WorldWideScience

Sample records for operating procedures volume

  1. Outcomes of PCI in Relation to Procedural Characteristics and Operator Volumes in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fanaroff, Alexander C; Zakroysky, Pearl; Dai, David; Wojdyla, Daniel; Sherwood, Matthew W; Roe, Matthew T; Wang, Tracy Y; Peterson, Eric D; Gurm, Hitinder S; Cohen, Mauricio G; Messenger, John C; Rao, Sunil V

    2017-06-20

    Professional guidelines have reduced the recommended minimum number to an average of 50 percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures performed annually by each operator. Operator volume patterns and associated outcomes since this change are unknown. The authors describe herein PCI operator procedure volumes; characteristics of low-, intermediate-, and high-volume operators; and the relationship between operator volume and clinical outcomes in a large, contemporary, nationwide sample. Using data from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry collected between July 1, 2009, and March 31, 2015, we examined operator annual PCI volume. We divided operators into low- (100 PCIs per year) volume groups, and determined the adjusted association between annual PCI volume and in-hospital outcomes, including mortality. The median annual number of procedures performed per operator was 59; 44% of operators performed PCI procedures per year. Low-volume operators more frequently performed emergency and primary PCI procedures and practiced at hospitals with lower annual PCI volumes. Unadjusted in-hospital mortality was 1.86% for low-volume operators, 1.73% for intermediate-volume operators, and 1.48% for high-volume operators. The adjusted risk of in-hospital mortality was higher for PCI procedures performed by low- and intermediate-volume operators compared with those performed by high-volume operators (adjusted odds ratio: 1.16 for low versus high; adjusted odds ratio: 1.05 for intermediate vs. high volume) as was the risk for new dialysis post PCI. No volume relationship was observed for post-PCI bleeding. Many PCI operators in the United States are performing fewer than the recommended number of PCI procedures annually. Although absolute risk differences are small and may be partially explained by unmeasured differences in case mix between operators, there remains an inverse relationship between PCI operator volume and in-hospital mortality that persisted in risk

  2. User's operating procedures. Volume 3: Projects directorate information programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haris, C. G.; Harris, D. K.

    1985-01-01

    A review of the user's operating procedures for the scout project automatic data system, called SPADS is presented. SPADS is the results of the past seven years of software development on a prime mini-computer. SPADS was developed as a single entry, multiple cross-reference data management and information retrieval system for the automation of Project office tasks, including engineering, financial, managerial, and clerical support. This volume, three of three, provides the instructions to operate the projects directorate information programs in data retrieval and file maintenance via the user friendly menu drivers.

  3. User's operating procedures. Volume 2: Scout project financial analysis program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, C. G.; Haris, D. K.

    1985-01-01

    A review is presented of the user's operating procedures for the Scout Project Automatic Data system, called SPADS. SPADS is the result of the past seven years of software development on a Prime mini-computer located at the Scout Project Office, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. SPADS was developed as a single entry, multiple cross-reference data management and information retrieval system for the automation of Project office tasks, including engineering, financial, managerial, and clerical support. This volume, two (2) of three (3), provides the instructions to operate the Scout Project Financial Analysis program in data retrieval and file maintenance via the user friendly menu drivers.

  4. Field Operations and Enforcement Manual for Air Pollution Control. Volume III: Inspection Procedures for Specific Industries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weisburd, Melvin I.

    The Field Operations and Enforcement Manual for Air Pollution Control, Volume III, explains in detail the following: inspection procedures for specific sources, kraft pulp mills, animal rendering, steel mill furnaces, coking operations, petroleum refineries, chemical plants, non-ferrous smelting and refining, foundries, cement plants, aluminum…

  5. Pollutant Assessments Group procedures manual: Volume 2, Technical procedures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-03-01

    This is volume 2 of the manuals that describes the technical procedures currently in use by the Pollution Assessments Group. This manual incorporates new developments in hazardous waste assessment technology and administrative policy. Descriptions of the equipment, procedures and operations of such things as radiation detection, soil sampling, radionuclide monitoring, and equipment decontamination are included in this manual. (MB)

  6. Hanford tank waste operation simulator operational waste volume projection verification and validation procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    HARMSEN, R.W.

    1999-01-01

    The Hanford Tank Waste Operation Simulator is tested to determine if it can replace the FORTRAN-based Operational Waste Volume Projection computer simulation that has traditionally served to project double-shell tank utilization. Three Test Cases are used to compare the results of the two simulators; one incorporates the cleanup schedule of the Tri Party Agreement

  7. No Correlation Between Work-Hours and Operative Volumes--A Comparison Between United States and Danish Operative Volumes Achieved During Surgical Residency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kjærgaard, Jane; Sillesen, Martin; Beier-Holgersen, Randi

    2016-01-01

    Since 2003, United States residents have been limited to an 80-hour workweek. This has prompted concerns of reduced educational quality, especially inadequate operating exposure. In contrast, the Danish surgical specialty-training program mandates a cap on working hours of 37 per week. We hypothesize that there is no direct correlation between work-hours and operative volume achieved during surgical residency. To test the hypothesis, we compare Danish and US operative volumes achieved during surgical residency training. Retrospective comparative study. The data from the US population was extracted from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education database for General Surgery residents from 2012 to 2013. For Danish residents, a questionnaire with case categories matching the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education categories were sent to all Danish surgeons graduating the national surgical residency program in 2012 or 2013, 54 in total. In all, 30 graduated residents (55%) responded to the Danish survey. We found no significant differences in mean total major procedures (1002.4 vs 976.9, p = 0.28) performed during residency training, but comparing average major procedures per year, the US residents achieve significantly more (132.3 vs 195.4, p work-hours and operative volumes achievable. Factors other than work-hours seem to effect on operative volumes achieved during training. Copyright © 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Design of Training Systems, Phase II Report, Volume III; Model Program Descriptions and Operating Procedures. TAEG Report No. 12-2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naval Training Equipment Center, Orlando, FL. Training Analysis and Evaluation Group.

    The Design of Training Systems (DOTS) project was initiated by the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop tools for the effective management of military training organizations. Volume 3 contains the model and data base program descriptions and operating procedures designed for phase 2 of the project. Flow charts and program listings for the…

  9. User's operating procedures. Volume 1: Scout project information programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, C. G.; Harris, D. K.

    1985-01-01

    A review of the user's operating procedures for the Scout Project Automatic Data System, called SPADS is given. SPADS is the result of the past seven years of software development on a Prime minicomputer located at the Scout Project Office. SPADS was developed as a single entry, multiple cross reference data management and information retrieval system for the automation of Project office tasks, including engineering, financial, managerial, and clerical support. The instructions to operate the Scout Project Information programs in data retrieval and file maintenance via the user friendly menu drivers is presented.

  10. Graphical calculus of volume, inverse volume and Hamiltonian operators in loop quantum gravity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Jinsong [Guizhou University, Department of Physics, Guiyang (China); Academia Sinica, Institute of Physics, Taipei (China); Ma, Yongge [Beijing Normal University, Department of Physics, Beijing (China)

    2017-04-15

    To adopt a practical method to calculate the action of geometrical operators on quantum states is a crucial task in loop quantum gravity. In this paper, the graphical calculus based on the original Brink graphical method is applied to loop quantum gravity along the line of previous work. The graphical method provides a very powerful technique for simplifying complicated calculations. The closed formula of the volume operator and the actions of the Euclidean Hamiltonian constraint operator and the so-called inverse volume operator on spin-network states with trivalent vertices are derived via the graphical method. By employing suitable and non-ambiguous graphs to represent the action of operators as well as the spin-network states, we use the simple rules of transforming graphs to obtain the resulting formula. Comparing with the complicated algebraic derivation in some literature, our procedure is more concise, intuitive and visual. The resulting matrix elements of the volume operator is compact and uniform, fitting for both gauge-invariant and gauge-variant spin-network states. Our results indicate some corrections to the existing results for the Hamiltonian operator and inverse volume operator in the literature. (orig.)

  11. The current status of emergency operations at a high-volume cancer center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komori, Koji; Kimura, Kenya; Kinoshita, Takashi; Ito, Seiji; Abe, Tetsuya; Senda, Yoshiki; Misawa, Kazunari; Ito, Yuichi; Uemura, Norihisa; Natsume, Seiji; Kawai, Ryosuke; Kawakami, Jiro; Asano, Tomonari; Iwata, Yoshinori; Kurahashi, Shintaro; Tsutsuyama, Masayuki; Shigeyoshi, Itaru; Shimizu, Yasuhiro

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to assess the pathogenic causes, clinical conditions, surgical procedures, in-hospital mortality, and operative death associated with emergency operations at a high-volume cancer center. Although many reports have described the contents, operative procedures, and prognosis of elective surgeries in high-volume cancer centers, emergency operations have not been studied in sufficient detail. We retrospectively enrolled 28 consecutive patients who underwent emergency surgery. Cases involving operative complications were excluded. The following surgical procedures were performed during emergency operations: closure in 3 cases (10.7%), diversion in 22 cases (78.6%), ileus treatment in 2 cases (7.1%), and hemostasis in 1 case (3.6%). Closure alone was performed only once for peritonitis. Diversion was performed in 17 cases (77.3%) of peritonitis, 4 cases (18.2%) of stenosis of the gastrointestinal tract, and 1 case (4.5%) of bleeding. There was a significant overall difference (P = 0.001). The frequency of emergency operations was very low at a high-volume cancer center. However, the recent shift in treatment approaches toward nonoperative techniques may enhance the status of emergency surgical procedures. The results presented in this study will help prepare for emergency situations and resolve them as quickly and efficiently as possible.

  12. Small Aircraft Transportation System, Higher Volume Operations Concept: Off-Nominal Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, Terence S.; Consiglio, Maria C.; Baxley, Brian T.; Williams, Daniel M.; Conway, Sheila R.

    2005-01-01

    This document expands the Small Aircraft Transportation System, (SATS) Higher Volume Operations (HVO) concept to include off-nominal conditions. The general philosophy underlying the HVO concept is the establishment of a newly defined area of flight operations called a Self-Controlled Area (SCA). During periods of poor weather, a block of airspace would be established around designated non-towered, non-radar airports. Aircraft flying enroute to a SATS airport would be on a standard instrument flight rules flight clearance with Air Traffic Control providing separation services. Within the SCA, pilots would take responsibility for separation assurance between their aircraft and other similarly equipped aircraft. Previous work developed the procedures for normal HVO operations. This document provides details for off-nominal and emergency procedures for situations that could be expected to occur in a future SCA.

  13. Small Aircraft Transportation System, Higher Volume Operations Concept: Normal Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, Terence S.; Jones, Kenneth M.; Consiglio, Maria C.; Williams, Daniel M.; Adams, Catherine A.

    2004-01-01

    This document defines the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS), Higher Volume Operations (HVO) concept for normal conditions. In this concept, a block of airspace would be established around designated non-towered, non-radar airports during periods of poor weather. Within this new airspace, pilots would take responsibility for separation assurance between their aircraft and other similarly equipped aircraft. Using onboard equipment and procedures, they would then approach and land at the airport. Departures would be handled in a similar fashion. The details for this operational concept are provided in this document.

  14. The Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS), Higher Volume Operations (HVO) Off-Nominal Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baxley, B.; Williams, D.; Consiglio, M.; Conway, S.; Adams, C.; Abbott, T.

    2005-01-01

    The ability to conduct concurrent, multiple aircraft operations in poor weather, at virtually any airport, offers an important opportunity for a significant increase in the rate of flight operations, a major improvement in passenger convenience, and the potential to foster growth of charter operations at small airports. The Small Aircraft Transportation System, (SATS) Higher Volume Operations (HVO) concept is designed to increase traffic flow at any of the 3400 nonradar, non-towered airports in the United States where operations are currently restricted to one-in/one-out procedural separation during Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). The concept's key feature is pilots maintain their own separation from other aircraft using procedures, aircraft flight data sent via air-to-air datalink, cockpit displays, and on-board software. This is done within the Self-Controlled Area (SCA), an area of flight operations established during poor visibility or low ceilings around an airport without Air Traffic Control (ATC) services. The research described in this paper expands the HVO concept to include most off-nominal situations that could be expected to occur in a future SATS environment. The situations were categorized into routine off-nominal operations, procedural deviations, equipment malfunctions, and aircraft emergencies. The combination of normal and off-nominal HVO procedures provides evidence for an operational concept that is safe, requires little ground infrastructure, and enables concurrent flight operations in poor weather.

  15. Techniques for preparing flowchart-format emergency operating procedures: Background (Sections 1.0-9.0)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnes, V.E.; Moore, C.J.; Wieringa, D.R.; Isakson, C.S.; Kono, B.K.; Gruel, R.L.

    1989-01-01

    This two-volume report describes the activities, findings, and recommendations of a project entitled ''Techniques for Presenting Flowchart-Format Emergency Operating Procedures.'' The project team surveyed the literature pertaining to flowcharts, reviewed existing flowchart emergency operating procedures (EOPs), interviewed consultants who produced flowcharts, and interviewed reactor operator licensing examiners about the use of flowcharts in nuclear power plants. This document, and Volume 1 of this report, discusses the use of flowchart-format EOPs in nuclear power plants and presents issue to be addressed in the design and implementation of flowchart EOPs. 66 refs., 76 figs., 2 tabs

  16. Diagnostic imaging procedure volume in the United States

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, J.L.; Abernathy, D.L.

    1983-01-01

    Comprehensive data on 1979 and 1980 diagnostic imaging procedure volume were collected from a stratified random sample of U.S. short-term general-care hospitals and private practices of radiologists, cardiologists, obstetricians/gynecologists, orthopedic surgeons, and neurologists/neurosurgeons. Approximately 181 million imaging procedures (within the study scope) were performed in 1980. Despite the rapidly increasing use of newer imaging methods, plain film radiography (140.3 million procedures) and contrast studies (22.9 million procedures) continue to comprise the vast majority of diagnostic imaging volume. Ultrasound, computed tomography, nuclear medicine, and special procedures make up less than 10% of total diagnostic imaging procedures. Comparison of the data from this study with data from an earlier study indicates that imaging procedure volume in hospitals expanded at an annual growth rate of almost 8% from 1973 to 1980

  17. The effect of economic downturn on the volume of surgical procedures: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujihara, Nasa; Lark, Meghan E; Fujihara, Yuki; Chung, Kevin C

    2017-08-01

    Economic downturn can have a wide range of effects on medicine at both individual and national levels. We aim to describe these effects in relation to surgical volume to guide future planning for physician specialization, patient expectations in the face of economic crises, or estimating healthcare expenditure. We hypothesized that because of high out-of-pocket costs, cosmetic procedure volumes would be most affected by economic decline. A systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, and ABI/INFORMS. The main search terms were "economic recession" and "surgical procedures, operative". Studies were included if surgical volumes were measured and economic indicators were used as predictors of economic conditions. Twelve studies were included, and the most common subject was cosmetic (n = 5), followed by orthopedic (n = 2) and cardiac surgeries (n = 2). The majority of studies found that in periods of economic downturn, surgical volume decreased. Among the eight studies using Pearson's correlation analysis, there were no significant differences between cosmetic procedures and other elective procedures, indicating that cosmetic procedures may display trends similar to those of non-cosmetic elective procedures in periods of economic downturn. Surgical volume generally decreased when economic indicators declined, observed for both elective and non-elective surgery fields. However, a few specific procedure volumes such as vasectomy and caesarean section for male babies increased during the economic downturn. Knowledge of these trends can be useful for future surgical planning and distribution of healthcare resources. Copyright © 2017 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Small Aircraft Transportation System Higher Volume Operations Concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, Terence S.; Consiglio, Maria C.; Baxley, Brian T.; Williams, Daniel M.; Jones, Kenneth M.; Adams, Catherine A.

    2006-01-01

    This document defines the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Higher Volume Operations concept. The general philosophy underlying this concept is the establishment of a newly defined area of flight operations called a Self-Controlled Area (SCA). Within the SCA, pilots would take responsibility for separation assurance between their aircraft and other similarly equipped aircraft. This document also provides details for a number of off-nominal and emergency procedures which address situations that could be expected to occur in a future SCA. The details for this operational concept along with a description of candidate aircraft systems to support this concept are provided.

  19. Influence of operator experience and PCI volume on transfemoral access techniques: A collaboration of international cardiovascular societies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Daniel W; Damluji, Abdulla A; Patel, Nish; Valgimigli, Marco; Windecker, Stephan; Byrne, Robert; Nolan, James; Patel, Tejas; Brilakis, Emmanouil; Banerjee, Subhash; Mayol, Jorge; Cantor, Warren J; Alfonso, Carlos E; Rao, Sunil V; Moscucci, Mauro; Cohen, Mauricio G

    2018-03-01

    Transfemoral access (TFA) is widely used for coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The influence of operator age, gender, experience, and procedural volume on performance of femoral arterial access has not been studied. A survey instrument was developed and distributed via e-mail from professional societies to interventional cardiologists worldwide from March to December 2016. A total of 988 physicians from 88 countries responded to the survey. TFA is the preferred approach for patients with cardiogenic shock, left main or bifurcation PCI, and procedures with mechanical circulatory support. Older (PCI volume operators (PCI: 57.3%; 100-299 PCI: 58.7%; ≥300 PCI: 64.3%, pPCI volume operators (≥300 PCI: 64.1%; 100-299 PCI: 72.6%; PCI: 67.9%, pPCI volume interventional cardiologists prefer not to use imaging for femoral access or perform femoral angiography during TF procedures. These data highlight opportunities to further reduce TFA complications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Operative volume and outcomes of cerebrovascular neurosurgery in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekelis, Kimon; Connolly, Ian D; Do, Huy M; Choudhri, Omar

    2016-11-01

    OBJECTIVE The impact of procedural volume on the outcomes of cerebrovascular surgery in children has not been determined. In this study, the authors investigated the association of operative volume on the outcomes of cerebrovascular neurosurgery in pediatric patients. METHODS The authors performed a cohort study of all pediatric patients who underwent a cerebrovascular procedure between 2003 and 2012 and were registered in the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID). To control for confounding, the authors used multivariable regression models, propensity-score conditioning, and mixed-effects analysis to account for clustering at the hospital level. RESULTS During the study period, 1875 pediatric patients in the KID underwent cerebrovascular neurosurgery and met the inclusion criteria for the study; 204 patients (10.9%) underwent aneurysm clipping, 446 (23.8%) underwent coil insertion for an aneurysm, 827 (44.1%) underwent craniotomy for arteriovenous malformation resection, and 398 (21.2%) underwent bypass surgery for moyamoya disease. Mixed-effects multivariable regression analysis revealed that higher procedural volume was associated with fewer inpatient deaths (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.40-0.85), a lower rate of discharges to a facility (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.82-0.92), and shorter length of stay (adjusted difference -0.22; 95% CI -0.32 to -0.12). The results in propensity-adjusted multivariable models were robust. CONCLUSIONS In a national all-payer cohort of pediatric patients who underwent a cerebrovascular procedure, the authors found that higher procedural volume was associated with fewer deaths, a lower rate of discharges to a facility, and decreased lengths of stay. Regionalization initiatives should include directing children with such rare pathologies to a center of excellence.

  1. Operating manual for the High Flux Isotope Reactor. Volume I. Description of the facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1982-09-01

    This volume contains a comprehensive description of the High Flux Isotope Reactor Facility. Its primary purpose is to supplement the detailed operating procedures, providing the reactor operators with background information on the various HFIR systems. The detailed operating procdures are presented in another report.

  2. Operating manual for the High Flux Isotope Reactor. Volume I. Description of the facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-09-01

    This volume contains a comprehensive description of the High Flux Isotope Reactor Facility. Its primary purpose is to supplement the detailed operating procedures, providing the reactor operators with background information on the various HFIR systems. The detailed operating procdures are presented in another report

  3. Comparing the operators' behavior in conducting emergency operating procedures with the complexity of procedural steps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jin Kyun; Jung, Won Dea

    2003-01-01

    Many kinds of procedures have been used to reduce the operators' workload throughout various industries. However, significant portion of accidents or incidents was caused by procedure related human errors that are originated from non-compliance of procedures. According to related studies, several important factors for non-compliance behavior have been identified, and one if them is the complexity of procedures. This means that comparing the change of the operators' behavior with the complexity of procedures may be meaningful for investigating plausible reasons for the operators' non-compliance behavior. In this study, emergency training records were collected using a full scope simulator in order to obtain data related to the operators' non-compliance behavior. And then, collected data are compared with the complexity of procedural steps. As the result, two remarkable relationships are found, which indicate that the operators' behavior could be reasonably characterized by the complexity of procedural steps. Thus, these relationships can be used as meaningful clues not only to scrutinize the reason of non-compliance behavior but also to suggest appropriate remedies for the reduction of non-compliance behavior that can result in procedure related human errors

  4. Developing, adopting and adapting operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rabouhams, J.

    1986-01-01

    This lecture specifies all the dispositions which have been taken by EDF Nuclear and Fossil Generation Department - according to the fact that availability and safety largely depend on the quality of the procedures and their easy handling - in order to develop, adopt and adapt the operating procedures. The following points are treated: General organization of procedures for plant operation during normal and abnormal conditions; Personnel and extend of responsibility involved into the development of procedures (research center, training center, specialized services, nuclear station, etc.); Validation of the procedures by means of full-scope simulators; Modifications of the procedures taking into account operation experience in material and human fields; Development of simulation softs in order to perform the procedures in abnormal situations; Evolution of operating technics and future skills. (orig.)

  5. Operability test procedure for 211BA flow proportional sampler

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weissenfels, R.D.

