percolation of liquids, through the solid wastes in stabilization process. Their composition is variable and highly toxic; therefore, leachates treatment is a complex task. Due to the high permeability of the soil of the Yucatan Peninsula leachates represent a high risk to health. Fenton type oxidation and adsorption treatment have been tested, and they have showed better results than other types of biological or physicochemical treatment. Fenton process consists in treating the contaminant load with a combination of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and FeSO{sub 4} under acidic conditions. Experiments were conducted in order to determine if filtration was better than the sedimentation of the sludges. The optimum contact time and the best relations [Fe{sup 2+}]/[H{sub 2}O{sub 2}] and [COD]/[H{sub 2}O{sub 2}] were determined. Subsequently, the oxidized samples were filtered and the adsorption process was tested using two columns in series packed with activated carbon. It was concluded that the sludge generated by the Fenton process was removed more efficiently through filtration than sedimentation. Optimal contact times were 5 min for COD removal, and 1 hour for colour removal; process time was set to one hour in order to protect the activated carbon. The best relations for [Fe{sup 2+}]/[H{sub 2}O{sub 2}] and [COD]/[H{sub 2}O{sub 2}] were 0.6 and 9 respectively. The maximum removal efficiency after the adsorption process was 98.9% for COD and 100% for colour at zero time of the column. A final biodegradability index of 0.24 was reached after the Fenton-adsorption tests. [Spanish] Los lixiviados son el resultado de la percolacion de liquidos a traves de los desechos solidos en proceso de estabilizacion. La complejidad de su tratamiento se debe a que su composicion es altamente toxica y variable. Lo anterior y el suelo altamente permeable de la peninsula de Yucatan, representan un alto peligro a la salud. Se ensayo un tratamiento de oxidacion

Where's Waldo? How perceptual, cognitive, and emotional brain processes cooperate during learning to categorize and find desired objects in a cluttered scene

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Stephen eGrossberg

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The Where’s Waldo problem concerns how individuals can rapidly learn to search a scene to detect, attend, recognize, and look at a valued target object in it. This article develops the ARTSCAN Search neural model to clarify how brain mechanisms across the What and Where cortical streams are coordinated to solve the Where's Waldo problem. The What stream learns positionally-invariant object representations, whereas the Where stream controls positionally-selective spatial and action representations. The model overcomes deficiencies of these computationally complementary properties through What and Where stream interactions. Where stream processes of spatial attention and predictive eye movement control modulate What stream processes whereby multiple view- and positionally-specific object categories are learned and associatively linked to view- and positionally-invariant object categories through bottom-up and attentive top-down interactions. Gain fields control the coordinate transformations that enable spatial attention and predictive eye movements to carry out this role. What stream cognitive-emotional learning processes enable the focusing of motivated attention upon the invariant object categories of desired objects. What stream cognitive names or motivational drives can prime a view- and positionally-invariant object category of a desired target object. A volitional signal can convert these primes into top-down activations that can, in turn, prime What stream view- and positionally-specific categories. When it also receives bottom-up activation from a target, such a positionally-specific category can cause an attentional shift in the Where stream to the positional representation of the target, and an eye movement can then be elicited to foveate it. These processes describe interactions among brain regions that include visual cortex, parietal cortex inferotemporal cortex, prefrontal cortex, amygdala, basal ganglia, and superior colliculus.

First-Class Object Sets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ernst, Erik

Typically, objects are monolithic entities with a fixed interface. To increase the flexibility in this area, this paper presents first-class object sets as a language construct. An object set offers an interface which is a disjoint union of the interfaces of its member objects. It may also be used...... for a special kind of method invocation involving multiple objects in a dynamic lookup process. With support for feature access and late-bound method calls object sets are similar to ordinary objects, only more flexible. The approach is made precise by means of a small calculus, and the soundness of its type...

Query Processing and Interlinking of Fuzzy Object-Oriented Database

OpenAIRE

Shweta Dwivedi; Santosh Kumar

2017-01-01

Due to the many limitation and poor data handling in the existing relational database, the software professional and researchers moves towards the object-oriented database which has much better capability to handling the real and complex real world data i.e. clear and crisp data and also have the capability to perform some huge and complex queries in an effective manner. On the other hand, a new approach in database is introduced named as Fuzzy Object-Oriented Database (FOOD); it has all the ...

Remoción integrada de materia orgánica, fósforo y nitrógeno en un sistema de filtros (biofiltros en serie anaerobio/anóxico/aerobio en condiciones dinámicas

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Mauricio Andrés Correa

2004-01-01

Full Text Available En este trabajo se presentan los resultados obtenidos durante la operación, en condiciones dinámicas, de un sistema en serie de tres biofiltros (BF, anaerobio (ANA, anóxico (ANX y aerobio (AER a escala de laboratorio, con el fin de evaluar la remoción de materia orgánica y nutrientes (N y P. Los reactores fueron alimentados continuamente durante 200 días, incluidos los períodos de adherencia y estabilidad, con tiempos de retención hidráulicos entre 2,27 y 0,66 d. para el BFANA y entre 1,7 y 0,5 d. para el BFANX. El período de adherencia se controló mediante el seguimiento de los sólidos suspendidos volátiles en el efluente y la eficiencia en la remoción de DQO en cada uno de los BF. Luego de observar resultados satisfactorios de adherencia de biomasa sobre el medio de soporte, se procedió a alimentar el sistema con una carga orgánica volumétrica inicial promedio de 0,441 kg DQO/m3/d. y gradualmente se fue incrementando, en la medida que se observaron resultados en la remoción de DQO por encima del 50%, hasta que se logró la estabilidad del sistema para la carga orgánica máxima de 1,5 kg DQO/m3/d. El control de los reactores se realizó con determinaciones de DQO, PO43-, NTK, NO2-, NO3-, alcalinidad y sólidos suspendidos, a la entrada y salida de cada reactor. Los resultados de remoción para el sistema de reactores de crecimiento adherido fue de 90 y 96% para DQO, entre 80 y 90% para fósforo total y entre 65 y 70% para nitrógeno total

An X window based graphics user interface for radiation information processing system developed with object-oriented programming technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Wenhuan; Fu Changqing; Kang Kejun

1993-01-01

X Window is a network-oriented and network transparent windowing system, and now dominant in the Unix domain. The object-oriented programming technology can be used to change the extensibility of a software system remarkably. An introduction to graphics user interface is given. And how to develop a graphics user interface for radiation information processing system with object-oriented programming technology, which is based on X Window and independent of application is described briefly

The role of oscillatory brain activity in object processing and figure-ground segmentation in human vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinsey, K; Anderson, S J; Hadjipapas, A; Holliday, I E

2011-03-01

The perception of an object as a single entity within a visual scene requires that its features are bound together and segregated from the background and/or other objects. Here, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to assess the hypothesis that coherent percepts may arise from the synchronized high frequency (gamma) activity between neurons that code features of the same object. We also assessed the role of low frequency (alpha, beta) activity in object processing. The target stimulus (i.e. object) was a small patch of a concentric grating of 3c/°, viewed eccentrically. The background stimulus was either a blank field or a concentric grating of 3c/° periodicity, viewed centrally. With patterned backgrounds, the target stimulus emerged--through rotation about its own centre--as a circular subsection of the background. Data were acquired using a 275-channel whole-head MEG system and analyzed using Synthetic Aperture Magnetometry (SAM), which allows one to generate images of task-related cortical oscillatory power changes within specific frequency bands. Significant oscillatory activity across a broad range of frequencies was evident at the V1/V2 border, and subsequent analyses were based on a virtual electrode at this location. When the target was presented in isolation, we observed that: (i) contralateral stimulation yielded a sustained power increase in gamma activity; and (ii) both contra- and ipsilateral stimulation yielded near identical transient power changes in alpha (and beta) activity. When the target was presented against a patterned background, we observed that: (i) contralateral stimulation yielded an increase in high-gamma (>55 Hz) power together with a decrease in low-gamma (40-55 Hz) power; and (ii) both contra- and ipsilateral stimulation yielded a transient decrease in alpha (and beta) activity, though the reduction tended to be greatest for contralateral stimulation. The opposing power changes across different regions of the gamma spectrum with

Sustainable Scheduling of Cloth Production Processes by Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm with Tabu-Enhanced Local Search

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rui Zhang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The dyeing of textile materials is the most critical process in cloth production because of the strict technological requirements. In addition to the technical aspect, there have been increasing concerns over how to minimize the negative environmental impact of the dyeing industry. The emissions of pollutants are mainly caused by frequent cleaning operations which are necessary for initializing the dyeing equipment, as well as idled production capacity which leads to discharge of unconsumed chemicals. Motivated by these facts, we propose a methodology to reduce the pollutant emissions by means of systematic production scheduling. Firstly, we build a three-objective scheduling model that incorporates both the traditional tardiness objective and the environmentally-related objectives. A mixed-integer programming formulation is also provided to accurately define the problem. Then, we present a novel solution method for the sustainable scheduling problem, namely, a multi-objective genetic algorithm with tabu-enhanced iterated greedy local search strategy (MOGA-TIG. Finally, we conduct extensive computational experiments to investigate the actual performance of the MOGA-TIG. Based on a fair comparison with two state-of-the-art multi-objective optimizers, it is concluded that the MOGA-TIG is able to achieve satisfactory solution quality within tight computational time budget for the studied scheduling problem.

Categorical data processing for real estate objects valuation using statistical analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Parygin, D. S.; Malikov, V. P.; Golubev, A. V.; Sadovnikova, N. P.; Petrova, T. M.; Finogeev, A. G.

2018-05-01

Theoretical and practical approaches to the use of statistical methods for studying various properties of infrastructure objects are analyzed in the paper. Methods of forecasting the value of objects are considered. A method for coding categorical variables describing properties of real estate objects is proposed. The analysis of the results of modeling the price of real estate objects using regression analysis and an algorithm based on a comparative approach is carried out.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 571: Area 9 Yucca Flat Plutonium Dispersion Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bailey, Bernadine; Matthews, Patrick

2013-07-01

CAU 571 is a grouping of sites where there has been a suspected release of contamination associated with nuclear testing. This document describes the planned investigation of CAU 571, which comprises the following corrective action sites (CASs): • 09-23-03, Atmospheric Test Site S-9F • 09-23-04, Atmospheric Test Site T9-C • 09-23-12, Atmospheric Test Site S-9E • 09-23-13, Atmospheric Test Site T-9D • 09-45-01, Windrows Crater These sites are being investigated because existing information on the nature and extent of potential contamination is insufficient to evaluate and recommend corrective action alternatives (CAAs). Additional information will be obtained by conducting a corrective action investigation before evaluating CAAs and selecting the appropriate corrective action for each CAS. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of viable CAAs that will be presented in the investigation report. The sites will be investigated based on the data quality objectives (DQOs) developed on March 6, 2013, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (now the Nevada Field Office). The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 571. The site investigation process will also be conducted in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan, which establishes requirements, technical planning, and general quality practices to be applied to this activity. The potential contamination sources associated with CAU 571 CASs are from nuclear testing activities. The DQO process resulted in an assumption that total effective dose (TED) within a default contamination boundary exceeds the final action level (FAL) and requires corrective action. The presence and nature of contamination outside the default

Multi-Objective Optimization of Squeeze Casting Process using Genetic Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patel G.C.M.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The near net shaped manufacturing ability of squeeze casting process requiresto set the process variable combinations at their optimal levels to obtain both aesthetic appearance and internal soundness of the cast parts. The aesthetic and internal soundness of cast parts deal with surface roughness and tensile strength those can readily put the part in service without the requirement of costly secondary manufacturing processes (like polishing, shot blasting, plating, hear treatment etc.. It is difficult to determine the levels of the process variable (that is, pressure duration, squeeze pressure, pouring temperature and die temperature combinations for extreme values of the responses (that is, surface roughness, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength due to conflicting requirements. In the present manuscript, three population based search and optimization methods, namely genetic algorithm (GA, particle swarm optimization (PSO and multi-objective particle swarm optimization based on crowding distance (MOPSO-CD methods have been used to optimize multiple outputs simultaneously. Further, validation test has been conducted for the optimal casting conditions suggested by GA, PSO and MOPSO-CD. The results showed that PSO outperformed GA with regard to computation time.

Monitoring of environmental radioactivity in the European Communities inventory of methods and development of data quality objectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raes, F.

1991-01-01

A review is given of the procedures for environmental monitoring in the 12 Member States of the European Community. Detailed information of sampling and measuring methods for radioactivity in air, deposition, water, milk and for ambient gamma dose rate are presented in tables and figures. Some sample results of environmental radioactivity monitoring indicate problems with intercomparability of data reported by different EC countries. A review is given of international and national programmes and proposals for Quality Assurance and Control. There is a large but rather uncoordinated activity in this field; only a few countries within the EC have a well structured and comprehensive approach to QA and regularly join international programmes. Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) are developed for environmental radioactivity monitoring. They include the definition of the accuracy and repeatability of the measurements, and the definition of recording and detection levels. The recording levels, are based on a de minimis annual dose of 0.005 mSv. Based on these DQO's, the current problems with intercomparability are put into perspective, and proposals for future integration of national data into an overall European picture made. There is a need to improve quality of environmental monitoring in order to arrive at a meaningful and transparent picture of the overall radiological situation in the EC. Proposals are made for CEC initiatives in the field of QA/QC. The three most important deal with: - reporting of national data in a European context, - intercomparisons of analytical techniques among the 12 EC countries, - organization of a European network for monitoring levels actually prevailing in the environment

Distributed dendritic processing facilitates object detection: a computational analysis on the visual system of the fly.

Science.gov (United States)

Hennig, Patrick; Möller, Ralf; Egelhaaf, Martin

2008-08-28

Detecting objects is an important task when moving through a natural environment. Flies, for example, may land on salient objects or may avoid collisions with them. The neuronal ensemble of Figure Detection cells (FD-cells) in the visual system of the fly is likely to be involved in controlling these behaviours, as these cells are more sensitive to objects than to extended background structures. Until now the computations in the presynaptic neuronal network of FD-cells and, in particular, the functional significance of the experimentally established distributed dendritic processing of excitatory and inhibitory inputs is not understood. We use model simulations to analyse the neuronal computations responsible for the preference of FD-cells for small objects. We employed a new modelling approach which allowed us to account for the spatial spread of electrical signals in the dendrites while avoiding detailed compartmental modelling. The models are based on available physiological and anatomical data. Three models were tested each implementing an inhibitory neural circuit, but differing by the spatial arrangement of the inhibitory interaction. Parameter optimisation with an evolutionary algorithm revealed that only distributed dendritic processing satisfies the constraints arising from electrophysiological experiments. In contrast to a direct dendro-dendritic inhibition of the FD-cell (Direct Distributed Inhibition model), an inhibition of its presynaptic retinotopic elements (Indirect Distributed Inhibition model) requires smaller changes in input resistance in the inhibited neurons during visual stimulation. Distributed dendritic inhibition of retinotopic elements as implemented in our Indirect Distributed Inhibition model is the most plausible wiring scheme for the neuronal circuit of FD-cells. This microcircuit is computationally similar to lateral inhibition between the retinotopic elements. Hence, distributed inhibition might be an alternative explanation of

Proposal for an Object Oriented Process Modeling Language

OpenAIRE

Anderl, Reiner; Raßler, Jochen; Malzacher, Jens

2008-01-01

Processes are very important for the success within many business fields. They define the proper application of methods, technologies and company structures in order to reach business goals. Not only manufacturing processes have to be defined from the start point to their end, also other processes like product development processes need a proper description to gain success. For example in automotive industries complex product development processes are necessary and defined prior to product de...

Knowledge and Cognitive Process Dimensions of Technology Teachers' Lesson Objectives

Science.gov (United States)

Mathumbu, David; Rauscher, Willem; Braun, Max

2014-01-01

A clearly stated lesson objective is considered an essential component of a well-planned lesson. Many teachers of Technology, a relatively new subject in South African schools, teach Technology with rather limited training both in content and methodological approaches. This study sought to investigate and classify lesson objectives framed or…

Start-up adjustment of a plug-flow digester for cassava wastewater (manipueira treatment Processo de partida de um biodigestor do tipo plug-flow para tratamento da manipueira

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Magdalena Ferreira Ribas

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Manipueira, wastewater of cassava (Manihot esculenta processing, can be treated by anaerobic biodigestion. To study the start-up process of a plug-flow digester for manipueira treatment, this work consisted of two stages: gradual decrease of the hydraulic retention time (HRT to the preset time of 4 days or maintaining a fixed HRT of 4 days with gradual increase of the substrate concentration. A digester of 1980 mL capacity was opperated, at constant temperature (32 ± 1º C, with substrate pH corrected between 5.5 and 6.0. The first stage had durations of 16.6; 13.6; 11.6; and 9.6 days and the organic loads were 3.1; 2.0; 2.3; and 2.9 COD L-1 d-1, (chemical oxigen demand respectively. The second stage was characterized by a fixed HRT (4 days and organic loads of 0.48; 0.86; 1.65; and 2.46 g COD L-1 d-1. Total solids (TS, volatile solids (VS, COD, alkalinity and volatile acidity were determined in the substrate and in the effluent. During the first stage, the HRT of 9.6 days and organic load of 2.9 g COD L-1 d-1 resulted in the best performence; reductions in COD, total and volatile solids were 60, 44 and 60%, respectively. During the second stage, with a 4-day HRT, the best results were achieved with the 0.86 g COD L-1 d-1 organic load, which provided reductions in COD, total and volatile solids of 71, 58 and 79%, respectively. The start-up of the plug-flow digester for manipueira treatment can be made by gradually by decreasing the HRT, or fixing HRT and increasing substrate concentration.Um dos resíduos gerados no processamento da mandioca (Manihot esculenta é a manipueira, passível de tratamento por biodigestão anaeróbia. Este trabalho objetivou estudar o processo de partida de um biodigestor tipo plug-flow, tratando manipueira de duas maneiras: diminuindo-se gradativamente o tempo de retenção hidráulica (TRH até se chegar ao tempo pré-estabelecido, quatro dias; ou mantendo-se o TRH fixo em quatro dias e aumentando-se gradativamente

Multi-objective genetic algorithm optimization of 2D- and 3D-Pareto fronts for vibrational quantum processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gollub, C; De Vivie-Riedle, R

2009-01-01

A multi-objective genetic algorithm is applied to optimize picosecond laser fields, driving vibrational quantum processes. Our examples are state-to-state transitions and unitary transformations. The approach allows features of the shaped laser fields and of the excitation mechanisms to be controlled simultaneously with the quantum yield. Within the parameter range accessible to the experiment, we focus on short pulse durations and low pulse energies to optimize preferably robust laser fields. Multidimensional Pareto fronts for these conflicting objectives could be constructed. Comparison with previous work showed that the solutions from Pareto optimizations and from optimal control theory match very well.

Designing the Object Game

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Filip, Diane; Lindegaard, Hanne

2016-01-01

The Object Game is an exploratory design game and an experiment of developing a tangible object that can spark dialogue and retrospection between collaborative partners and act as a boundary object. The objective of this article is to show and elaborate on the development of the Object Game......, and to provide case examples of the game in action. The Object Game has two parts – Story-building and Co-rating of objects – with the aim of stimulating a collaborative reflection on knowledge sharing with different objects. In Story-building, the participants visualize their knowledge sharing process...... these facilitated knowledge transfer, knowledge exchange, knowledge generation, and knowledge integration. The participants collaborative reflected on their use of different objects for knowledge sharing and learn which objects have been effective (and which have not been effective) in their collaborative...