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this operability test procedure (OTP) is to verify the 211-BA flow proportional sampler system and components function correctly as intended by design. System test will include the sampling system, all associated instrumentation, and Facility Process Monitor and Control System (FPMCS). The combined chemical sewer stream from B Plant flows through sump 211BA-SMP-01 located in 211-BA and is continuously monitored for gamma and beta radiation and pH. 211-BA has been upgraded to include a flow proportional sampler. A specified sample volume will be withdrawn at programmed intervals from the 211BA sump and deposited in a 19 liter plastic carboy. The sampler will be programmed per the vendor installation and operations manual by B Plant instrument maintenance personnel. Samples will be taken during five consecutive sample cycles with the sample volumes and sample frequencies recorded for comparison purposes. Additional tests related to the sampler include the alarm circuitry for loss of power and failure to obtain sample

  6. Dosimetric impact of the variation of the prostate volume and shape between pretreatment planning and treatment procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beaulieu, Luc; Aubin, Sylviane; Taschereau, Richard; Pouliot, Jean; Vigneault, Eric

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: The goal of this study is to evaluate the dosimetric impact on a pretreatment planning of prostatic volume and shape variations occurring between the moment of the volume study (preplanning) and just before a transperineal permanent seed implant procedure. Such variations could be an obvious source of misplacement of the seeds relative to the prostate gland and organs at risk. Other sources of dosimetric uncertainties, such as misplacement due to the procedure itself or edema, are eliminated by looking at these variations before the implant procedure. Methods and Materials: For 35 clinical cases, prostate contours were taken at preplanning time as well as in the operating room (OR) minutes before the procedure. Comparison of shape and volume between the two sets was made. The impact on V100 was evaluated by placing the seeds in their planned positions in the new volume (clinical situation) and also by performing a new plan with the second set of contours to simulate an intraoperative approach. Results: The volume taken in the OR remained unchanged compared to the pretreatment planning volume in only 37% of the cases. While on average the dose coverage loss from pretreatment planning due to a combination of variations of volume and shape was small at 5.7%, a V100 degradation of up to 20.9% was observed in extreme cases. Even in cases in which no changes in volume were observed, changes in shape occurred and strongly affected implant dosimetry. Conclusions: Variations of volume and shape between pretreatment planning and the implant procedure can have a strong impact on the dosimetry if the planning and the implant procedure are not performed on the same day. This is an argument in favor of performing implant dosimetry in the OR

  7. Technical procedures for water resources, Deaf Smith County site, Texas: Volume 1: Environmental Field Program: Final draft

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-08-01

    This volume contains Technical Procedures pursuant to the Water Resources Site Study Plan including, determination of basin topographic characteristics, determination of channel and playa lake characteristics, operation of a stream gaging station, operation of a playa lake stage gaging system, and processing of data from a playa lake stage gaging system

  8. Electronic Procedures for Medical Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Electronic procedures are replacing text-based documents for recording the steps in performing medical operations aboard the International Space Station. S&K Aerospace, LLC, has developed a content-based electronic system-based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML) standard-that separates text from formatting standards and tags items contained in procedures so they can be recognized by other electronic systems. For example, to change a standard format, electronic procedures are changed in a single batch process, and the entire body of procedures will have the new format. Procedures can be quickly searched to determine which are affected by software and hardware changes. Similarly, procedures are easily shared with other electronic systems. The system also enables real-time data capture and automatic bookmarking of current procedure steps. In Phase II of the project, S&K Aerospace developed a Procedure Representation Language (PRL) and tools to support the creation and maintenance of electronic procedures for medical operations. The goal is to develop these tools in such a way that new advances can be inserted easily, leading to an eventual medical decision support system.

  9. CONTROL PROCEDURES OF VOLUME OF ESTIMATED AND HARVESTED WOOD IN A PLANTATION OF Pinus spp. IN PARANÁ STATE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvane Vatraz

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509814585The objective of this research was to improve the operating procedures of control of the volume of timber estimated by the forest inventory and the effectively harvested volume in order to reduce inconsistencies in the forest planning practiced in a forestry plantation of Pinus spp. in Paraná state. Accordingly, we used the tools of quality: storming and PDCA Cycle through an exploratory research project to study together. The study showed an inconsistency initial volume – 24,73% of the volume estimated by the inventory and the effectively harvested wood. This inconsistency was composed of operational failures in the activities of Forest Inventory (+13,84%, Forest Harvesting (+15,62% and Expedition Wood (-3,08%. The application of quality tools helped in the identification of inconsistency, as well as the revelation of operational failures, which suggested some routine monitoring and checking each of the activities involved in managing operational forestry.  

  10. MPCV Exercise Operational Volume Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godfrey, A.; Humphreys, B.; Funk, J.; Perusek, G.; Lewandowski, B. E.

    2017-01-01

    In order to minimize the loss of bone and muscle mass during spaceflight, the Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) will include an exercise device and enough free space within the cabin for astronauts to use the device effectively. The NASA Digital Astronaut Project (DAP) has been tasked with using computational modeling to aid in determining whether or not the available operational volume is sufficient for in-flight exercise.Motion capture data was acquired using a 12-camera Smart DX system (BTS Bioengineering, Brooklyn, NY), while exercisers performed 9 resistive exercises without volume restrictions in a 1g environment. Data were collected from two male subjects, one being in the 99th percentile of height and the other in the 50th percentile of height, using between 25 and 60 motion capture markers. Motion capture data was also recorded as a third subject, also near the 50th percentile in height, performed aerobic rowing during a parabolic flight. A motion capture system and algorithms developed previously and presented at last years HRP-IWS were utilized to collect and process the data from the parabolic flight [1]. These motions were applied to a scaled version of a biomechanical model within the biomechanical modeling software OpenSim [2], and the volume sweeps of the motions were visually assessed against an imported CAD model of the operational volume. Further numerical analysis was performed using Matlab (Mathworks, Natick, MA) and the OpenSim API. This analysis determined the location of every marker in space over the duration of the exercise motion, and the distance of each marker to the nearest surface of the volume. Containment of the exercise motions within the operational volume was determined on a per-exercise and per-subject basis. The orientation of the exerciser and the angle of the footplate were two important factors upon which containment was dependent. Regions where the exercise motion exceeds the bounds of the operational volume have been

  11. Operating-procedure system at Savannah River Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tope, C.W.

    1981-05-01

    Three types of procedures are widely used at SRP: Du Pont Savannah Operating Logsheet, Du Pont Savannah Operating Procedure, and Plant Manual. This document briefly reviews originating of the procedures, their preparation, control, and indexing

  12. 40 CFR 68.52 - Operating procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...) CHEMICAL ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROVISIONS Program 2 Prevention Program § 68.52 Operating procedures. (a) The... for safely conducting activities associated with each covered process consistent with the safety information for that process. Operating procedures or instructions provided by equipment manufacturers or...

  13. Operating procedures and safety culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carnino, A.

    1993-01-01

    The development of new technologies in recent years has led to a tremendous increase in the information to be mastered by operators in industrial processes. The information at operators disposal both in routine situations and accidental ones needs to be well prepared and organized to ensure reliability and safety. The man-machine interface should give operators all the necessary and clear indications on the process status and evolution so that the operators can operate the installation through adequate procedures. Procedures represent the real interface and mode of action of the operators on the machine, and they are of prime importance. Although they are by essence quite different, the routine, accident, and emergency procedures have in common one attribute: They all require a good safety culture both in their development and their implementation. From the definition given by the members of the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG), open-quotes Safety culture is that assembly of characteristics and attitudes in organizations and individuals which establishes that, as an overriding priority, nuclear plant safety issues receive the attention warranted by their significance,close quotes one can see that two aspects are embedded, a collective attitude that in fact is reflected in the managerial framework and an individual one that is linked to personnel behavior and work practices

  14. Operational procedures - industry observations and opportunities for improvement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davey, E.

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to relate some of the commonly encountered problems with operational procedures in the nuclear industry and offer practical suggestions for their elimination. The paper is based on recent consultant experience in assisting industry clients with human performance related design and assessment initiatives. Operational procedures are a key part of an integrated system design. Procedures provide the specified instructions for actions people are to undertake in operating a facility to achieve production and safety goals. While organizations continue to make substantial investments in procedure development and maintenance, problems with procedures continue to occur, as evidenced through operating inefficiencies, errors, and events. The paper reviews the role procedures play in facility operations, comments on current development and maintenance practices, discusses the extent of human performance related problems attributed to procedure deficiencies, reviews commonly encountered problems with design and implementation of procedures, and offers suggestions on how some of these issues might be addressed in the future. (author)

  15. Provider volume and outcomes for oncological procedures.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Killeen, S D

    2012-02-03

    BACKGROUND: Oncological procedures may have better outcomes if performed by high-volume providers. METHODS: A review of the English language literature incorporating searches of the Medline, Embase and Cochrane collaboration databases was performed. Studies were included if they involved a patient cohort from 1984 onwards, were community or population based, and assessed health outcome as a dependent variable and volume as an independent variable. The studies were also scored quantifiably to assess generalizability with respect to any observed volume-outcome relationship and analysed according to organ system; numbers needed to treat were estimated where possible. RESULTS: Sixty-eight relevant studies were identified and a total of 41 were included, of which 13 were based on clinical data. All showed either an inverse relationship, of variable magnitude, between provider volume and mortality, or no volume-outcome effect. All but two clinical reports revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between volume and outcome; none demonstrated the opposite. CONCLUSION: High-volume providers have a significantly better outcome for complex cancer surgery, specifically for pancreatectomy, oesphagectomy, gastrectomy and rectal resection.

  16. Field Operations and Enforcement Manual for Air Pollution Control. Volume II: Control Technology and General Source Inspection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weisburd, Melvin I.

    The Field Operations and Enforcement Manual for Air Pollution Control, Volume II, explains in detail the following: technology of source control, modification of operations, particulate control equipment, sulfur dioxide removal systems for power plants, and control equipment for gases and vapors; inspection procedures for general sources, fuel…

  17. 21 CFR 120.6 - Sanitation standard operating procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Sanitation standard operating procedures. 120.6... Provisions § 120.6 Sanitation standard operating procedures. (a) Sanitation controls. Each processor shall have and implement a sanitation standard operating procedure (SSOP) that addresses sanitation...

  18. Technical procedures for water resources, Deaf Smith County site, Texas: Volume 2: Environmental Field Program: Final draft

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-08-01

    This volume contains the following Technical Procedures pursuant to the Water Resources Site Study Plan operation of a Playa Lake conductivity monitoring station and processing of data from a Playa Lake conductivity monitoring station. This procedure defines steps and methods for the installation, operation, and maintenance of the Playa Lake conductivity monitoring stations. Conductivity measurements will be taken at six playa lakes in the site study area to record changes in total dissolved solids as a function of stage. Playa lake conductivity and stage (volume) measurements will be used, in conjunction with other water quality data collected at the Playa Lake and precipitation stations, to determine the mass of dissolved solids entering and leaving the playas. This baseline information on the pollutant mass balance of the playas will be used to assess potential changes in playa lake water quality and the magnitude of those changes due to site development. The pollutant mass balances will also be used on determining the source of pollutants. 2 refs., 5 figs

  19. No Correlation Between Work-Hours and Operative Volumes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjærgaard, Jane; Sillesen, Martin; Beier-Holgersen, Randi

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Since 2003, United States residents have been limited to an 80-hour workweek. This has prompted concerns of reduced educational quality, especially inadequate operating exposure. In contrast, the Danish surgical specialty-training program mandates a cap on working hours of 37 per week....... We hypothesize that there is no direct correlation between work-hours and operative volume achieved during surgical residency. To test the hypothesis, we compare Danish and US operative volumes achieved during surgical residency training. DESIGN: Retrospective comparative study. PARTICIPANTS...... find no difference in overall surgical volumes between Danes and US residents during their surgical training. When time in training was accounted for, differences between weekly surgical volumes achieved were minor, indicating a lack of direct correlation between weekly work-hours and operative volumes...

  20. When high-volume PCI operators in high-volume hospitals move to lower volume hospitals-Do they still maintain high volume and quality of outcomes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Tsung-Hsueh; Li, Sheng-Tun; Liang, Fu-Wen; Lee, Jo-Chi; Yin, Wei-Hsian

    2017-10-31

    The aim of this quasi-experimental study was to examine whether high-volume percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) operators still maintain high volume and quality of outcomes when they moved to lower volume hospitals. Systematic reviews have indicated that high-volume PCI operators and hospitals have higher quality outcomes. However, little is known on whether high PCI volume and high quality outcomes are mainly due to operator characteristics (i.e., skill and experience) and is portable across organizations or whether it is due to hospital characteristics (i.e., equipment, team, and management system) and is less portable. We used Taiwan National Health Insurance claims data 2000-2012 to identify 98 high-volume PCI operators, 10 of whom moved from one hospital to another during the study period. We compared the PCI volume, risk-adjusted mortality ratio, and major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) ratio before and after moving. Of the 10 high-volume operators who moved, 6 moved from high- to moderate- or low-volume hospitals, with median annual PCI volumes (interquartile range) of 130 (117-165) in prior hospitals and 54 (46-84) in subsequent hospitals (the hospital the operator moved to), and the remaining 4 moved from high to high-volume hospitals, with median annual PCI volumes (interquartile range) of 151 (133-162) in prior hospitals and 193 (178-239) in subsequent hospitals. No significant differences were observed in the risk-adjusted mortality ratios and MACE ratios between high-volume operators and matched controls before and after moving. High-volume operators cannot maintain high volume when they moved from high to moderate or low-volume hospitals; however, the quality of care is maintained. High PCI volume and high-quality outcomes are less portable and more hospital bound. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. The operators' non-compliance behavior to conduct emergency operating procedures--comparing with the work experience and the complexity of procedural steps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea

    2003-01-01

    Many kinds of procedures have been used to reduce the operators' workload throughout various industries, such as in the aviation, the chemical and the nuclear industry. It is remarkable that, however, significant portion of accidents or incidents was caused by procedure related human error due to non-compliance of procedures. In this study, to investigate the operators' non-compliance behavior, emergency-training records were collected using a full scope simulator. And three types of the operators' behavior (such as strict adherence, skipping redundant actions and modifying action sequences) observed from collected emergency training records were compared with both their work experience and the complexity of procedural steps. As the results, three remarkable relationships are obtained. They are: (1) the operators who have an intermediate work experience seem to frequently adopt non-compliance behavior to conduct the procedural steps, (2) the operators seem to frequently adopt non-compliance behavior to conduct the procedural steps that have an intermediate procedural complexity, and (3) the senior reactor operators seem to accommodate their non-compliance behavior based on the complexity of procedural steps. Therefore, it is expected that these relationships can be used as meaningful clues not only to scrutinize the reason for non-compliance behavior but also to suggest appropriate remedies for the reduction of non-compliance behavior that can result in procedure related human error

  2. Operator behaviors observed in following emergency operating procedure under a simulated emergency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Sun Yeong; Park, Jin Kyun

    2012-01-01

    A symptom-based procedure with a critical safety function monitoring system has been established to reduce the operator's diagnosis and cognitive burden since the Three-Mile Island (TMI) accident. However, it has been reported that a symptom-based procedure also requires an operator's cognitive efforts to cope with off-normal events. This can be caused by mismatches between a static model, an emergency operating procedure (EOP), and a dynamic process, the nature of an ongoing situation. The purpose of this study is to share the evidence of mismatches that may result in an excessive cognitive burden in conducting EOPs. For this purpose, we analyzed simulated emergency operation records and observed some operator behaviors during the EOP operation: continuous steps, improper description, parameter check at a fixed time, decision by information previously obtained, execution complexity, operation by the operator's knowledge, notes and cautions, and a foldout page. Since observations in this study are comparable to the results of an existing study, it is expected that the operational behaviors observed in this study are generic features of operators who have to cope with a dynamic situation using a static procedure.

  3. Operational limits and conditions and operating procedures for research reactors. Safety guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-01-01

    This publication provides practical guidance on all important aspects of developing, formulating and presenting the operational limits and conditions as well as the operating procedures for research reactors. It covers the concept of operational limits and conditions, their content, and the responsibilities of the operating organization with respect to their establishment, modification, documentation and compliance. The guidance also covers the training of operating personnel on performing periodic testing, established by the operational limits and conditions, and operating procedures

  4. Emergency operation procedure navigation to avoid commission errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gofuku, Akio; Ito, Koji

    2004-01-01

    New types of operation control system equipped with a large screen and CRT-based operation panels have been installed in newly constructed nuclear power plants. The operators can share important information of plant conditions by the large screen. The operation control system can know the operations by operators through the computers connected to the operation panels. The software switches placed in the CRT-based operation panels have a problem such that operators may make an error to manipulate an irrelevant software switch with their current operation. This study develops an operation procedure navigation technique to avoid this kind of commission errors. The system lies between CRT-based operation panels and plant control systems and checks an operation by operators if it follows the operation procedure of operation manuals. When the operation is a right one, the operation is executed as if the operation command is directly transmitted to control systems. If the operation does not follow the operation procedure, the system warns the commission error to operators. This paper describes the operation navigation technique, format of base operation model, and a proto-type operation navigation system for a three loop pressurized water reactor plant. The validity of the proto-type system is demonstrated by the operation procedure navigation for a steam generator tube rupture accident. (author)

  5. Body Mass Index and Operating Times in Vascular Procedures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Durup-Dickenson

    Full Text Available : Introduction: The influence of body mass index (BMI on operating times in central and peripheral vascular surgical procedures was investigated. Report: A national cohort of Danish patients who underwent a vascular procedure between 1983 and 2012 was used for analysis. Data were analysed with pairwise comparisons of BMI groups for operating times using the independent samples Kruskall–Wallis test. Discussion: A total of 3,255 carotid endarterectomies; 6,885 central vascular procedures; and 4,488 peripheral bypasses were included for the analysis. Median operating times for carotid endarterectomy and central vascular procedures were, respectively, 5 and 15 minutes longer in obese patients than in normal weight patients. This represents a 7% and 10% increase in median operating times, respectively. Linear and multi-adjusted linear regressions were conducted adjusting for confounders, showing a significant correlation between BMI and operating time. Obesity significantly increased the operating times in carotid endarterectomy and central vascular procedures. These may have ramifications for the individual operative stress but not necessarily on logistical operation planning. Keywords: Body mass index (BMI, Obesity, Operating time, Surgery, Vascular surgical procedures

  6. Guide to the selection, training, and licensing or certification of reprocessing plant operators. Volume I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-06-01

    The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 55, establishes procedures and criteria for the licensing of operators, including senior operators, in ''Production and Utilization Facilities'', which includes plants for reprocessing irradiated fuel. A training guide is presented which will facilitate the licensing of operators for nuclear reprocessing plants by offering generalized descriptions of the basic principles (theory) and the unit operations (mechanics) employed in reprocessing spent fuels. In the present volume, details about the portions of a training program that are of major interest to management are presented

  7. Guide to the selection, training, and licensing or certification of reprocessing plant operators. Volume I

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    1976-06-01

    The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 55, establishes procedures and criteria for the licensing of operators, including senior operators, in ''Production and Utilization Facilities'', which includes plants for reprocessing irradiated fuel. A training guide is presented which will facilitate the licensing of operators for nuclear reprocessing plants by offering generalized descriptions of the basic principles (theory) and the unit operations (mechanics) employed in reprocessing spent fuels. In the present volume, details about the portions of a training program that are of major interest to management are presented. (JSR)

  8. The Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS), Higher Volume Operations (HVO) Concept and Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baxley, B.; Williams, D.; Consiglio, M.; Adams, C.; Abbott, T.

    2005-01-01

    The ability to conduct concurrent, multiple aircraft operations in poor weather at virtually any airport offers an important opportunity for a significant increase in the rate of flight operations, a major improvement in passenger convenience, and the potential to foster growth of operations at small airports. The Small Aircraft Transportation System, (SATS) Higher Volume Operations (HVO) concept is designed to increase capacity at the 3400 non-radar, non-towered airports in the United States where operations are currently restricted to one-in/one-out procedural separation during low visibility or ceilings. The concept s key feature is that pilots maintain their own separation from other aircraft using air-to-air datalink and on-board software within the Self-Controlled Area (SCA), an area of flight operations established during poor visibility and low ceilings around an airport without Air Traffic Control (ATC) services. While pilots self-separate within the SCA, an Airport Management Module (AMM) located at the airport assigns arriving pilots their sequence based on aircraft performance, position, winds, missed approach requirements, and ATC intent. The HVO design uses distributed decision-making, safe procedures, attempts to minimize pilot and controller workload, and integrates with today's ATC environment. The HVO procedures have pilots make their own flight path decisions when flying in Instrument Metrological Conditions (IMC) while meeting these requirements. This paper summarizes the HVO concept and procedures, presents a summary of the research conducted and results, and outlines areas where future HVO research is required. More information about SATS HVO can be found at http://ntrs.nasa.gov.

  9. Radiation exposure of operator during various interventional procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, In Kyu; Chung, Jin Wook; Han, Joon Koo; Park, Jae Hyung; Kang, Wee Saing

    1994-01-01

    To investigate the levels of radiation exposure of an operator which may be influenced by the wearing an apron, type of procedure, duration of fluoroscopy and operator's skill during various interventional procedures. Radiation doses were measured both inside and outside the apron(0.5 mm lead equivalent) of the operator by a film badge monitoring method and the duration of fluoroscopy was measured in 96 procedures prospectively. The procedures were 30 transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), 25 percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainages (PTBD), 16 stone removals (SR), 15 percutaneous needle aspirations (PNCA) and 10 percutaneous nephrostomies(PCN). To assess the difference of exposure by the operator's skill, the procedures of TAE and PTBD were done separately by groups of staffs and residents. Average protective effect of the apron was 72.8%. Average radiation exposure(unit: μ Sv/procedure was 23.3 in PTBD by residents, 10.0 in PTBD by staffs, 10.0 in SR, 8.7 in TAE by residents, 7.3 in TAE by staffs, 9.0 in PCN and 6.0 in PCNA. Average radiation exposure of residents were 1.9 times greater than those of staffs. Radiation exposure was not proportionally related to the duration of fluoroscopy, but influenced by wearing an apron, various types of procedure and operator's skills

  10. Computer managed emergency operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salamun, I.; Mavko, B.; Stritar, A.

    1994-01-01

    New computer technology is a very effective tool for developing a new design of nuclear power plant control room. It allows designer possibility to create a tool for managing with large database of power plant parameters and displaying them in different graphic forms and possibility of automated execution of well known task. The structure of Emergency Operating Procedures (EOP) is very suitable for programming and for creating expert system. The Computerized Emergency Operating Procedures (CEOP) described in this paper can be considered as an upgrading of standard EOP approach. EmDiSY (Emergency Display System - computer code name for CEOP) main purpose is to supply the operator with necessary information, to document all operator actions and to execute well known tasks. It is a function oriented CEOP that gives operator guidance on how to verify the critical safety functions and how to restore and maintain these functions where they are degraded. All knowledge is coded and stored in database files. The knowledge base consists from stepping order for verifying plant parameters, desired values of parameters, conditions for comparison and links between procedures and actions. Graphical shell allows users to read database, to follow instruction and to find out correct task. The desired information is concentrated in one screen and allows users to focus on a task. User is supported in two ways: desired parameter values are displayed on the process picture and automated monitoring critical safety function status trees are all time in progress and available to the user. (author). 4 refs, 4 figs

  11. Test report - caustic addition system operability test procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parazin, R.E.

    1995-01-01

    This Operability Test Report documents the test results of test procedure WHC-SD-WM-OTP-167 ''Caustic Addition System Operability Test Procedure''. The Objective of the test was to verify the operability of the 241-AN-107 Caustic Addition System. The objective of the test was met

  12. Merrill's Atlas of radiographic positions and radiologic procedures. Volumes 1-3. Sixth edition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ballinger, P.W.

    1985-01-01

    Merrill's Atlas describes and explains the routine and specialized radiologic procedures for all body systems. This edition thoroughly reorganized, updated and expanded. Volumes one and two describe all routine and flouroscopic procedures; and volume three describes more specialized areas in the profession

  13. FFTF operations procedures preparation guide. Revision 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-12-01

    The Guide is intended to provide guidelines for the initial preparation of FFTF Operating Procedures. The Procedures Preparation Guide was developed from the plan presented and approved in the FFTF Reactor Plant Procedures Plan, PC-1, Revision 3

  14. Operating procedure automation to enhance safety of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Husseiny, A.A.; Sabri, Z.A.; Adams, S.K.; Rodriguez, R.J.; Packer, D.; Holmes, J.W.

    1989-01-01

    Use of logic statements and computer assist are explored as means for automation and improvement on design of operating procedures including those employed in abnormal and emergency situations. Operating procedures for downpower and loss of forced circulation are used for demonstration. Human-factors analysis is performed on generic emergency operating procedures for three strategies of control; manual, semi-automatic and automatic, using standard emergency operating procedures. Such preliminary analysis shows that automation of procedures is feasible provided that fault-tolerant software and hardware become available for design of the controllers. Recommendations are provided for tests to substantiate the promise of enhancement of plant safety. Adequate design of operating procedures through automation may alleviate several major operational problems of nuclear power plants. Also, automation of procedures is necessary for partial or overall automatic control of plants. Fully automatic operations are needed for space applications while supervised automation of land-based and offshore plants may become the thrust of new generation of nulcear power plants. (orig.)

  15. Guideline for the preparation of safe operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stinnett, L.; Carroll, M.M.; Crooks, D.L.; Doyle, J.R.; Jeblick, H.G.; Kessel, D.S.; Tippy, M.W.; Stuckey, J.M.

    1981-03-01

    These procedures are written for activities that involve the use of explosives, dangerous chemicals, radioactive materials, hazardous sytems, and for certain types of operational facilities which present hazards. This guideline presents a suggested Safe Operating Procedures format

  16. Radiation dose to the operator during fluoroscopically guided spine procedures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roccatagliata, Luca; Pravata, Emanuele; Cianfoni, Alessandro [Department of Neuroradiology, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Lugano (Switzerland); Presilla, Stefano [Unita di Fisica Medica, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Bellinzona (Switzerland)

    2017-09-15

    Fluoroscopy is widely used to guide diagnostic and therapeutic spine procedures. The purpose of this study was to quantify radiation incident on the operator (operator Air Kerma) during a wide range of fluoroscopy-guided spine procedures and its correlation with the amount of radiation incident on the patient (Kerma Area Product - KAP). We retrospectively included 57 consecutive fluoroscopically guided spine procedures. KAP [Gy cm{sup 2}] and total fluoroscopy time were recorded for each procedure. An electronic dosimeter recorded the operator Air Kerma [μGy] for each procedure. Operator Air Kerma for each procedure, correlation between KAP and operator Air Kerma, and between KAP and fluoroscopy time was obtained. Operator Air Kerma was widely variable across procedures, with median value of 6.4 μGy per procedure. Median fluoroscopy time and median KAP per procedure were 2.6 min and 4.7 Gy cm{sup 2}, respectively. There was correlation between operator Air Kerma and KAP (r{sup 2} = 0.60), with a slope of 1.6 μGy Air Kerma per unit Gy cm{sup 2} KAP incident on the patient and between fluoroscopy time and KAP (r{sup 2} = 0.63). Operator Air Kerma during individual fluoroscopy-guided spine procedures can be approximated from the commonly and readily available information of the total amount of radiation incident on the patient, measured as KAP. (orig.)

  17. Research on Operating Procedure Development in View of RCM Theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi, J.

    2015-01-01

    The operation of NPPs (nuclear power plants) is closely related to SSCs (Structure, System and Component) function implementations and failure recoveries, and strictly follows operating procedure. The philosophy of RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) which is a widely-used systematic engineering approach in industry focusing on likewise facility functions and effectiveness of maintenance is accepted in relative analysis of NPPs operation in this paper. Based on the theory of RCM, the paper will discuss general logic of operating procedure development and framework optimization as well combining NPPs engineering design. Since the quality of operating procedures has a significant impact on the safe and reliable operation of NPPs, the paper provides a proposed operating procedure development logic diagramme for reference for the procedure optimization task ahead. (author)

  18. Impact of an electronic health record operating room management system in ophthalmology on documentation time, surgical volume, and staffing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, David S; Read-Brown, Sarah; Tu, Daniel C; Lambert, William E; Choi, Dongseok; Almario, Bella M; Yackel, Thomas R; Brown, Anna S; Chiang, Michael F

    2014-05-01

    Although electronic health record (EHR) systems have potential benefits, such as improved safety and quality of care, most ophthalmology practices in the United States have not adopted these systems. Concerns persist regarding potential negative impacts on clinical workflow. In particular, the impact of EHR operating room (OR) management systems on clinical efficiency in the ophthalmic surgery setting is unknown. To determine the impact of an EHR OR management system on intraoperative nursing documentation time, surgical volume, and staffing requirements. For documentation time and circulating nurses per procedure, a prospective cohort design was used between January 10, 2012, and January 10, 2013. For surgical volume and overall staffing requirements, a case series design was used between January 29, 2011, and January 28, 2013. This study involved ophthalmic OR nurses (n = 13) and surgeons (n = 25) at an academic medical center. Electronic health record OR management system implementation. (1) Documentation time (percentage of operating time documenting [POTD], absolute documentation time in minutes), (2) surgical volume (procedures/time), and (3) staffing requirements (full-time equivalents, circulating nurses/procedure). Outcomes were measured during a baseline period when paper documentation was used and during the early (first 3 months) and late (4-12 months) periods after EHR implementation. There was a worsening in total POTD in the early EHR period (83%) vs paper baseline (41%) (P system implementation was associated with worsening of intraoperative nursing documentation time especially in shorter procedures. However, it is possible to implement an EHR OR management system without serious negative impacts on surgical volume and staffing requirements.

  19. Flight Technical Error Analysis of the SATS Higher Volume Operations Simulation and Flight Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Daniel M.; Consiglio, Maria C.; Murdoch, Jennifer L.; Adams, Catherine H.

    2005-01-01

    This paper provides an analysis of Flight Technical Error (FTE) from recent SATS experiments, called the Higher Volume Operations (HVO) Simulation and Flight experiments, which NASA conducted to determine pilot acceptability of the HVO concept for normal operating conditions. Reported are FTE results from simulation and flight experiment data indicating the SATS HVO concept is viable and acceptable to low-time instrument rated pilots when compared with today s system (baseline). Described is the comparative FTE analysis of lateral, vertical, and airspeed deviations from the baseline and SATS HVO experimental flight procedures. Based on FTE analysis, all evaluation subjects, low-time instrument-rated pilots, flew the HVO procedures safely and proficiently in comparison to today s system. In all cases, the results of the flight experiment validated the results of the simulation experiment and confirm the utility of the simulation platform for comparative Human in the Loop (HITL) studies of SATS HVO and Baseline operations.

  20. An operator calculus for surface and volume modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, W. J.

    1984-01-01

    The mathematical techniques which form the foundation for most of the surface and volume modeling techniques used in practice are briefly described. An outline of what may be termed an operator calculus for the approximation and interpolation of functions of more than one independent variable is presented. By considering the linear operators associated with bivariate and multivariate interpolation/approximation schemes, it is shown how they can be compounded by operator multiplication and Boolean addition to obtain a distributive lattice of approximation operators. It is then demonstrated via specific examples how this operator calculus leads to practical techniques for sculptured surface and volume modeling.

  1. Development of symptoms-oriented operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colquhoun, R.

    1984-01-01

    Until recently, the formal treatment of control room procedures for upset conditions in nuclear power plants has been event-oriented. This orientation was not so much a reflection of power plant operating practice as it was a reflection of design-oriented thinking - design-basis events, therefore event-oriented procedures. Event orientation is not common in other professions. In the medical profession, for example, the stabilization of vital functions through a symptoms-oriented approach has priority over diagnosis and prognosis. The American nuclear power industry has initiated programs for the development and application of a symptoms-oriented approach for handling upset conditions. Canadian programs have independently paralleled the US programs. This article describes the rationale and current applications of the Canadian programs and identifies the relevance of a generic symptoms-based emergency procedure to current operating practices

  2. Operator use of procedures during simulated emergencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roth, E.M.; Mumaw, R.J.; Lewis, P.M.

    1995-01-01

    This paper summarizes the results of an empirical study of nuclear power plant operator performance in cognitively demanding simulated emergencies. During emergencies operators follow highly prescriptive written procedures. The objectives of the study were to understand and document what role higher-level cognitive activities such as diagnosis, or more generally ' situation assessment,' play in guiding operator performance, given that operators utilize procedures in responding to the events. The study examined crew performance in variants of two simulated emergencies: (1) an Interfacing System Loss of Coolant Accident and (2) a Loss of Heat Sink scenario. Data on operator performance were collected using training simulators at two plant sites. Up to 11 crews from each plant participated in each of two simulated emergencies for a total of 38 cases analyzed. Crew performance was videotaped and partial transcripts were produced and analyzed. The results revealed a number of instances where higher-level cognitive activities such as situation assessment and response planning enabled operators to handle aspects of the situation that were not fully addressed by the procedures. The paper summarizes these cases and their implications for the development and evaluation of training and control room aids, as well as for human reliability analyses. The full report of the study is published as NUREG/CR-6208

  3. Nuclear fuel technology - Tank calibration and volume determination for nuclear materials accountancy - Part 1: Procedural overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    Accurate determinations of volume are a fundamental component of any measurement-based system of control and accountability in a facility that processes or stores nuclear materials in liquid form. Volume determinations are typically made with the aid of a calibration or volume measurement equation that relates the response of the tank's measurement system to some independent measure of tank volume. The ultimate purpose of the calibration exercise is to estimate the tank's volume measurement equation (the inverse of the calibration equation), which relates tank volume to measurement system response. The steps carried out to acquire data for estimating the tank's calibration or volume measurement equation are collectively described as the process of tank calibration. This part of ISO 18213 describes procedures for tank calibration and volume determination for nuclear process tanks equipped with pressure-measurement systems for determining liquid content. Specifically, overall guidance is provided for planning a calibration exercise undertaken to obtain the data required for the measurement equation to estimate a tank's volume. The key steps in the procedure are also presented for subsequently using the estimated volume-measurement equation to determine tank liquid volumes. The procedures presented apply specifically to tanks equipped with bubbler probe systems for measuring liquid content. Moreover, these procedures produce reliable results only for clear (i.e. without suspended solids), homogeneous liquids that are at both thermal and static equilibrium. The paper elaborates on scope, physical principles involved, the calibration model, equipment required, a typical tank calibration procedure, calibration planning and pre-calibration activities, and volume determination. A bibliography is provided

  4. Development of a VR training system of robotic peroral operation procedure for endoscopic surgery of digestive tracts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Naoki; Hattori, Asaki; Tanoue, Kazuo; Ieiri, Satoshi; Konishi, Kozo; Tomikawa, Morimasa; Kenmotsu, Hajime; Hashizume, Makoto

    2010-01-01

    This report presents the development of a VR (virtual real) training system of robotic peroral operation procedure for endoscopic resection of gastric mucosa as the training is essential because the procedure differs from usual one hitherto. For VR operation space, used is reporters' sphere-filled organ model (SFM), which is deformed by and repels to, the outside force as a soft tissue rapidly in the real time. The deformation and repellence are computable. The SFM space is reconstructed to 3D of the inner environment of stomach using MRI data. The endoscope has, at the right and left side of its top, 2 arms of inner needle knife-equipped robotic forceps and is inserted perorally for operation. In VR, the forceps can grab the gastric mucosa, cut it with the knife to complete resection and carry the specimen out of the body. For the procedure training, the time required for hemostasis, bleeding volume, trace of the arms, intensity and direction of the outer force given are recorded, with which trainee's safety and degree of skill are evaluable in VR. Hydration step and clipping to close the wound are to be further added in the procedure. (T.T.)

  5. Provider volume and outcomes for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, carotid endarterectomy, and lower extremity revascularization procedures.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Killeen, Shane D

    2012-02-03

    BACKGROUND: Intuitively, vascular procedures performed by high-volume vascular subspecialists working at high-volume institutions should be associated with improved patient outcome. Although a large number of studies assess the relationship between volume and outcome, a single contemporary compilation of such studies is lacking. METHODS: A review of the English language literature was performed incorporating searches of the Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane collaboration databases for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (elective and emergent), carotid endarterectomy, and arterial lower limb procedures for any volume outcome relationship. Studies were included if they involved a patient cohort from 1980 onwards, were community or population based, and assessed health outcomes (mortality and morbidity) as a dependent variable and volume as an independent variable. RESULTS: We identified 74 relevant studies, and 54 were included. All showed either an inverse relationship of variable magnitude between provider volume and mortality, or no volume-outcome effect. The reduction in the risk-adjusted mortality rate (RAMR) for high-volume providers was 3% to 11% for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair, 2.5 to 5% for emergent AAA repair, 0.7% to 4.7% carotid endarterectomy, and 0.3% to 0.9% for lower limb arterial bypass procedures. Subspeciality training also conferred a considerable morbidity and mortality benefit for emergent AAA repair, carotid endarterectomy, and lower limb arterial procedures. CONCLUSION: High-volume providers have significantly better outcomes for vascular procedures both in the elective and emergent setting. Subspeciality training also has a considerable impact. These data provide further evidence for the specialization of vascular services, whereby vascular procedures should generally be preformed by high-volume, speciality trained providers.

  6. Operator use of procedures during simulated emergencies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roth, E.M.; Mumaw, R.J.; Lewis, P.M.

    1995-04-01

    This paper summarizes the results of an empirical study of nuclear power plant operator performance in cognitively demanding simulated emergencies. During emergencies operators follow highly prescriptive written procedures. The objectives of the study were to understand and document what role higher-level cognitive activities such as diagnosis, or more generally {open_quotes}situation assessment,{close_quotes} play in guiding operator performance, given that operators utilize procedures in responding to the events. The study examined crew performance in variants of two simulated emergencies: (1) an Interfacing System Loss of Coolant Accident and (2) a Loss of Heat Sink scenario. Data on operator performance were collected using training simulators at two plant sites. Up to 11 crews from each plant participated in each of two simulated emergencies for a total of 38 cases analyzed. Crew performance was videotaped and partial transcripts were produced and analyzed. The results revealed a number of instances where higher-level cognitive activities such as situation assessment and response planning enabled operators to handle aspects of the situation that were not fully addressed by the procedures. The paper summarizes these cases and their implications for the development and evaluation of training and control room aids, as well as for human reliability analyses. The full report of the study is published as NUREG/CR-6208.

  7. MITS Feed and Withdrawal Subsystem: operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, W.S.

    1980-01-01

    This document details procedures for the operation of the MITS (Machine Interface Test System) Feed and Withdrawal Subsystem (F and W). Included are fill with UF 6 , establishment of recycle and thruput flows, shutdown, UF 6 makeup, dump to supply container, Cascade dump to F and W, and lights cold trap dump, all normal procedures, plus an alternate procedure for trapping light gases

  8. Clinical target volume delineation in glioblastomas: pre-operative versus post-operative/pre-radiotherapy MRI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farace, P; Giri, M G; Meliadò, G; Amelio, D; Widesott, L; Ricciardi, G K; Dall'Oglio, S; Rizzotti, A; Sbarbati, A; Beltramello, A; Maluta, S; Amichetti, M

    2011-01-01

    Objectives Delineation of clinical target volume (CTV) is still controversial in glioblastomas. In order to assess the differences in volume and shape of the radiotherapy target, the use of pre-operative vs post-operative/pre-radiotherapy T1 and T2 weighted MRI was compared. Methods 4 CTVs were delineated in 24 patients pre-operatively and post-operatively using T1 contrast-enhanced (T1PRECTV and T1POSTCTV) and T2 weighted images (T2PRECTV and T2POSTCTV). Pre-operative MRI examinations were performed the day before surgery, whereas post-operative examinations were acquired 1 month after surgery and before chemoradiation. A concordance index (CI) was defined as the ratio between the overlapping and composite volumes. Results The volumes of T1PRECTV and T1POSTCTV were not statistically different (248 ± 88 vs 254 ± 101), although volume differences >100 cm3 were observed in 6 out of 24 patients. A marked increase due to tumour progression was shown in three patients. Three patients showed a decrease because of a reduced mass effect. A significant reduction occurred between pre-operative and post-operative T2 volumes (139 ± 68 vs 78 ± 59). Lack of concordance was observed between T1PRECTV and T1POSTCTV (CI = 0.67 ± 0.09), T2PRECTV and T2POSTCTV (CI = 0.39 ± 0.20) and comparing the portion of the T1PRECTV and T1POSTCTV not covered by that defined on T2PRECTV images (CI = 0.45 ± 0.16 and 0.44 ± 0.17, respectively). Conclusion Using T2 MRI, huge variations can be observed in peritumoural oedema, which are probably due to steroid treatment. Using T1 MRI, brain shifts after surgery and possible progressive enhancing lesions produce substantial differences in CTVs. Our data support the use of post-operative/pre-radiotherapy T1 weighted MRI for planning purposes. PMID:21045069

  9. Improved Design of Crew Operation in Computerized Procedure System of APR1400

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seong, No Kyu; Jung, Yeon Sub; Sung, Chan Ho [KHNP, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    The operators perform the paper-based procedures in analog-based conventional main control room (MCR) depending on only communications between operators except a procedure controller such as a Shift Supervisor (SS), however in digital-based MCR the operators can confirm the procedures simultaneously in own console when the procedure controller of computerized procedure (CP) opens the CP. The synchronization and a synchronization function between procedure controller and other operators has to be considered to support the function of crew operation. This paper suggests the improved design of crew operation in computerized procedure system of APR1400. This paper suggests the improved design of APR1400 CPS. These improvements can help operators perform the crew procedures more efficiently. And they reduce a burden of communication and misunderstanding of computerized procedures. These improvements can be applied to CPS after human factors engineering verification and validation.

  10. Magnetic fusion energy. Disaster operation procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-06-01

    In a major disaster such as an earthquake, toxic chemical release, or fire, these Disaster Operations Procedures can be used, in combination with good judgment, to minimize the risk of injury to personnel and of property damage in our laboratory, shop, and office areas. These emergency procedures apply to all personnel working within MFE/Zone-11 area including visitors, program contract personnel, and construction contract personnel

  11. Project W-320, operational test procedure OTP-320-003 test report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bevins, R.R.

    1998-01-01

    This report documents and summarizes the results of OTP-320-003 Project W-320 Operational Testing of the WRSS Supernate Transfer System. Project W-320 Operational Test OTP-320-003 was performed to verify components of the Waste Retrieval Sluicing System (WRSS) supernate transfer system functioned as designed following construction completion and turnover to operations. All equipment operation was performed by Tank Farms Operations personnel following the operational test procedure and referenced operating procedures. Supernate Transfer line Flushing System Testing was completed over the course of approximately 4 weeks as tank farm conditions and configuration, equipment availability, and operations resources allowed. All testing was performed with the 702-AZ ventilation system and the 296-P-16 ventilation systems in operation. Test procedure OTP-320-003 required two revisions during testing to incorporate Procedure Changes Authorizations (PCAs) necessary to facilitate testing. Various sections of testing are documented on each procedure revision. The completed test procedure is included as Attachment A. Exception Reports generated during the course of testing are included as Attachment B

  12. The operational procedure of an electron beam accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Byung Cheol; Choi, Hwa Lim; Yang, Ki Ho; Han, Young Hwan; Kim, Sung Chan

    2008-12-01

    The KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy of Research Institute) high-power electron beam irradiation facility, operating at the energies between 0.3 MeV and 10 MeV, has provided irradiation services to users in industries, universities, and institute in various fields. This manual is for the operation of an electron beam which is established in KAERI, and describes elementary operation procedures of electron beam between 0.3 Mev and 10 MeV. KAERI Electron Accelerator facility(Daejeon, Korea) consists of two irradiators: one is a low-energy electron beam irradiator operated by normal conducting RF accelerator, the other is medium-energy irradiator operated by superconducting RF accelerator. We explain the check points of prior to operation, operation procedure of this facility and the essential parts of electron beam accelerator

  13. The operational procedure of an electron beam accelerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Byung Cheol; Choi, Hwa Lim; Yang, Ki Ho; Han, Young Hwan; Kim, Sung Chan

    2008-12-15

    The KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy of Research Institute) high-power electron beam irradiation facility, operating at the energies between 0.3 MeV and 10 MeV, has provided irradiation services to users in industries, universities, and institute in various fields. This manual is for the operation of an electron beam which is established in KAERI, and describes elementary operation procedures of electron beam between 0.3 Mev and 10 MeV. KAERI Electron Accelerator facility(Daejeon, Korea) consists of two irradiators: one is a low-energy electron beam irradiator operated by normal conducting RF accelerator, the other is medium-energy irradiator operated by superconducting RF accelerator. We explain the check points of prior to operation, operation procedure of this facility and the essential parts of electron beam accelerator.

  14. Study of operating procedures in nuclear power plants: Practices and problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morgenstern, M.H.; Barnes, V.E.; McGuire, M.V.; Radford, L.R.; Wheeler, W.A.

    1987-02-01

    This report describes the project activities, findings, and recommendations of a project entitled ''Program Plan for Assessing and Upgrading Operating Procedures for Nuclear Power Plants.'' The project was performed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory and Battelle Human Affairs Research Centers for the Division of Human Factors Technology, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The project team analyzed and evaluated samples of normal and abnormal operating procedures from 31 commercial nuclear power plant sites operating in the United States. The project team also visited nine nuclear power plants in the United States to obtain information on the development, use, and control of operating procedures. A peer review group was convened to advise the project team on the conduct of the project and to review and comment on the project report. The report contains findings on the usability of operating procedures and on practices concerning the development, use, an control of operating procedures in nuclear power plants. The report includes recommendations to the NRC on the need to upgrade the quality of operating procedures. The report also discusses an approach to a program plan to assess and upgrade operating procedures

  15. Coping with Unanticipated Accidents using Emergency Operating Procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yochan; Jung, Wondea

    2013-01-01

    In, unsafe acts associated with a literal following of a procedure were reported. A report of the Fukushima accident also revealed that a tendency to adhere to procedures and prior practices can impede applying effective countermeasures. To overcome the conflicts between benefit and jeopardy of procedures during unanticipated accidents, we reviewed the literature on the perspectives of cognitive engineering and artificial intelligence. From the insights about human planning of the literatures, we also proposed an approach of how to train operators to effectively use EOPs during unanticipated accidents. There are three key processes required to effectively cope with emergency situations: how correctly the operators are aware of the occurring situations, how properly they develop corresponding plans for the situations, and how accurately they execute the plans. This paper presents a way to develop the plans using EOPs from some literature of human planning. Even if professional operators have implicitly shaped good structures of procedures already, it is expected that this approach will provide a more systematic and concrete training strategy. If the operators are trained with this strategy, a higher level of human reliability would be ensured in unanticipated accidents

  16. OPERATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE TRAIN TRAFFIC VOLUME ON THE SECTIONS OF RAILWAY OPERATING DOMAIN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Ya. Моzolevich

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The task of the operational distribution of train traffic volume on the sections of operating domain is the optimization one. It is solved in the operational conditions by the dispatch station. The article sets the problem of formalizing and finding the new ways to solve this urgent problem. Methodology. A new approach to solving the problem of operational distribution of train traffic volume on the sections of the rail network with a choice of routes for all train traffics was proposed. Findings. A study of possible routes for the train traffic handle on the operating domain used for mass freight transportations between Krivyi Rih and Donbas was carried out. The use of the proposed method allowed us to obtain a rational distribution of trains on the rail network sections. Originality. The method of train traffic volume distribution in the network under operational conditions was improved. The method, as opposed to the current one allows one to select the route of separate units handle (according to the criteria of the weighted average cost for 1 ton of cargo. Practical value. The use of the proposed technology of the operational distribution of train traffic volume will increase the efficiency of the railways in general and ensure the competitiveness of rail transportations. The methodology implementation involves the use of railway dispatch station for the automated workplaces with appropriate informational support.