ANÁLISIS COMPARATIVO DE LA REMOCIÓN DE UN SUSTRATO ORGÁNICO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BOLAÑOS BENÍTEZ SANDRA VIVIANA

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Se evaluó el potencial de dos macrófitas acuáticas para remover Ftalato Ácido de Potasio (FAP, en sistemas batch con aireación permanente e iluminación de 12 horas, con demandas químicas de oxígeno teóricas iniciales de 250, 500 y 1000 mg/L. En términos de remoción de DQO, el tratamiento con Pistia stratiotes logró remociones promedio de 77,45% para la DQO más baja, 84,25% para la DQO intermedia y 93,47% para la DQO teórica de 1000 mg/L. El tratamiento con Egeria densa alcanzó remociones de 79,80%, 85,25% y 92,5% respectivamente, lo cual indica que la macrófita sumergida E. densa alcanzó remociones superiores a las de P. satratiotes debido a su capacidad para absorber nutrientes por la superficie de las hojas. Estos resultados evidencian que a mayor DQO, hay mayor remoción. Otros parámetros fisicoquímicos fueron monitoreados a lo largo de los bioensayos: Temperatura del agua, Conductividad Eléctrica (CE, Oxígeno Disuelto (OD, Potencial de Hidrógeno (pH, Alcalinidad total y Dureza total. La CE se incrementó diariamente en el periodo de 15 días al igual que la dureza total y el pH. Por su parte la alcalinidad fluctuó con tendencia general a disminuir en los tratamientos de menor carga y a aumentar en el de mayor carga tanto para Pistia como para Egeria.

Quality inspection guided laser processing of irregular shape objects by stereo vision measurement: application in badminton shuttle manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Li; Wang, Shun; Zhang, Yixin; Sun, Yingying; Zhang, Xuping

2015-11-01

The quality inspection process is usually carried out after first processing of the raw materials such as cutting and milling. This is because the parts of the materials to be used are unidentified until they have been trimmed. If the quality of the material is assessed before the laser process, then the energy and efforts wasted on defected materials can be saved. We proposed a new production scheme that can achieve quantitative quality inspection prior to primitive laser cutting by means of three-dimensional (3-D) vision measurement. First, the 3-D model of the object is reconstructed by the stereo cameras, from which the spatial cutting path is derived. Second, collaborating with another rear camera, the 3-D cutting path is reprojected to both the frontal and rear views of the object and thus generates the regions-of-interest (ROIs) for surface defect analysis. An accurate visual guided laser process and reprojection-based ROI segmentation are enabled by a global-optimization-based trinocular calibration method. The prototype system was built and tested with the processing of raw duck feathers for high-quality badminton shuttle manufacture. Incorporating with a two-dimensional wavelet-decomposition-based defect analysis algorithm, both the geometrical and appearance features of the raw feathers are quantified before they are cut into small patches, which result in fully automatic feather cutting and sorting.

Visual object recognition and tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chu-Yin (Inventor); English, James D. (Inventor); Tardella, Neil M. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

This invention describes a method for identifying and tracking an object from two-dimensional data pictorially representing said object by an object-tracking system through processing said two-dimensional data using at least one tracker-identifier belonging to the object-tracking system for providing an output signal containing: a) a type of the object, and/or b) a position or an orientation of the object in three-dimensions, and/or c) an articulation or a shape change of said object in said three dimensions.

Multi objective optimization model for minimizing production cost and environmental impact in CNC turning process

Science.gov (United States)

Widhiarso, Wahyu; Rosyidi, Cucuk Nur

2018-02-01

Minimizing production cost in a manufacturing company will increase the profit of the company. The cutting parameters will affect total processing time which then will affect the production cost of machining process. Besides affecting the production cost and processing time, the cutting parameters will also affect the environment. An optimization model is needed to determine the optimum cutting parameters. In this paper, we develop an optimization model to minimize the production cost and the environmental impact in CNC turning process. The model is used a multi objective optimization. Cutting speed and feed rate are served as the decision variables. Constraints considered are cutting speed, feed rate, cutting force, output power, and surface roughness. The environmental impact is converted from the environmental burden by using eco-indicator 99. Numerical example is given to show the implementation of the model and solved using OptQuest of Oracle Crystal Ball software. The results of optimization indicate that the model can be used to optimize the cutting parameters to minimize the production cost and the environmental impact.

Problem-Based Learning Associated by Action-Process-Object-Schema (APOS) Theory to Enhance Students' High Order Mathematical Thinking Ability

Science.gov (United States)

Mudrikah, Achmad

2016-01-01

The research has shown a model of learning activities that can be used to stimulate reflective abstraction in students. Reflective abstraction as a method of constructing knowledge in the Action-Process-Object-Schema theory, and is expected to occur when students are in learning activities, will be able to encourage students to make the process of…

MULTIPLE OBJECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Bosov

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The development of complicated techniques of production and management processes, information systems, computer science, applied objects of systems theory and others requires improvement of mathematical methods, new approaches for researches of application systems. And the variety and diversity of subject systems makes necessary the development of a model that generalizes the classical sets and their development – sets of sets. Multiple objects unlike sets are constructed by multiple structures and represented by the structure and content. The aim of the work is the analysis of multiple structures, generating multiple objects, the further development of operations on these objects in application systems. Methodology. To achieve the objectives of the researches, the structure of multiple objects represents as constructive trio, consisting of media, signatures and axiomatic. Multiple object is determined by the structure and content, as well as represented by hybrid superposition, composed of sets, multi-sets, ordered sets (lists and heterogeneous sets (sequences, corteges. Findings. In this paper we study the properties and characteristics of the components of hybrid multiple objects of complex systems, proposed assessments of their complexity, shown the rules of internal and external operations on objects of implementation. We introduce the relation of arbitrary order over multiple objects, we define the description of functions and display on objects of multiple structures. Originality.In this paper we consider the development of multiple structures, generating multiple objects.Practical value. The transition from the abstract to the subject of multiple structures requires the transformation of the system and multiple objects. Transformation involves three successive stages: specification (binding to the domain, interpretation (multiple sites and particularization (goals. The proposed describe systems approach based on hybrid sets

Land Cover and Land Use Classification with TWOPAC: towards Automated Processing for Pixel- and Object-Based Image Classification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Dech

2012-09-01

Full Text Available We present a novel and innovative automated processing environment for the derivation of land cover (LC and land use (LU information. This processing framework named TWOPAC (TWinned Object and Pixel based Automated classification Chain enables the standardized, independent, user-friendly, and comparable derivation of LC and LU information, with minimized manual classification labor. TWOPAC allows classification of multi-spectral and multi-temporal remote sensing imagery from different sensor types. TWOPAC enables not only pixel-based classification, but also allows classification based on object-based characteristics. Classification is based on a Decision Tree approach (DT for which the well-known C5.0 code has been implemented, which builds decision trees based on the concept of information entropy. TWOPAC enables automatic generation of the decision tree classifier based on a C5.0-retrieved ascii-file, as well as fully automatic validation of the classification output via sample based accuracy assessment.Envisaging the automated generation of standardized land cover products, as well as area-wide classification of large amounts of data in preferably a short processing time, standardized interfaces for process control, Web Processing Services (WPS, as introduced by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC, are utilized. TWOPAC’s functionality to process geospatial raster or vector data via web resources (server, network enables TWOPAC’s usability independent of any commercial client or desktop software and allows for large scale data processing on servers. Furthermore, the components of TWOPAC were built-up using open source code components and are implemented as a plug-in for Quantum GIS software for easy handling of the classification process from the user’s perspective.

Tank 241-BY-108 tank characterization plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, B.C.

1994-01-01

The sampling and analytical needs associated with the 51 Hanford Site underground storage tanks classified on one or more of the four Watch Lists (ferrocyanide, organic, flammable gas, and high heat), and the safety screening of all 177 tanks have been identified through the Data Quality Objective (DQO) process. DQOs identity information needed by a program group in the Tank Waste Remediation System concerned with safety issues, regulatory requirements, or the transporting and processing of tank waste. This Tank Characterization Plan will identify characterization objectives for tank BY-108 pertaining to sample collection, sample preparation and analysis, and laboratory analytical evaluation and reporting requirements. In addition, an estimate of the current contents and status of the tank is given. Single-shell tank BY-108 is classified as a Ferrocyanide Watch List tank. The tank was declared an assumed leaker and removed from service in 1972; interim stabilized was completed in February 1985. Although not officially an Organic Watch List tank, restrictions have been placed on intrusive operations by Standing Order number-sign 94-16 (dated 09/08/94) since the tank is suspected to contain or to have contained a floating organic layer

Data Quality Objectives Supporting Radiological Air Emissions Monitoring for the PNNL Richland Campus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Snyder, Sandra F. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Moleta, Donna Grace L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Meier, Kirsten M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Barnett, John M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2017-12-31

This is the second revision of the DQO Supporting Radiological Air Emissions Monitoring for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland Campus. In January 2017, the PNNL Richland Campus expanded to the north by 0.35 km² (85.6 acres). Under the requirements of Washington State Department of Health Radioactive Air Emissions License (RAEL)-005, the PNNL Campus operates and maintains a radiological air monitoring program. This revision documents and evaluates the newly acquired acreage while also removing recreational land at the southwest, and also re-examines all active radioactive emission units on the PNNL Campus. No buildings are located on this new Campus land, which was transferred from the U.S. DOE Hanford Site. Additionally, this revision includes information regarding the background monitoring station PNL-5 in Benton City, Washington, which became active in October 2016. The key purpose of this revision is to determine the adequacy of the existing environmental surveillance stations to monitor radiological air emissions in light of this northern boundary change.

The Timing of Visual Object Categorization

Science.gov (United States)

Mack, Michael L.; Palmeri, Thomas J.

2011-01-01

An object can be categorized at different levels of abstraction: as natural or man-made, animal or plant, bird or dog, or as a Northern Cardinal or Pyrrhuloxia. There has been growing interest in understanding how quickly categorizations at different levels are made and how the timing of those perceptual decisions changes with experience. We specifically contrast two perspectives on the timing of object categorization at different levels of abstraction. By one account, the relative timing implies a relative timing of stages of visual processing that are tied to particular levels of object categorization: Fast categorizations are fast because they precede other categorizations within the visual processing hierarchy. By another account, the relative timing reflects when perceptual features are available over time and the quality of perceptual evidence used to drive a perceptual decision process: Fast simply means fast, it does not mean first. Understanding the short-term and long-term temporal dynamics of object categorizations is key to developing computational models of visual object recognition. We briefly review a number of models of object categorization and outline how they explain the timing of visual object categorization at different levels of abstraction. PMID:21811480

Developing an objective function to characterize the tradeoffs in salting out and the foam and droplet fractionation processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cherry J.

2000-01-01

Full Text Available There are many methods for separating and purifying proteins from dilute solutions, such as salting out/precipitation, adsorption/chromatography, foam fractionation, and droplet fractionation. In order to determine the optimal condition for a selected separation and purification process, an objective function is developed. The objective function consists of three parameters, which are the protein mass recovery, the separation ratio, and the enzymatic activity ratio. In this paper the objective function is determined as a function of the pH of the bulk solution for egg albumin, cellulase, and sporamin (for foam fractionation and invertase ( for droplet fractionation. It is found that the optimal pH for all the systems except for cellulase is near their isoelectric point.

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Hauffen, Karin; Bart, Eugene; Brady, Mark; Kersten, Daniel; Hegdé, Jay

2012-01-01

In order to quantitatively study object perception, be it perception by biological systems or by machines, one needs to create objects and object categories with precisely definable, preferably naturalistic, properties1. Furthermore, for studies on perceptual learning, it is useful to create novel objects and object categories (or object classes) with such properties2. Many innovative and useful methods currently exist for creating novel objects and object categories3-6 (also see refs. 7,8). However, generally speaking, the existing methods have three broad types of shortcomings. First, shape variations are generally imposed by the experimenter5,9,10, and may therefore be different from the variability in natural categories, and optimized for a particular recognition algorithm. It would be desirable to have the variations arise independently of the externally imposed constraints. Second, the existing methods have difficulty capturing the shape complexity of natural objects11-13. If the goal is to study natural object perception, it is desirable for objects and object categories to be naturalistic, so as to avoid possible confounds and special cases. Third, it is generally hard to quantitatively measure the available information in the stimuli created by conventional methods. It would be desirable to create objects and object categories where the available information can be precisely measured and, where necessary, systematically manipulated (or 'tuned'). This allows one to formulate the underlying object recognition tasks in quantitative terms. Here we describe a set of algorithms, or methods, that meet all three of the above criteria. Virtual morphogenesis (VM) creates novel, naturalistic virtual 3-D objects called 'digital embryos' by simulating the biological process of embryogenesis14. Virtual phylogenesis (VP) creates novel, naturalistic object categories by simulating the evolutionary process of natural selection9,12,13. Objects and object categories created

Investigation of mechanisms of dechlorination of archaeological ferrous objects corroded in marine environment. Case of processing in aerated and deaerated alkaline solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kergourlay, Florian

2012-01-01

After a bibliographic study on the present knowledge on dechlorination mechanisms within corrosion layers of archaeological objects of submarine origin, this research thesis presents an analytical methodology which comprises characterization experimental techniques (from optical microscopy to Raman spectroscopy) and in situ investigation of the evolution of the corrosion layer during a processing under synchrotron radiation. The obtained results are then presented and discussed: morphological, elemental and structural characteristics. The author also compares the corrosion system between an object recently taken out of water and an object which has been air dried. He also comments and discusses the in situ observation by X ray diffraction under micro-beam of the evolution of the corrosion system during the processing. The ex situ characterization of corrosion systems after the rinsing and drying steps (after processing) is reported. Results are discussed in terms of thermodynamics. A kinetic approach is proposed

Exploiting object constancy: effects of active exploration and shape morphing on similarity judgments of novel objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Haemy; Wallraven, Christian

2013-03-01

Humans are experts at shape processing. This expertise has been learned and fine tuned by actively manipulating and perceiving thousands of objects during development. Therefore, shape processing possesses an active component and a perceptual component. Here, we investigate both components in six experiments in which participants view and/or interact with novel, parametrically defined 3D objects using a touch-screen interface. For probing shape processing, we use a similarity rating task. In Experiments 1-3, we show that active manipulation leads to a better perceptual reconstruction of the physical parameter space than judging rotating objects, or passively viewing someone else's exploration pattern. In Experiment 4, we exploit object constancy-the fact that the visual system assumes that objects do not change their identity during manipulation. We show that slow morphing of an object during active manipulation systematically biases similarity ratings-despite the participants being unaware of the morphing. Experiments 5 and 6 investigate the time course of integrating shape information by restricting the morphing to the first and second half of the trial only. Interestingly, the results indicate that participants do not seem to integrate shape information beyond 5 s of exploration time. Finally, Experiment 7 uses a secondary task that suggests that the previous results are not simply due to lack of attention during the later parts of the trial. In summary, our results demonstrate the advantage of active manipulation for shape processing and indicate a continued, perceptual integration of complex shape information within a time window of a few seconds during object interactions.

Development of the object-oriented analysis code for the estimation of material balance in pyrochemical reprocessing process (2). Modification of the code for the analysis of holdup of nuclear materials in the process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okamura, Nobuo; Tanaka, Hiroshi

2001-04-01

Pyrochemical reprocessing is thought to be promising process for FBR fuel cycle mainly from the economical viewpoint. However, the material behavior in the process is not clarified enough because of the lack of experimental data. The authors have been developed the object-oriented analysis code for the estimation of material balance in the process, which has the flexible applicability for the change of process flow sheet. The objective of this study is to modify the code so as to analyze the holdup of nuclear materials in the pyrochemical process from the viewpoint of safeguard, because of the possibility of larger amount of the holdup in the process compared with aqueous process. As a result of the modification, the relationship between the production of nuclear materials and its holdup in the process can be evaluated by the code. (author)

Export pricing objectives and factors influencing them

OpenAIRE

Snieškienė, Gabrielė; Pridotkienė, Jūratė

2010-01-01

Pricing is recognized as one of the most important tools to achieve a successful export operation. The starting point in every pricing effort is the process of creating pricing objectives. Pricing objectives are the strategic and economic goals desired by management in pricing the product. Pricing objectives constitute the basis on which pricing methods and policies are formulated. Therefore, a better understanding of the pricing objectives should direct the company’s overall pricing process....

Ferromanganese Furnace Modelling Using Object-Oriented Principles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wasboe, S.O.

1996-12-31

This doctoral thesis defines an object-oriented framework for aiding unit process modelling and applies it to model high-carbon ferromanganese furnaces. A framework is proposed for aiding modelling of the internal topology and the phenomena taking place inside unit processes. Complex unit processes may consist of a number of zones where different phenomena take place. A topology is therefore defined for the unit process itself, which shows the relations between the zones. Inside each zone there is a set of chemical species and phenomena, such as reactions, phase transitions, heat transfer etc. A formalized graphical methodology is developed as a tool for modelling these zones and their interaction. The symbols defined in the graphical framework are associated with objects and classes. The rules for linking the objects are described using OMT (Object Modeling Technique) diagrams and formal language formulations. The basic classes that are defined are implemented using the C++ programming language. The ferromanganese process is a complex unit process. A general description of the process equipment is given, and a detailed discussion of the process itself and a system theoretical overview of it. The object-oriented framework is then used to develop a dynamic model based on mass and energy balances. The model is validated by measurements from an industrial furnace. 101 refs., 119 figs., 20 tabs.

Tank 241-AP-104 Grab Sampling and Analysis Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TEMPLETON, A.M.

2000-01-01

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for samples obtained from tank 241-AP-104. The purpose of this sampling event is to obtain information about the characteristics of the contents of 241-AP-104 required to provide sample material to the Waste Treatment Contractor. Grab samples will be obtained from riser 001 to provide sufficient material for the chemical analyses and tests required to satisfy these data quality objectives and ICD-23. The 222-S Laboratory will receive samples; composite the samples; perform chemical analyses on composite samples; and provide samples to the Waste Treatment Contractor and the Process Chemistry Laboratory. The Process Chemistry Laboratory at the 222-S Laboratory Complex will perform process tests to evaluate the behavior of the 241-AP-104 waste undergoing the retrieval and treatment scenarios defined in the applicable DQOs. The Waste Treatment Contractor will perform process verification and waste form qualification tests. Requirements for analyses of samples originating in the L and H DQO process tests will be documented in the corresponding test plan (Person 2000) and are not within the scope of this SAP. This report provides the general methodology and procedures to be used in the preparation, retrieval, transport, analysis, and reporting of results from grab samples retrieved from tank 241-AP-104

[Objective Assessment of Emotion Processing. Forensic Case Report].