  17. MITS Feed and Withdrawal Subsystem: operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, W.S.

    1980-01-01

    This procedure details the steps required to provide continuous feed flow and withdrawal of process product and waste flows in support of thruput operation in the cascade or its elements. It particularly requires operator attention to safety considerations

  18. Automated emergency operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez-Ramirez, G.; Nelson, P.F.

    1990-01-01

    This paper describes the development of a training tool for the symptom oriented emergency operating procedures used at the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant. EOPs and operator training are intended to assist the operator for managing accident situations. A prototype expert system based on the EOPs has been developed for operator training. The demonstration expert system was developed using a commercial shell. The knowledge base consists of two parts. The specific operator actions to be executed for 5 selected accident sequences and the EOPs steps for the reactor pressure vessel control of the water level, pressure, and power. The knowledge is expressed in the form of IF-THEN production rules. A typical training session will display a set of conditions and will prompt the trainee to indicate the appropriate step to perform. This mode will guide the trainee through selected accident sequences. A second mode of the expert system will prompt the trainee for the current plant conditions and the expert system will respond with the EOPs which are required to be performed under these conditions. This allows the trainee to study What if situations

  19. The procedure execution manager and its application to Advanced Photon Source operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borland, M.

    1997-01-01

    The Procedure Execution Manager (PEM) combines a complete scripting environment for coding accelerator operation procedures with a manager application for executing and monitoring the procedures. PEM is based on Tcl/Tk, a supporting widget library, and the dp-tcl extension for distributed processing. The scripting environment provides support for distributed, parallel execution of procedures along with join and abort operations. Nesting of procedures is supported, permitting the same code to run as a top-level procedure under operator control or as a subroutine under control of another procedure. The manager application allows an operator to execute one or more procedures in automatic, semi-automatic, or manual modes. It also provides a standard way for operators to interact with procedures. A number of successful applications of PEM to accelerator operations have been made to date. These include start-up, shutdown, and other control of the positron accumulator ring (PAR), low-energy transport (LET) lines, and the booster rf systems. The PAR/LET procedures make nested use of PEM's ability to run parallel procedures. There are also a number of procedures to guide and assist tune-up operations, to make accelerator physics measurements, and to diagnose equipment. Because of the success of the existing procedures, expanded use of PEM is planned

  20. 40 CFR 160.81 - Standard operating procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    .... (10) Data handling, storage and retrieval. (11) Maintenance and calibration of equipment. (12... GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE STANDARDS Testing Facilities Operation § 160.81 Standard operating procedures... test, control, and reference substances. (4) Test system observations. (5) Laboratory or other tests...

  1. RTOD-photo operations and procedures manual

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1966-03-15

    This document presents a survey of the EG&G NRDS photographic operation in four major sections and includes the work scope, procedures, some technical backgrounding and operational information. Two sections, Instrumentation and Photo Systems, include the areas of direct responsibilities while a section on Film Handling and Coordination and a section covering special information, pertinent to the project, are included to adequately complete this survey. The photographic group is housed in two trailers within the control point area at NRDS and from these trailers provides photographic support at a number of locations. Four camera bunkers, three camera towers, a kinescope system, a microfilm system and remote camera controls comprise the facilities that the group maintains and operates outside these trailers. The work load includes major items such as: motion picture coverage of the nuclear rocket engine tests, data record microfilming, kinescope recording, and documentary coverage of the company related operational responsibilities. In addition, a number of minor photographic services are extended, when required. The nature of the work, because of its importance within the research and development efforts at NRDS, requires optimum quality and efficiency throughout. The many procedures outlined here have been designed to satisfy these requirements.

  2. Numerical simulation of the transient thermal-hydraulic behaviour of the ITER blanket cooling system under the draining operational procedure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Di Maio, P.A. [Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici, Università di Palermo Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Dell’Orco, G.; Furmanek, A. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France); Garitta, S. [Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici, Università di Palermo Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Merola, M.; Mitteau, R.; Raffray, R. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France); Spagnuolo, G.A. [Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici, Università di Palermo Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Vallone, E., E-mail: eug.vallone@gmail.com [Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici, Università di Palermo Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo (Italy)

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • ITER blanket cooling system hydraulic behaviour is studied under draining transient. • A computational approach based on the finite volume method has been followed. • Draining efficiency has been assessed in term of transient duration and residual water. • Transient duration ranges from ∼40 to 50 s, under the reference draining scenario. • Residual water is predicted to range from few tens of gram up to few kilograms. - Abstract: Within the framework of the research and development activities supported by the ITER Organization on the blanket system issues, an intense analysis campaign has been performed at the University of Palermo with the aim to investigate the thermal-hydraulic behaviour of the cooling system of a standard 20° sector of ITER blanket during the draining transient operational procedure. The analysis has been carried out following a theoretical-computational approach based on the finite volume method and adopting the RELAP5 system code. In a first phase, attention has been focused on the development and validation of the finite volume models of the cooling circuits of the most demanding modules belonging to the standard blanket sector. In later phase, attention has been put to the numerical simulation of the thermal-hydraulic transient behaviour of each cooling circuit during the draining operational procedure. The draining procedure efficiency has been assessed in terms of both transient duration and residual amount of coolant inside the circuit, observing that the former ranges typically between 40 and 120 s and the latter reaches at most ∼8 kg, in the case of the cooling circuit of twinned modules #6–7. Potential variations to operational parameters and/or to circuit lay-out have been proposed and investigated to optimize the circuit draining performances. In this paper, the set-up of the finite volume models is briefly described and the key results are summarized and critically discussed.

  3. The plant operating procedure information modeling system for creation and maintenance of procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fanto, S.V.; Petras, D.S.; Reiner, R.T.; Frost, D.R.; Orendi, R.G.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports that as a result of the accident at Three Mile Island, regulatory requirements were issued to upgrade Emergency Operating Procedures for nuclear power plants. The use of human-factored, function-oriented, EOPs were mandated to improve human reliability and to mitigate the consequences of a broad range of initiating events, subsequent failures and operator errors, without having to first diagnose the specific events. The Westinghouse Owners Group responded by developing the Emergency Response Guidelines in a human-factored, two-column format to aid in the transfer of the improved technical information to the operator during transients and accidents. The ERGs are a network of 43 interrelated guidelines which specify operator actions to be taken during plant emergencies to restore the plant to a safe and stable condition. Each utility then translates these guidelines into plant specific EOPs. The creation and maintenance of this large web of interconnecting ERGs/EOPs is an extremely complex task. This paper reports that in order to aid procedure documentation specialists with this time-consuming and tedious task, the Plant Operating Procedure Information Modeling system was developed to provide a controlled and consistent means to build and maintain the ERGs/EOPs and their supporting documentation

  4. Philosophy, policies, and procedures - The three P's of flight-deck operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Degani, Asaf; Wiener, Earl L.

    1991-01-01

    Standard operating procedures are drafted and provided to flightcrews to dictate the manner in which tasks are carried out. Failure to conform to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) is frequently listed as the cause of violations, incidents, and accidents. However, procedures are often designed piecemeal, rather than being based on a sound philosophy of operations and policies that follow from such a philosophy. A framework of philosophy, policies, and procedures is proposed.

  5. Surgical site infections in paediatric otolaryngology operative procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ifeacho, S N; Bajaj, Y; Jephson, C G; Albert, D M

    2012-07-01

    An assessment of the rate of surgical site infections associated with elective paediatric otolaryngology surgical procedures. Prospective data was collected for a 3-week period for all children undergoing surgery where either mucosa or skin was breached. The parents of the children were requested to complete a questionnaire at 30 days after the operation. Data was collected on 80 consecutive cases. The majority of cases were admitted on the day of the procedure. The procedures included adenotonsillectomy (24), grommets (12), cochlear implantation (6), bone-anchored hearing aid (2), submandibular gland excision (1), branchial sinus excision (1), cystic hygroma excision (3), nasal glioma excision (1), microlaryngobronchoscopy (13), tracheostomy (3) and other procedures (14). Nearly half the cases had more than one operation done at the same time. 26/80 (32.5%) patients had a temporary or permanent implant inserted at the time of operation (grommet, bone-anchored hearing aid, cochlear implant). 25/80 (31%) operative fields were classed as clean and 55/80 (68.7%) as clean contaminated operations. The duration of the operation varied from 6 min to 142 min. Hospital antibiotic protocol was adhered to in 69/80 (86.3%) cases but not in 11/80 cases. In our series, 3/80 (3.7%) patients had an infection in the postoperative period. Surgical site infections do occur at an appreciable rate in paediatric otolaryngology. With the potential for serious consequences, reduction in the risk of surgical site infections is important. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Operating procedures for emergency situations in EDF PWR plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Depond, G.; Resse, L.

    1992-01-01

    Analysis of incidents and accidents occurring at French and foreign power plants - particularly the TMI accident - and the commissioning of many units in France, as well as tests on simulators, have all demonstrated that an improvement of safety in nuclear power units depends largely on the improvement of the man-machine interface and particularly of emergency operating procedures (EOP). EDF has taken numerous actions in this direction, especially since 1979. First of all, in improving the classical approach based on event-oriented procedures: Rewriting of initial accident operating procedures with regard to their technical contents their form, and the organization of the operating team (procedures I and A); Extension of initial procedures into areas at the limits of design basis and beyond the design basis limits (procedures H). Nevertheless, this approach is subject to several weaknesses. Dependence on a precise initial diagnosis, impossibility to take into account all the conceivable accidental situations, discrepancies between the predicted pattern and the reality. These drawbacks of the event approach have led us to revise the technical conception of the EOPs, and to develop a new approach based on a continuous monitoring of the physical states of the plant and the ability to define a relationship between the physical state of the plant and the operator actions. (author). 4 figs

  7. Impact of operator fatigue on endoscopy performance: implications for procedure scheduling.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Harewood, Gavin C

    2009-08-01

    With increasing volumes of endoscopic procedures, endoscopists\\' workload has had to increase to meet this escalating demand. The aim of this study was to characterize the impact of endoscopist fatigue on quality of endoscopy performance by comparing outcomes based on chronological procedure order.

  8. Caustic addition system operability test procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parazin, R.E.

    1994-11-01

    This test procedure provides instructions for performing operational testing of the major components of the 241-AN-107 Caustic Addition System by WHC and Kaiser personnel at the Rotating Equipment Shop run-in pit (Bldg. 272E)

  9. Caustic addition system operability test procedure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parazin, R.E.

    1994-11-01

    This test procedure provides instructions for performing operational testing of the major components of the 241-AN-107 Caustic Addition System by WHC and Kaiser personnel at the Rotating Equipment Shop run-in pit (Bldg. 272E).

  10. Update on Nonsurgical Lung Volume Reduction Procedures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Alberto Neder

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available There has been a surge of interest in endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR strategies for advanced COPD. Valve implants, coil implants, biological LVR (BioLVR, bronchial thermal vapour ablation, and airway stents are used to induce lung deflation with the ultimate goal of improving respiratory mechanics and chronic dyspnea. Patients presenting with severe air trapping (e.g., inspiratory capacity/total lung capacity (TLC 225% predicted and thoracic hyperinflation (TLC > 150% predicted have the greatest potential to derive benefit from ELVR procedures. Pre-LVRS or ELVR assessment should ideally include cardiological evaluation, high resolution CT scan, ventilation and perfusion scintigraphy, full pulmonary function tests, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. ELVR procedures are currently available in selected Canadian research centers as part of ethically approved clinical trials. If a decision is made to offer an ELVR procedure, one-way valves are the first option in the presence of complete lobar exclusion and no significant collateral ventilation. When the fissure is not complete, when collateral ventilation is evident in heterogeneous emphysema or when emphysema is homogeneous, coil implants or BioLVR (in that order are the next logical alternatives.

  11. Standard Operating Procedure for Accelerated Corrosion Testing at ARL

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-11-01

    ARL-TN-0855 ● NOV 2017 US Army Research Laboratory Standard Operating Procedure for Accelerated Corrosion Testing at ARL by... Corrosion Testing at ARL by Thomas A Considine Weapons and Materials Research Directorate, ARL Approved for public...November 2017 2. REPORT TYPE Technical Note 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Standard Operating Procedure for Accelerated

  12. Operating procedures for the Pajarito Site Critical Assembly Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malenfant, R.E.

    1983-03-01

    Operating procedures consistent with DOE Order 5480.2, Chapter VI, and the American National Standard Safety Guide for the Performance of Critical Experiments are defined for the Pajarito Site Critical Assembly Facility of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. These operating procedures supersede and update those previously published in 1973 and apply to any criticality experiment performed at the facility

  13. A Neural Networks Based Operation Guidance System for Procedure Presentation and Validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seung, Kun Mo; Lee, Seung Jun; Seong, Poong Hyun

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, a neural network based operator support system is proposed to reduce operator's errors in abnormal situations in nuclear power plants (NPPs). There are many complicated situations, in which regular and suitable operations should be done by operators accordingly. In order to regulate and validate operators' operations, it is necessary to develop an operator support system which includes computer based procedures with the functions for operation validation. Many computerized procedures systems (CPS) have been recently developed. Focusing on the human machine interface (HMI) design and procedures' computerization, most of CPSs used various methodologies to enhance system's convenience, reliability and accessibility. Other than only showing procedures, the proposed system integrates a simple CPS and an operation validation system (OVS) by using artificial neural network (ANN) for operational permission and quantitative evaluation

  14. The European Stroke Organisation Guidelines: a standard operating procedure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ntaios, George; Bornstein, Natan M; Caso, Valeria

    2015-01-01

    pace with this progress and driven by the strong determination of the European Stroke Organisation to further promote stroke management, education, and research, the European Stroke Organisation decided to delineate a detailed standard operating procedure for its guidelines. There are two important...... cornerstones in this standard operating procedure: The first is the implementation of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology for the development of its Guideline Documents. The second one is the decision of the European Stroke Organisation to move from the classical...... and significant input from European Stroke Organisation members as well as methodologists and analysts, this document presents the official standard operating procedure for the development of the Guideline Documents of the European Stroke Organisation....

  15. State Token Petri Net modeling method for formal verification of computerized procedure including operator's interruptions of procedure execution flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yun Goo; Seong, Poong Hyun

    2012-01-01

    The Computerized Procedure System (CPS) is one of the primary operating support systems in the digital Main Control Room. The CPS displays procedure on the computer screen in the form of a flow chart, and displays plant operating information along with procedure instructions. It also supports operator decision making by providing a system decision. A procedure flow should be correct and reliable, as an error would lead to operator misjudgement and inadequate control. In this paper we present a modeling for the CPS that enables formal verification based on Petri nets. The proposed State Token Petri Nets (STPN) also support modeling of a procedure flow that has various interruptions by the operator, according to the plant condition. STPN modeling is compared with Coloured Petri net when they are applied to Emergency Operating Computerized Procedure. A converting program for Computerized Procedure (CP) to STPN has been also developed. The formal verification and validation methods of CP with STPN increase the safety of a nuclear power plant and provide digital quality assurance means that are needed when the role and function of the CPS is increasing.

  16. Emergency operating procedure upgrade program and audit results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graham, P.D.

    1989-01-01

    This paper describes the method and results of upgrading the River Bend station boiling water reactor 6 emergency operating procedures (EOPs). The upgrade program replaced difficult-to-implement narrative procedures with well-developed flowcharts. The flowcharts eliminate a number of human factors problems, are user friendly, provide for easy implementation, and provide technical information in a clear, concise format. Positive results were seen immediately. The operating crews found the flowcharts to be clear, understandable, and usable. Simulator training and EOP implementation became something that the operators no longer dreaded, and their confidence in their ability to control emergency situations was greatly improved. The paper provides a summary of the EOP upgrade program

  17. The impact of surgeon volume on colostomy reversal outcomes after Hartmann's procedure for diverticulitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aquina, Christopher T; Probst, Christian P; Becerra, Adan Z; Hensley, Bradley J; Iannuzzi, James C; Noyes, Katia; Monson, John R T; Fleming, Fergal J

    2016-11-01

    Colostomy reversal after Hartmann's procedure for diverticulitis is a morbid procedure, and studies investigating factors associated with outcomes are lacking. This study identifies patient, surgeon, and hospital-level factors associated with perioperative outcomes after stoma reversal. The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System was queried for urgent/emergency Hartmann's procedures for diverticulitis between 2000-2012 in New York State and subsequent colostomy reversal within 1 year of the procedure. Surgeon and hospital volume were categorized into tertiles based on the annual number of colorectal resections performed each year. Bivariate and mixed-effects analyses were used to assess the association between patient, surgeon, and hospital-level factors and perioperative outcomes after colostomy reversal, including a laparoscopic approach; duration of stay; intensive care unit admission; complications; mortality; and 30-day, unscheduled readmission. Among 10,487 patients who underwent Hartmann's procedure and survived to discharge, 63% had the colostomy reversed within 1 year. After controlling for patient, surgeon, and hospital-level factors, high-volume surgeons (≥40 colorectal resections/yr) were independently associated with higher odds of a laparoscopic approach (unadjusted rates: 14% vs 7.6%; adjusted odds ratio = 1.84, 95% confidence interval = 1.12, 3.00), shorter duration of stay (median: 6 versus 7 days; adjusted incidence rate ratio = 0.87, 95% confidence interval = 0.81, 0.95), and lower odds of 90-day mortality (unadjusted rates: 0.4% vs 1.0%; adjusted odds ratio = 0.30, 95% confidence interval = 0.10, 0.88) compared with low-volume surgeons (1-15 colorectal resections/yr). High-volume surgeons are associated with better perioperative outcomes and lower health care utilization after Hartmann's reversal for diverticulitis. These findings support referral to high-volume surgeons for colostomy reversal. Copyright © 2016

  18. D0 Central Tracking Solenoid Energization, Controls, Interlocks and Quench Protection Operating Procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hance, R.

    1998-01-01

    This procedure is used when it is necessary to operate the solenoid energization, controls, interlocks and quench detection system. Note that a separate procedure exists for operating the solenoid 'cryogenic' systems. Only D0 Control Room Operators or the Project Electrical Engineer are qualified to execute these procedures or operate the solenoid system. This procedure assumes that the operator is familiar with using the Distributed Manufacturing Automation and Control Software (DMACS).

  19. 40 CFR 68.69 - Operating procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...) CHEMICAL ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROVISIONS Program 3 Prevention Program § 68.69 Operating procedures. (a) The... presented by, the chemicals used in the process; (ii) Precautions necessary to prevent exposure, including... instructions for safely conducting activities involved in each covered process consistent with the process...

  20. Guideline for the preparation of safe operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stinnett, L.; Armbrust, E.F.; Christy, V.W.; Doyle, J.R.; Kesinger, J.H.

    1977-03-01

    Sandia Laboratories Safe Operating Procedures (SOP) are written for activities which involve the use of explosives, dangerous chemicals, radioactive materials, hazardous systems, and certain types of operational facilities which present hazards. This guideline presents a suggested SOP format

  1. Load research manual. Volume 1. Load research procedures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brandenburg, L.; Clarkson, G.; Grund, Jr., C.; Leo, J.; Asbury, J.; Brandon-Brown, F.; Derderian, H.; Mueller, R.; Swaroop, R.

    1980-11-01

    This three-volume manual presents technical guidelines for electric utility load research. Special attention is given to issues raised by the load data reporting requirements of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and to problems faced by smaller utilities that are initiating load research programs. In Volumes 1 and 2, procedures are suggested for determining data requirements for load research, establishing the size and customer composition of a load survey sample, selecting and using equipment to record customer electricity usage, processing data tapes from the recording equipment, and analyzing the data. Statistical techniques used in customer sampling are discussed in detail. The costs of load research also are estimated, and ongoing load research programs at three utilities are described. The manual includes guides to load research literature and glossaries of load research and statistical terms.

  2. Towards Verification of Operational Procedures Using Auto-Generated Diagnostic Trees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurtoglu, Tolga; Lutz, Robyn; Patterson-Hine, Ann

    2009-01-01

    The design, development, and operation of complex space, lunar and planetary exploration systems require the development of general procedures that describe a detailed set of instructions capturing how mission tasks are performed. For both crewed and uncrewed NASA systems, mission safety and the accomplishment of the scientific mission objectives are highly dependent on the correctness of procedures. In this paper, we describe how to use the auto-generated diagnostic trees from existing diagnostic models to improve the verification of standard operating procedures. Specifically, we introduce a systematic method, namely the Diagnostic Tree for Verification (DTV), developed with the goal of leveraging the information contained within auto-generated diagnostic trees in order to check the correctness of procedures, to streamline the procedures in terms of reducing the number of steps or use of resources in them, and to propose alternative procedural steps adaptive to changing operational conditions. The application of the DTV method to a spacecraft electrical power system shows the feasibility of the approach and its range of capabilities

  3. The development of symptoms-oriented operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colquhoun, R.

    1983-04-01

    Until recently the formal treatment of control room procedures for nuclear power plant upset conditions has been event-oriented. The demise of Three Mile Island, Unit 2, caused the American industry to recognize the pitfalls inherent in relying totally on event-oriented procedures, and led to the initiation of a program for the development of a symptoms-oriented approach for handling upset conditions. The U.S. program has been independently paralleled by a Canadian program. This paper describes the development of the Canadian symptoms-oriented philosophy and identifies the relevance of a generic symptoms based emergency procedure to current operating practices

  4. Electronic Procedures for Medical Operations, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Electronic procedures are currently being used to document the steps in performing medical operations for the Space Shuttle and/or the International Space Station...

  5. A finite volume procedure for fluid flow, heat transfer and solid-body stress analysis

    KAUST Repository

    Jagad, P. I.; Puranik, B. P.; Date, A. W.

    2018-01-01

    A unified cell-centered unstructured mesh finite volume procedure is presented for fluid flow, heat transfer and solid-body stress analysis. An in-house procedure (A. W. Date, Solution of Transport Equations on Unstructured Meshes with Cell

  6. Developing operating procedures for a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sutherland, A.A.; Miner, G.L.; Grahn, K.F.; Pollard, C.G. [Rogers and Associates Engineering Corp., Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

    1993-10-01

    This document is intended to assist persons who are developing operating and emergency procedures for a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. It provides 25 procedures that are considered to be relatively independent of the characteristics of a disposal facility site, the facility design, and operations at the facility. These generic procedures should form a good starting point for final procedures on their subjects for the disposal facility. In addition, this document provides 55 annotated outlines of other procedures that are common to disposal facilities. The annotated outlines are meant as checklists to assist the developer of new procedures.

  7. Developing operating procedures for a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sutherland, A.A.; Miner, G.L.; Grahn, K.F.; Pollard, C.G.

    1993-10-01

    This document is intended to assist persons who are developing operating and emergency procedures for a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. It provides 25 procedures that are considered to be relatively independent of the characteristics of a disposal facility site, the facility design, and operations at the facility. These generic procedures should form a good starting point for final procedures on their subjects for the disposal facility. In addition, this document provides 55 annotated outlines of other procedures that are common to disposal facilities. The annotated outlines are meant as checklists to assist the developer of new procedures

  8. Rejecting escape events in large volume Ge detectors by a pulse shape selection procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Del Zoppo, A.; Agodi, C.; Alba, R.; Bellia, G.; Coniglione, R.; Loukachine, K.; Maiolino, C.; Migneco, E.; Piattelli, P.; Santonocito, D.; Sapienza, P.

    1993-01-01

    The dependence of the response to γ-rays of a large volume Ge detector on the interval width of a selected initial rise pulse slope is investigated. The number of escape events associated with a small pulse slope is found to be greater than the corresponding number of full energy events. An escape event rejection procedure based on the observed correlation between energy deposition and pulse shape is discussed. Such a procedure seems particularly suited for the design of highly granular large volume Ge detector arrays. (orig.)

  9. A Quantitative Analysis of the Relationship between Medicare Payment and Service Volume for Glaucoma Procedures from 2005 through 2009.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Dan; Jun, Lin; Tsai, James C

    2015-05-01

    To calculate the association between Medicare payment and service volume for 6 commonly performed glaucoma procedures. Retrospective, longitudinal database study. A 100% dataset of all glaucoma procedures performed on Medicare Part B beneficiaries within the United States from 2005 to 2009. Fixed-effects regression model using Medicare Part B carrier data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, controlling for time-invariant carrier-specific characteristics, national trends in glaucoma service volume, Medicare beneficiary population, number of ophthalmologists, and income per capita. Payment-volume elasticities, defined as the percent change in service volume per 1% change in Medicare payment, for laser trabeculoplasty (Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] code 65855), trabeculectomy without previous surgery (CPT code 66170), trabeculectomy with previous surgery (CPT code 66172), aqueous shunt to reservoir (CPT code 66180), laser iridotomy (CPT code 66761), and scleral reinforcement with graft (CPT code 67255). The payment-volume elasticity was nonsignificant for 4 of 6 procedures studied: laser trabeculoplasty (elasticity, -0.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.31 to 0.77; P = 0.61), trabeculectomy without previous surgery (elasticity, -0.42; 95% CI, -0.85 to 0.01; P = 0.053), trabeculectomy with previous surgery (elasticity, -0.28; 95% CI, -0.83 to 0.28; P = 0.32), and aqueous shunt to reservoir (elasticity, -0.47; 95% CI, -3.32 to 2.37; P = 0.74). Two procedures yielded significant associations between Medicare payment and service volume. For laser iridotomy, the payment-volume elasticity was -1.06 (95% CI, -1.39 to -0.72; P payment, laser iridotomy service volume increased by 1.06%. For scleral reinforcement with graft, the payment-volume elasticity was -2.92 (95% CI, -5.72 to -0.12; P = 0.041): for every 1% decrease in CPT code 67255 payment, scleral reinforcement with graft service volume increased by 2.92%. This study calculated the association

  10. UNC Nuclear Industries' human-factored approach to the operating or maintenance procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, A.A.; Clark, J.E.

    1982-01-01

    The development of Human Factors Engineering (HFE) and UNC Nuclear Industries' (UNC) commitment to minimizing the potential for human error in the performance of operating or maintenance procedures have lead to a procedure upgrade program. Human-factored procedures were developed using information from many sources including, but not limited to, operators, a human factors specialist, engineers and supervisors. This has resulted in the Job Performance Aid (JPA). This paper presents UNC's approach to providing human-factored operating and maintenance procedures

  11. A symptom based decision tree approach to boiling water reactor emergency operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knobel, R.C.

    1984-01-01

    This paper describes a Decision Tree approach to development of BWR Emergency Operating Procedures for use by operators during emergencies. This approach utilizes the symptom based Emergency Procedure Guidelines approved for implementation by the USNRC. Included in the paper is a discussion of the relative merits of the event based Emergency Operating Procedures currently in use at USBWR plants. The body of the paper is devoted to a discussion of the Decision Tree Approach to Emergency Operating Procedures soon to be implemented at two United States Boiling Water Reactor plants, why this approach solves many of the problems with procedures indentified in the post accident reviews of Three Mile Island procedures, and why only now is this approach both desirable and feasible. The paper discusses how nuclear plant simulators were involved in the development of the Emergency Operating Procedure decision trees, and in the verification and validation of these procedures. (orig./HP)

  12. Data collection system. Volume 1, Overview and operators manual; Volume 2, Maintenance manual; Appendices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caudell, R.B.; Bauder, M.E.; Boyer, W.B.; French, R.E.; Isidoro, R.J.; Kaestner, P.C.; Perkins, W.G.

    1993-09-01

    Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Instrumentation Development Department was tasked by the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) to record data on Tektronix RTD720 Digitizers on the HUNTERS TROPHY field test conducted at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) on September 18, 1992. This report contains a overview and description of the computer hardware and software that was used to acquire, reduce, and display the data. The document is divided into two volumes: an overview and operators manual (Volume 1) and a maintenance manual (Volume 2).

  13. Trial operation of the advanced volume reduction facilities for LLW at JAEA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakashio, Nobuyuki; Higuchi, Hidekazu; Momma, Toshiyuki; Kozawa, Kazushige; Touhei, Toshio; Sudou, Tomoyuki; Mitsuda, Motoyuki; Kurosawa, Shigenobu; Hemmi, Kou; Ishikawa, Joji; Kato, Mitsugu; Sato, Motoaki

    2007-01-01

    The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) constructed the Advanced Volume Reduction Facilities (AVRF), in which volume reduction techniques are applied and achieved high volume reduction ratio, homogenization and stabilization by means of melting or super compaction processes for low level radioactive solid wastes. It will be able to produce waste packages for final disposal and to reduce the volume of stored wastes by operating the AVRF. The AVRF consist of the Waste Size Reduction and Storage Facilities (WSRSF) and the Waste Volume Reduction Facilities (WVRF); the former has cutting installations for large size wastes and the latter has melting units and a super compactor. Cutting installations in the WSRSF have been operating since July 1999. Radioactive wastes treated so far amount to 750 m 3 and the volume reduction ratio is from 1.7 to 3.7. The WVRF has been operating with non-radioactive wastes since February 2003 for the training and the homogeneity investigation in the melting processes. The operation of the pretreatment system in the WVRF with radioactive wastes has partly started in FY2005. (author)

  14. Supporting plant operation through computer-based procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez, Victor; Medrano, Javier; Mendez, Julio

    2014-01-01

    Digital Systems are becoming more important in controlling and monitoring nuclear power plant operations. The capabilities of these systems provide additional functions as well as support operators in making decisions and avoiding errors. Regarding Operation Support Systems, an important way of taking advantage of these features is using computer-based procedures (CBPs) tools that enhance the plant operation. Integrating digital systems in analogue controls at nuclear power plants in operation becomes an extra challenge, in contrast to the integration of Digital Control Systems in new nuclear power plants. Considering the potential advantages of using this technology, Tecnatom has designed and developed a CBP platform taking currently operating nuclear power plants as its design basis. The result is a powerful tool which combines the advantages of CBPs and the conventional analogue control systems minimizing negative effects during plant operation and integrating operation aid-systems to support operators. (authors)

  15. A method for risk informing procedures at operating nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nelson, P. F.; Martin del Campo, C., E-mail: pnelson_007@yahoo.com [UNAM, Facultad de Ingenieria, Departamento de Sistemas Energeticos, Paseo Cuauhnahuac No. 8532, Col. Progreso, 62550 Jiutepec, Morelos (Mexico)

    2012-10-15

    The technical approach presented establishes a framework intended to provide the necessary elements for a deployable human performance monitoring program that incorporates insights from plant specific probabilistic risk assessments, human reliability analysis, as well as the development of plant specific human failure data. A human performance monitoring program of this structure would be used to provide the ability to risk inform procedures (e.g., operations or maintenance) to determine the operational risk significance of procedural performance (i.e., precautions, prerequisites, procedure steps), the likelihood of consequential human error dur the performance of the procedure, and the identification of procedure specific barriers to reduce or eliminate consequential human errors. The program would provide the means to assess procedures prior to execution and the means to record and trend human failure events leading to a plant specific human failure database for human activities characterized as pre-initiator. The technical methods and data processing for each of these areas are developed and presented, as well as an example application of an operational procedure error leading to a plant level event (i.e, plant trip). (Author)

  16. Graded changes in enamel component volumes resulted from a short tooth bleaching procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreira, Artemisa Fernanda Moura; Perez, Flávia Maria de Moraes Ramos; Limeira Júnior, Francisco de Assis; de Moura, Mirella de Fátima Liberato; de Sousa, Frederico Barbosa

    2016-05-01

    To test the hypothesis that changes in enamel component volumes (mineral, organic, and water volumes, and permeability) are graded from outer to inner enamel after a short bleaching procedure. Extracted unerupted human third molars had half of their crowns bleached (single bleaching session, 3 × 15 min), and tooth shade changes in bleached parts were analyzed with a spectrophotometer. Ground sections were prepared, component volumes and permeability were quantified at histological points located at varying distances from the enamel surface (n=10 points/location), representing conditions before and after bleaching. Tooth shade changes were significant (pbleaching, except at the outer layers. Multiple analysis of covariances revealed that most of the variance of the change in enamel composition after bleaching was explained by the combination of the set of types of component volume (in decreasing order of relevance: mineral loss, organic gain, water gain, and decrease in permeability) with the set of distances from the enamel surface (graded from the enamel surface inward) (canonical R(2)=0.97; p99%). Changes in enamel composition after a short bleaching procedure followed a gradient within component volumes (mineral loss>organic gain>water gain>decrease in permeability) and decreased from the enamel surface inward. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Integration of emergency action levels with Combustion Engineering Emergency Operating Procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faletti, D.W.; Jamison, J.D.

    1985-09-01

    This report documents the development of a method for integrating Emergency Action Levels (EALs) with plant-specific Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) using the Combustion Engineering Owners' Group Emergency Operating Procedure Technical Guidelines (CEOG EOPTFs). EALs are discrete conditions or values of plant operating parameters which, if exceeded, require declaration of an appropriate level of emergency. At most operating plants, the EALs and event classification procedures are totally separate from the Emergency Operating Procedures used by the plant staff to control the plant during abnormal conditions. Control room personnel using the EOPs to deal with abnormal plant conditions must recognize when plant safety is sufficiently degraded that an emergency declaration may be warranted, and then enter a separate classification procedure containing EALs for a number of plant conditions and parameters. The operator then compares the existing plant conditions to the EALs and makes an emergency declaration accordingly. Using the Combustion Engineering Owners' Group Technical Guidelines document, a set of emergency class definitions and criteria were developed based on the status of the three main fission product barriers (fuel cladding, primary coolant system and containment). The EOPTGs were then annotated with suggested guidance to a procedure writer. The proposed method was tested by applying it to the reactor accident sequences that were shown in the reactor safety study to dominate accident risk. The object of the test was to determine if an EAL set linked to the EOP annotations would produce timely and accurate classification of the risk-dominant sequences. 6 refs., 13 figs., 31 tabs

  18. General least-squares fitting procedures to minimize the volume of a hyperellipsoid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wadlinger, E.A.

    1979-01-01

    Several methods for determining the shape parameters, which in two dimensions are the Courant-Snyder parameters, and the volume of an ellipse or hyperellipse that represent a set of phase-space points in a two or more dimensional hyperspace are presented. The ellipse parameters are useful for matching a beam to an accelerating or transport system and in studies of emittance growth. The fitting procedure minimizes the total volume of a hyperellipse by adjusting the ellipse shape parameters. The total volume is the sum of the individual particle volumes defined by the hyperellipse that passes through the phase-space point of a particle. A two-dimensional space is considered first; the results are then generalized to higher dimensions. Computer programs using these techniques were written. 1 figure

  19. Identifying cognitive complexity factors affecting the complexity of procedural steps in emergency operating procedures of a nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jinkyun; Jeong, Kwangsup; Jung, Wondea

    2005-01-01

    In complex systems such as a nuclear and chemical plant, it is well known that the provision of understandable procedures that allow operators to clarify what needs to be done and how to do it is one of the requisites to secure their safety. As a previous study in providing understandable procedures, the step complexity (SC) measure that can quantify the complexity of procedural steps in emergency operating procedures (EOPs) of a nuclear power plant (NPP) was suggested. However, the necessity of additional complexity factors that can consider a cognitive aspect in evaluating the complexity of procedural steps is raised. To this end, the comparisons between operators' performance data measured by the form of a step performance time with their behavior in carrying out the prescribed activities of procedural steps are conducted in this study. As a result, two kinds of complexity factors (the abstraction level of knowledge and the level of engineering decision) that could affect an operator's cognitive burden are identified. Although a well-designed experiment is indispensable for confirming the appropriateness of the additional complexity factors, it is strongly believed that the change of operators' performance data can be more authentically explained if the additional complexity factors are taken into consideration

  20. Identifying cognitive complexity factors affecting the complexity of procedural steps in emergency operating procedures of a nuclear power plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jinkyun [Integrated Safety Assessment Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, P.O. Box 105, Duckjin-Dong, Yusong-Ku, Taejon 305-600 (Korea, Republic of)]. E-mail: kshpjk@kaeri.re.kr; Jeong, Kwangsup [Integrated Safety Assessment Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, P.O. Box 105, Duckjin-Dong, Yusong-Ku, Taejon 305-600 (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Wondea [Integrated Safety Assessment Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, P.O. Box 105, Duckjin-Dong, Yusong-Ku, Taejon 305-600 (Korea, Republic of)

    2005-08-01

    In complex systems such as a nuclear and chemical plant, it is well known that the provision of understandable procedures that allow operators to clarify what needs to be done and how to do it is one of the requisites to secure their safety. As a previous study in providing understandable procedures, the step complexity (SC) measure that can quantify the complexity of procedural steps in emergency operating procedures (EOPs) of a nuclear power plant (NPP) was suggested. However, the necessity of additional complexity factors that can consider a cognitive aspect in evaluating the complexity of procedural steps is raised. To this end, the comparisons between operators' performance data measured by the form of a step performance time with their behavior in carrying out the prescribed activities of procedural steps are conducted in this study. As a result, two kinds of complexity factors (the abstraction level of knowledge and the level of engineering decision) that could affect an operator's cognitive burden are identified. Although a well-designed experiment is indispensable for confirming the appropriateness of the additional complexity factors, it is strongly believed that the change of operators' performance data can be more authentically explained if the additional complexity factors are taken into consideration.

  1. Identifying cognitive complexity factors affecting the complexity of procedural steps in emergency operating procedures of a nuclear power plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jinkyun Park; Kwangsup Jeong; Wondea Jung [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea). Integrated Safety Assessment Division

    2005-08-15

    In complex systems such as a nuclear and chemical plant, it is well known that the provision of understandable procedures that allow operators to clarify what needs to be done and how to do it is one of the requisites to secure their safety. As a previous study in providing understandable procedures, the step complexity (SC) measure that can quantify the complexity of procedural steps in emergency operating procedures (EOPs) of a nuclear power plant (NPP) was suggested. However, the necessity of additional complexity factors that can consider a cognitive aspect in evaluating the complexity of procedural steps is raised. To this end, the comparisons between operator' performance data measured by the form of a step performance time with their behavior in carrying out the prescribed activities of procedural steps are conducted in this study. As a result, two kinds of complexity factors (the abstraction level of knowledge and the level of engineering decision) that could affect an operator's cognitive burden are identified. Although a well-designed experiment is indispensable for confirming the appropriateness of the additional complexity factors, it is strongly believed that the change of operators' performance data can be more authentically explained if the additional complexity factors are taken into consideration. (author)

  2. Soil washing physical separations test procedure - 300-FF-1 operable unit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Belden, R.D.

    1993-10-08

    This procedure provides the operations approach, a field sampling plan, and laboratory procedures for a soil washing test to be conducted by Alternative Remedial Technologies, Inc. (ART) in the 300-FF-1 area at the Hanford site. The {open_quotes}Quality Assurance Project Plan for the Soil Washing Physical Separations Test, 300-FF-1 Operable Unit,{close_quotes} Hanford, Washington, Alternative Remedial Technologies, Inc., February 1994 (QAPP) is provided in a separate document that presents the procedural and organizational guidelines for this test. This document describes specifications, responsibilities, and general procedures to be followed to conduct physical separation soil treatability tests in the North Process Pond of the 300-FF-1 Operable Unit (OU) at the Hanford Site. These procedures are based on the {open_quotes}300-FF-1 Physical Separations CERCLA Treatability Test Plan, DOE/RL 92-2l,{close_quotes} (DOE-RL 1993).

  3. Soil washing physical separations test procedure - 300-FF-1 operable unit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belden, R.D.

    1993-01-01

    This procedure provides the operations approach, a field sampling plan, and laboratory procedures for a soil washing test to be conducted by Alternative Remedial Technologies, Inc. (ART) in the 300-FF-1 area at the Hanford site. The open-quotes Quality Assurance Project Plan for the Soil Washing Physical Separations Test, 300-FF-1 Operable Unit,close quotes Hanford, Washington, Alternative Remedial Technologies, Inc., February 1994 (QAPP) is provided in a separate document that presents the procedural and organizational guidelines for this test. This document describes specifications, responsibilities, and general procedures to be followed to conduct physical separation soil treatability tests in the North Process Pond of the 300-FF-1 Operable Unit (OU) at the Hanford Site. These procedures are based on the open-quotes 300-FF-1 Physical Separations CERCLA Treatability Test Plan, DOE/RL 92-2l,close quotes (DOE-RL 1993)

  4. Control procedure for well drilling operations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bourdon, J C

    1988-09-09

    A control procedure of rotary drilling operations is proposed. It uses the Drill off test. The drill-off test permits to determine the rock drill speed variation as a function of the wright applied on the top of the pipe. We can deduce from that a rock drill wear parameter. The method permits to prevent a rupture and its grave economic consequences.

  5. Manpower development for safe operation of nuclear power plant. China. Emergency operating procedures. Activity: 5.1.4-Task-11. Technical report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walsh, L.A.

    1994-01-01

    This report covers the period of engagement from July 11, 1994 through July 22, 1994. The events and topics of discussion are as follows: History of Emergency Operating Procedure EOP Development; Emergency Operating Procedures (Event Based, Critical Safe Function Status Trees and Functional Recovery Response Procedures); Transition from Emergency Operating Procedures to Severe Accident Management Guidelines

  6. Energy conservation aircraft design and operational procedures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poisson-Quinton, P.

    1978-01-01

    The paper reviews studies associated with improved fuel efficiency. Several aircraft design concepts are described including: (1) increases in aerodynamic efficiency through decreased friction drag, parasitic drag, and drag due to lift, (2) structural efficiency and the implementation of composite materials, (3) active control technology, (4) the optimization of airframe-engine integration, and (5) VTOL and STOL concepts. Consideration is also given to operational procedures associated with flight management, terminal-area operations, and the influence of environmental noise constraints on fuel economy.

  7. Procedural volume, cost, and reimbursement of outpatient incisional hernia repair: implications for payers and providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Chao; Liu, Emelline; Tackett, Scott; Shi, Lizheng; Marcus, Daniel

    2017-06-01

    This analysis aimed to evaluate trends in volumes and costs of primary elective incisional ventral hernia repairs (IVHRs) and investigated potential cost implications of moving procedures from inpatient to outpatient settings. A time series study was conducted using the Premier Hospital Perspective ® Database (Premier database) for elective IVHR identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth revision, Clinical Modification codes. IVHR procedure volumes and costs were determined for inpatient, outpatient, minimally invasive surgery (MIS), and open procedures from January 2008-June 2015. Initial visit costs were inflation-adjusted to 2015 US dollars. Median costs were used to analyze variation by site of care and payer. Quantile regression on median costs was conducted in covariate-adjusted models. Cost impact of potential outpatient migration was estimated from a Medicare perspective. During the study period, the trend for outpatient procedures in obese and non-obese populations increased. Inpatient and outpatient MIS procedures experienced a steady growth in adoption over their open counterparts. Overall median costs increased over time, and inpatient costs were often double outpatient costs. An economic model demonstrated that a 5% shift of inpatient procedures to outpatient MIS procedures can have a cost surplus of ∼ US $1.8 million for provider or a cost-saving impact of US $1.7 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services perspective. The study was limited by information in the Premier database. No data were available for IVHR cases performed in free-standing ambulatory surgery centers or federal healthcare facilities. Volumes and costs of outpatient IVHRs and MIS procedures increased from January 2008-June 2015. Median costs were significantly higher for inpatients than outpatients, and the difference was particularly evident for obese patients. A substantial cost difference between inpatient and outpatient MIS cases

  8. Evaluation of nuclear power plant operating procedures classifications and interfaces: Problems and techniques for improvement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnes, V.E.; Radford, L.R.

    1987-02-01

    This report presents activities and findings of a project designed to evaluate current practices and problems related to procedure classification schemes and procedure interfaces in commercial nuclear power plants. The phrase ''procedure classification scheme'' refers to how plant operating procedures are categorized and indexed (e.g., normal, abnormal, emergency operating procedures). The term ''procedure interface'' refers to how reactor operators are instructed to transition within and between procedures. The project consisted of four key tasks, including (1) a survey of literature regarding problems associated with procedure classifications and interfaces, as well as techniques for overcoming them; (2) interviews with experts in the nuclear industry to discuss the appropriate scope of different classes of operating procedures and techniques for managing interfaces between them; (3) a reanalysis of data gathered about nuclear power plant normal operating and off-normal operating procedures in a related project, ''Program Plan for Assessing and Upgrading Operating Procedures for Nuclear Power Plants''; and (4) solicitation of the comments and expert opinions of a peer review group on the draft project report and on proposed techniques for resolving classification and interface issues. In addition to describing these activities and their results, recommendations for NRC and utility actions to address procedure classification and interface problems are offered

  9. Experimental studies of computerized procedures and team size in nuclear power plant operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, F.-H.; Hwang, S.-L.

    2009-01-01

    The operation of a nuclear power plant is so complex that it requires teamwork. To support team performance, a system need to provide all team members integrated information displays as well as decision aids (e.g., computerized procedures). Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of computerized procedures and team size on operating performance. Forty-five participants were involved in the experiments. Each participant executed decision and action tasks to deal with alarm signals, while detecting occasional system errors in the interface. Results showed that effects of computerized procedures were significant on various performance indicators, such as operation time, operation errors, and learning effect, and that two operators would be a satisfactory size in the teamwork system providing computerized procedures

  10. Technical operations procedure for assembly and emplacement of the soil temperature test--test assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, A.P.