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, Ana Calzada; Gutiérrez Manso, Ana Teresa; González, Mariloly Acosta

2014-03-01

The main objective of the emotions is to ensure the homeostasis, the survival and the well-being of the organism. To demonstrate the usefulness of performing neurophysiological and neuropsychological assessments in patients, in order to demonstrate the significant role of the emotions in the execution of certain behaviours. A forensic psychiatric interview was conducted. EEG in vigil state was registered, the generators of current density to theta band were calculated, and the emotions recognition test was performed. The results of the psychiatric interview demonstrated that fear was an important element in acting impulsively, and lack of foresight of the accused. A substantial decrease was demonstrated in the ability to understand the scope of the acts and the direction of the behaviour during the time the crime occurred. The EEG showed alterations in frontal regions, and the generators of current density were located in frontal-temporal regions and occipital associative areas. It is recommended to associate these studies with the forensic psychiatric assessment, in order to increase the objectivity of the diagnoses formulated by medical experts. Copyright © 2014 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Integrating ergonomics into engineering design: the role of objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall-Andersen, Lene Bjerg; Broberg, Ole

2014-05-01

The objective of this study was to explore the role of objects in integrating ergonomic knowledge in engineering design processes. An engineering design case was analyzed using the theoretical concepts of boundary objects and intermediary objects: Boundary objects facilitate collaboration between different knowledge domains, while the aim of an intermediary object is to circulate knowledge and thus produce a distant effect. Adjustable layout drawings served as boundary objects and had a positive impact on the dialog between an ergonomist and designers. An ergonomic guideline document was identified as an intermediary object. However, when the ergonomic guidelines were circulated in the design process, only some of the guidelines were transferred to the design of the sterile processing plant. Based on these findings, recommendations for working with objects in design processes are included. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Reliability and validity of internalized stigmatization scale in psoriasis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erkan Alpsoy

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Backround and design. Internalized stigma involves endorsing negative feelings and beliefs such as insignificance, shame and withdrawal triggered by applying these negative stereotypes to one self. Internalized Stigma Scale has not been applied to psoriasis patients. We aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of Internalized Stigma Scale in psoriasis patients. Materials and Methods. 100 consecutive, volunteer psoriasis patients (48 female, 52 male; aged, 40.59±15.44 years were enrolled in the study. PASI and BSA were evaluated by physician (A.B.. Patients responded contemporaneously to Psoriasis Internalized Stigma Scale (PISS, DQoL, and Perceived Health Status (PHS, single-item self-rated general health question, of which Likert scores 1, 2, and 3 were classified as “from fair to very poor”, and 4, 5 as “good”. Results. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of PISS subscales was 0.83 for alienation, 0.70 for stereotype endorsement, 0.70 for perceived discrimination, 0.84 for social withdrawal and 0.68 for stigma resistance. The same value was 0.89 for the total scale. PISS and DQoL scores mean values were 58.8±12.6 and 10.0±9.4, respectively. PISS was significantly correlated with the patients' DQoL scores (r=,726, p=0,001. PISS was also significantly correlated with disease duration (r=,209, p=0,047. There was no any significant relationship between PASI or BSA and PISS. Mean DQoL scores in patients reporting their PHS as “from fair to very poor” and “good” were 12.1±7.3 and 5.0±4.3, respectively. Mean values of PISS in patients reporting their PHS as “from fair to very poor” was significantly increased compared with patients reporting their PHS as “good” (p=0.001. Conclusion. PISS can be used as a reliable and valid tool in assesing internalized stigmatization in psoriasis patients. Our results indicate a high level of stigmatization in psoriasis patients. Low DQoL scores show a correlation with increased levels of

Sampling and analysis plan for the 100-D Ponds voluntary remediation project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-08-01

This Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) describes the sampling and analytical activities which will be performed to support closure of the 100-D Ponds Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) treatment, storage, and/or disposal (TSD) unit. This SAP includes the Field Sampling Plan (FSP) presented in Section 2.0, and the Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPjP) described in Section 3.0. The FSP defines the sampling and analytical methodologies to be performed, and the QAPjP provides or includes information on the requirements for precision, accuracy, representativeness, comparability, and completeness of the analytical data. This sampling and analysis plan was developed using the Environmental Protection Agency's Seven-Step Data Quality Objectives (DQO) Guidance (EPA, 1994). The purpose of the DQO meetings was (1) to identify the contaminants of concern and their cleanup levels under the Washington State Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA, WAC-173-340) Method B, and (2) to determine the number and locations of samples necessary to verify that the 100-D Ponds meet the cleanup criteria. The data collected will be used to support RCRA closure of this TSD unit

Object individuation is invariant to attentional diffusion: Changes in the size of the attended region do not interact with object-substitution masking.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodhew, Stephanie C; Edwards, Mark

2016-12-01

When the human brain is confronted with complex and dynamic visual scenes, two pivotal processes are at play: visual attention (the process of selecting certain aspects of the scene for privileged processing) and object individuation (determining what information belongs to a continuing object over time versus what represents two or more distinct objects). Here we examined whether these processes are independent or whether they interact. Object-substitution masking (OSM) has been used as a tool to examine such questions, however, there is controversy surrounding whether OSM reflects object individuation versus substitution processes. The object-individuation account is agnostic regarding the role of attention, whereas object-substitution theory stipulates a pivotal role for attention. There have been attempts to investigate the role of attention in OSM, but they have been subject to alternative explanations. Here, therefore, we manipulated the size of the attended region, a pure and uncontaminated attentional manipulation, and examined the impact on OSM. Across three experiments, there was no interaction. This refutes the object-substitution theory of OSM. This, in turn, tell us that object-individuation is invariant the distribution of attention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Estudio cinético del proceso de digestión anaerobia de aguas de lavado de aceitunas de almazara en reactores de mezcla completa con microorganismos inmovilizados

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Borja, Rafael

1999-04-01

Full Text Available A kinetic study of the continuous anaerobic digestion process of wastewaters from the washing of olives prior to the oil production process was carried out in a completely mixed reactor with sepiolite immobilised biomass at 35° C. Four influent COD concentrations, 4,5, 3,5, 2,5 y 1,5 g COD/I were used as substrate operating for a hydraulic retention time range of 4,5 to 1,25 days. The Michaelis-Menten model has been applied, obtaining the values of the maximum substrate utilization rate, k( (g COD/g VSS day, and the kinetic constant of the process, K_s (g COD/I, for each influent substrate concentration studied. The values of these parameters significantly decreased with decreasing concentration of influent wastewater, showing the highest values for the greatest influent substrate concentration used as feed. The microbial yield coefficient, Y_x, and sludge decay rate coefficient, k_d, were also determined to be 0,14 g VSS/g COD and 0,003 days^-1 respectively.

Se ha efectuado un estudio cinético del proceso de digestión anaerobia en régimen continuo de aguas de lavado de aceitunas de almazara en un reactor de mezcla completa utilizando sepiolita como soporte para la inmovilización de los microorganismos responsables del proceso, a la temperatura de 35° C. Se utilizan cuatro concentraciones de sustrato como alimento, 4,5, 3,5, 2,5 y 1,5g DQO/I, operando con cada una de ellas en un rango de tiempos de retención hidráulicos de 4,5 a 1,25 días. Para ello, se aplica el método cinético de Michaelis-Menten, obteniéndose los valores de la velocidad máxima de utilización de sustrato, k(g DQO/g SSV día, y de la constante cinética del proceso, K_s (g DQO/I, para cada concentración de sustrato objeto de estudio. Se observa que estas constantes cinéticas disminuyen de forma significativa al disminuir la concentración de sustrato en el alimento

Multi objective multi refinery optimization with environmental and catastrophic failure effects objectives

Science.gov (United States)

Khogeer, Ahmed Sirag

2005-11-01

Petroleum refining is a capital-intensive business. With stringent environmental regulations on the processing industry and declining refining margins, political instability, increased risk of war and terrorist attacks in which refineries and fuel transportation grids may be targeted, higher pressures are exerted on refiners to optimize performance and find the best combination of feed and processes to produce salable products that meet stricter product specifications, while at the same time meeting refinery supply commitments and of course making profit. This is done through multi objective optimization. For corporate refining companies and at the national level, Intea-Refinery and Inter-Refinery optimization is the second step in optimizing the operation of the whole refining chain as a single system. Most refinery-wide optimization methods do not cover multiple objectives such as minimizing environmental impact, avoiding catastrophic failures, or enhancing product spec upgrade effects. This work starts by carrying out a refinery-wide, single objective optimization, and then moves to multi objective-single refinery optimization. The last step is multi objective-multi refinery optimization, the objectives of which are analysis of the effects of economic, environmental, product spec, strategic, and catastrophic failure. Simulation runs were carried out using both MATLAB and ASPEN PIMS utilizing nonlinear techniques to solve the optimization problem. The results addressed the need to debottleneck some refineries or transportation media in order to meet the demand for essential products under partial or total failure scenarios. They also addressed how importing some high spec products can help recover some of the losses and what is needed in order to accomplish this. In addition, the results showed nonlinear relations among local and global objectives for some refineries. The results demonstrate that refineries can have a local multi objective optimum that does not

INFLUENCIA DE LA CARGA ORGÁNICA SOBRE LA EFICIENCIA DE REACTORES RBC DE TRES ETAPAS EN EL TRATAMIENTO DE UN EFLUENTE INDUSTRIAL SINTÉTICO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabeth Behling de Calmón

2012-01-01

Full Text Available El presente artículo incluye el estudio de la influencia de la carga orgánica (CO sobre la eficiencia de reactores biológicos rotativos de contacto (RBC, aerobios de tres etapas, al tratar un efluente industrial sintético, con la finalidad de establecer la adecuación del efluente final con respecto a los límites de descarga establecidos en la normativa de Venezuela. Durante la experimentación, se evaluaron pH, alcalinidad total, oxígeno disuelto, demanda biológica de oxígeno (DBO, demanda química de oxígeno (DQO, sólidos suspendidos totales (SST, nitrógeno total Kjeldahl (NTK, NH 4 + , NO 2 - y NO 3 - , de acuerdo con los métodos estándares. La variación de la CO aplicada se obtuvo mediante modificación del tiempo de retención hidráulico (TRH, (24, 12 y 6 h, y se mantuvo constante la DQO de entrada (influente sintético de sacarosa+ urea. La mayor eficiencia de remoción de DQO se obtuvo para un CO global de 11,68 gDQO/m 2 .d (96,25%; TRH=12 h. Para los TRH 24 y 12 h, la eficiencia de remoción global de N-total fue de 66,92 y 62,95%, respectivamente. La mayor remoción de C y de N se obtuvo en la primera etapa de los reactores y se logró cumplir con el límite venezolano permisible de descarga para DQO (<350 mg/L. La posible ocurrencia del proceso de nitrificación repercutió sobre el aumento de las concentraciones de nitrógeno inorgánico en el efluente final.

Computer simulation of processes and work implementation zones at Ukryttya object

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klyuchnikov, A.A.; Rud'ko, V.M.; Batij, V.G.; Pavlovskij, L.I.; Podbereznyj, S.S.

2004-01-01

Need of wide application of computing graphics is grounded during conversion of Ukryttya object into an ecologically safe system, and some examples are given of its use during the design of project for stabilization of Ukryttya object building structures

Manufacture history results of an investigation of the bitumen solidification object towards the check of an abandonment object

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kogawa, Noboru; Kondo, Toshiyuki

2001-08-01

In order to make this book reflect in the investigation which turned the bitumen solidification object to maintenance of the abandonment object technical standard on condition of carrying out subterranean disposal in the future, it created for the purpose of utilizing as precious sources of information, such as a nuclide inventory in the living body, group-izing of the past campaign required for typical solidification object selection, and information offer at the time of disposal examination. A development operation history collected so that histories including the shift action in an institution of the formation of discharge reduction of the characteristic of solidification object manufacture outlines, such as composition of the process of an institution and a solidification object and a storage actual result, the contents of an examination of the past campaign, and the solidification object manufactured based on topics or radioactive iodine and radioactive carbon etc., such as the past contents of an examination/operation, may grasp comprehensively in creation, and it carried out as the composition stared the trend of future disposal fixedly. It was a period (for 16 years) until an bituminization demonstration facility processing institution will start a cold examination from April (Showa 57), 1982, and it starts a hot examination from May 4, it starts solidification processing technical development operation from October 6 and it results in the fire explosion accident on March 11 (Heisei 9), 1997, and low level radioactivity concentration waste fluid was processed 7,438m 3 and 29,967 bitumen solidification objects were manufactured. According to the accident, it is necessary to hand it down to future generations with processing technology while the bitumen solidification object manufactured in 15 years although the bituminization demonstration facility processing institution came to close the mission holds information precious when considering future disposal

60-Day waste compatibility safety issues and final results for AY-102 grab samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuzum, J.L.

1997-01-31

Four grab samples (2AY-96-15, 2AY-96-16, 2AY-96-17, and 2AY-96-18) were taken from Riser 15D of Tank 241-AY-102 on October 8, 1996, and received by 222-S Laboratory on October 8, 1996. These samples were analyzed in accordance with Compatibility Grab Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) and Data Quality Objectives for Tank Farms Waste Compatibility Program (DQO) in support of the Waste Compatibility Program. No notifications were required based on sample results.

Auditory memory can be object based.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyson, Benjamin J; Ishfaq, Feraz

2008-04-01

Identifying how memories are organized remains a fundamental issue in psychology. Previous work has shown that visual short-term memory is organized according to the object of origin, with participants being better at retrieving multiple pieces of information from the same object than from different objects. However, it is not yet clear whether similar memory structures are employed for other modalities, such as audition. Under analogous conditions in the auditory domain, we found that short-term memories for sound can also be organized according to object, with a same-object advantage being demonstrated for the retrieval of information in an auditory scene defined by two complex sounds overlapping in both space and time. Our results provide support for the notion of an auditory object, in addition to the continued identification of similar processing constraints across visual and auditory domains. The identification of modality-independent organizational principles of memory, such as object-based coding, suggests possible mechanisms by which the human processing system remembers multimodal experiences.

On the Aging of Objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Bjørn Schiermer

2016-01-01

The article seeks to develop a new conceptual framework suitable for analysing the ageing processes of objects in modern culture. The basic intuition is that object experience cannot be analysed separately from collective participation. The article focuses on the question of the ‘timeless’ nature...... of modernist design and seeks to understand why modernist objects age more slowly than other objects. First, inspired by the late Durkheim’s account of symbolism, I turn to the experiential effects of collective embeddedness. Second, I enter the field of architectural practices and architectural theory....... Visiting early modernist ideologue Adolf Loos, I seek to understand the modernist attitude as a direct response to experiences of the acceleration of ageing processes characteristic of modern culture. I then try to show how Loos’s explicit awareness of the collective dimension is ignored by the subsequent...

Buried object detection in GPR images

Science.gov (United States)

Paglieroni, David W; Chambers, David H; Bond, Steven W; Beer, W. Reginald

2014-04-29

A method and system for detecting the presence of subsurface objects within a medium is provided. In some embodiments, the imaging and detection system operates in a multistatic mode to collect radar return signals generated by an array of transceiver antenna pairs that is positioned across the surface and that travels down the surface. The imaging and detection system pre-processes the return signal to suppress certain undesirable effects. The imaging and detection system then generates synthetic aperture radar images from real aperture radar images generated from the pre-processed return signal. The imaging and detection system then post-processes the synthetic aperture radar images to improve detection of subsurface objects. The imaging and detection system identifies peaks in the energy levels of the post-processed image frame, which indicates the presence of a subsurface object.

Parallel object-oriented specification language

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Florescu, O.; Voeten, J.P.M.; Theelen, B.D.; Geilen, M.C.W.; Corporaal, H.; Burns, Alan

2008-01-01

The Parallel Object-Oriented Specification Language (POOSL) is an expressive modelling language for hardware/software systems [10]. It was originally defined in [7] as an object-oriented extension of process algebra CCS [6], supporting (conditional) synchronous message passing between

The multi-objective genetic algorithm optimization, of a superplastic forming process, using ansys®

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grebenişan Gavril

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In the industrial practice, the product is intended to be flawless, with no technological difficulty in making the profile shapes. If this product results without defects, then any Finite Elements Method (FEM based simulation can support that technology. A technology engineer does not propose, very often to analyze the simulation of the design technology, but rather to try to optimize a solution that he feels feasible. Experiments used as the basis for numerical optimization analysis support their research in the field of superplastic forming. Determining the influence of input parameters on the output parameters, Determining the optimal shape of the product and the optimal initial geometry, the prediction of the cracks and possibly the fractures, the prediction of the final thickness of the sheet, these are the objectives of the research and optimization for this project. The results of the numerical simulations have been compared with the measurements made on parts and sections of the parts obtained by superplastic forming. Of course, the consistency of the results, costs, benefits, and times required to perform numerical simulations are evaluated, but they are not objectives for optimizing the superplastic forming process.

Multi-objective compared to single-objective optimization with application to model validation and uncertainty quantification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulze-Riegert, R.; Krosche, M.; Stekolschikov, K. [Scandpower Petroleum Technology GmbH, Hamburg (Germany); Fahimuddin, A. [Technische Univ. Braunschweig (Germany)

2007-09-13

History Matching in Reservoir Simulation, well location and production optimization etc. is generally a multi-objective optimization problem. The problem statement of history matching for a realistic field case includes many field and well measurements in time and type, e.g. pressure measurements, fluid rates, events such as water and gas break-throughs, etc. Uncertainty parameters modified as part of the history matching process have varying impact on the improvement of the match criteria. Competing match criteria often reduce the likelihood of finding an acceptable history match. It is an engineering challenge in manual history matching processes to identify competing objectives and to implement the changes required in the simulation model. In production optimization or scenario optimization the focus on one key optimization criterion such as NPV limits the identification of alternatives and potential opportunities, since multiple objectives are summarized in a predefined global objective formulation. Previous works primarily focus on a specific optimization method. Few works actually concentrate on the objective formulation and multi-objective optimization schemes have not yet been applied to reservoir simulations. This paper presents a multi-objective optimization approach applicable to reservoir simulation. It addresses the problem of multi-objective criteria in a history matching study and presents analysis techniques identifying competing match criteria. A Pareto-Optimizer is discussed and the implementation of that multi-objective optimization scheme is applied to a case study. Results are compared to a single-objective optimization method. (orig.)

Different measures of structural similarity tap different aspects of visual object processing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gerlach, Christian

2017-01-01

The structural similarity of objects has been an important variable in explaining why some objects are easier to categorize at a superordinate level than to individuate, and also why some patients with brain injury have more difficulties in recognizing natural (structurally similar) objects than...... artifacts (structurally distinct objects). In spite of its merits as an explanatory variable, structural similarity is not a unitary construct, and it has been operationalized in different ways. Furthermore, even though measures of structural similarity have been successful in explaining task and category-effects...

Exploring the relationship between object realism and object-based attention effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Roque, Nelson; Boot, Walter R

2015-09-01

Visual attention prioritizes processing of locations in space, and evidence also suggests that the benefits of attention can be shaped by the presence of objects (object-based attention). However, the prevalence of object-based attention effects has been called into question recently by evidence from a large-sampled study employing classic attention paradigms (Pilz et al., 2012). We conducted two experiments to explore factors that might determine when and if object-based attention effects are observed, focusing on the degree to which the concreteness and realism of objects might contribute to these effects. We adapted the classic attention paradigm first reported by Egly, Driver, and Rafal (1994) by replacing abstract bar stimuli in some conditions with objects that were more concrete and familiar to participants: items of silverware. Furthermore, we varied the realism of these items of silverware, presenting either cartoon versions or photo-realistic versions. Contrary to predictions, increased realism did not increase the size of object-based effects. In fact, no clear object-based effects were observed in either experiment, consistent with previous failures to replicate these effects in similar paradigms. While object-based attention may exist, and may have important influences on how we parse the visual world, these and other findings suggest that the two-object paradigm typically relied upon to study object-based effects may not be the best paradigm to investigate these issues. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Visual object agnosia is associated with a breakdown of object-selective responses in the lateral occipital cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Ptak, Radek; Lazeyras, François; Di Pietro, Marie; Schnider, Armin; Simon, Stéphane R

2014-07-01

Patients with visual object agnosia fail to recognize the identity of visually presented objects despite preserved semantic knowledge. Object agnosia may result from damage to visual cortex lying close to or overlapping with the lateral occipital complex (LOC), a brain region that exhibits selectivity to the shape of visually presented objects. Despite this anatomical overlap the relationship between shape processing in the LOC and shape representations in object agnosia is unknown. We studied a patient with object agnosia following isolated damage to the left occipito-temporal cortex overlapping with the LOC. The patient showed intact processing of object structure, yet often made identification errors that were mainly based on the global visual similarity between objects. Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) we found that the damaged as well as the contralateral, structurally intact right LOC failed to show any object-selective fMRI activity, though the latter retained selectivity for faces. Thus, unilateral damage to the left LOC led to a bilateral breakdown of neural responses to a specific stimulus class (objects and artefacts) while preserving the response to a different stimulus class (faces). These findings indicate that representations of structure necessary for the identification of objects crucially rely on bilateral, distributed coding of shape features. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Readiness to proceed: Characterization planning basis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, M.R.

1998-01-01

This report summarizes characterization requirements, data availability, and data acquisition plans in support of the Phase 1 Waste Feed Readiness to Proceed Mid-Level Logic. It summarizes characterization requirements for the following program planning documents: Waste Feed Readiness Mid-Level Logic and Decomposition (in development); Master blue print (not available); Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Operations and Utilization Plan and Privatization Contract; Enabling assumptions (not available); Privatization low-activity waste (LAW) Data Quality Objective (DQO); Privatization high-level waste (HLW) DQO (draft); Problem-specific DQOs (in development); Interface control documents (draft). Section 2.0 defines the primary objectives for this report, Section 3.0 discusses the scope and assumptions, and Section 4.0 identifies general characterization needs and analyte-specific characterization needs or potential needs included in program documents and charts. Section 4.0 also shows the analyses that have been conducted, and the archive samples that are available for additional analyses. Section 5.0 discusses current plans for obtaining additional samples and analyses to meet readiness-to-proceed requirements. Section 6.0 summarizes sampling needs based on preliminary requirements and discusses other potential characterization needs. Many requirements documents are preliminary. In many cases, problem-specific DQOs have not been drafted, and only general assumptions about the document contents could be obtained from the authors. As a result, the readiness-to-proceed characterization requirements provided in this document are evolving and may change

Reducción de color con cloruro de magnesio en soluciones con colorantes comerciales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mercedes Lucero Chávez

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Se experimentó con diferentes concentraciones de cloruro de magnesio (MgCl2 como coagulante para reducir el color en soluciones con colorantes comerciales: negro, azul y café. Los parámetros analizados fueron pH, color, demanda química de oxígeno ( dqo y sólidos suspendidos totales (sst de acuerdo con las Normas Mexicanas. Como prueba complementaria se agregó carbón activado a las muestras para reducir el color residual después de la coagulación-floculación. La reducción de los valores de color y dqo fue mayor cuando se adicionó más cantidad de MgCl2 (1.8 g/L. Los porcentajes de reducción fueron ≥90% para el color y >50% para la dqo. Los sst aumentaron con la adición de MgCl2. El carbón activado eliminó el color residual.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 567: Miscellaneous Soil Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, with ROTC 1 Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, Patrick K.

2013-07-01

Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 567 is located in Areas 1, 3, 5, 20, and 25 of the Nevada National Security Site, which is approximately 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. CAU 567 is a grouping of sites where there has been a suspected release of contamination associated with nuclear testing. This document describes the planned investigation of CAU 567, which comprises the following corrective action sites (CASs): • 01-23-03, Atmospheric Test Site T-1 • 03-23-25, Seaweed E Contamination Area • 05-23-07, A5b RMA • 20-23-08, Colby Mud Spill • 25-23-23, J-11 Soil RMA These sites are being investigated because existing information on the nature and extent of potential contamination is insufficient to evaluate and recommend corrective action alternatives (CAAs). Additional information will be obtained by conducting a corrective action investigation before evaluating CAAs and selecting the appropriate corrective action for each CAS. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of viable CAAs that will be presented in the investigation report. The sites will be investigated based on the data quality objectives (DQOs) developed on May 6, 2013, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office. The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 567. The site investigation process will also be conducted in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan, which establishes requirements, technical planning, and general quality practices to be applied to this activity. The potential contamination sources associated with CAU 567 releases are nuclear test operations and other NNSS operations. The DQO process resulted in an assumption that total effective dose (TED) within a default contamination boundary

Moving eyes and naming objects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meulen, F.F. van der

2001-01-01

The coordination between eye movements and speech was examined while speakers were naming objects. Earlier research has shown that eye movements reflect on the underlying visual attention. Also, eye movements were found to reflect upon not only the visual and conceptual processing of an object, but

Associative recognition and the hippocampus: differential effects of hippocampal lesions on object-place, object-context and object-place-context memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Langston, Rosamund F; Wood, Emma R

2010-10-01

The hippocampus is thought to be required for the associative recognition of objects together with the spatial or temporal contexts in which they occur. However, recent data showing that rats with fornix lesions perform as well as controls in an object-place task, while being impaired on an object-place-context task (Eacott and Norman (2004) J Neurosci 24:1948-1953), suggest that not all forms of context-dependent associative recognition depend on the integrity of the hippocampus. To examine the role of the hippocampus in context-dependent recognition directly, the present study tested the effects of large, selective, bilateral hippocampus lesions in rats on performance of a series of spontaneous recognition memory tasks: object recognition, object-place recognition, object-context recognition and object-place-context recognition. Consistent with the effects of fornix lesions, animals with hippocampus lesions were impaired only on the object-place-context task. These data confirm that not all forms of context-dependent associative recognition are mediated by the hippocampus. Subsequent experiments suggested that the object-place task does not require an allocentric representation of space, which could account for the lack of impairment following hippocampus lesions. Importantly, as the object-place-context task has similar spatial requirements, the selective deficit in object-place-context recognition suggests that this task requires hippocampus-dependent neural processes distinct from those required for allocentric spatial memory, or for object memory, object-place memory or object-context memory. Two possibilities are that object, place, and context information converge only in the hippocampus, or that recognition of integrated object-place-context information requires a hippocampus-dependent mode of retrieval, such as recollection. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Sampling and analysis plan for sludge located in fuel storage canisters of the 105-K West basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, R.B.

1997-01-01

This Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) provides direction for the first sampling of sludge from the K West Basin spent fuel canisters. The specially developed sampling equipment removes representative samples of sludge while maintaining the radioactive sample underwater in the basin pool (equipment is described in WHC-SD-SNF-SDD-004). Included are the basic background logic for sample selection, the overall laboratory analyses required and the laboratory reporting required. These are based on requirements put forth in the data quality objectives (WHC-SD-SNF-DQO-012) established for this sampling and characterization activity

Tank 241-S-102, Core 232 analytical results for the final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

STEEN, F.H.

1998-11-04

This document is the analytical laboratory report for tank 241-S-102 push mode core segments collected between March 5, 1998 and April 2, 1998. The segments were subsampled and analyzed in accordance with the Tank 241-S-102 Retained Gas Sampler System Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) (McCain, 1998), Letter of Instruction for Compatibility Analysis of Samples from Tank 241-S-102 (LOI) (Thompson, 1998) and the Data Quality Objectives for Tank Farms Waste Compatibility Program (DQO) (Mulkey and Miller, 1998). The analytical results are included in the data summary table (Table 1).

Quasi-objects, Cult Objects and Fashion Objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Bjørn Schiermer

2011-01-01

This article attempts to rehabilitate the concept of fetishism and to contribute to the debate on the social role of objects as well as to fashion theory. Extrapolating from Michel Serres’ theory of the quasi-objects, I distinguish two phenomenologies possessing almost opposite characteristics. T...... as a unique opportunity for studying the interchange between these two forms of fetishism and their respective phenomenologies. Finally, returning to Serres, I briefly consider the theoretical consequences of introducing the fashion object as a quasi-object.......This article attempts to rehabilitate the concept of fetishism and to contribute to the debate on the social role of objects as well as to fashion theory. Extrapolating from Michel Serres’ theory of the quasi-objects, I distinguish two phenomenologies possessing almost opposite characteristics....... These two phenomenologies are, so I argue, essential to quasi-object theory, yet largely ignored by Serres’ sociological interpreters. They correspond with the two different theories of fetishism found in Marx and Durkheim, respectively. In the second half of the article, I introduce the fashion object...

Separate channels for processing form, texture, and color: evidence from FMRI adaptation and visual object agnosia.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavina-Pratesi, C; Kentridge, R W; Heywood, C A; Milner, A D

2010-10-01

Previous neuroimaging research suggests that although object shape is analyzed in the lateral occipital cortex, surface properties of objects, such as color and texture, are dealt with in more medial areas, close to the collateral sulcus (CoS). The present study sought to determine whether there is a single medial region concerned with surface properties in general or whether instead there are multiple foci independently extracting different surface properties. We used stimuli varying in their shape, texture, or color, and tested healthy participants and 2 object-agnosic patients, in both a discrimination task and a functional MR adaptation paradigm. We found a double dissociation between medial and lateral occipitotemporal cortices in processing surface (texture or color) versus geometric (shape) properties, respectively. In Experiment 2, we found that the medial occipitotemporal cortex houses separate foci for color (within anterior CoS and lingual gyrus) and texture (caudally within posterior CoS). In addition, we found that areas selective for shape, texture, and color individually were quite distinct from those that respond to all of these features together (shape and texture and color). These latter areas appear to correspond to those associated with the perception of complex stimuli such as faces and places.

Data quality objectives summary report for the 100-BC-1, 100-BC-2, and 100-DR-1, and 100-DR-2 group 3 waste sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-03-01

The 100-BC-1, 100-BC-2, 100-DR-1, and 100-DR-2 Group 3 waste sites contain 22 past-practice liquid waste disposal sites and process effluent piping associated with four plutonium-production nuclear reactors that operated from 1944 to 1967. The 100-BC-1, 100-BC-2, 100-DR-1, and 100-DR-2 Group 3 waste sites are the third set of Hanford 100 Area sites to undergo remediation to the extent practicable. Like the sites listed in Groups 1 and 2, the Group 3 sites are considered high-priority because of the contaminants present and their proximity to the Columbia River. Remediation of the 100-BC-1, 100-HR-1 and 100-DR-1 radioactive liquid waste sites is planned to occur in two phases: The first phase, which has been completed, was a demonstration project in the 100-B/C Area to test field techniques and acquire contamination data. The second phase is full-scale remediation of all the reactor areas, starting in the 10-B/C Area, using the field experience gained in the first phase and each subsequent reactor area remediation. This document provides the DQO in support of remediation sampling and analysis at selected sites in the 100-B/C and 100-D Areas

Comparison between Face and Object Processing in Youths with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An event related potentials study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anahita Khorrami

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Incapability in face perception and recognition is one of the main issues in autism spectrum disorders (ASD. Event related potential (ERP studies have revealed controversial insights on autistic brain responses to faces and objects. The current investigation examined the ERP components of young children with ASD compared to a typically developing (TD group when looking at the upright and inverted images of faces and cars.Fourteen children and adolescents aged between 9 and 17 diagnosed as having ASD were compared with 18 age- gender matched normally developing individuals. All participants' ERPs were recorded while they were seeing the images of human faces and objects in both upright and inverted positions. The ERP components including N170 (latency and amplitude were compared between the two groups in two conditions of upright and inverted using the repeated measure analysis method.The processing speed for upright faces was faster than the inverted faces in the TD group; however, the difference was not significant. A significant difference was observed in terms of N170 latency between the two groups for different stimulus categories such as objects and faces(p<0.05. Moreover, inverted vs. upright stimuli in both groups elicited a greater response in terms of N170 amplitude in both groups, and this effect was significantly prominent in the right hemisphere (p<0.05. The N170 amplitude turned out to be greater for the inverted vs. upright stimuli irrespective of the stimuli type and group.These data suggest youths with ASD have difficulty processing information, particularly in face perception regardless of the stimuli orientation.

Non-convex multi-objective optimization

CERN Document Server

Pardalos, Panos M; Žilinskas, Julius

2017-01-01

Recent results on non-convex multi-objective optimization problems and methods are presented in this book, with particular attention to expensive black-box objective functions. Multi-objective optimization methods facilitate designers, engineers, and researchers to make decisions on appropriate trade-offs between various conflicting goals. A variety of deterministic and stochastic multi-objective optimization methods are developed in this book. Beginning with basic concepts and a review of non-convex single-objective optimization problems; this book moves on to cover multi-objective branch and bound algorithms, worst-case optimal algorithms (for Lipschitz functions and bi-objective problems), statistical models based algorithms, and probabilistic branch and bound approach. Detailed descriptions of new algorithms for non-convex multi-objective optimization, their theoretical substantiation, and examples for practical applications to the cell formation problem in manufacturing engineering, the process design in...

Creation of 'Ukrytie' objects computer model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazur, A.B.; Kotlyarov, V.T.; Ermolenko, A.I.; Podbereznyj, S.S.; Postil, S.D.; Shaptala, D.V.

1999-01-01

A partial computer model of the 'Ukrytie' object was created with the use of geoinformation technologies. The computer model makes it possible to carry out information support of the works related to the 'Ukrytie' object stabilization and its conversion into ecologically safe system for analyzing, forecasting and controlling the processes occurring in the 'Ukrytie' object. Elements and structures of the 'Ukryttia' object were designed and input into the model

TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS RESIDUALES DE LA INDUSTRIA LÁCTEA EN SISTEMAS ANAEROBIOS TIPO UASB TREATMENT OF DIARY INDUSTRY WASTEWATER USING UASB ANAEROBIC SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

OSCAR ARANGO BEDOYA

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Debido a sus ventajas respecto a los procesos aerobios en términos de mayor grado de estabilización de las aguas residuales, bajo crecimiento de biomasa y requerimientos nutricionales, producción de metano y no requerimiento de oxígeno, la digestión anaerobia es una alternativa viable para el tratamiento de las aguas residuales de la industria láctea. En esta investigación se evaluó el rendimiento y capacidad de un reactor anaerobio de lecho de fangos (UASB para remover la carga de materia orgánica contenida en suero de quesería. El reactor UASB fue operado con un tiempo de retención hidráulica (TRH de 1,3 días y velocidades de carga orgánica entre 1,7 a 18,5 g de DQO/L.d. Los máximos niveles de reducción de la demanda química de oxígeno (DQO y de sólidos totales volátiles (STV alcanzados fueron 98% y 97,2% respectivamente, con una velocidad de carga orgánica en el reactor de 9,6 g DQO/L.d, observándose una reducción en la eficiencia de remoción de la DQO hasta niveles de 77% cuando la carga orgánica se llevó a 18,6 g DQO/L.d. La producción máxima de gas metano generado a partir del suero de queso estudiado fue de 0,27 L CH4/g DQO afluente, con un contenido de metano en el biogás de 56%. Con base en los resultados se puede concluir que es recomendable el uso de reactores UASB para el tratamiento anaerobio de sueros de quesería, obteniéndose un efluente de buena calidad para su descarga final.Due to its advantages over aerobic process in terms of higher degree of wastewater stabilization, lower microbial yield and nutrient requirement, no oxigen requirement and methane production, anaerobic digestion presents as a viable alternative for dairy industry wastewater treatment. In this investigation the performance and capacity of an upflow anaerobic blanket reactor (UASB treating whey for the organic matter removal were evaluated. The UASB reactor was operated at a hydraulic retention time (HRT of 1,3 d and organic

The COGs (context, object, and goals) in multisensory processing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ten Oever, Sanne; Romei, Vincenzo; van Atteveldt, Nienke; Soto-Faraco, Salvador; Murray, Micah M; Matusz, Pawel J

Our understanding of how perception operates in real-world environments has been substantially advanced by studying both multisensory processes and "top-down" control processes influencing sensory processing via activity from higher-order brain areas, such as attention, memory, and expectations. As

Estudo da variação da concentração de metano no biogás produzido a partir das águas residuárias do café A study on the variation of methane concentration in biogas produced from coffee wastewater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Antônio Calil Prado

2010-04-01

Full Text Available A água residuária do café (ARC, originada no processamento dos frutos do cafeeiro, produz quantidade considerável de biogás que pode e deve ser utilizado como fonte de energia alternativa e complementar. Neste trabalho, foi estudada a variação da concentração de metano do biogás produzido a partir das ARC, por tratamento anaeróbio, em reator UASB, em escala laboratorial. As amostras foram coletadas durante 86 dias. As análises da concentração de metano foram realizadas por cromatografia gás-sólido (CGS. A produção de biogás e de metano, foi de 0,545 a 0,602 m³ kg-1DQO removida e de 0,382 a 0,421 m³ kg-1 DQO removida, respectivamente. Os resultados da concentração de metano no biogás variaram de 48,60 a 68,14 %, influenciados pela variação dos parâmetros temperatura, pH, acidez e compostos fenólicos presentes nas ARC. Como havia sido previsto, as maiores concentrações de metano foram verificadas nos períodos em que o pH estava mais próximo da neutralidade.The wastewater produced from wet coffee processing (WCP, originated from the coffee fruits, can produce great quantities of biogas, which, in turn, can be also used as an alternative or complementary energy source. In this research, we studied the variation of methane concentration produced by WCP in a laboratory-scale UASB reactor with anaerobic treatment. The samples were collected during a period of 86 days. The methane concentration was measured through gas solid chromatography (GSC. The production of biogas and methane ranged from 0.545 to 0.602 m³ kg-1DQO removed and from 0.382 a 0.421 m³ kg-1 DQO removed, respectively. Methane presence in the biogas ranged from 48.60% to 68.14 %. This variation was influenced by the following parameters: temperature, pH, acidity, and phenol compounds present in the WCP. As expected, greater concentrations of methane gas were verified during the periods when the pH close to neutral.

Hippocampal histone acetylation regulates object recognition and the estradiol-induced enhancement of object recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zaorui; Fan, Lu; Fortress, Ashley M; Boulware, Marissa I; Frick, Karyn M

2012-02-15

Histone acetylation has recently been implicated in learning and memory processes, yet necessity of histone acetylation for such processes has not been demonstrated using pharmacological inhibitors of histone acetyltransferases (HATs). As such, the present study tested whether garcinol, a potent HAT inhibitor in vitro, could impair hippocampal memory consolidation and block the memory-enhancing effects of the modulatory hormone 17β-estradiol E2. We first showed that bilateral infusion of garcinol (0.1, 1, or 10 μg/side) into the dorsal hippocampus (DH) immediately after training impaired object recognition memory consolidation in ovariectomized female mice. A behaviorally effective dose of garcinol (10 μg/side) also significantly decreased DH HAT activity. We next examined whether DH infusion of a behaviorally subeffective dose of garcinol (1 ng/side) could block the effects of DH E2 infusion on object recognition and epigenetic processes. Immediately after training, ovariectomized female mice received bilateral DH infusions of vehicle, E2 (5 μg/side), garcinol (1 ng/side), or E2 plus garcinol. Forty-eight hours later, garcinol blocked the memory-enhancing effects of E2. Garcinol also reversed the E2-induced increase in DH histone H3 acetylation, HAT activity, and levels of the de novo methyltransferase DNMT3B, as well as the E2-induced decrease in levels of the memory repressor protein histone deacetylase 2. Collectively, these findings suggest that histone acetylation is critical for object recognition memory consolidation and the beneficial effects of E2 on object recognition. Importantly, this work demonstrates that the role of histone acetylation in memory processes can be studied using a HAT inhibitor.