    1978-01-01

    A description is given of the plan for assembly, instrumentation, emplacement, and operational checkout of the soil temperature test assembly and dry well liner. The activities described cover all operations necessary to accomplish the receiving inspection, instrumentation and pre-construction handling of the dry well liner, plus all operations performed with the test article. Actual details of construction work are not covered by this procedure. Each part and/or section of this procedure is a separate function to be accomplished as required by the nature of the operation. The organization of the procedure is not intended to imply a special operational sequence or schedular requirement. Specific procedure operational sections include: receiving inspection; liner assembly operations; construction operations (by others); prepare shield plug; test article assembly and installation; and operational checkout

  11. Pre-operative renal volume predicts peak creatinine after congenital heart surgery in neonates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmody, J Bryan; Seckeler, Michael D; Ballengee, Cortney R; Conaway, Mark; Jayakumar, K Anitha; Charlton, Jennifer R

    2014-10-01

    Acute kidney injury is common in neonates following surgery for congenital heart disease. We conducted a retrospective analysis to determine whether neonates with smaller pre-operative renal volume were more likely to develop post-operative acute kidney injury. We conducted a retrospective review of 72 neonates who underwent congenital heart surgery for any lesion other than patent ductus arteriosus at our institution from January 2007 to December 2011. Renal volume was calculated by ultrasound using the prolate ellipsoid formula. The presence and severity of post-operative acute kidney injury was determined both by measuring the peak serum creatinine in the first 7 days post-operatively and by using the Acute Kidney Injury Network scoring system. Using a linear change point model, a threshold renal volume of 17 cm³ was identified. Below this threshold, there was an inverse linear relationship between renal volume and peak post-operative creatinine for all patients (p = 0.036) and the subgroup with a single morphologic right ventricle (p = 0.046). There was a non-significant trend towards more acute kidney injury using Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria in all neonates with renal volume ≤17 cm³ (p = 0.11) and in the subgroup with a single morphologic right ventricle (p = 0.17). Pre-operative renal volume ≤17 cm³ is associated with a higher peak post-operative creatinine and potentially greater risk for post-operative acute kidney injury for neonates undergoing congenital heart surgery. Neonates with a single right ventricle may be at higher risk.

  12. Apollo-Soyuz test project. Operations handbook command/service/docking modules (CSM 119/DM 1): Operational procedures reference issue

    Science.gov (United States)

    1974-01-01

    Operational and configuration checks for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project are presented. The checks include: backup crew prelaunch, prime crew prelaunch, boost and insertion, G and C reference data, G and N reference modes, rendezvous, navigation, Apollo-Soyuz operations, abort procedures, and emergency procedures.

  13. Acceptance/operational test procedure 101-AW tank camera purge system and 101-AW video camera system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castleberry, J.L.

    1994-01-01

    This procedure will document the satisfactory operation of the 101-AW Tank Camera Purge System (CPS) and the 101-AW Video Camera System. The safety interlock which shuts down all the electronics inside the 101-AW vapor space, during loss of purge pressure, will be in place and tested to ensure reliable performance. This procedure is separated into four sections. Section 6.1 is performed in the 306 building prior to delivery to the 200 East Tank Farms and involves leak checking all fittings on the 101-AW Purge Panel for leakage using a Snoop solution and resolving the leakage. Section 7.1 verifies that PR-1, the regulator which maintains a positive pressure within the volume (cameras and pneumatic lines), is properly set. In addition the green light (PRESSURIZED) (located on the Purge Control Panel) is verified to turn on above 10 in. w.g. and after the time delay (TDR) has timed out. Section 7.2 verifies that the purge cycle functions properly, the red light (PURGE ON) comes on, and that the correct flowrate is obtained to meet the requirements of the National Fire Protection Association. Section 7.3 verifies that the pan and tilt, camera, associated controls and components operate correctly. This section also verifies that the safety interlock system operates correctly during loss of purge pressure. During the loss of purge operation the illumination of the amber light (PURGE FAILED) will be verified

  14. Automated operator procedure prompting for startup of Experimental Breeder Reactor-2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Renshaw, A.W.; Ball, S.J.; Ford, C.E.

    1990-11-01

    This report describes the development of an operator procedure prompting aid for startup of a nuclear reactor. This operator aid is a preliminary design for a similar aid that eventually will be used with the Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor (ALMR) presently in the design stage. Two approaches were used to develop this operator procedure prompting aid. One method uses an expert system software shell, and the other method uses database software. The preliminary requirements strongly pointed toward features traditionally associated with both database and expert systems software. Database software usually provides data manipulation flexibility and user interface tools, and expert systems tools offer sophisticated data representation and reasoning capabilities. Both methods, including software and associated hardware, are described in this report. Proposals for future enhancements to improve the expert system approach to procedure prompting and for developing other operator aids are also offered. 25 refs., 14 figs

  15. Automated operator procedure prompting for startup of Experimental Breeder Reactor-2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Renshaw, A.W.; Ball, S.J.; Ford, C.E.

    1990-11-01

    This report describes the development of an operator procedure prompting aid for startup of a nuclear reactor. This operator aid is a preliminary design for a similar aid that eventually will be used with the Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor (ALMR) presently in the design stage. Two approaches were used to develop this operator procedure prompting aid. One method uses an expert system software shell, and the other method uses database software. The preliminary requirements strongly pointed toward features traditionally associated with both database and expert systems software. Database software usually provides data manipulation flexibility and user interface tools, and expert systems tools offer sophisticated data representation and reasoning capabilities. Both methods, including software and associated hardware, are described in this report. Proposals for future enhancements to improve the expert system approach to procedure prompting and for developing other operator aids are also offered. 25 refs., 14 figs.

  16. Large-Scale Multi-Resolution Representations for Accurate Interactive Image and Volume Operations

    KAUST Repository

    Sicat, Ronell B.

    2015-11-25

    The resolutions of acquired image and volume data are ever increasing. However, the resolutions of commodity display devices remain limited. This leads to an increasing gap between data and display resolutions. To bridge this gap, the standard approach is to employ output-sensitive operations on multi-resolution data representations. Output-sensitive operations facilitate interactive applications since their required computations are proportional only to the size of the data that is visible, i.e., the output, and not the full size of the input. Multi-resolution representations, such as image mipmaps, and volume octrees, are crucial in providing these operations direct access to any subset of the data at any resolution corresponding to the output. Despite its widespread use, this standard approach has some shortcomings in three important application areas, namely non-linear image operations, multi-resolution volume rendering, and large-scale image exploration. This dissertation presents new multi-resolution representations for large-scale images and volumes that address these shortcomings. Standard multi-resolution representations require low-pass pre-filtering for anti- aliasing. However, linear pre-filters do not commute with non-linear operations. This becomes problematic when applying non-linear operations directly to any coarse resolution levels in standard representations. Particularly, this leads to inaccurate output when applying non-linear image operations, e.g., color mapping and detail-aware filters, to multi-resolution images. Similarly, in multi-resolution volume rendering, this leads to inconsistency artifacts which manifest as erroneous differences in rendering outputs across resolution levels. To address these issues, we introduce the sparse pdf maps and sparse pdf volumes representations for large-scale images and volumes, respectively. These representations sparsely encode continuous probability density functions (pdfs) of multi-resolution pixel

  17. A toolkit for computerized operating procedure of complex industrial systems with IVI-COM technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Yangping; Dong Yujie; Huang Xiaojing; Ye Jingliang; Yoshikawa, Hidekazu

    2013-01-01

    A human interface toolkit is proposed to help the user develop computerized operating procedure of complex industrial system such as Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). Coupled with a friendly graphical interface, this integrated tool includes a database, a procedure editor and a procedure executor. A three layer hierarchy is adopted to express the complexity of operating procedure, which includes mission, process and node. There are 10 kinds of node: entrance, exit, hint, manual input, detector, actuator, data treatment, branch, judgment and plug-in. The computerized operating procedure will sense and actuate the actual industrial systems with the interface based on IVI-COM (Interchangeable Virtual Instrumentation-Component Object Model) technology. A prototype system of this human interface toolkit has been applied to develop a simple computerized operating procedure for a simulated NPP. (author)

  18. Development and application of emergency operating procedures for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin Chengge

    1990-01-01

    The development and application of emergency operating procedures (EOPs) is an important measure to assure the operational safety for nuclear power plants. Event-oriented, symptom-, function- and state-oriented EOPs with their structures, interfaces, development procedures and practical application are described. The ideas and approach can be available for the preparation of EOPs for nuclear power plants which are going to be in service

  19. Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) procedure compendium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    This volume contains the interim change notice for the safety operation procedure for hot cell. It covers the master-slave manipulators, dry waste removal, cell transfers, hoists, cask handling, liquid waste system, and physical characterization of fluids

  20. Preliminary Validation of the Small Aircraft Transportation System Higher Volume Operations (SATS HVO) Concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Daniel; Consiglio, Maria; Murdoch, Jennifer; Adams, Catherine

    2004-01-01

    This document provides a preliminary validation of the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Higher Volume Operations (HVO) concept for normal conditions. Initial results reveal that the concept provides reduced air traffic delays when compared to current operations without increasing pilot workload. Characteristic to the SATS HVO concept is the establishment of a newly defined area of flight operations called a Self-Controlled Area (SCA) which would be activated by air traffic control (ATC) around designated non-towered, non-radar airports. During periods of poor visibility, SATS pilots would take responsibility for separation assurance between their aircraft and other similarly equipped aircraft in the SCA. Using onboard equipment and simple instrument flight procedures, they would then be better able to approach and land at the airport or depart from it. This concept would also require a new, ground-based automation system, typically located at the airport that would provide appropriate sequencing information to the arriving aircraft. Further validation of the SATS HVO concept is required and is the subject of ongoing research and subsequent publications.

  1. Operating experience and procedures at the tritium systems test assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carlson, R.V.; Binning, K.E.; Cole, S.P.; Jenkins, E.M.; Wilhelm, R.C.; Cole, S.P.

    1988-01-01

    Operating procedures are important for the safe and efficient operation of the Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA). TSTA has been operating for four years with tritium in a safe and efficient manner. The inventory of tritium in the process loop is 100 grams and several milestone runs have been completed. This paper describes the methods used to operate TSTA. 3 refs., 1 fig

  2. How to develop a Standard Operating Procedure for sorting unfixed cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmid, Ingrid

    2012-01-01

    Written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are an important tool to assure that recurring tasks in a laboratory are performed in a consistent manner. When the procedure covered in the SOP involves a high-risk activity such as sorting unfixed cells using a jet-in-air sorter, safety elements are critical components of the document. The details on sort sample handling, sorter set-up, validation, operation, troubleshooting, and maintenance, personal protective equipment (PPE), and operator training, outlined in the SOP are to be based on careful risk assessment of the procedure. This review provides background information on the hazards associated with sorting of unfixed cells and the process used to arrive at the appropriate combination of facility design, instrument placement, safety equipment, and practices to be followed. PMID:22381383

  3. How to develop a standard operating procedure for sorting unfixed cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmid, Ingrid

    2012-07-01

    Written standard operating procedures (SOPs) are an important tool to assure that recurring tasks in a laboratory are performed in a consistent manner. When the procedure covered in the SOP involves a high-risk activity such as sorting unfixed cells using a jet-in-air sorter, safety elements are critical components of the document. The details on sort sample handling, sorter set-up, validation, operation, troubleshooting, and maintenance, personal protective equipment (PPE), and operator training, outlined in the SOP are to be based on careful risk assessment of the procedure. This review provides background information on the hazards associated with sorting of unfixed cells and the process used to arrive at the appropriate combination of facility design, instrument placement, safety equipment, and practices to be followed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Preliminary Investigation of Time Remaining Display on the Computer-based Emergency Operating Procedure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suryono, T. J.; Gofuku, A.

    2018-02-01

    One of the important thing in the mitigation of accidents in nuclear power plant accidents is time management. The accidents should be resolved as soon as possible in order to prevent the core melting and the release of radioactive material to the environment. In this case, operators should follow the emergency operating procedure related with the accident, in step by step order and in allowable time. Nowadays, the advanced main control rooms are equipped with computer-based procedures (CBPs) which is make it easier for operators to do their tasks of monitoring and controlling the reactor. However, most of the CBPs do not include the time remaining display feature which informs operators of time available for them to execute procedure steps and warns them if the they reach the time limit. Furthermore, the feature will increase the awareness of operators about their current situation in the procedure. This paper investigates this issue. The simplified of emergency operating procedure (EOP) of steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) accident of PWR plant is applied. In addition, the sequence of actions on each step of the procedure is modelled using multilevel flow modelling (MFM) and influenced propagation rule. The prediction of action time on each step is acquired based on similar case accidents and the Support Vector Regression. The derived time will be processed and then displayed on a CBP user interface.

  5. Hospital volumes and later year of operation correlates with better outcomes in acute Type A aortic dissection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Geirsson, Arnar; Ahlsson, Anders; Franco-Cereceda, Anders

    2018-01-01

    and C and cardiopulmonary bypass time, whereas later calendar year and higher hospital operative volumes predicted improved survival. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical mortality for acute Type A aortic dissection remains high but has decreased significantly over the last decade. This correlated with later year...... A Aortic Dissection is a retrospective database comprising 1159 patients (mean age 61.6 ± 12.2 years, 68% male) treated for acute Type A aortic dissection at 8 centres in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden from 2005 to 2014. Data gathered included demographics, symptoms, type of procedure, complications...

  6. Military Publications, Index of Test Operations Procedures

    Science.gov (United States)

    1981-10-01

    serial number, aad design information for majur components. Prescribes vehicle, major component, and system descrip- tive elements required; such as...mount operating characteristics. Discusses preparation for test, instrumentation, and facil- ities. Describes procedures for force measurement, carriage...backlash and accuracy, turret friction, gun balance, manual handcrank force , manual response ratio, weapon and sighting system backlash, power controller

  7. A cadaveric procedural anatomy simulation course improves video-based assessment of operative performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Gaurav; Aycart, Mario A; O'Mara, Lynne; Havens, Joaquim; Nehs, Matthew; Shimizu, Naomi; Smink, Douglas S; Gravereaux, Edwin; Gates, Jonathan D; Askari, Reza

    2018-03-01

    Inadequate anatomic knowledge has been cited as a major contributor to declining surgical resident operative competence. We analyzed the impact of a comprehensive, procedurally oriented cadaveric procedural anatomy dissection laboratory on the operative performance of surgery residents, hypothesizing that trainees' performance of surgical procedures would improve after such a dissection course. Midlevel general surgery residents (n = 9) participated in an 8 wk, 16-h surgery faculty-led procedurally oriented cadaver simulation course. Both before and after completion of the course, residents participated in a practical examination, in which they were randomized to perform one of nine Surgical Council on Resident Education-designated "essential" procedures. The procedures were recorded using wearable video technology. Videos were deidentified before evaluation by six faculty raters blinded to examinee and whether performances occurred before or after an examinee had taken the course. Raters used the validated Operative Performance Rating System and Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill scales. After the course residents had higher procedure-specific scores (median, 4.0 versus 2.4, P 4.0 versus 3.0, P = 0.006), respect for tissue (4.0 versus 3.0, P = 0.0004), time and motion (3.0 versus 2.0, P = 0.0007), operation flow (3.0 versus 2.0, P = 0.0005), procedural knowledge (4.0 versus 2.0, P = 0.0001), and overall performance scores (4.0 versus 2.0, P < 0.0001). Operative Performance Rating System and Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill scales averaged by number of items in each were also higher (3.2 versus 2.0, P = 0.0002 and 3.1 versus 2.2, P = 0.002, respectively). A cadaveric procedural anatomy simulation course covering a broad range of open general surgery procedures was associated with significant improvements in trainees' operative performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Operational test procedure for SY tank farm replacement exhauster unit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McClees, J.

    1995-01-01

    This operational test procedure will verify that the remaining functions not tested per WHC-SD-WM-ATP-080, or components disturbed during final installation, as well as interfaces with other tank farm equipment and remote monitoring stations are operating correctly

  9. Acquisition of Formal Operations: The Effects of Two Training Procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenthal, Doreen A.

    1979-01-01

    A study of 11- and 12-year-old girls indicates that either of two training procedures, method training or dimension training, can aid in the transition from concrete operational to formal operational thought by promoting a hypothesis-testing attitude. (BH)

  10. Automated Kick Control Procedure for an Influx in Managed Pressure Drilling Operations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Zhou

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Within drilling of oil and gas wells, the Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD method with active control of wellbore pressure during drilling has partly evolved from conventional well control procedures. However, for MPD operations the instrumentation is typically more extensive compared to conventional drilling. Despite this, any influx of formation fluids (commonly known as a kick during MPD operations is typically handled by conventional well control methods, at least if the kick is estimated to be larger than a threshold value. Conventional well control procedures rely on manual control of the blow out preventer, pumps, and choke valves and do not capitalize on the benefits from the instrumentation level associated with MPD. This paper investigates two alternative well control procedures specially adapted to backpressure MPD: the dynamic shut-in (DSI procedure and the automatic kick control (AKC procedure. Both methods capitalize on improvements in Pressure While Drilling (PWD technology. A commercially available PWD tool buffers high-resolution pressure measurements, which can be used in an automated well control procedure. By using backpressure MPD, the choke valve opening is tuned automatically using a feedback-feedforward control method. The two procedures are evaluated using a high fidelity well flow model and cases from a North Sea drilling operation are simulated. The results show that using AKC procedure reduces the time needed to establish control of the well compared to DSI procedure. It also indicates that the AKC procedure reduces the total kick size compared to the DSI procedure, and thereby reduces the risk of lost circulation.

  11. Extension of emergency operating procedures for severe accident management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiang, S.C.

    1992-01-01

    To enhance the capability of reactor operators to cope with the hypothetical severe accident its the key issue for utilities. Taiwan Power Company has started the enhancement programs on extension of emergency operating procedures (EOPs). It includes the review of existing LOPs based on the conclusions and recommendations of probabilistic risk assessment studies to confirm the operator actions. Then the plant specific analysis for accident management strategy will be performed and the existing EOPs will be updated accordingly

  12. INERT Atmosphere confinement operability test procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    RISENMAY, H.R.

    1999-01-01

    This Operability Test Procedure (OTP) provides instructions for testing operability of the Inert Atmosphere Confinement (IAC). The Inert Atmosphere Confinement was designed and built for opening cans of metal items that might have hydrided surfaces. Unreviewed Safety Question (USQ) PFP-97-005 addresses the discovery of suspected plutonium hydride forming on plutonium metal currently stored in the Plutonium Finishing Plant vaults. Plutonium hydride reacts quickly with air, liberating energy. The Inert Atmosphere Confinement was designed to prevent this sudden liberation of energy by opening the material in an inert argon atmosphere instead of the normal glovebox atmosphere. The IAC is located in glovebox HC-21A, room 230B of the 234-5Z Building at the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) in the 200-West Area of the Hanford Site

  13. Risk of Venous Thromboembolism and Operative Duration in Patients Undergoing Neurosurgical Procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekelis, Kimon; Labropoulos, Nicos; Coy, Shannon

    2017-05-01

    The association of operative duration with the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) has not been quantified in neurosurgery. To investigate the association of surgical duration for several neurosurgical procedures and the incidence of VTE. We performed a retrospective cohort study involving patients who underwent neurosurgical procedures from 2005 to 2012 and were registered in the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Project registry. In order to control for confounding, we used multivariable regression models, and propensity score conditioning. During the study period, there were 94 747 patients, who underwent neurosurgical procedures, and met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 1358 (1.0%) developed VTE within 30 days postoperatively. Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated an association of longer operative duration with higher 30-day incidence of VTE (odds ratio [OR], 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-1.25). Compared with procedures of moderate duration (third quintile, 40-60th percentile), patients undergoing the longest procedures (>80th percentile) had higher odds (OR, 3.15; 95% CI, 2.49-3.99) of developing VTE. The shortest procedures (<20th percentile) were associated with a decreased incidence of VTE (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.27-0.76) in comparison to those of moderate duration. The same associations were present in propensity score-adjusted models, and models stratified by subgroups of cranial, spinal, peripheral nerve, and carotid procedures. In a cohort of patients from a national prospective surgical registry, increased operative duration was associated with increased incidence of VTE for neurosurgical procedures. These results can be used by neurosurgeons to inform operative management, and to stratify patients with regard to VTE risk. Copyright © 2016 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

  14. [Handling modern imaging procedures in a high-tech operating room].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hüfner, T; Citak, M; Imrecke, J; Krettek, C; Stübig, T

    2012-03-01

    Operating rooms are the central unit in the hospital network in trauma centers. In this area, high costs but also high revenues are generated. Modern operating theater concepts as an integrated model have been offered by different companies since the early 2000s. Our hypothesis is that integrative concepts for operating rooms, in addition to improved operating room ergonomics, have the potential for measurable time and cost savings. In our clinic, an integrated operating room concept (I-Suite, Stryker, Duisburg) was implemented after analysis of the problems. In addition to the ceiling-mounted arrangement, the system includes an endoscopy unit, a navigation system, and a voice control system. In the first 6 months (9/2005 to 2/2006), 112 procedures were performed in the integrated operating room: 34 total knee arthroplasties, 12 endoscopic spine surgeries, and 66 inpatient arthroscopic procedures (28 shoulder and 38 knee reconstructions). The analysis showed a daily saving of 22-45 min, corresponding to 15-30% of the daily changeover times, calculated to account for potential savings in the internal cost allocation of 225-450 EUR. A commercial operating room concept was evaluated in a pilot phase in terms of hard data, including time and cost factors. Besides the described effects further savings might be achieved through the effective use of voice control and the benefit of the sterile handle on the navigation camera, since waiting times for an additional nurse are minimized. The time of the procedure of intraoperative imaging is also reduced due to the ceiling-mounted concept, as the C-arm can be moved freely in the operating theater without hindering cables. By these measures and ensuing improved efficiency, the initial high costs for the implementation of the system may be cushioned over time.

  15. Evaluating North Carolina Food Pantry Food Safety-Related Operating Procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaifetz, Ashley; Chapman, Benjamin

    2015-11-01

    Almost one in seven American households were food insecure in 2012, experiencing difficulty in providing enough food for all family members due to a lack of resources. Food pantries assist a food-insecure population through emergency food provision, but there is a paucity of information on the food safety-related operating procedures used in the pantries. Food pantries operate in a variable regulatory landscape; in some jurisdictions, they are treated equivalent to restaurants, while in others, they operate outside of inspection regimes. By using a mixed methods approach to catalog the standard operating procedures related to food in 105 food pantries from 12 North Carolina counties, we evaluated their potential impact on food safety. Data collected through interviews with pantry managers were supplemented with observed food safety practices scored against a modified version of the North Carolina Food Establishment Inspection Report. Pantries partnered with organized food bank networks were compared with those that operated independently. In this exploratory research, additional comparisons were examined for pantries in metropolitan areas versus nonmetropolitan areas and pantries with managers who had received food safety training versus managers who had not. The results provide a snapshot of how North Carolina food pantries operate and document risk mitigation strategies for foodborne illness for the vulnerable populations they serve. Data analysis reveals gaps in food safety knowledge and practice, indicating that pantries would benefit from more effective food safety training, especially focusing on formalizing risk management strategies. In addition, new tools, procedures, or policy interventions might improve information actualization by food pantry personnel.

  16. Intra-operative removal of chest tube in video-assisted thoracoscopic procedures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moustafa M. El-Badry

    2017-12-01

    Conclusions: Intra-operative removal of chest tube during VATS procedures was a safe technique in well selected patients with an intra-operative successful air-leak test with radiological and clinical follow-up. This technique provided lesser post-operative pain with shorter hospital stay.

  17. 49 CFR 195.402 - Procedural manual for operations, maintenance, and emergencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... operating conditions by monitoring pressure, temperature, flow or other appropriate operational data and...) Minimization of public exposure to injury and probability of accidental ignition by assisting with evacuation... SAFETY TRANSPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS LIQUIDS BY PIPELINE Operation and Maintenance § 195.402 Procedural...