Quantum objects non-local correlation, causality and objective indefiniteness in the quantum world

CERN Document Server

Jaeger, Gregg

2013-01-01

This monograph identifies the essential characteristics of the objects described by current quantum theory and considers their relationship to space-time. In the process, it explicates the senses in which quantum objects may be consistently considered to have parts of which they may be composed or into which they may be decomposed. The book also demonstrates the degree to which reduction is possible in quantum mechanics, showing it to be related to the objective indefiniteness of quantum properties and the strong non-local correlations that can occur between the physical quantities of quantum

A Visual Short-Term Memory Advantage for Objects of Expertise

Science.gov (United States)

Curby, Kim M.; Glazek, Kuba; Gauthier, Isabel

2009-01-01

Visual short-term memory (VSTM) is limited, especially for complex objects. Its capacity, however, is greater for faces than for other objects; this advantage may stem from the holistic nature of face processing. If the holistic processing explains this advantage, object expertise--which also relies on holistic processing--should endow experts…

Early object relations into new objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Downey, T W

2001-01-01

interpretation in relation to the transference--were the sole agents of therapeutic change. Reviewing maturation and development in relation to the resumption of psychological growth suggests that the provision of a beneficient environment, the "white keys," may lead to the resumption of maturational growth and change. The difference between the two modalities would be in the relative need for a significant other to bring about such change. Expanding on Hartmann and Kris, we can say that maturation requires a certain level of human stimulation and a supportive environment to unfold. At times in our work we encounter a psychoanalysis of and about maturation rather than primarily transference and interpretation. By and large the structure and functions of the ego that have been impeded in their exercise by traumatic circumstances in the environment are reactivated by a generalized holding environment rather than a relationship. In the practice of psychoanalysis this means that the child analyst may be more relaxed about the nonverbal play and relational aspects of the work; he need not fear that dynamics not captured in secondary process are lost to change. To the extent that the analysis provides an opportunity for maturational expression, growth will occur. When growth has been impeded by direct and significant interpersonal factors, the standard interpretative clarifications of defense, drive, and object relations in the context of removing the transference distortions regarding the analyst (and the world) are essential for recovery. Where the sequence of repetition through practice to mastery has become frozen by thwarting and stunting relationships, these potentially dead-end examples of neurotic object constancy must be played out on the "black keys." The amalgamation of the black of transference developments and the white of maturational emergence is paradigmatic for the discovery of new objects and new senses of self. In everyday life and analysis, maturation may lead to

Setting Goals and Objectives for LD Children-Process and Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Gallistel, Elizabeth R.

1978-01-01

Discussed are problems and procedures in setting goals and objectives for learning disabled children in the implementation of Individualized Education Programs required by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. (Author/ DLS)

Separated reconstruction of images from ultrasonic holograms with tridimensional object by digital processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, J.H.

1979-01-01

Because of much attractiveness, digital reconstruction of image from ultrasonic hologram by computer has been widely studied in recent years. But the method of digital reconstruction of image is displayed in the plain only, so study is done mainly of the hologram obtained from bidimensional objects. Many applications of the ultrasonic holography such as the non-distructive testing and the ultrasonic diagnosis are mostly of the tridimensional object. In the ordinary digital reconstruction of the image from the hologram obtained from tridimensional object, a question of hidden-image problem arises, and the separated reconstruction of the image for the considered part of the object is required. In this paper, multi-diffraction by tridimensional object is assumed to have linearity, ie. superposition property by each diffraction of bidimensional objects. And a new algorithm is proposed here, namely reconstructed image for considered one of bidimensional objects in tridimensional object obtained by means of operation from the two holograms tilted in unequal angles. Such tilted holograms are obtained from the tilted linear array receivers by scanning method. That images can be reconstructed by the operation from two holograms means that the new algorithm is verified. And another new method of the transformation of hologram, that is, transformation of a hologram to arbitrarily tilted hologram, has been proved valid. The reconstructed images obtained with the method of transformation and the method of operation, are the images reconstructed from one hologram by the tridimensional object and more distinctly separated that any images mentioned above. (author)

The Generalized Support Software (GSS) Domain Engineering Process: An Object-Oriented Implementation and Reuse Success at Goddard Space Flight Center

Science.gov (United States)

Condon, Steven; Hendrick, Robert; Stark, Michael E.; Steger, Warren

1997-01-01

The Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) recently embarked on a far-reaching revision of its process for developing and maintaining satellite support software. The new process relies on an object-oriented software development method supported by a domain specific library of generalized components. This Generalized Support Software (GSS) Domain Engineering Process is currently in use at the NASA GSFC Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL). The key facets of the GSS process are (1) an architecture for rapid deployment of FDD applications, (2) a reuse asset library for FDD classes, and (3) a paradigm shift from developing software to configuring software for mission support. This paper describes the GSS architecture and process, results of fielding the first applications, lessons learned, and future directions

Research on moving object detection based on frog's eyes

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Hongwei; Li, Dongguang; Zhang, Xinyuan

2008-12-01

On the basis of object's information processing mechanism with frog's eyes, this paper discussed a bionic detection technology which suitable for object's information processing based on frog's vision. First, the bionics detection theory by imitating frog vision is established, it is an parallel processing mechanism which including pick-up and pretreatment of object's information, parallel separating of digital image, parallel processing, and information synthesis. The computer vision detection system is described to detect moving objects which has special color, special shape, the experiment indicates that it can scheme out the detecting result in the certain interfered background can be detected. A moving objects detection electro-model by imitating biologic vision based on frog's eyes is established, the video simulative signal is digital firstly in this system, then the digital signal is parallel separated by FPGA. IN the parallel processing, the video information can be caught, processed and displayed in the same time, the information fusion is taken by DSP HPI ports, in order to transmit the data which processed by DSP. This system can watch the bigger visual field and get higher image resolution than ordinary monitor systems. In summary, simulative experiments for edge detection of moving object with canny algorithm based on this system indicate that this system can detect the edge of moving objects in real time, the feasibility of bionic model was fully demonstrated in the engineering system, and it laid a solid foundation for the future study of detection technology by imitating biologic vision.

Integration of a Three-Dimensional Process-Based Hydrological Model into the Object Modeling System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppe Formetta

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The integration of a spatial process model into an environmental modeling framework can enhance the model’s capabilities. This paper describes a general methodology for integrating environmental models into the Object Modeling System (OMS regardless of the model’s complexity, the programming language, and the operating system used. We present the integration of the GEOtop model into the OMS version 3.0 and illustrate its application in a small watershed. OMS is an environmental modeling framework that facilitates model development, calibration, evaluation, and maintenance. It provides innovative techniques in software design such as multithreading, implicit parallelism, calibration and sensitivity analysis algorithms, and cloud-services. GEOtop is a physically based, spatially distributed rainfall-runoff model that performs three-dimensional finite volume calculations of water and energy budgets. Executing GEOtop as an OMS model component allows it to: (1 interact directly with the open-source geographical information system (GIS uDig-JGrass to access geo-processing, visualization, and other modeling components; and (2 use OMS components for automatic calibration, sensitivity analysis, or meteorological data interpolation. A case study of the model in a semi-arid agricultural catchment is presented for illustration and proof-of-concept. Simulated soil water content and soil temperature results are compared with measured data, and model performance is evaluated using goodness-of-fit indices. This study serves as a template for future integration of process models into OMS.

Estudo da tratabilidade de lixiviado gerado em um aterro controlado

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Daniela Vidal Vasconcelos

2017-05-01

Full Text Available O presente trabalho avaliou os processos de coagulação/floculação, adsorção em carvão ativado em pó (CAP e reação com Fenton para redução da concentração dos poluentes e aumento da biodegradabilidade do lixiviado. No processo de coagulação/floculação foram avaliados o pH (4 a 8 e a concentração de cloreto férrico (100 a 600 mg L-1. No processo de adsorção em CAP, foram avaliadas as concentrações de 0,1-5,0 g L-1 de CAP, e na reação com Fenton, foram avaliadas as relações DQO:H2O2 [1:0,5, 1:1, 1:2 e 1:5], além das relações Fe:H2O2 [1:3, 1:5 e 1:10]. Nas melhores condições obtidas, foi avaliada a biodegradabilidade aeróbia dos efluentes tratados pelo método de Zahn-Wellens. O resultado do processo de coagulação/floculação foi de 22,9% de remoção da DQO e 64% de COT, utilizando 300 mg L-1 de coagulante em pH 4. Na adsorção em CAP, foram obtidas remoções de 69% da DQO, utilizando 5 g L-1 de carvão. Na reação de Fenton, foram alcançadas remoções de 82,3% de DQO (para DQO:H2O2=1:2 e Fe:H2O2 =1:3. Os resultados de biodegradabilidade aeróbia mostraram que apenas o lixiviado tratado com Fenton apresentou uma biodegradabilidade de 12 pontos percentuais maior em relação ao bruto, mostrando a sua potencialidade como pré tratamento ao processo biológico.

Exploring objects for recognition in the real world

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kootstra, Gert; Ypma, Jelmer; de Boer, Bart

2007-01-01

Perception in natural systems is a highly active process. In this paper, we adopt the strategy of natural systems to explore objects for 3D object recognition using robots. The exploration of objects enables the system to learn objects from different viewpoints, which is essential for 3D object

Fuzzy-Rule-Based Object Identification Methodology for NAVI System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaacob Sazali

2005-01-01

Full Text Available We present an object identification methodology applied in a navigation assistance for visually impaired (NAVI system. The NAVI has a single board processing system (SBPS, a digital video camera mounted headgear, and a pair of stereo earphones. The captured image from the camera is processed by the SBPS to generate a specially structured stereo sound suitable for vision impaired people in understanding the presence of objects/obstacles in front of them. The image processing stage is designed to identify the objects in the captured image. Edge detection and edge-linking procedures are applied in the processing of image. A concept of object preference is included in the image processing scheme and this concept is realized using a fuzzy-rule base. The blind users are trained with the stereo sound produced by NAVI for achieving a collision-free autonomous navigation.

Fuzzy-Rule-Based Object Identification Methodology for NAVI System

Science.gov (United States)

Nagarajan, R.; Sainarayanan, G.; Yaacob, Sazali; Porle, Rosalyn R.

2005-12-01

We present an object identification methodology applied in a navigation assistance for visually impaired (NAVI) system. The NAVI has a single board processing system (SBPS), a digital video camera mounted headgear, and a pair of stereo earphones. The captured image from the camera is processed by the SBPS to generate a specially structured stereo sound suitable for vision impaired people in understanding the presence of objects/obstacles in front of them. The image processing stage is designed to identify the objects in the captured image. Edge detection and edge-linking procedures are applied in the processing of image. A concept of object preference is included in the image processing scheme and this concept is realized using a fuzzy-rule base. The blind users are trained with the stereo sound produced by NAVI for achieving a collision-free autonomous navigation.

Daylight illumination-color-contrast tables for full-form objects naturally illuminated objects

CERN Document Server

Nagel, M

1978-01-01

Daylight Illumination-Color-Contrast Tables for Full-form Objects is the result of a major computational project concerning the illumination, color, and contrast conditions in naturally illuminated objects. The project from which this two-chapter book is derived is originally conceived in support of the various remote sensing and image processing activities of the Deutsche Forschungs- und Versuchsanstalt für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Oberpfaffenhofen, West Germany DFVLR, in particular, those depending on the quantitative photometric and colorimetric evaluation of photographs and other environmental

Cost-Efficient Methods and Processes for Safety Relevant Embedded Systems (CESAR) - An Objective Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Jolliffe, Graham

For developing embedded safety critical systems, industrial companies have to face increasing complexity and variety coupled with increasing regulatory constraints, while costs, performances and time to market are constantly challenged. This has led to a profusion of enablers (new processes, methods and tools), which are neither integrated nor interoperable because they have been developed more or less independently (addressing only a part of the complexity: e.g. Safety) in the absence of internationally recognized open standards. CESAR has been established under ARTEMIS, the European Union's Joint Technology Initiative for research in embedded systems, with the aim to improve this situation and this pa-per will explain what CESAR's objectives are, how they are expected to be achieved and, in particular, how current best practice can ensure that safety engineering requirements can be met.

Documentation of Cultural Heritage Objects

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Jon Grobovšek

2013-09-01

Full Text Available EXTENDED ABSTRACT:The first and important phase of documentation of cultural heritage objects is to understand which objects need to be documented. The entire documentation process is determined by the characteristics and scope of the cultural heritage object. The next question to be considered is the expected outcome of the documentation process and the purpose for which it will be used. These two essential guidelines determine each stage of the documentation workflow: the choice of the most appropriate data capturing technology and data processing method, how detailed should the documentation be, what problems may occur, what the expected outcome is, what it will be used for, and the plan for storing data and results. Cultural heritage objects require diverse data capturing and data processing methods. It is important that even the first stages of raw data capturing are oriented towards the applicability of results. The selection of the appropriate working method can facilitate the data processing and the preparation of final documentation. Documentation of paintings requires different data capturing method than documentation of buildings or building areas. The purpose of documentation can also be the preservation of the contemporary cultural heritage to posterity or the basis for future projects and activities on threatened objects. Documentation procedures should be adapted to our needs and capabilities. Captured and unprocessed data are lost unless accompanied by additional analyses and interpretations. Information on tools, procedures and outcomes must be included into documentation. A thorough analysis of unprocessed but accessible documentation, if adequately stored and accompanied by additional information, enables us to gather useful data. In this way it is possible to upgrade the existing documentation and to avoid data duplication or unintentional misleading of users. The documentation should be archived safely and in a way to meet

Differential effects of spaced vs. massed training in long-term object-identity and object-location recognition memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Bello-Medina, Paola C; Sánchez-Carrasco, Livia; González-Ornelas, Nadia R; Jeffery, Kathryn J; Ramírez-Amaya, Víctor

2013-08-01

Here we tested whether the well-known superiority of spaced training over massed training is equally evident in both object identity and object location recognition memory. We trained animals with objects placed in a variable or in a fixed location to produce a location-independent object identity memory or a location-dependent object representation. The training consisted of 5 trials that occurred either on one day (Massed) or over the course of 5 consecutive days (Spaced). The memory test was done in independent groups of animals either 24h or 7 days after the last training trial. In each test the animals were exposed to either a novel object, when trained with the objects in variable locations, or to a familiar object in a novel location, when trained with objects in fixed locations. The difference in time spent exploring the changed versus the familiar objects was used as a measure of recognition memory. For the object-identity-trained animals, spaced training produced clear evidence of recognition memory after both 24h and 7 days, but massed-training animals showed it only after 24h. In contrast, for the object-location-trained animals, recognition memory was evident after both retention intervals and with both training procedures. When objects were placed in variable locations for the two types of training and the test was done with a brand-new location, only the spaced-training animals showed recognition at 24h, but surprisingly, after 7 days, animals trained using both procedures were able to recognize the change, suggesting a post-training consolidation process. We suggest that the two training procedures trigger different neural mechanisms that may differ in the two segregated streams that process object information and that may consolidate differently. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Freeform object design and simultaneous manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Weihan; Lin, Heng; Leu, Ming C.

2003-04-01

Today's product design, especially the consuming product design, focuses more and more on individuation, originality, and the time to market. One way to meet these challenges is using the interactive and creationary product design methods and rapid prototyping/rapid tooling. This paper presents a novel Freeform Object Design and Simultaneous Manufacturing (FODSM) method that combines the natural interaction feature in the design phase and simultaneous manufacturing feature in the prototyping phase. The natural interactive three-dimensional design environment is achieved by adopting virtual reality technology. The geometry of the designed object is defined through the process of "virtual sculpting" during which the designer can touch and visualize the designed object and can hear the virtual manufacturing environment noise. During the designing process, the computer records the sculpting trajectories and automatically translates them into NC codes so as to simultaneously machine the designed part. The paper introduced the principle, implementation process, and key techniques of the new method, and compared it with other popular rapid prototyping methods.

The effects of changes in object location on object identity detection: A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ping; Fan, Chenggui; Wang, Min; Fogelson, Noa; Li, Ling

2017-08-15

Object identity and location are bound together to form a unique integration that is maintained and processed in visual working memory (VWM). Changes in task-irrelevant object location have been shown to impair the retrieval of memorial representations and the detection of object identity changes. However, the neural correlates of this cognitive process remain largely unknown. In the present study, we aim to investigate the underlying brain activation during object color change detection and the modulatory effects of changes in object location and VWM load. To this end we used simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recordings, which can reveal the neural activity with both high temporal and high spatial resolution. Subjects responded faster and with greater accuracy in the repeated compared to the changed object location condition, when a higher VWM load was utilized. These results support the spatial congruency advantage theory and suggest that it is more pronounced with higher VWM load. Furthermore, the spatial congruency effect was associated with larger posterior N1 activity, greater activation of the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and less suppression of the right supramarginal gyrus (SMG), when object location was repeated compared to when it was changed. The ERP-fMRI integrative analysis demonstrated that the object location discrimination-related N1 component is generated in the right SMG. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Manycore processing of repeated range queries over massive moving objects observations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lettich, Francesco; Orlando, Salvatore; Silvestri, Claudio

2014-01-01

decomposition and allows to tackle effectively a broad range of spatial object distributions, even those very skewed. Also, to deal with the architectural peculiarities and limitations of the GPUs, we adopt non-trivial GPU data structures that avoid the need of locked memory accesses and favour coalesced memory...... accesses, thus enhancing the overall memory throughput. To the best of our knowledge this is the first work that exploits GPUs to efficiently solve repeated range queries over massive sets of continuously moving objects, characterized by highly skewed spatial distributions. In comparison with state...