  18. Operational limits and conditions and operating procedures for nuclear power plants. Safety guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2005-01-01

    This Safety Guide was prepared as part of the Agency's programme for establishing safety standards relating to nuclear power plants. The present Safety Guide supersedes the IAEA Safety Guide on Operational Limits and Conditions for Nuclear Power Plants which was issued in 1979 as Safety Series No. 50-SG-O3. For a nuclear power plant to be operated in a safe manner, the provisions made in the final design and subsequent modifications shall be reflected in limitations on plant operating parameters and in the requirements on plant equipment and personnel. Under the responsibility of the operating organization, these shall be developed during the design safety evaluation as a set of operational limits and conditions (OLCs). A major contribution to compliance with the OLCs is made by the development and utilization of operating procedures (OPs) that are consistent with and fully implement the OLCs. The requirements for the OLCs and OPs are established in Section 5 of the IAEA Safety Requirements publication Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which this Safety Guide supplements. The purpose of this Safety Guide is to provide guidance on the development, content and implementation of OLCs and OPs. The Safety Guide is directed at both regulators and owners/operators. This Safety Guide covers the concept of OLCs, their content as applicable to land based stationary power plants with thermal neutron reactors, and the responsibilities of the operating organization regarding their establishment, modification, compliance and documentation. The OPs to support the implementation of the OLCs and to ensure their observance are also within the scope of this Safety Guide. The particular aspects of the procedures for maintenance, surveillance, in-service inspection and other safety related activities in connection with the safe operation of nuclear power plants are outside the scope of this Safety Guide but can be found in other IAEA Safety Guides. Section 2 indicates the

  19. Operational limits and conditions and operating procedures for nuclear power plants. Safety guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2000-01-01

    This Safety Guide was prepared as part of the Agency's programme for establishing safety standards relating to nuclear power plants. The present Safety Guide supersedes the IAEA Safety Guide on Operational Limits and Conditions for Nuclear Power Plants which was issued in 1979 as Safety Series No. 50-SG-O3. For a nuclear power plant to be operated in a safe manner, the provisions made in the final design and subsequent modifications shall be reflected in limitations on plant operating parameters and in the requirements on plant equipment and personnel. Under the responsibility of the operating organization, these shall be developed during the design safety evaluation as a set of operational limits and conditions (OLCs). A major contribution to compliance with the OLCs is made by the development and utilization of operating procedures (OPs) that are consistent with and fully implement the OLCs. The requirements for the OLCs and OPs are established in Section 5 of the IAEA Safety Requirements publication Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which this Safety Guide supplements. The purpose of this Safety Guide is to provide guidance on the development, content and implementation of OLCs and OPs. The Safety Guide is directed at both regulators and owners/operators. This Safety Guide covers the concept of OLCs, their content as applicable to land based stationary power plants with thermal neutron reactors, and the responsibilities of the operating organization regarding their establishment, modification, compliance and documentation. The OPs to support the implementation of the OLCs and to ensure their observance are also within the scope of this Safety Guide. The particular aspects of the procedures for maintenance, surveillance, in-service inspection and other safety related activities in connection with the safe operation of nuclear power plants are outside the scope of this Safety Guide but can be found in other IAEA Safety Guides. Section 2 indicates the

  20. Operating the plant, quality assurance, and the job of the operating staff, Volume Twelve

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1986-01-01

    Subject matter includes operating the plant (the role of the operator, the control room, plant technical specifications, plant operating procedures, initial startup program, BWR/PWR plant startup, BWR/PWR steady state power operation, BWR/PWR transient operation, emergency operation), quality assurance (what is quality, what is quality control, quality assurance includes quality control, government regulation and quality assurance, administrative controls for nuclear power plants, the necessity of reviews and audits, practical quality assurance), and the job of the operating staff (the plant operating staff, plant safety, first aid and resuscitation, general plant hazards, personnel protective equipment, handling chemicals, handling compressed gas, equipment repair and maintenance, communicating with others

  1. Initial 12-h operative fluid volume is an independent risk factor for pleural effusion after hepatectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Xiang; Wu, Jia-Wei; Sun, Ping; Song, Zi-Fang; Zheng, Qi-Chang

    2016-12-01

    Pleural effusion after hepatectomy is associated with significant morbidity and prolonged hospital stays. Several studies have addressed the risk factors for postoperative pleural effusion. However, there are no researches concerning the role of the initial 12-h operative fluid volume. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the initial 12-h operative fluid volume during liver resection is an independent risk factor for pleural effusion after hepatectomy. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 470 patients consecutively undergoing elective hepatectomy between January 2011 and December 2012. We prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed baseline and clinical data, including preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to identify whether the initial 12-h operative fluid volume was an independent risk factor for pleural effusion after hepatectomy. The multivariate analysis identified 2 independent risk factors for pleural effusion: operative time [odds ratio (OR)=10.2] and initial 12-h operative fluid volume (OR=1.0003). Threshold effect analyses revealed that the initial 12 h operative fluid volume was positively correlated with the incidence of pleural effusion when the initial 12-h operative fluid volume exceeded 4636 mL. We conclude that the initial 12-h operative fluid volume during liver resection and operative time are independent risk factors for pleural effusion after hepatectomy. Perioperative intravenous fluids should be restricted properly.

  2. Management plan documentation standard and Data Item Descriptions (DID). Volume of the information system life-cycle and documentation standards, volume 2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callender, E. David; Steinbacher, Jody

    1989-01-01

    This is the second of five volumes of the Information System Life-Cycle and Documentation Standards. This volume provides a well-organized, easily used standard for management plans used in acquiring, assuring, and developing information systems and software, hardware, and operational procedures components, and related processes.

  3. Loss on Ignition Furnace Acceptance and Operability Test Procedure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    JOHNSON, D.C.

    2000-06-01

    The purpose of this Acceptance Test Procedure and Operability Test Procedure (ATP/OTP)is to verify the operability of newly installed LOI equipment, including a model 1608FL CM{trademark} Furnace, a dessicator, and balance. The operability of the furnace will be verified. The arrangement of the equipment placed in Glovebox 157-3/4 to perform Loss on Ignition (LOI) testing on samples supplied from the Thermal Stabilization line will be verified. In addition to verifying proper operation of the furnace, this ATP/OTP will also verify the air flow through the filters, verify a damper setting to establish and maintain the required differential pressure between the glovebox and the room pressure, and test the integrity of the newly installed HEPA filter. In order to provide objective evidence of proper performance of the furnace, the furnace must heat 15 crucibles, mounted on a crucible rack, to 1000 C, according to a program entered into the furnace controller located outside the glovebox. The glovebox differential pressure will be set to provide the 0.5 to 2.0 inches of water (gauge) negative pressure inside the glovebox with an airflow of 100 to 125 cubic feet per minute (cfm) through the inlet filter. The glovebox inlet Glfilter will he flow tested to ensure the integrity of the filter connections and the efficiency of the filter medium. The newly installed windows and glovebox extension, as well as all disturbed joints, will be sonically tested via ultra probe to verify no leaks are present. The procedure for DOS testing of the filter is found in Appendix A.

  4. 42 CFR 35.15 - Consent to operative procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... emergencies when the patient is physically or mentally incapable of consenting and the delay required to... operative procedure shall be undertaken unless the patient or, in the case of a minor or incompetent, his... or refusal of consent shall be made a part of the clinical record. ...

  5. 7 CFR 70.110 - Requirements for sanitation, facilities, and operating procedures in official plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Requirements for sanitation, facilities, and operating... Requirements for sanitation, facilities, and operating procedures in official plants. (a) The requirements for sanitation, facilities, and operating procedures in official plants shall be the applicable provisions stated...

  6. Probabilistic safety analysis procedures guide, Sections 8-12. Volume 2, Rev. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCann, M.; Reed, J.; Ruger, C.; Shiu, K.; Teichmann, T.; Unione, A.; Youngblood, R.

    1985-08-01

    A procedures guide for the performance of probabilistic safety assessment has been prepared for interim use in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission programs. It will be revised as comments are received, and as experience is gained from its use. The probabilistic safety assessment studies performed are intended to produce probabilistic predictive models that can be used and extended by the utilities and by NRC to sharpen the focus of inquiries into a range of issues affecting reactor safety. The first volume of the guide describes the determination of the probability (per year) of core damage resulting from accident initiators internal to the plant (i.e., intrinsic to plant operation) and from loss of off-site electric power. The scope includes human reliability analysis, a determination of the importance of various core damage accident sequences, and an explicit treatment and display of uncertainties for key accident sequences. This second volume deals with the treatment of the so-called external events including seismic disturbances, fires, floods, etc. Ultimately, the guide will be augmented to include the plant-specific analysis of in-plant processes (i.e., containment performance). This guide provides the structure of a probabilistic safety study to be performed, and indicates what products of the study are valuable for regulatory decision making. For internal events, methodology is treated in the guide only to the extent necessary to indicate the range of methods which is acceptable; ample reference is given to alternative methodologies which may be utilized in the performance of the study. For external events, more explicit guidance is given

  7. The design of operating procedures manuals for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bohr, E.; Preuss, W.; Reinartz, G.; Thau, G.

    1977-03-01

    This report describes the findings of a research on the desirable design of operating procedures manuals for nuclear power plants. The work was supported by a grant of the Federal Department of the Interior. Information was acquired from different sources. Interviews and discussions on manual design were carried out with manual users in nuclear power plants. Moreover, tasks carried out using procedures were either observed or, alternatively, the manner of using procedures was elicited by interviews. In addition, manual writers, managers from manufacturers and utilities, nuclear experts, and individuals involved in manual specification activities were interviewed. A major source of information has been the pertinent scientific and technical findings scattered in the literature on topics such as instructional technology, engineering psychology, psycholinguistics, and typography. A comprehensive bibliography is included. General rules are established on designing instructional material for use on the job, aiming at increasing their legability, comprehensibility, and suitability to guide human performance. The application of these rules to the design of individual operating procedures is demonstrated. Recommendations are given on the design, layout, development and implementation of manuals. (orig.) [de

  8. The Pajarito Site operating procedures for the Los Alamos Critical Experiments Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malenfant, R.E.

    1991-12-01

    Operating procedures consistent with DOE Order 5480.6, and the American National Standard Safety Guide for the Performance of Critical Experiments are defined for the Los Alamos Critical Experiments Facility (LACEF) of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. These operating procedures supersede and update those previously published in 1983 and apply to any criticality experiment performed at the facility. 11 refs

  9. A study for Unsafe Act classification under crew interaction during procedure-driven operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Sun Yeong; Park, Jinkyun; Kim, Yochan; Kim, Seunghwan; Jung, Wondea

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The procedure driven operation was divided into four stages by considering the crew relations such as instructions and responses. • Ten patterns of UA occurrence paths and the related operators per path were identified. • The UA type classification scheme was proposed based on the ten patterns of UA occurrence paths. • A case study to implement the UA type classification and to define the related operators per UA was performed. • The UA type classification scheme can be practical in that it prevents bias by subjective judgment. - Abstract: In this study, a method for UA (Unsafe Act) classification under a simulated procedure driven operation was proposed. To this end, a procedure driven operation was divided into four stages by considering the crew relations such as instructions and responses. Based on the four stages of a procedure driven operation, ten patterns of UA occurrence paths and the related operators per path were identified. From the ten types of UA occurrence paths including related operators, it is practicable to trace when and by whom a UA is initiated during a procedure driven operation, and the interaction or causality among the crew after the UA is initiated. Therefore, the types of UAs were classified into ‘Instruction UA’, ‘Reporting UA’, and ‘Execution UA’ by considering the initiation time and initiator of UA. A case study to implement the UA type classification and to define the related operators per UA was performed with the ISLOCA scenario simulator training data. The UA classification scheme proposed in this paper can be practical in that it does not require expertise relatively in a human performance analysis and it prevents bias by subjective judgment because it is based on an observation-based approach to exclude subjective judgment.

  10. Development of automated operating procedure system using fuzzy colored petri nets for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Seung Jun; Seong, Poong Hyun

    2004-01-01

    In this work, AuTomated Operating Procedure System (ATOPS) is developed. ATOPS is an automation system for emergency operation of a nuclear power plant (NPP) and it can monitor signals, diagnose statuses, and generate control actions according to corresponding operating procedures without any human operator's help. Main functions of ATOPS are an anomaly detection function and a procedure execution function but only the procedure execution function is implemented in this work because this work is just the first step. In the procedure execution function, operating procedures of NPPs are analyzed and modeled using Fuzzy Colored Petri Nets (FCPN) and executed depending on decision making of the inference engine. In this work, ATOPS prototype is developed to demonstrate its feasibility and it is also validated using the FISA-2/WS simulator. The validation is performed for the cases of a loss of coolant accident (LOCA) and a steam generator tube rupture (SGTR). The simulation results show that ATOPS works correctly in the emergency situations

  11. Guidelines for target volume definition in post-operative radiotherapy for prostate cancer, on behalf of the EORTC Radiation Oncology Group

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poortmans, Philip; Bossi, Alberto; Vandeputte, Katia; Bosset, Mathieu; Miralbell, Raymond; Maingon, Philippe; Boehmer, Dirk; Budiharto, Tom; Symon, Zvi; Bergh, Alfons C.M. van den; Scrase, Christopher; Poppel, Hendrik van; Bolla, Michel

    2007-01-01

    The appropriate application of 3-D conformal radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy or image guided radiotherapy for patients undergoing post-operative radiotherapy for prostate cancer requires a standardisation of the target volume definition and delineation as well as standardisation of the clinical quality assurance procedures. Recommendations for this are presented on behalf of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Radiation Oncology Group and in addition to the already published guidelines for radiotherapy as the primary treatment

  12. Situation awareness and trust in computer-based procedures in nuclear power plant operations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Throneburg, E. B.; Jones, J. M. [AREVA NP Inc., 7207 IBM Drive, Charlotte, NC 28262 (United States)

    2006-07-01

    Situation awareness and trust are two issues that need to be addressed in the design of computer-based procedures for nuclear power plants. Situation awareness, in relation to computer-based procedures, concerns the operators' knowledge of the plant's state while following the procedures. Trust concerns the amount of faith that the operators put into the automated procedures, which can affect situation awareness. This paper first discusses the advantages and disadvantages of computer-based procedures. It then discusses the known aspects of situation awareness and trust as applied to computer-based procedures in nuclear power plants. An outline of a proposed experiment is then presented that includes methods of measuring situation awareness and trust so that these aspects can be analyzed for further study. (authors)

  13. Situation awareness and trust in computer-based procedures in nuclear power plant operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Throneburg, E. B.; Jones, J. M.

    2006-01-01

    Situation awareness and trust are two issues that need to be addressed in the design of computer-based procedures for nuclear power plants. Situation awareness, in relation to computer-based procedures, concerns the operators' knowledge of the plant's state while following the procedures. Trust concerns the amount of faith that the operators put into the automated procedures, which can affect situation awareness. This paper first discusses the advantages and disadvantages of computer-based procedures. It then discusses the known aspects of situation awareness and trust as applied to computer-based procedures in nuclear power plants. An outline of a proposed experiment is then presented that includes methods of measuring situation awareness and trust so that these aspects can be analyzed for further study. (authors)

  14. Recycle operations as a methodology for radioactive waste volume reduction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rasmussen, G.A.

    1985-01-01

    The costs for packaging, transportation and burial of low-level radioactive metallic waste have become so expensive that an alternate method of decontamination for volume reduction prior to disposal can now be justified. The operation of a large-scale centralized recycle center for decontamination of selected low level radioactive waste has been proven to be an effective method for waste volume reduction and for retrieving valuable materials for unlimited use. The centralized recycle center concept allows application of state-of-the-art decontamination technology resulting in a reduction in utility disposal costs and a reduction in overall net amount of material being buried. Examples of specific decontamination process activities at the centralized facility will be reviewed along with a discussion of the economic impact of decontamination for recycling and volume reduction. Based on almost two years of operation of a centralized decontamination facility, a demonstrated capability exists. The concept has been cost effective and proves that valuable resources can be recycled

  15. Loss on Ignition Furnace Acceptance and Operability Test Procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    JOHNSTON, D.C.

    2000-01-01

    The purpose of this Acceptance Test Procedure and Operability Test Procedure (ATP/OTP)is to verify the operability of newly installed Loss on Ignition (LOI) equipment, including a model 1608FL CMTM Furnace, a dessicator, and balance. The operability of the furnace will be verified. The arrangement of the equipment placed in Glovebox 157-3/4 to perform LOI testing on samples supplied from the Thermal Stabilization line will be verified. In addition to verifying proper operation of the furnace, this ATP/OTP will also verify the air flow through the filters, verify a damper setting to establish and maintain the required differential pressure between the glovebox and the room pressure, and test the integrity of the newly installed HEPA filter. In order to provide objective evidence of proper performance of the furnace, the furnace must heat 15 crucibles, mounted on a crucible rack, to 1000 C, according to a program entered into the furnace controller located outside the glovebox. The glovebox differential pressure will be set to provide the 0.5 to 2.0 inches of water (gauge) negative pressure inside the glovebox with an expected airflow of 100 to 125 cubic feet per minute (cfm) through the inlet filter. The glovebox inlet G1 filter will be flow tested to ensure the integrity of the filter connections and the efficiency of the filter medium. The newly installed windows and glovebox extension, as well as all disturbed joints, will be sonically tested via ultra probe to verify no leaks are present. The procedure for DOS testing of the filter is found in Appendix A

  16. Symptom-based emergency operating procedures development for Ignalina NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kruglov, Y.

    1999-01-01

    In this paper and lecture are presented: (1) Introduction; (2) EOP project work stages and documentation; (3) Selection and justification of accident management strategy; (4) Content of EOP package; (5) Development of EOP package; (6) EOP package verification; (7) EOP package validation; (8) EOP training; (9) EOP implementation; (10) Conditions of symptom-based emergency operating producers package application and its interconnection with event-based emergency operating procedures; (11) Rules of EOP application; EOP maintenance

  17. Developments in the preparation of operating procedures for emergency conditions of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-06-01

    In recent years a substantial effort has been devoted by the nuclear community to extend Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) to cover all conceivable events and to develop procedure formats that transmit the essential guidance to operators in an optimum way. The information given in this report is based upon the most recent developments in formulating and applying EOPs. It should therefore provide guidance to those involved in preparing or reviewing EOPs on the scope, technical basis, organization and format of such procedures. It also outlines the actions required to validate the adequacy and applicability of these procedures so that the correct operator actions are achieved. Examples are given to illustrate the developments in some Member States

  18. The use of flow models for design of plant operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lind, M.

    1982-03-01

    The report describe a systematic approach to the design of operating procedures or sequence automatics for process plant control. It is shown how flow models representing the topology of mass and energy flows on different levels of function provide plant information which is important for the considered design problem. The modelling methodology leads to the definition of three categories of control tasks. Two tasks relate to the regulation and control of changes of levels and flows of mass and energy in a system within a defined mode of operation. The third type relate to the control actions necessary for switching operations involved in changes of operating mode. These control tasks are identified for a given plant as part of the flow modelling activity. It is discussed how the flow model deal with the problem of assigning control task precedence in time eg. during start-up or shut-down operations. The method may be a basis for providing automated procedure support to the operator in unforeseen situations or may be a tool for control design. (auth.)

  19. Point-to-Point! Validation of the Small Aircraft Transportation System Higher Volume Operations Concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Daniel M.

    2006-01-01

    Described is the research process that NASA researchers used to validate the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Higher Volume Operations (HVO) concept. The four phase building-block validation and verification process included multiple elements ranging from formal analysis of HVO procedures to flight test, to full-system architecture prototype that was successfully shown to the public at the June 2005 SATS Technical Demonstration in Danville, VA. Presented are significant results of each of the four research phases that extend early results presented at ICAS 2004. HVO study results have been incorporated into the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) vision and offer a validated concept to provide a significant portion of the 3X capacity improvement sought after in the United States National Airspace System (NAS).

  20. Comparison of the effect of paper and computerized procedures on operator error rate and speed of performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Converse, S.A.; Perez, P.B.; Meyer, S.; Crabtree, W.

    1994-01-01

    The Computerized Procedures Manual (COPMA-II) is an advanced procedure manual that can be used to select and execute procedures, to monitor the state of plant parameters, and to help operators track their progress through plant procedures. COPMA-II was evaluated in a study that compared the speed and accuracy of operators' performance when they performed with COPMA-II and traditional paper procedures. Sixteen licensed reactor operators worked in teams of two to operate the Scales Pressurized Water Reactor Facility at North Carolina State University. Each team performed one change of power with each type of procedure to simulate performance under normal operating conditions. Teams then performed one accident scenario with COPMA-II and one with paper procedures. Error rates, performance times, and subjective estimates of workload were collected, and were evaluated for each combination of procedure type and scenario type. For the change of power task, accuracy and response time were not different for COPMA-II and paper procedures. Operators did initiate responses to both accident scenarios fastest with paper procedures. However, procedure type did not moderate response completion time for either accident scenario. For accuracy, performance with paper procedures resulted in twice as many errors as did performance with COPMA-II. Subjective measures of mental workload for the accident scenarios were not affected by procedure type

  1. EVALUASI SANITATION STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES KERUPUKAMPLANG DI UD SARINA KECAMATAN KALIANGET KABUPATEN SUMENEP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ach Triharjono

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Industri pangan untuk menghasilkan produk yang memenuhi standar keamanan pangan. Standar tersebut dapat dipenuhi dengan menerapkan 8 aspek kunci Sanitation Standard Operating Prosedures (SSOP. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk memperoleh hasil penerapan 8 aspek kunci Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP dan mengevaluasi penerapan Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP Di UD Sarina Kecamatan Kalianget Kabupaten Sumenep. Jenis penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif dengan lokasi penelitian di UD Sarina Kecamatan Kalianget Kabupaten Sumenep. Hasil penelitian diketahui bahwa penerapan 8 aspek kunci Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP di UD Sarina sudah terlaksana tapi terdapat 3 tahapan kunci yang belum terlaksana dengan baik yaitu pencegahan kontaminasi silang, pengawasan kondisi kesehatan personil dan menghilangkan hama dari unit pengolahan. Hal yang perlu ditingkatkan terkait dengan penerapan SSOP di UD Sarina yaitu masih perlu adanya manual prosedur untuk berbagai pelaksanaan sanitasi yang dilakukan oleh UD Sarina ini

  2. Load research manual. Volume 2. Fundamentals of implementing load research procedures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brandenburg, L.; Clarkson, G.; Grund, Jr., C.; Leo, J.; Asbury, J.; Brandon-Brown, F.; Derderian, H.; Mueller, R.; Swaroop, R.

    1980-11-01

    This three-volume manual presents technical guidelines for electric utility load research. Special attention is given to issues raised by the load data reporting requirements of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and to problems faced by smaller utilities that are initiating load research programs. In Volumes 1 and 2, procedures are suggested for determining data requirements for load research, establishing the size and customer composition of a load survey sample, selecting and using equipment to record customer electricity usage, processing data tapes from the recording equipment, and analyzing the data. Statistical techniques used in customer sampling are discussed in detail. The costs of load research also are estimated, and ongoing load research programs at three utilities are described. The manual includes guides to load research literature and glossaries of load research and statistical terms.