Solving multi-objective facility location problem using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and goal programming: a case study on infectious waste disposal centers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narong Wichapa

Full Text Available The selection of a suitable location for infectious waste disposal is one of the major problems in waste management. Determining the location of infectious waste disposal centers is a difficult and complex process because it requires combining social and environmental factors that are hard to interpret, and cost factors that require the allocation of resources. Additionally, it depends on several regulations. Based on the actual conditions of a case study, forty hospitals and three candidate municipalities in the sub-Northeast region of Thailand, we considered multiple factors such as infrastructure, geological and social & environmental factors, calculating global priority weights using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP. After that, a new multi-objective facility location problem model which combines FAHP and goal programming (GP, namely the FAHP-GP model, was tested. The proposed model can lead to selecting new suitable locations for infectious waste disposal by considering both total cost and final priority weight objectives. The novelty of the proposed model is the simultaneous combination of relevant factors that are difficult to interpret and cost factors, which require the allocation of resources. Keywords: Multi-objective facility location problem, Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, Infectious waste disposal centers

Three-dimensional rendering of segmented object using matlab - biomed 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Jeffrey R; Barrett, Steven F

2010-01-01

The three-dimensional rendering of microscopic objects is a difficult and challenging task that often requires specialized image processing techniques. Previous work has been described of a semi-automatic segmentation process of fluorescently stained neurons collected as a sequence of slice images with a confocal laser scanning microscope. Once properly segmented, each individual object can be rendered and studied as a three-dimensional virtual object. This paper describes the work associated with the design and development of Matlab files to create three-dimensional images from the segmented object data previously mentioned. Part of the motivation for this work is to integrate both the segmentation and rendering processes into one software application, providing a seamless transition from the segmentation tasks to the rendering and visualization tasks. Previously these tasks were accomplished on two different computer systems, windows and Linux. This transition basically limits the usefulness of the segmentation and rendering applications to those who have both computer systems readily available. The focus of this work is to create custom Matlab image processing algorithms for object rendering and visualization, and merge these capabilities to the Matlab files that were developed especially for the image segmentation task. The completed Matlab application will contain both the segmentation and rendering processes in a single graphical user interface, or GUI. This process for rendering three-dimensional images in Matlab requires that a sequence of two-dimensional binary images, representing a cross-sectional slice of the object, be reassembled in a 3D space, and covered with a surface. Additional segmented objects can be rendered in the same 3D space. The surface properties of each object can be varied by the user to aid in the study and analysis of the objects. This inter-active process becomes a powerful visual tool to study and understand microscopic objects.

Producción de hidrógeno a partir del tratamiento anaerobio de vinazas en un reactor UASB

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

César González-Ugalde

2014-09-01

Bajo condiciones mesofílicas (37 °C, un pH de operación de aproximadamente 5,50, una concentración del sustrato de 20 000 mg DQO/L y un tiempo de retención hidráulica (TRH de seis horas, la producción promedio de hidrógeno obtenida en el reactor UASB fue de 1,68 mL H2/h/L, con una tasa máxima de 13,4 mL H2/h/L. El porcentaje de remoción de DQO en el proceso de fermentación alcanzó valores máximos del 43%, con un promedio cercano al 20%. Tanto la producción de hidrógeno como la remoción de DQO presentaron una dependencia inversamente proporcional al TRH. Los resultados obtenidos en este estudio demuestran que la fermentación anaerobia en un reactor UASB abre la posibilidad de utilizar las vinazas para producir hidrógeno molecular de forma sostenible.

Space Object Collision Probability via Monte Carlo on the Graphics Processing Unit

Science.gov (United States)

Vittaldev, Vivek; Russell, Ryan P.

2017-09-01

Fast and accurate collision probability computations are essential for protecting space assets. Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is the most accurate but computationally intensive method. A Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is used to parallelize the computation and reduce the overall runtime. Using MC techniques to compute the collision probability is common in literature as the benchmark. An optimized implementation on the GPU, however, is a challenging problem and is the main focus of the current work. The MC simulation takes samples from the uncertainty distributions of the Resident Space Objects (RSOs) at any time during a time window of interest and outputs the separations at closest approach. Therefore, any uncertainty propagation method may be used and the collision probability is automatically computed as a function of RSO collision radii. Integration using a fixed time step and a quartic interpolation after every Runge Kutta step ensures that no close approaches are missed. Two orders of magnitude speedups over a serial CPU implementation are shown, and speedups improve moderately with higher fidelity dynamics. The tool makes the MC approach tractable on a single workstation, and can be used as a final product, or for verifying surrogate and analytical collision probability methods.

Working memory contributes to the encoding of object location associations: Support for a 3-part model of object location memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillis, M Meredith; Garcia, Sarah; Hampstead, Benjamin M

2016-09-15

A recent model by Postma and colleagues posits that the encoding of object location associations (OLAs) requires the coordination of several cognitive processes mediated by ventral (object perception) and dorsal (spatial perception) visual pathways as well as the hippocampus (feature binding) [1]. Within this model, frontoparietal network recruitment is believed to contribute to both the spatial processing and working memory task demands. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test each step of this model in 15 participants who encoded OLAs and performed standard n-back tasks. As expected, object processing resulted in activation of the ventral visual stream. Object in location processing resulted in activation of both the ventral and dorsal visual streams as well as a lateral frontoparietal network. This condition was also the only one to result in medial temporal lobe activation, supporting its role in associative learning. A conjunction analysis revealed areas of shared activation between the working memory and object in location phase within the lateral frontoparietal network, anterior insula, and basal ganglia; consistent with prior working memory literature. Overall, findings support Postma and colleague's model and provide clear evidence for the role of working memory during OLA encoding. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Object specific reconstruction using compressively sensed data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahalanobis, Abhijit

2008-01-01

Compressed sensing holds the promise for radically novel sensors that can perfectly reconstruct images using considerably less samples of data than required by the otherwise general Shannon sampling theorem. In surveillance systems however, it is also desirable to cue regions of the image where objects of interest may exist. Thus in this paper, we are interested in imaging interesting objects in a scene, without necessarily seeking perfect reconstruction of the whole image. We show that our goals are achieved by minimizing a modified L2-norm criterion with good results when the reconstruction of only specific objects is of interest. The method yields a simple closed form analytical solution that does not require iterative processing. Objects can be meaningfully sensed in considerable detail while heavily compressing the scene elsewhere. Essentially, this embeds the object detection and clutter discrimination function in the sensing and imaging process.

Linking objects in the process of mourning for sons disappeared in war: Croatia 2001.

Science.gov (United States)

Jurcević, Slavica; Urlić, Ivan

2002-04-01

Mothers use linking object to externalize the complex aspects of their relationship to the loss of their child. We analyzed the linking objects that mothers kept in memory of their sons who disappeared in the 1991-1995 war in Croatia or whose remains were uncovered and identified long time after they had gone missing. The case study of disturbed mourning included 26 mothers of Croatian soldiers from Croatian Osijek-Baranja County who went missing in war or whose remains were recovered and identified long after they had gone missing. The mothers were selected independently by the president of the Association of Families of Missing and Detained Croatian Soldiers and agreed to participate in the study in 2001. They were interviewed in their homes, their testimonies were recorded, and photographs of the linking objects taken. Linking objects were classified according to the Volkan's four-group classification. Out of four Volkan's groups of linking objects, we identified the objects belonging to the first three. Those were 1) objects that had been worn by the deceased (clothes, wrist-watch, ring, or glasses), (6/26); 2) objects that could be viewed in the psychoanalytic sense as an extension of the body of the disappeared or dead person, such as a camera (4/26); and 3) objects with realistic or symbolic resemblance to the deceased, usually a photograph (8/26). None of the examined objects belonged to the fourth Volkan's group (objects at hand when the news of the death came or objects present at the funeral, things that could be considered last-minute objects, ie, related to the moment when the deceased was last seen alive). However, 8/26 objects formed a new hitherto undescribed group. Mothers used such objects to create a memorial shrine to their sons. A photograph of the missing person or person whose remains were identified long after he had gone missing occupied a central place at the shrine, and was surrounded by other symbols of the Catholic iconography (Virgin

Eye-tracking study of inanimate objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ković Vanja

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Unlike the animate objects, where participants were consistent in their looking patterns, for inanimates it was difficult to identify both consistent areas of fixations and a consistent order of fixations. Furthermore, in comparison to animate objects, in animates received significantly shorter total looking time, shorter longest looks and a smaller number of overall fixations. However, as with animates, looking patterns did not systematically differ between the naming and non-naming conditions. These results suggested that animacy, but not labelling, impacts on looking behavior in this paradigm. In the light of feature-based accounts of semantic memory organization, one could interpret these findings as suggesting that processing of the animate objects is based on the saliency/diagnosticity of their visual features (which is then reflected through participants eye-movements towards those features, whereas processing of the inanimate objects is based more on functional features (which cannot be easily captured by looking behavior in such a paradigm.

Integrating ergonomics into engineering design: The role of objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hall-Andersen, Lene Bjerg; Broberg, Ole

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to explore the role of objects in integrating ergonomic knowledge in engineering design processes. An engineering design case was analyzed using the theoretical concepts of boundary objects and intermediary objects: Boundary objects facilitate collaboration between...

Process for etching zirconium metallic objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panson, A.J.

1988-01-01

In a process for etching of zirconium metallic articles formed from zirconium or a zirconium alloy, wherein the zirconium metallic article is contacted with an aqueous hydrofluoric acid-nitric acid etching bath having an initial ratio of hydrofluoric acid to nitric acid and an initial concentration of hydrofluoric and nitric acids, the improvement, is described comprising: after etching of zirconium metallic articles in the bath for a period of time such that the etching rate has diminished from an initial rate to a lesser rate, adding hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid to the exhausted bath to adjust the concentration and ratio of hydrofluoric acid to nitric acid therein to a value substantially that of the initial concentration and ratio and thereby regenerate the etching solution without removal of dissolved zirconium therefrom; and etching further zirconium metallic articles in the regenerated etching bath

Waste Acceptance Decisions and Uncertainty Analysis at the Oak Ridge Environmental Management Waste Management Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Redus, K. S.; Patterson, J. E.; Hampshire, G. L.; Perkins, A. B.

2003-01-01

The Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) Attainment Team (AT) routinely provides the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Operations with Go/No-Go decisions associated with the disposition of over 1.8 million yd3 of low-level radioactive, TSCA, and RCRA hazardous waste. This supply of waste comes from 60+ environmental restoration projects over the next 15 years planned to be dispositioned at the Oak Ridge Environmental Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF). The EMWMF WAC AT decision making process is accomplished in four ways: (1) ensure a clearly defined mission and timeframe for accomplishment is established, (2) provide an effective organization structure with trained personnel, (3) have in place a set of waste acceptance decisions and Data Quality Objectives (DQO) for which quantitative measures are required, and (4) use validated risk-based forecasting, decision support, and modeling/simulation tools. We provide a summary of WAC AT structure and performance. We offer suggestions based on lessons learned for effective transfer to other DOE

Tank 241-U-102, Grab Samples 2U-99-1, 2U-99-2 and 2U-99-3 Analytical Results for the Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

STEEN, F.H.

1999-01-01

This document is the final report for tank 241-U-102 grab samples. Five grab samples were collected from riser 13 on May 26, 1999 and received by the 222-S laboratory on May 26 and May 27, 1999. Samples 2U-99-3 and 2U-99-4 were submitted to the Process Chemistry Laboratory for special studies. Samples 2U-99-1, 2U-99-2 and 2U-99-5 were submitted to the laboratory for analyses. Analyses were performed in accordance with the Compatibility Grab Sampling and Analysis Plan for Fiscal year 1999 (TSAP) (Sasaki, 1999) and the Data Quality Objectives for Tank Farms Waste Compatibility Program (DQO) (Fowler 1995, Mulkey and Miller 1998). The analytical results are presented in the data summary report. None of the subsamples submitted for differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), total organic carbon (TOC) and plutonium 239 (Pu239) analyses exceeded the notification limits as stated in TSAP

Waste Acceptance Decisions and Uncertainty Analysis at the Oak Ridge Environmental Management Waste Management Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Redus, K. S.; Patterson, J. E.; Hampshire, G. L.; Perkins, A. B.

2003-02-25

The Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) Attainment Team (AT) routinely provides the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Operations with Go/No-Go decisions associated with the disposition of over 1.8 million yd3 of low-level radioactive, TSCA, and RCRA hazardous waste. This supply of waste comes from 60+ environmental restoration projects over the next 15 years planned to be dispositioned at the Oak Ridge Environmental Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF). The EMWMF WAC AT decision making process is accomplished in four ways: (1) ensure a clearly defined mission and timeframe for accomplishment is established, (2) provide an effective organization structure with trained personnel, (3) have in place a set of waste acceptance decisions and Data Quality Objectives (DQO) for which quantitative measures are required, and (4) use validated risk-based forecasting, decision support, and modeling/simulation tools. We provide a summary of WAC AT structure and performance. We offer suggestions based on lessons learned for effective transfer to other DOE.

Area 2 Photo Skid Wastewater Pit corrective action decision document Corrective Action Unit Number 332: Part 1, and Closure report: Part 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

The Area 2 Photo Skid Wastewater Pit, Corrective Action Site (CAS) Number 02-42-03, the only CAS in Corrective Action Unit (CAU) Number 332, has been identified as a source of unquantified, uncontrolled, and unpermitted wastewater discharge. The Photo Skid was used for photographic processing of film for projects related to weapons testing, using Kodak RA4 and GPX film processing facilities for black and white and color photographs. The CAU is located in Area 2 of the Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada. The CAS consists of one unlined pit which received discharged photographic process wastewater from 1984 to 1991. The Corrective Action Decision Document (CADD) and the Closure Report (CR) have been developed to meet the requirements of the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO, 1996). The CADD and the CR for this CAS have been combined because sample data collected during the site investigation do not exceed regulatory limits established during the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) process. The purpose of the CADD and the CR is to justify why no corrective action is necessary at the CAU based on process knowledge and the results of the corrective action investigation and to request closure of the CAU. This document contains Part 1 of the CADD and Part 2 of the CR

Administrative Management by Objectives. Policy 2100.

Science.gov (United States)

East Allen County Schools, New Haven, IN.

Management-by-objectives (MBO) focuses attention on objectives stated as end accomplishments rather than the activities which bring about those accomplishments. MBO identifies eight major areas of management which become involved in the process: (1) planning, (2) performance appraisal, (3) individual motivation, (4) coordination, (5) control, (6)…

Electrophysiological evidence for effects of color knowledge in object recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Aitao; Xu, Guiping; Jin, Hua; Mo, Lei; Zhang, Jijia; Zhang, John X

2010-01-29

Knowledge about the typical colors associated with familiar everyday objects (i.e., strawberries are red) is well-known to be represented in the conceptual semantic system. Evidence that such knowledge may also play a role in early perceptual processes for object recognition is scant. In the present ERP study, participants viewed a list of object pictures and detected infrequent stimulus repetitions. Results show that shortly after stimulus onset, ERP components indexing early perceptual processes, including N1, P2, and N2, differentiated between objects in their appropriate or congruent color from these objects in an inappropriate or incongruent color. Such congruence effect also occurred in N3 associated with semantic processing of pictures but not in N4 for domain-general semantic processing. Our results demonstrate a clear effect of color knowledge in early object recognition stages and support the following proposal-color as a surface property is stored in a multiple-memory system where pre-semantic perceptual and semantic conceptual representations interact during object recognition. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modulation of microsaccades by spatial frequency during object categorization.

Science.gov (United States)

Craddock, Matt; Oppermann, Frank; Müller, Matthias M; Martinovic, Jasna

2017-01-01

The organization of visual processing into a coarse-to-fine information processing based on the spatial frequency properties of the input forms an important facet of the object recognition process. During visual object categorization tasks, microsaccades occur frequently. One potential functional role of these eye movements is to resolve high spatial frequency information. To assess this hypothesis, we examined the rate, amplitude and speed of microsaccades in an object categorization task in which participants viewed object and non-object images and classified them as showing either natural objects, man-made objects or non-objects. Images were presented unfiltered (broadband; BB) or filtered to contain only low (LSF) or high spatial frequency (HSF) information. This allowed us to examine whether microsaccades were modulated independently by the presence of a high-level feature - the presence of an object - and by low-level stimulus characteristics - spatial frequency. We found a bimodal distribution of saccades based on their amplitude, with a split between smaller and larger microsaccades at 0.4° of visual angle. The rate of larger saccades (⩾0.4°) was higher for objects than non-objects, and higher for objects with high spatial frequency content (HSF and BB objects) than for LSF objects. No effects were observed for smaller microsaccades (<0.4°). This is consistent with a role for larger microsaccades in resolving HSF information for object identification, and previous evidence that more microsaccades are directed towards informative image regions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 413: Clean Slate II Plutonium Dispersion (TTR) Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, Patrick; Burmeister, Mark; Gallo, Patricia

2016-04-21

Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 413 is located on the Tonopah Test Range, which is approximately 130 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, and approximately 40 miles southeast of Tonopah, Nevada. The CAU 413 site consists of the release of radionuclides to the surface and shallow subsurface from the conduct of the Clean Slate II (CSII) storage–transportation test conducted on May 31, 1963. CAU 413 includes one corrective action site (CAS), TA-23-02CS (Pu Contaminated Soil). The known releases at CAU 413 are the result of the atmospheric deposition of contamination from the 1963 CSII test. The CSII test was a non-nuclear detonation of a nuclear device located inside a reinforced concrete bunker covered with 2 feet of soil. This test dispersed radionuclides, primarily plutonium, on the ground surface. The presence and nature of contamination at CAU 413 will be evaluated based on information collected from a corrective action investigation (CAI). The investigation is based on the data quality objectives (DQOs) developed on June 17, 2015, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection; the U.S. Air Force; and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office. The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 413. The CAI will include radiological surveys, geophysical surveys, collection and analyses of soil samples, and assessment of investigation results. The collection of soil samples will be accomplished using both probabilistic and judgmental sampling approaches. To facilitate site investigation and the evaluation of DQO decisions, the releases at CAU 413 have been divided into seven study groups.

Recounting History through Radioassay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jasen, W.G.; Aichele, M.D.; Cahill, M.A.; Estrada, L.; Greenwell, D.

2006-01-01

This paper describes a proposed method for using historical documentation to identify unknown wastes resulting from retrieving suspect transuranic (TRU) waste. Identification is accomplished by a historical review of radionuclides identified by radioassay, along with the project controls used to ensure an accurate segregation of TRU from low-level waste (LLW). This paper presents an historical perspective on the identification of radionuclides at the Hanford Site from various waste generators of suspect TRU waste with an emphasis on the Data Quality Objectives (DQO's) and project controls used to ensure the waste is properly classified as TRU or LLW. (authors)

RECOUNTING HISTORY THROUGH RADIOASSAY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

JASEN, W.G.

2005-01-01

This paper describes a proposed method for using historical documentation to identify unknown wastes resulting from retrieving suspect transuranic (TRU) waste. Identification is accomplished by a historical review of radionuclides identified by radioassay, along with the project controls used to ensure an accurate segregation of TRU from low-level waste (LLW). This paper presents an historical perspective on the identification of radionuclides at the Hanford Site from various waste generators of suspect TRU waste with an emphasis on the Data Quality Objectives (DQO's) and project controls used to ensure the waste is properly classified as TRU or LLW

The role of connectedness in haptic object perception

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Plaisier, M.A.; van Polanen, V.; Kappers, Astrid M.L.

2017-01-01

We can efficiently detect whether there is a rough object among a set of smooth objects using our sense of touch. We can also quickly determine the number of rough objects in our hand. In this study, we investigated whether the perceptual processing of rough and smooth objects is influenced if these

Object-based attention in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Science.gov (United States)

Ushitani, Tomokazu; Imura, Tomoko; Tomonaga, Masaki

2010-03-17

We conducted three experiments to investigate how object-based components contribute to the attentional processes of chimpanzees and to examine how such processes operate with regard to perceptually structured objects. In Experiment 1, chimpanzees responded to a spatial cueing task that required them to touch a target appearing at either end of two parallel rectangles. We compared the time involved in shifting attention (cost of attentional shift) when the locations of targets were cued and non cued. Results showed that the cost of the attentional shift within one rectangle was smaller than that beyond the object's boundary, demonstrating object-based attention in chimpanzees. The results of Experiment 2, conducted with different stimulus configurations, replicated the results of Experiment 1, supporting that object-based attention operates in chimpanzees. In Experiment 3, the cost of attentional shift within a cued but partly occluded rectangle was shorter than that within a rectangle that was cued but divided in the middle. The results suggest that the attention of chimpanzees is activated not only by an explicit object but also by fragmented patches represented as an object at a higher-order perceptual level. Chimpanzees' object-based attention may be similar to that of humans. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ferrocyanide Safety Program: Data interpretation report for tank 241-T-107 core samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, L.M.; Valenzuela, B.D.

1994-08-01

Between November 1992 and March 1993, three core samples were obtained from tank 241-T-107. Analyses were performed on these core samples to support the Ferrocyanide Safety Program and the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Ecology et al. 1994) Milestone M-10-00. This document summarizes and evaluates those analytical results that are pertinent to the Ferrocyanide Safety Issue. This document compares the analytical results with the data requirements for ferrocyanide tanks as documented in Data Requirements of the Ferrocyanide Safety Issue Developed Through the Data Quality Objectives Process (Meacham et al. 1994) and provides an assessment of the safety condition of the tank. Analytes not listed in the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) document (Meacham et al. 1994) or not pertinent to the Ferrocyanide Safety Issue are not discussed in this report. Complete documentation of the analytical results can be found in the data package for the tank 241-T-107 cores (Svancara and Pool 1993). A more complete evaluation of the analytical results and an estimate of the tank inventory will be provided in a forthcoming tank characterization report for tank 241-T-107

Educational Rationale Metadata for Learning Objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom Carey

2002-10-01

Full Text Available Instructors searching for learning objects in online repositories will be guided in their choices by the content of the object, the characteristics of the learners addressed, and the learning process embodied in the object. We report here on a feasibility study for metadata to record process-oriented information about instructional approaches for learning objects, though a set of Educational Rationale [ER] tags which would allow authors to describe the critical elements in their design intent. The prototype ER tags describe activities which have been demonstrated to be of value in learning, and authors select the activities whose support was critical in their design decisions. The prototype ER tag set consists descriptors of the instructional approach used in the design, plus optional sub-elements for Comments, Importance and Features which implement the design intent. The tag set was tested by creators of four learning object modules, three intended for post-secondary learners and one for K-12 students and their families. In each case the creators reported that the ER tag set allowed them to express succinctly the key instructional approaches embedded in their designs. These results confirmed the overall feasibility of the ER tag approach as a means of capturing design intent from creators of learning objects. Much work remains to be done before a usable ER tag set could be specified, including evaluating the impact of ER tags during design to improve instructional quality of learning objects.

Experimental Evaluation of Processing Time for the Synchronization of XML-Based Business Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Ameling, Michael; Wolf, Bernhard; Springer, Thomas; Schill, Alexander

Business objects (BOs) are data containers for complex data structures used in business applications such as Supply Chain Management and Customer Relationship Management. Due to the replication of application logic, multiple copies of BOs are created which have to be synchronized and updated. This is a complex and time consuming task because BOs rigorously vary in their structure according to the distribution, number and size of elements. Since BOs are internally represented as XML documents, the parsing of XML is one major cost factor which has to be considered for minimizing the processing time during synchronization. The prediction of the parsing time for BOs is an significant property for the selection of an efficient synchronization mechanism. In this paper, we present a method to evaluate the influence of the structure of BOs on their parsing time. The results of our experimental evaluation incorporating four different XML parsers examine the dependencies between the distribution of elements and the parsing time. Finally, a general cost model will be validated and simplified according to the results of the experimental setup.

Comparison between TOC, DBO[sub 5] and DQO in waste waters; TOC as a function of DBO[sub 5] and DQO in waste waters. Comparacion entre TOC, DBO[sub 5] y DQO en aguas residuales; El TOC en funcion de la DBO[sub 5] y la DQO en las aguas residuales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandez, A.

1994-01-01

Various methods and parameters such as TOC, BDO and CDO are used to measure the organic content of waste water. This article shows that there exist correlations among these three methods, which makes it possible to employ the TOC, which is the quickest and most reliable, and use it to calculate the other two parameters. (Author)

PRODUCT LIFECYCLE OPTIMISATION OF CAR CLIMATE CONTROLS USING ANALYTICAL HIERARCHICAL PROCESS (AHP ANALYSIS AND A MULTI-OBJECTIVE GROUPING GENETIC ALGORITHM (MOGGA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MICHAEL J. LEE

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A product’s lifecycle performance (e.g. assembly, outsourcing, maintenance and recycling can often be improved through modularity. However, modularisation under different and often conflicting lifecycle objectives is a complex problem that will ultimately require trade-offs. This paper presents a novel multi-objective modularity optimisation framework; the application of which is illustrated through the modularisation of a car climate control system. Central to the framework is a specially designed multi-objective grouping genetic algorithm (MOGGA that is able to generate a whole range of alternative product modularisations. Scenario analysis, using the principles of the analytical hierarchical process (AHP, is then carried out to explore the solution set and choose a suitable modular architecture that optimises the product lifecycle according to the company’s strategic vision.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 569: Area 3 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patrick Matthews; Christy Sloop

2012-02-01

Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 569 is located in Area 3 of the Nevada National Security Site, which is approximately 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. Corrective Action Unit 569 comprises the nine numbered corrective action sites (CASs) and one newly identified site listed below: (1) 03-23-09, T-3 Contamination Area (hereafter referred to as Annie, Franklin, George, and Moth); (2) 03-23-10, T-3A Contamination Area (hereafter referred to as Harry and Hornet); (3) 03-23-11, T-3B Contamination Area (hereafter referred to as Fizeau); (4) 03-23-12, T-3S Contamination Area (hereafter referred to as Rio Arriba); (5) 03-23-13, T-3T Contamination Area (hereafter referred to as Catron); (6) 03-23-14, T-3V Contamination Area (hereafter referred to as Humboldt); (7) 03-23-15, S-3G Contamination Area (hereafter referred to as Coulomb-B); (8) 03-23-16, S-3H Contamination Area (hereafter referred to as Coulomb-A); (9) 03-23-21, Pike Contamination Area (hereafter referred to as Pike); and (10) Waste Consolidation Site 3A. Because CAU 569 is a complicated site containing many types of releases, it was agreed during the data quality objectives (DQO) process that these sites will be grouped. These sites are being investigated because existing information on the nature and extent of potential contamination is insufficient to evaluate and recommend corrective action alternatives (CAAs). Additional information will be obtained by conducting a corrective action investigation before evaluating CAAs and selecting the appropriate corrective action for each study group. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of viable CAAs that will be presented in the Corrective Action Decision Document. The sites will be investigated based on the DQOs developed on September 26, 2011, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office. The DQO

On Converting Software Systems to Object Oriented Architectures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela Czibula

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Object-oriented concepts are useful concerning the reuse of existing software. Therefore a transformation of procedural programs to objectoriented architectures becomes an important process to enhance the reuse of procedural programs. Moreover, it would be useful to assist by automatic methods the software developers in transforming procedural code into an equivalent
object-oriented one. In this paper we aim at introducing a hierarchical clustering algorithm that can be used for assisting software developers in the process of transforming procedural code into an object-oriented architecture.

Desempenho de sistemas alagados no tratamento de águas residuárias do processamento dos frutos do cafeeiro Performance of constructed wetlands used in the treatment of wastewater of coffee processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronaldo Fia

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Nove sistemas alagados (SACESHs foram construídos em escala piloto (1,5 m de comprimento, 0,5 de largura e 0,4 m de profundidade, cultivados com Typha sp. e Alternanthera phyloxeroides, e operados sob diferentes taxas de aplicação orgânica, no tratamento da água residuária do processamento dos frutos do cafeeiro (ARC. Três sistemas receberam ARC sem nenhum pré-tratamento, em três foi aplicada ARC com correção de pH e correção nutricional e nos três últimos os efluentes de filtros anaeróbios utilizados no tratamento da ARC, que teve o pH e o teor de nutrientes corrigidos. Os resultados mostraram que o aumento nas taxas de carga superficial dos constituintes da ARC no sistema proporcionou decréscimo na eficiência de remoção de matéria orgânica e compostos fenólicos, em todos os SACESHs avaliados. Os tempos de detenção hidráulica superiores a 100 h proporcionaram maiores eficiências na remoção de DQO (SAC*1, SAC F1 e SAC F2 e DBO (SAC1, SAC*1, SAC F2 e SAC F3 que os tempos de detenção hidráulica de aproximadamente 60 h aplicados nas fases iniciais do experimento. Entre os SACESHs, o SAC F1, que recebeu a menor taxa de aplicação orgânica (1.500 kg ha-1 d-1 de DQO, apresentou desempenho mais satisfatório no que se refere à remoção de DBO (63%, DQO (85% e compostos fenólicos (65%.Nine constructed wetlands (SACESHs were built on a pilot scale (1.5 m long, 0.5 wide and 0.4 m deep, grown with Typha sp. and Alternanthera phyloxeroides, and operated under different organic loads in the treatment of wastewater of coffee processing (ARC. Three systems received no ARC pre-treatment, three received ARC with correction of pH and nutritional correction, and the last three received the effluent of filters used in the anaerobic treatment of ARC that had the pH and nutrient content corrected. The results showed that the increase in the rate of surface charge of the constituents of the ARC provided the decrease in efficiency

Utopia2000: An Online Learning-Object Management Tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Aspillaga, Macarena

2002-01-01

Describes Utopia2002, a database that contains learning objects that enables faculty to design and develop interactive Web-based instruction. Topics include advanced distributed learning; sharable content objects (SCOs) and sharable content object reference model (SCORM); instructional systems design process; templates; and quality assurance. (LRW)

Management-By-Objectives in Healthcare

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Traberg, Andreas

that managers are able to incorporate those indicators they find useful in their department, and thus secure sufficient informational support for the department's decision-making processes. The Performance Account thereby eases the identification of areas suited for corrective actions, and provides the decision......; collectively, however, they pose a significant drawback. The vast selection of self-contained initiatives limits the overview for decision makers and imposes an escalating administrative burden on operational staff members. Contrary to the initial objective, the expanding informational burden limits...... the overview and transparency for healthcare decision makers; as a result, well-documented initiatives fail to become integrated support in operational decision-making processes. This research work has thus striven to design a holistic Management-By-Objectives framework that can enable managers and operational...

Sound effects: Multimodal input helps infants find displaced objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Shinskey, Jeanne L

2017-09-01

Before 9 months, infants use sound to retrieve a stationary object hidden by darkness but not one hidden by occlusion, suggesting auditory input is more salient in the absence of visual input. This article addresses how audiovisual input affects 10-month-olds' search for displaced objects. In AB tasks, infants who previously retrieved an object at A subsequently fail to find it after it is displaced to B, especially following a delay between hiding and retrieval. Experiment 1 manipulated auditory input by keeping the hidden object audible versus silent, and visual input by presenting the delay in the light versus dark. Infants succeeded more at B with audible than silent objects and, unexpectedly, more after delays in the light than dark. Experiment 2 presented both the delay and search phases in darkness. The unexpected light-dark difference disappeared. Across experiments, the presence of auditory input helped infants find displaced objects, whereas the absence of visual input did not. Sound might help by strengthening object representation, reducing memory load, or focusing attention. This work provides new evidence on when bimodal input aids object processing, corroborates claims that audiovisual processing improves over the first year of life, and contributes to multisensory approaches to studying cognition. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject Before 9 months, infants use sound to retrieve a stationary object hidden by darkness but not one hidden by occlusion. This suggests they find auditory input more salient in the absence of visual input in simple search tasks. After 9 months, infants' object processing appears more sensitive to multimodal (e.g., audiovisual) input. What does this study add? This study tested how audiovisual input affects 10-month-olds' search for an object displaced in an AB task. Sound helped infants find displaced objects in both the presence and absence of visual input. Object processing becomes more

Categorization for Faces and Tools-Two Classes of Objects Shaped by Different Experience-Differs in Processing Timing, Brain Areas Involved, and Repetition Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Kozunov, Vladimir; Nikolaeva, Anastasia; Stroganova, Tatiana A

2017-01-01

The brain mechanisms that integrate the separate features of sensory input into a meaningful percept depend upon the prior experience of interaction with the object and differ between categories of objects. Recent studies using representational similarity analysis (RSA) have characterized either the spatial patterns of brain activity for different categories of objects or described how category structure in neuronal representations emerges in time, but never simultaneously. Here we applied a novel, region-based, multivariate pattern classification approach in combination with RSA to magnetoencephalography data to extract activity associated with qualitatively distinct processing stages of visual perception. We asked participants to name what they see whilst viewing bitonal visual stimuli of two categories predominantly shaped by either value-dependent or sensorimotor experience, namely faces and tools, and meaningless images. We aimed to disambiguate the spatiotemporal patterns of brain activity between the meaningful categories and determine which differences in their processing were attributable to either perceptual categorization per se , or later-stage mentalizing-related processes. We have extracted three stages of cortical activity corresponding to low-level processing, category-specific feature binding, and supra-categorical processing. All face-specific spatiotemporal patterns were associated with bilateral activation of ventral occipito-temporal areas during the feature binding stage at 140-170 ms. The tool-specific activity was found both within the categorization stage and in a later period not thought to be associated with binding processes. The tool-specific binding-related activity was detected within a 210-220 ms window and was located to the intraparietal sulcus of the left hemisphere. Brain activity common for both meaningful categories started at 250 ms and included widely distributed assemblies within parietal, temporal, and prefrontal regions

Categorization for Faces and Tools—Two Classes of Objects Shaped by Different Experience—Differs in Processing Timing, Brain Areas Involved, and Repetition Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Kozunov, Vladimir; Nikolaeva, Anastasia; Stroganova, Tatiana A.

2018-01-01

The brain mechanisms that integrate the separate features of sensory input into a meaningful percept depend upon the prior experience of interaction with the object and differ between categories of objects. Recent studies using representational similarity analysis (RSA) have characterized either the spatial patterns of brain activity for different categories of objects or described how category structure in neuronal representations emerges in time, but never simultaneously. Here we applied a novel, region-based, multivariate pattern classification approach in combination with RSA to magnetoencephalography data to extract activity associated with qualitatively distinct processing stages of visual perception. We asked participants to name what they see whilst viewing bitonal visual stimuli of two categories predominantly shaped by either value-dependent or sensorimotor experience, namely faces and tools, and meaningless images. We aimed to disambiguate the spatiotemporal patterns of brain activity between the meaningful categories and determine which differences in their processing were attributable to either perceptual categorization per se, or later-stage mentalizing-related processes. We have extracted three stages of cortical activity corresponding to low-level processing, category-specific feature binding, and supra-categorical processing. All face-specific spatiotemporal patterns were associated with bilateral activation of ventral occipito-temporal areas during the feature binding stage at 140–170 ms. The tool-specific activity was found both within the categorization stage and in a later period not thought to be associated with binding processes. The tool-specific binding-related activity was detected within a 210–220 ms window and was located to the intraparietal sulcus of the left hemisphere. Brain activity common for both meaningful categories started at 250 ms and included widely distributed assemblies within parietal, temporal, and prefrontal regions

TESS Objects of Interest

Science.gov (United States)

Guerrero, Natalia; Glidden, Ana; Fausnaugh, Michael; TESS Team

2018-01-01

We describe the search for TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs), led by the MIT branch of the TESS Science Office (TSO). TSO has developed a tool called TESS Exoplanet Vetter (TEV) to facilitate this process. Individuals independently examine data validation products for each target and assign a category to the object: planet candidate, eclipsing binary, other astrophysical, stellar variability, or instrument noise/systematic. TEV assigns a preliminary follow-up priority designation to each object and allows for modification when final dispositions are decided on in a group setting. When all targets are vetted, TEV exports a catalogue of TOIs which is delivered to the TESS Follow-Up Observing Program (TFOP), working with ExoFOP-TESS, and made publicly available on the official TESS website and the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST).

Identification of computer graphics objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rossinskyi Yu.M.

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the use of computer graphics methods in problems of creating drawings, charts, drafting, etc. The widespread use of these methods requires the development of efficient algorithms for the identification of objects of drawings. The article analyzes the model-making algorithms for this problem and considered the possibility of reducing the time using graphics editing operations. Editing results in such operations as copying, moving and deleting objects specified images. These operations allow the use of a reliable identification of images of objects methods. For information on the composition of the image of the object along with information about the identity and the color should include information about the spatial location and other characteristics of the object (the thickness and style of contour lines, fill style, and so on. In order to enable the pixel image analysis to structure the information it is necessary to enable the initial code image objects color. The article shows the results of the implementation of the algorithm of encoding object identifiers. To simplify the process of building drawings of any kind, and reduce time-consuming, method of drawing objects identification is proposed based on the use as the ID information of the object color.

Tratamiento con ozono de las aguas residuales de almazara

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domínguez Vargas, Joaquín R.

2000-10-01

Full Text Available In the present work, the ozonation of olive mill wastewater has been studied. The evolution process was followed by measuring the chemical oxygen demand, the aromaticity and the contents of phenolic compounds. The aromaticity conversion ranged between 4.85 and 21%, chemical oxygen demand degradation varied from 3.25 to 19.4%, and the total polyphenolic reduction varied between 6.86 and 43.7%. The ozone consumption in the reduction of each variable was determined, being the average values of 57.2 g COD/mol O3, 2.9 un. Abs/mol O3 and 3.3 g polyphen./mol O3. Finally, considering a first order kinetic equation with respect to each reactant, the apparent kinetic constants are evaluated for the studied variables.En el presente trabajo se ha estudiado la ozonización de las aguas residuales provenientes de almazaras (alpechín. La evolución del proceso de degradación fue seguida por la medida de la demanda química de oxígeno (DQO, de la aromaticidad y del contenido en polifenoles totales. El tanto por ciento de DQO eliminada varía entre 3.25 y 19.4%, el de aromaticidad entre 4.85 y 21.1% y el de polifenoles totales entre 6.86 y 43.7%. Se determinó el consumo de ozono en la reducción de cada variable, dando valores medios de 57.2 g DQO/mol O3, 2.9 un. Abs/mol O3 y 3.3 g polif/mol O3. Por último, considerando una cinética de primer orden respecto de cada reaccionante, se han evaluado las constantes cinéticas aparentes respecto de cada variable.

Automatic pre-processing for an object-oriented distributed hydrological model using GRASS-GIS

Science.gov (United States)

Sanzana, P.; Jankowfsky, S.; Branger, F.; Braud, I.; Vargas, X.; Hitschfeld, N.

2012-04-01

Landscapes are very heterogeneous, which impact the hydrological processes occurring in the catchments, especially in the modeling of peri-urban catchments. The Hydrological Response Units (HRUs), resulting from the intersection of different maps, such as land use, soil types and geology, and flow networks, allow the representation of these elements in an explicit way, preserving natural and artificial contours of the different layers. These HRUs are used as model mesh in some distributed object-oriented hydrological models, allowing the application of a topological oriented approach. The connectivity between polygons and polylines provides a detailed representation of the water balance and overland flow in these distributed hydrological models, based on irregular hydro-landscape units. When computing fluxes between these HRUs, the geometrical parameters, such as the distance between the centroid of gravity of the HRUs and the river network, and the length of the perimeter, can impact the realism of the calculated overland, sub-surface and groundwater fluxes. Therefore, it is necessary to process the original model mesh in order to avoid these numerical problems. We present an automatic pre-processing implemented in the open source GRASS-GIS software, for which several Python scripts or some algorithms already available were used, such as the Triangle software. First, some scripts were developed to improve the topology of the various elements, such as snapping of the river network to the closest contours. When data are derived with remote sensing, such as vegetation areas, their perimeter has lots of right angles that were smoothed. Second, the algorithms more particularly address bad-shaped elements of the model mesh such as polygons with narrow shapes, marked irregular contours and/or the centroid outside of the polygons. To identify these elements we used shape descriptors. The convexity index was considered the best descriptor to identify them with a threshold

Treatment of residual waters of slaughterhouses with filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortiz A, Jesus Mario

1995-01-01

For studying the anaerobic treatment of the residual waters coming from a slaughterhouse of bovine livestock, they were used a system of two filters in series and a third unique filter as witness. With values average of load organic volumetric and time of retention of 1.6 kg/(m 3 d) and 26 hours respectively, the efficiencies of removal of total DQO were similar in the unique filter and in the system in series, of the order of 64% on the average. Likewise, the retention and accumulation of biological solids in the channel were shown as the main road of removal of the DQO. The differentiation of the process achieved with the two filters in series allowed establishing that most of the accumulation happened in the primary filter, as long as the fundamental of the bioconversion in methane took place in the secondary filter of the system in series. The first relative level of methanegenization obtained could be explained by the limitations to the activity of the methanogenic biomass imposed by the low temperatures, although it could not discard a probable inhibition for the hydrolysis products of the accumulated fats

An object-oriented implementation to improve annunciation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, In-Koo; Kim, Jung-Taek; Lee, Dong-Young; Park, Jae-Chang; Ham, Chang-Shik

1997-01-01

A computer-based alarm processing system for nuclear power plants is being developed in a G2 expert system software tool. In the G2 environment, every alarm is treated as an object of alarm class. The attributes of each alarm object include activation status, alarm messages, process value, time, priority, acknowledgment state, and icon color. If an alarm is activated, its icon color, on an overview process mimic diagram changes corresponding to its priority which can be set initially or determined dynamically by reasoning rules and procedures. The process conditions, such as plant or equipment status and correlated alarms' states determine the priority of the activated alarm. The knowledge base of the system is constructed by process analysis of the plant and discussion with operators and nuclear plant experts. (author). 6 refs, 3 figs, 1 tab

An object-oriented implementation to improve annunciation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, In-Koo; Kim, Jung-Taek; Lee, Dong-Young; Park, Jae-Chang; Ham, Chang-Shik [Korea Atomic Energy Research Inst., Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1997-09-01

A computer-based alarm processing system for nuclear power plants is being developed in a G2 expert system software tool. In the G2 environment, every alarm is treated as an object of alarm class. The attributes of each alarm object include activation status, alarm messages, process value, time, priority, acknowledgment state, and icon color. If an alarm is activated, its icon color, on an overview process mimic diagram changes corresponding to its priority which can be set initially or determined dynamically by reasoning rules and procedures. The process conditions, such as plant or equipment status and correlated alarms` states determine the priority of the activated alarm. The knowledge base of the system is constructed by process analysis of the plant and discussion with operators and nuclear plant experts. (author). 6 refs, 3 figs, 1 tab.

Object recognition with video-theodolites and without targeting the object

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kahmen, H.; Seixas, A. de

1999-01-01

At the Department of Applied Geodesy and Engineering Geodesy (TU Vienna) an new kind of theodolite measurement system is under development, enabling measurements with an accuracy of 1:30.000 with and without targeting the object. The main goal is, to develop an intelligent multi-sensor system. Thus an operator is only needed to supervise the system. Results are gained on-sine and can be stored in a CAD system. If no artificial targets are used identification of points has to be performed by the Master-Theodolite. The method, used in our project, is based on interest operators. The Slave-Theodolite has to track the master by searching for homologous regions. The before described method can only be used, if there is some texture on the surface of the object. If that is not fulfilled, a 'grid-line-method' can be used, to get informations about the surface of the object. In the case of a cartesian co-ordinate system, for instance, the grid-lines can be chosen by the operator before the measurement process is started. The theodolite-measurement system is then able to detect the grid-lines and to find the positions where the grid-lines intersect the surface of the object. This system could be used for positioning the different components of a particle accelerator. (author)

Object recognition with video-theodolites and without targeting the object

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kahmen, H.; Seixas, A. de [University of Technology Vienna, Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics, Vienna (Austria)

1999-07-01

At the Department of Applied Geodesy and Engineering Geodesy (TU Vienna) an new kind of theodolite measurement system is under development, enabling measurements with an accuracy of 1:30.000 with and without targeting the object. The main goal is, to develop an intelligent multi-sensor system. Thus an operator is only needed to supervise the system. Results are gained on-sine and can be stored in a CAD system. If no artificial targets are used identification of points has to be performed by the Master-Theodolite. The method, used in our project, is based on interest operators. The Slave-Theodolite has to track the master by searching for homologous regions. The before described method can only be used, if there is some texture on the surface of the object. If that is not fulfilled, a 'grid-line-method' can be used, to get informations about the surface of the object. In the case of a cartesian co-ordinate system, for instance, the grid-lines can be chosen by the operator before the measurement process is started. The theodolite-measurement system is then able to detect the grid-lines and to find the positions where the grid-lines intersect the surface of the object. This system could be used for positioning the different components of a particle accelerator. (author)

Learning objects and interactive whiteboards: a evaluation proposal of learning objects for mathematics teaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvio Henrique Fiscarelli

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The current conditions of the classroom learning tend to be a one-way process based in teacher exposition, this make a negative impact on learning make it a mechanical and not meaningful activity. One possibility to improve the quality of teaching is to innovate methodologies and varying forms of presenting information to students, such as the use of technology in the teaching process. The Interactive Whiteboard (IBW is one of the technologies that are being implemented in Brazilian schools. One of the promising possibilities to add value to the use of LDI in classroom are "learning objects" (LO. However, one problem is that often the LO are not fully suited to the dynamics of IWB, whether functional or pedagogical point of view. The objective of this study is to analyze and propose a set of indicators that evaluate the learning objects for use in conjunction with Interactive Whiteboards. The selection and definition of evaluation indicators was carried from the literature review on the subject and based on LDI experiences of use in Municipal Elementary School. After defining the set of indicators was conducted a evaluation of a sample of 30 OA utilized to teaching mathematics in 3rd grade of elementary school. The results of the evaluation indicate that the proposed indicators are suitable for a pre-analysis of OA and assisting in the process of selection of these.

Cassava wastewater (manipueira treatment using a two-phase anaerobic biodigestor Tratamento de água residual do processamento de mandioca (manipueira utilizando biodigestor anaeróbio de duas fases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Cláudia BARANA

2000-08-01

Full Text Available A two-phase anaerobic biodigestor was employed in order to analyze methane production with different manipueira organic loading rates. The acidogenic phase was carried out in a batch process whereas the methanogenic in an up-flow anaerobic fixed bed reactor with continuous feeding. The organic loading rates varied from 0.33 up to 8.48g of Chemical Demand Oxygen (COD/L.day. The highest content of methane, 80.9%, was obtained with organic loading rate of 0.33g and the lowest, 56.8%, with 8.48gCOD/L.d. The highest reduction of COD, 88.89%, was obtained with organic loading rate of 2.25g and the lowest, 54.95%, with 8.48gCOD/L.d. From these data it was possible to realize that anaerobic biodigestion can be managed in at least two ways, i.e., for energy production (methane or for organic loading reduction. The organic loading rate should be calculated as part of the purpose of the treatment to be accomplished.Um biodigestor anaeróbio de duas fases foi utilizado para se analisar a produção de metano com diferentes cargas de entrada de manipueira. A fase acidogênica foi realizada em processo de batelada e a metanogênica em biodigestor anaeróbio de fluxo ascendente e leito fixo com alimentação contínua. As cargas orgânicas de entrada variaram de 0,33 a 8,48 gDQO (Demanda Química de Oxigênio/L.dia. A maior porcentagem de metano encontrada foi de 80,9%, com carga orgânica de 0,33g e a menor, 56,8%, obtida com 8,49gDQO/L.d. A maior taxa de redução de DQO foi de 88,89%, obtida com carga orgânica de 2,25g e a menor, 54,95%, com 8,48gDQO/L.d. Analisando-se os dados apresentados verificou-se que a biodigestão anaeróbia pode ser conduzida, pelo menos, de duas maneiras, ou seja, para produção de energia (metano ou para redução de carga orgânica. A carga orgânica de entrada deve ser calculada em função do objetivo a ser alcançado com a biodigestão anaeróbia.

A Cultured Learning Environment: Implementing a Problem- and Service-Based Microbiology Capstone Course to Assess Process- and Skill-Based Learning Objectives

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Rachel M.; Willford, John D.; Pfeifer, Mariel A.

2018-01-01

In this study, a problem-based capstone course was designed to assess the University of Wyoming Microbiology Program's skill-based and process-based student learning objectives. Students partnered with a local farm, a community garden, and a free downtown clinic in order to conceptualize, propose, perform, and present studies addressing problems…

Towards an Artificial Space Object Taxonomy

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkins, M.; Schumacher, P.; Jah, M.; Pfeffer, A.

2013-09-01

Object recognition is the first step in positively identifying a resident space object (RSO), i.e. assigning an RSO to a category such as GPS satellite or space debris. Object identification is the process of deciding that two RSOs are in fact one and the same. Provided we have appropriately defined a satellite taxonomy that allows us to place a given RSO into a particular class of object without any ambiguity, one can assess the probability of assignment to a particular class by determining how well the object satisfies the unique criteria of belonging to that class. Ultimately, tree-based taxonomies delineate unique signatures by defining the minimum amount of information required to positively identify a RSO. Therefore, taxonomic trees can be used to depict hypotheses in a Bayesian object recognition and identification process. This work describes a new RSO taxonomy along with specific reasoning behind the choice of groupings. An alternative taxonomy was recently presented at the Sixth Conference on Space Debris in Darmstadt, Germany. [1] The best example of a taxonomy that enjoys almost universal scientific acceptance is the classical Linnaean biological taxonomy. A strength of Linnaean taxonomy is that it can be used to organize the different kinds of living organisms, simply and practically. Every species can be given a unique name. This uniqueness and stability are a result of the acceptance by biologists specializing in taxonomy, not merely of the binomial names themselves. Fundamentally, the taxonomy is governed by rules for the use of these names, and these are laid down in formal Nomenclature Codes. We seek to provide a similar formal nomenclature system for RSOs through a defined tree-based taxonomy structure. Each categorization, beginning with the most general or inclusive, at any level is called a taxon. Taxon names are defined by a type, which can be a specimen or a taxon of lower rank, and a diagnosis, a statement intended to supply characters that

Plug & Play object oriented Bayesian networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bangsø, Olav; Flores, J.; Jensen, Finn Verner

2003-01-01

been shown to be quite suitable for dynamic domains as well. However, processing object oriented Bayesian networks in practice does not take advantage of their modular structure. Normally the object oriented Bayesian network is transformed into a Bayesian network and, inference is performed...... dynamic domains. The communication needed between instances is achieved by means of a fill-in propagation scheme....

Tratamento de resíduo líquido de laticínios utilizando Caixas de Gordura e Reator Anaeróbio Compartimentado seguido de Leitos Cultivados

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Cristina Ferreira Moreira da Silva

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Neste trabalho foram avaliados o desempenho e a eficiência de um sistema de tratamento de resíduos líquidos de laticínios na remoção da carga orgânica do resíduo em uma indústria de laticínios, utilizando um sistema composto por caixas de gordura, reator anaeróbio compartimentado e leitos cultivados de fluxo subsuperficial vegetado com Typha sp. e utilizando como meio suporte brita #1, sob diferentes tempos de detenção hidráulica (3 e 5 dias nos leitos cultivados. Como média geral na remoção de DBO e de DQO, o tratamento utilizando tempo de detenção de 3 dias conseguiu remover 98,87% de DBO e  99,77% de DQO, enquanto o tratamento utilizando 5 dias de detenção hidráulica removeu, em média, 99,51% de DBO e 99,56% de DQO. Os resultados indicam que o sistema foi eficiente no tratamento de resíduos líquidos de laticínios.

Assuring the Quality of Agricultural Learning Repositories: Issues for the Learning Object Metadata Creation Process of the CGIAR

Science.gov (United States)

Zschocke, Thomas; Beniest, Jan

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Re- search (CGIAR) has established a digital repository to share its teaching and learning resources along with descriptive educational information based on the IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM) standard. As a critical component of any digital repository, quality metadata are critical not only to enable users to find more easily the resources they require, but also for the operation and interoperability of the repository itself. Studies show that repositories have difficulties in obtaining good quality metadata from their contributors, especially when this process involves many different stakeholders as is the case with the CGIAR as an international organization. To address this issue the CGIAR began investigating the Open ECBCheck as well as the ISO/IEC 19796-1 standard to establish quality protocols for its training. The paper highlights the implications and challenges posed by strengthening the metadata creation workflow for disseminating learning objects of the CGIAR.

Objectives and Outcomes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Segalman, D.J.

1998-11-30

I have recently become involved in the ABET certification process under the new system - ABET 2000. This system relies heavily on concepts of Total Quality Management (TQM). It encourages each institution to define its objectives in terms of its own mission and then create a coherent program based on it. The prescribed steps in setting up the new system at an engineering institution are: o identification of constituencies G definition of mission. It is expected that the department's mission will be consistent with that of the overall institution, but containing some higher resolution language appropriate to that particular discipline of the engineering profession. o statement of objectives consistent with the mission 3G~~\\vED " enumeration of desired, and preferably measurable, outcomes of the process that would ~ `=. verify satisfaction of the objectives. ~~~ 07 !398 o establish performance standards for each outcome. o creation of appropriate feedback loops to assure that the objectives are still consistent with Q$YT1 the mission, that the outcomes remain consistent with the objectives, and that the curriculum and the teaching result in those outcomes. It is my assertion that once the institution verbalizes a mission, enumerated objectives naturally flow from that mission. (We shall try to demonstrate by example.) Further, if the mission uses the word "engineer", one would expect that word also to appear in at least one of the objectives. The objective of producing engineers of any sort must -by decree - involve the presence of the ABET criteria in the outcomes list. In other words, successful satisfaction of the ABET items a-k are a necessary subset of the measure of success in producing engineers. o We shall produce bachelor level engineers whose training in the core topics of chemical (or electrical, or mechanical) engineering is recognized to be among the best in the nation. o We shall provide an opportunity for our students to gain

Learning Object-Orientation through ICT-mediated Apprenticeship

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fjuk, A.; Berge, O.; Bennedsen, J.

2004-01-01

In this paper, we show how sociocultural theories inform the design of a course in object-oriented programming. An essential learning objective within this philosophy is the programming processes as such. To move toward this learning goal, the course design incorporates a combination of the so...

A Multi-Objective Compounded Local Mobile Cloud Architecture Using Priority Queues to Process Multiple Jobs.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Xiaohui; Sun, Bingyi; Cui, Jiaxu; Xu, Gaochao

2016-01-01

As a result of the greatly increased use of mobile devices, the disadvantages of portable devices have gradually begun to emerge. To solve these problems, the use of mobile cloud computing assisted by cloud data centers has been proposed. However, cloud data centers are always very far from the mobile requesters. In this paper, we propose an improved multi-objective local mobile cloud model: Compounded Local Mobile Cloud Architecture with Dynamic Priority Queues (LMCpri). This new architecture could briefly store jobs that arrive simultaneously at the cloudlet in different priority positions according to the result of auction processing, and then execute partitioning tasks on capable helpers. In the Scheduling Module, NSGA-II is employed as the scheduling algorithm to shorten processing time and decrease requester cost relative to PSO and sequential scheduling. The simulation results show that the number of iteration times that is defined to 30 is the best choice of the system. In addition, comparing with LMCque, LMCpri is able to effectively accommodate a requester who would like his job to be executed in advance and shorten execution time. Finally, we make a comparing experiment between LMCpri and cloud assisting architecture, and the results reveal that LMCpri presents a better performance advantage than cloud assisting architecture.

A Multi-Objective Compounded Local Mobile Cloud Architecture Using Priority Queues to Process Multiple Jobs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaohui Wei

Full Text Available As a result of the greatly increased use of mobile devices, the disadvantages of portable devices have gradually begun to emerge. To solve these problems, the use of mobile cloud computing assisted by cloud data centers has been proposed. However, cloud data centers are always very far from the mobile requesters. In this paper, we propose an improved multi-objective local mobile cloud model: Compounded Local Mobile Cloud Architecture with Dynamic Priority Queues (LMCpri. This new architecture could briefly store jobs that arrive simultaneously at the cloudlet in different priority positions according to the result of auction processing, and then execute partitioning tasks on capable helpers. In the Scheduling Module, NSGA-II is employed as the scheduling algorithm to shorten processing time and decrease requester cost relative to PSO and sequential scheduling. The simulation results show that the number of iteration times that is defined to 30 is the best choice of the system. In addition, comparing with LMCque, LMCpri is able to effectively accommodate a requester who would like his job to be executed in advance and shorten execution time. Finally, we make a comparing experiment between LMCpri and cloud assisting architecture, and the results reveal that LMCpri presents a better performance advantage than cloud assisting architecture.

System design description for surface moisture measurement system (SMMS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vargo, G.F.

1996-09-23

The SMMS has been developed to measure moisture in the top few centimeters of tank waste. The SMMS development was initiated by the preliminary findings of SAR-033, and does not necessarily fulfill any established DQO. After the SAR-033 is released, if no significant changes are made, moisture measurements in the organic waste tanks will rapidly become a DQO. The SMMS was designed to be installed in any 4 inch or larger riser, and to allow maximum adjustability for riser lengths, and is used to deploy a sensor package on the waste surface within a 6 foot radius about the azimuth. The first sensor package will be a neutron probe.

Exploring the Use of Electroencephalography to Gather Objective Evidence of Cognitive Processing During Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Delahunty, Thomas; Seery, Niall; Lynch, Raymond

2018-04-01

Currently, there is significant interest being directed towards the development of STEM education to meet economic and societal demands. While economic concerns can be a powerful driving force in advancing the STEM agenda, care must be taken that such economic imperative does not promote research approaches that overemphasize pragmatic application at the expense of augmenting the fundamental knowledge base of the discipline. This can be seen in the predominance of studies investigating problem solving approaches and procedures, while neglecting representational and conceptual processes, within the literature. Complementing concerns about STEM graduates' problem solving capabilities, raised within the pertinent literature, this paper discusses a novel methodological approach aimed at investigating the cognitive elements of problem conceptualization. The intention is to demonstrate a novel method of data collection that overcomes some of the limitations cited in classic problem solving research while balancing a search for fundamental understanding with the possibility of application. The methodology described in this study employs an electroencephalographic (EEG) headset, as part of a mixed methods approach, to gather objective evidence of students' cognitive processing during problem solving epochs. The method described provides rich evidence of students' cognitive representations of problems during episodes of applied reasoning. The reliability and validity of the EEG method is supported by the stability of the findings across the triangulated data sources. The paper presents a novel method in the context of research within STEM education and demonstrates an effective procedure for gathering rich evidence of cognitive processing during the early stages of problem conceptualization.