  3. Operational test procedure for Bldg 241-A-701 air compressor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Desantis, G.N.

    1995-01-01

    This document is an Operability Test Procedure (OTP) which will verify and record that the 241-A-701 air compressor and associated equipment operates within their intended design parameters. The activities defined in this OTP will be performed to ensure the daily operation of the new compressed air system can be reliable and efficient. The Compressed Air System (CAS) for 241-A-701 supplies process and instrument air to the A, AX, AY, and AZ tank farms. The primary use of the CAS is for tank farms instrumentation, air operated valves, and air lift circulators

  4. Solution Procedure for Transport Modeling in Effluent Recharge Based on Operator-Splitting Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shutang Zhu

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The coupling of groundwater movement and reactive transport during groundwater recharge with wastewater leads to a complicated mathematical model, involving terms to describe convection-dispersion, adsorption/desorption and/or biodegradation, and so forth. It has been found very difficult to solve such a coupled model either analytically or numerically. The present study adopts operator-splitting techniques to decompose the coupled model into two submodels with different intrinsic characteristics. By applying an upwind finite difference scheme to the finite volume integral of the convection flux term, an implicit solution procedure is derived to solve the convection-dominant equation. The dispersion term is discretized in a standard central-difference scheme while the dispersion-dominant equation is solved using either the preconditioned Jacobi conjugate gradient (PJCG method or Thomas method based on local-one-dimensional scheme. The solution method proposed in this study is applied to the demonstration project of groundwater recharge with secondary effluent at Gaobeidian sewage treatment plant (STP successfully.

  5. Methods for implementing revisions to emergency operating procedures. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myers, L.B.; Bell, A.J.

    1984-05-01

    In response to the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has published the TMI Action Plan. The TMI Action Plan Item I.C.1 called for the upgrading of Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) at nuclear power plants. The program developed from this Action Plan item has resulted in utility efforts to: (1) revise EOPs; (2) train personnel in the use of the EOPs; and (3) implement the revised EOPs. The NRC supported the study presented in this report to identify factors which influence the effectiveness of training and implementation of revised EOPs. The NRC's major concern was the possible effects of negative transfer of training. The report includes a summary of existing methods for implementing revisions to procedures based on interviews of plant personnel, a review of the training literature applicable to the effect of previously learned procedures on the learning of and performance with revised procedures (i.e., negative transfer) and recommendations of methods and schedules for implementing revised EOPs. While the study found that the concern over negative transfer of training was not as great as anticipated, several recommendations were made. These include: (1) overtraining of operators to reduce the effect of observed negative transfer; and (2) implementation of the revised EOPs as soon as possible after training to minimize the time operators must rely upon the old EOPs after having been trained on the revised EOPs. The results of the study should be useful both to the utilities and the NRC in the development and review of EOP implementation programs

  6. ARM Operations and Engineering Procedure Mobile Facility Site Startup

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Voyles, Jimmy W

    2015-05-01

    This procedure exists to define the key milestones, necessary steps, and process rules required to commission and operate an Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF), with a specific focus toward on-time product delivery to the ARM Data Archive. The overall objective is to have the physical infrastructure, networking and communications, and instrument calibration, grooming, and alignment (CG&A) completed with data products available from the ARM Data Archive by the Operational Start Date milestone.

  7. Thalamic volume deficit contributes to procedural and explicit memory impairment in HIV infection with primary alcoholism comorbidity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fama, Rosemary; Rosenbloom, Margaret J; Sassoon, Stephanie A; Rohlfing, Torsten; Pfefferbaum, Adolf; Sullivan, Edith V

    2014-12-01

    Component cognitive and motor processes contributing to diminished visuomotor procedural learning in HIV infection with comorbid chronic alcoholism (HIV+ALC) include problems with attention and explicit memory processes. The neural correlates associated with this constellation of cognitive and motor processes in HIV infection and alcoholism have yet to be delineated. Frontostriatal regions are affected in HIV infection, frontothalamocerebellar regions are affected in chronic alcoholism, and frontolimbic regions are likely affected in both; all three of these systems have the potential of contributing to both visuomotor procedural learning and explicit memory processes. Here, we examined the neural correlates of implicit memory, explicit memory, attention, and motor tests in 26 HIV+ALC (5 with comorbidity for nonalcohol drug abuse/dependence) and 19 age-range matched healthy control men. Parcellated brain volumes, including cortical, subcortical, and allocortical regions, as well as cortical sulci and ventricles, were derived using the SRI24 brain atlas. Results indicated that smaller thalamic volumes were associated with poorer performance on tests of explicit (immediate and delayed) and implicit (visuomotor procedural) memory in HIV+ALC. By contrast, smaller hippocampal volumes were associated with lower scores on explicit, but not implicit memory. Multiple regression analyses revealed that volumes of both the thalamus and the hippocampus were each unique independent predictors of explicit memory scores. This study provides evidence of a dissociation between implicit and explicit memory tasks in HIV+ALC, with selective relationships observed between hippocampal volume and explicit but not implicit memory, and highlights the relevance of the thalamus to mnemonic processes.

  8. Thalamic Volume Deficit Contributes to Procedural and Explicit Memory Impairment in HIV Infection with Primary Alcoholism Comorbidity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fama, Rosemary; Rosenbloom, Margaret J.; Sassoon, Stephanie A.; Rohlfing, Torsten; Pfefferbaum, Adolf; Sullivan, Edith V.

    2014-01-01

    Component cognitive and motor processes contributing to diminished visuomotor procedural learning in HIV infection with comorbid chronic alcoholism (HIV+ALC) include problems with attention and explicit memory processes. The neural correlates associated with this constellation of cognitive and motor processes in HIV infection and alcoholism have yet to be delineated. Frontostriatal regions are affected in HIV infection, frontothalamocerebellar regions are affected in chronic alcoholism, and frontolimbic regions are likely affected in both; all three of these systems have the potential of contributing to both visuomotor procedural learning and explicit memory processes. Here, we examined the neural correlates of implicit memory, explicit memory, attention, and motor tests in 26 HIV+ALC (5 with comorbidity for nonalcohol drug abuse/dependence) and 19 age-range matched healthy control men. Parcellated brain volumes, including cortical, subcortical, and allocortical regions, as well as cortical sulci and ventricles, were derived using the SRI24 brain atlas. Results indicated that smaller thalamic volumes were associated with poorer performance on tests of explicit (immediate and delayed) and implicit (visuomotor procedural) memory in HIV+ALC. By contrast, smaller hippocampal volumes were associated with lower scores on explicit, but not implicit memory. Multiple regression analyses revealed that volumes of both the thalamus and the hippocampus were each unique independent predictors of explicit memory scores. This study provides evidence of a dissociation between implicit and explicit memory tasks in HIV+ALC, with selective relationships observed between hippocampal volume and explicit but not implicit memory, and highlights the relevance of the thalamus to mnemonic processes. PMID:24421067

  9. Development of an automated operating procedure system using fuzzy colored petri nets for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Seung Jun; Seong, Poong Hyun

    2002-01-01

    In this work, AuTomated Operating Procedure System (ATOPS) is developed. ATOPS is an automation system for operation of a nuclear power plant (NPP) which can monitor signals, diagnose statuses, and generate control actions according to corresponding operating procedures, without any human operator's help. Main functions of ATOPS are anomaly detection function and procedure execution function, but only the procedure execution function is implemented because this work is just the first step. In the procedure execution function, operating procedures of NPP are analyzed and modeled using Fuzzy Colored Petri Nets (FCPN), and executed depending on decision making of the inference engine. In this work, an ATOPS prototype is developed in order to demonstrate its feasibility and it is also validated using FISA-2/WS simulator. The validation is performed for the cases of a loss of coolant accident (LOCA) and a steam generator tube rupture (SGTR). The simulation results show that ATOPS works correctly in the emergency situations

  10. New experimental procedure for measuring volume magnetostriction on powder samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rivero, G.; Multigner, M.; Valdes, J.; Crespo, P.; Martinez, A.; Hernando, A.

    2005-01-01

    Conventional techniques used for volume magnetostriction measurements, as strain gauge or cantilever method, are very useful for ribbons or thin films but cannot be applied when the samples are in powder form. To overcome this problem a new experimental procedure has been developed. In this work, the experimental set-up is described, together with the results obtained in amorphous FeCuZr powders, which exhibit a strong dependence of the magnetization on the strength of the applied magnetic field. The magnetostriction measurements presented in this work point out that this dependence is related to a magnetovolume effect

  11. Natural Resource Information System. Volume 2: System operating procedures and instructions

    Science.gov (United States)

    1972-01-01

    A total computer software system description is provided for the prototype Natural Resource Information System designed to store, process, and display data of maximum usefulness to land management decision making. Program modules are described, as are the computer file design, file updating methods, digitizing process, and paper tape conversion to magnetic tape. Operating instructions for the system, data output, printed output, and graphic output are also discussed.

  12. 50 CFR 260.103 - Operations and operating procedures shall be in accordance with an effective sanitation program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... be in accordance with an effective sanitation program. 260.103 Section 260.103 Wildlife and Fisheries... Operations and operating procedures shall be in accordance with an effective sanitation program. (a) All..., choppers, and containers which fail to meet appropriate and adequate sanitation requirements will be...

  13. A finite volume procedure for fluid flow, heat transfer and solid-body stress analysis

    KAUST Repository

    Jagad, P. I.

    2018-04-12

    A unified cell-centered unstructured mesh finite volume procedure is presented for fluid flow, heat transfer and solid-body stress analysis. An in-house procedure (A. W. Date, Solution of Transport Equations on Unstructured Meshes with Cell-Centered Colocated Variables. Part I: Discretization, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 48 (6), 1117-1127, 2005) is extended to include the solid-body stress analysis. The transport terms for a cell-face are evaluated in a structured grid-like manner. The Cartesian gradients at the center of each cell-face are evaluated using the coordinate transformation relations. The accuracy of the procedure is demonstrated by solving several benchmark problems involving different boundary conditions, source terms, and types of loading.

  14. Standard operating procedure for combustion of 14C - samples with OX-500 biological material oxidizer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nashriyah Mat.

    1995-01-01

    This procedure is for the purpose of safe operation of OX-500 biological material oxidizer. For ease of operation, the operation flow chart (including testing the system and sample combustion) and end of day maintenance flow chart were simplified. The front view, diagrams and switches are duly copied from operating manual. Steps on sample preparation are also included for biotic and a biotic samples. This operating procedure is subjected to future reviews

  15. Contribution of the ergonomic analysis to the improvement of the design of operating procedures in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dien, Y.; Montmayeul, R.

    1992-11-01

    The design of operating procedures for continuous processes is much too often based on implicit assumptions both concerning the operators and the operating conditions that must be dealt with. The merit of the ergonomic approach to the design of procedures is to take account of the way the various operators actually use operating procedures. The actual use is determined from the analysis of on-site operation (normal and incident operating conditions) and the analysis of full-scale simulators tests (incident operating conditions). The introduction of the ergonomic approach in the procedure design results in new design principles being proposed

  16. Operative vaginal delivery and invasive procedures in pregnancy among women living with HIV.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peters, Helen; Francis, Kate; Harding, Kate; Tookey, Pat A; Thorne, Claire

    2017-03-01

    To describe the use and outcomes of operative delivery and invasive procedures in pregnancy amongst women living with HIV. The National Study of HIV in Pregnancy and Childhood (NSHPC) is a comprehensive population-based surveillance study in the UK and Ireland. The NSHPC has collected data on operative delivery since 2008, and invasive procedures in pregnancy (amniocentesis, cordocentesis, chorionic villus sampling) from 2012. Descriptive analyses were conducted on 278 pregnancies expected to deliver from 1 January 2008 with outcome reported to the NSHPC by 31 March 2016. Among 9372 pregnancies in 2008-2016, there were 9072 livebirths with 251 operative deliveries and 27 invasive procedures in pregnancy reported. Information was available for 3023/3490 vaginal deliveries, and use of forceps or vacuum reported in 251deliveries (8.2%), increasing over calendar time to almost 10% by 2014-16. Forceps were used twice as often as vacuum delivery, and forceps use increased over time. One infant delivered operatively is known to have acquired HIV. From 2012 there were 4063 pregnancies resulting in 3952 livebirths, 83 terminations and 28 stillbirths. 2163/4063 had information on use (or not) of invasive procedures in pregnancy. Amniocentesis was reported in 25/2163 pregnancies, there was one report of chorionic villus sampling and one of cordocentesis. There were no reported transmissions following invasive procedures in pregnancy. This is the largest study to date to report on operative delivery in women living with HIV on combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), and provides an up-to-date picture of invasive procedures during pregnancy in this group. Findings from this comprehensive national study are reassuring but numbers are currently low; on-going monitoring is crucial as obstetric care of women with HIV becomes normalised. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Assessment of maxillary sinus volume for the sinus lift operation by three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, C F; Staff, R T; Redpath, T W; Needham, G; Renny, N M

    2000-05-01

    To calculate sinus and bone graft volumes and vertical bone heights from sequential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations in patients undergoing a sinus lift operation. MRI scans were obtained pre-operatively and at 10 days and 10 weeks post-operatively, using a 0.95 tesla MRI scanner and a three-dimensional (3D) magnetisation prepared, rapid acquisition gradient-echo (MP-RAGE) sequence. Estimates of the bone graft volumes required for a desired vertical bone height were made from the pre-operative MRI scan. Measurements of the graft volumes and bone heights actually achieved were made from the post-operative scans. The MRI appearance of the graft changed between the 10 day and 10 week scans. We have proposed a technique which has the potential to give the surgeon an estimate of the optimum volume of graft for the sinus lift operation from the pre-operative MRI scan alone and demonstrated its application in a single patient. Changes in the sequential MRI appearance of the graft are consistent with replacement of fluid by a matrix of trabecular bone.

  18. Operational circular No. 9 – Principles and procedures governing complaints of harassment

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2011-01-01

    Operational Circular No. 9 entitled "Principles and Procedures Governing Complaints of Harassment", approved by the Director-General following discussion in the Standing Concertation Committee meeting on 21 March 2011, is available on the intranet site of the Human Resources Department: https://cern.ch/hr-docs/opcirc/opcirc.asp Operational Circular No. 9 is applicable to any person working at or on behalf of CERN. It cancels and replaces Administrative Circular No. 32 entitled "Principles and Procedures Governing Complaints of Harassment” of February 2000. Department Head Office

  19. Case mix-adjusted cost of colectomy at low-, middle-, and high-volume academic centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Alex L; Kim, Young; Ertel, Audrey E; Hoehn, Richard S; Wima, Koffi; Abbott, Daniel E; Shah, Shimul A

    2017-05-01

    Efforts to regionalize surgery based on thresholds in procedure volume may have consequences on the cost of health care delivery. This study aims to delineate the relationship between hospital volume, case mix, and variability in the cost of operative intervention using colectomy as the model. All patients undergoing colectomy (n = 90,583) at 183 academic hospitals from 2009-2012 in The University HealthSystems Consortium Database were studied. Patient and procedure details were used to generate a case mix-adjusted predictive model of total direct costs. Observed to expected costs for each center were evaluated between centers based on overall procedure volume. Patient and procedure characteristics were significantly different between volume tertiles. Observed costs at high-volume centers were less than at middle- and low-volume centers. According to our predictive model, high-volume centers cared for a less expensive case mix than middle- and low-volume centers ($12,786 vs $13,236 and $14,497, P case mix at low-volume centers, which may lead to perceived poor performance at these centers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Oak Ridge National Laboratory whole-body counter: internal operating procedure manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berger, C.D.; Lane, B.H.

    1982-08-01

    The general purpose of the ORNL Whole Body Counter is to provide a rapid estimation of the type and quantity of radionuclide deposited in the human body. This report contains a review of the equipment in use at the facility and the procedure for its operation, the standard procedure for performing a routine whole body count, and a discussion of interpretation of results

  1. An evaluation of intra-operative and post-operative blood loss in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Total knee replacement is a rewarding and reliable procedure, producing a lasting relief to severe knee pains. However, significant blood loss usually in the post-operative period may be a challenge, necessitating prompt restoration of circulating blood volume to minimize morbidity and mortality. The aim of this ...

  2. Management control and status reports documentation standard and Data Item Descriptions (DID). Volume of the information system life-cycle and documentation standards, volume 5

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callender, E. David; Steinbacher, Jody

    1989-01-01

    This is the fifth of five volumes on Information System Life-Cycle and Documentation Standards. This volume provides a well organized, easily used standard for management control and status reports used in monitoring and controlling the management, development, and assurance of informations systems and software, hardware, and operational procedures components, and related processes.

  3. Procedure for following external nuclear power plant operating experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kostadinov, V.

    2003-01-01

    Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) has developed computer database and the procedure for following-up and investigating external nuclear operating experience and administrative requirements. The SNSA's primary goal is to investigate safety significant events in due time, to analyze them from the regulatory point of view and to ensure that meaningful lessons be learned and used for improvement of the safe operation of Slovenian Nuclear Power Plant Krsko. Moreover, we intend to make uniform format and method for reporting broader spectrum of events analyzed including low level event reporting. (author)

  4. Flowchart-format emergency operating procedures-strengths and weaknesses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnes, V.E.; Bongarra, J.P. Jr.

    1989-01-01

    An increasing number of nuclear power plant licensees are converting their text-format emergency operating procedures (EOPs) to flowcharts. Findings of a recent study of the flowchart-format EOPs indicate that the flowchart format appears to solve several significant usability problems associated with text-format EOPs, but also introduces other types of usability concerns. This paper discusses some of the strengths and weaknesses of the flowchart format for presenting EOPs

  5. Improving the review of standard operating procedures: a novel electronic system for compounding pharmacies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brensel, Robert; Brensel, Scott; Ng, Amy

    2013-01-01

    Since the New England Compounding Center disaster in 2012, the importance of following correct procedures during every phase of customized pharmacy has been a focus of governmental interest and action as well as public scrutiny. Many pharmacies rely on the rote review of standard operating procedures to ensure that staff members understand and follow protocols that ensure the safety and potency of all compounds prepared, but that approach to continuing education can be cumbersome and needlessly time-consuming. In addition, documenting and retrieving evidence of employee competence can be difficult. In this article, we describe our use of online technology to improve our methods of educating staff about the full range of standard operating procedures that must be followed in our pharmacy. The system we devised and implemented has proven to be effective, easy to update and maintain, very inexpensive, and user friendly. Its use has reduced the time previously required for a read-over review of standard operating procedures from 30 or 40 minutes to 5 or 10 minutes in weekly staff meetings, and we can now easily document and access proof of employees' comprehension of that content. It is our hope that other small compounding pharmacies will also find this system of online standard operating procedure review helpful.

  6. An operational procedure for rapid flood risk assessment in Europe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dottori, Francesco; Kalas, Milan; Salamon, Peter; Bianchi, Alessandra; Alfieri, Lorenzo; Feyen, Luc

    2017-07-01

    The development of methods for rapid flood mapping and risk assessment is a key step to increase the usefulness of flood early warning systems and is crucial for effective emergency response and flood impact mitigation. Currently, flood early warning systems rarely include real-time components to assess potential impacts generated by forecasted flood events. To overcome this limitation, this study describes the benchmarking of an operational procedure for rapid flood risk assessment based on predictions issued by the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS). Daily streamflow forecasts produced for major European river networks are translated into event-based flood hazard maps using a large map catalogue derived from high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations. Flood hazard maps are then combined with exposure and vulnerability information, and the impacts of the forecasted flood events are evaluated in terms of flood-prone areas, economic damage and affected population, infrastructures and cities.An extensive testing of the operational procedure has been carried out by analysing the catastrophic floods of May 2014 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia. The reliability of the flood mapping methodology is tested against satellite-based and report-based flood extent data, while modelled estimates of economic damage and affected population are compared against ground-based estimations. Finally, we evaluate the skill of risk estimates derived from EFAS flood forecasts with different lead times and combinations of probabilistic forecasts. Results highlight the potential of the real-time operational procedure in helping emergency response and management.

  7. Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center Monitoring Manual Volume 1, Operations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NSTec Aerial Measurement Systems

    2012-07-31

    The Monitoring division is primarily responsible for the coordination and direction of: Aerial measurements to delineate the footprint of radioactive contaminants that have been released into the environment. Monitoring of radiation levels in the environment; Sampling to determine the extent of contaminant deposition in soil, water, air and on vegetation; Preliminary field analyses to quantify soil concentrations or depositions; and Environmental and personal dosimetry for FRMAC field personnel, during a Consequence Management Response Team (CMRT) and Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) response. Monitoring and sampling techniques used during CM/FRMAC operations are specifically selected for use during radiological emergencies where large numbers of measurements and samples must be acquired, analyzed, and interpreted in the shortest amount of time possible. In addition, techniques and procedures are flexible so that they can be used during a variety of different scenarios; e.g., accidents involving releases from nuclear reactors, contamination by nuclear waste, nuclear weapon accidents, space vehicle reentries, or contamination from a radiological dispersal device. The Monitoring division also provides technicians to support specific Health and Safety Division activities including: The operation of the Hotline; FRMAC facility surveys; Assistance with Health and Safety at Check Points; and Assistance at population assembly areas which require support from the FRMAC. This volume covers deployment activities, initial FRMAC activities, development and implementation of the monitoring and assessment plan, the briefing of field teams, and the transfer of FRMAC to the EPA.

  8. Effective and efficient learning in the operating theater with intraoperative video-enhanced surgical procedure training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Det, M J; Meijerink, W J H J; Hoff, C; Middel, B; Pierie, J P E N

    2013-08-01

    INtraoperative Video Enhanced Surgical procedure Training (INVEST) is a new training method designed to improve the transition from basic skills training in a skills lab to procedural training in the operating theater. Traditionally, the master-apprentice model (MAM) is used for procedural training in the operating theater, but this model lacks uniformity and efficiency at the beginning of the learning curve. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of INVEST compared to MAM. Ten surgical residents with no laparoscopic experience were recruited for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy training curriculum either by the MAM or with INVEST. After a uniform course in basic laparoscopic skills, each trainee performed six cholecystectomies that were digitally recorded. For 14 steps of the procedure, an observer who was blinded for the type of training determined whether the step was performed entirely by the trainee (2 points), partially by the trainee (1 point), or by the supervisor (0 points). Time measurements revealed the total procedure time and the amount of effective procedure time during which the trainee acted as the operating surgeon. Results were compared between both groups. Trainees in the INVEST group were awarded statistically significant more points (115.8 vs. 70.2; p < 0.001) and performed more steps without the interference of the supervisor (46.6 vs. 18.8; p < 0.001). Total procedure time was not lengthened by INVEST, and the part performed by trainees was significantly larger (69.9 vs. 54.1 %; p = 0.004). INVEST enhances effectiveness and training efficiency for procedural training inside the operating theater without compromising operating theater time efficiency.

  9. Procedure for hazards analysis of plutonium gloveboxes used in analytical chemistry operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delvin, W.L.

    1977-06-01

    A procedure is presented to identify and assess hazards associated with gloveboxes used for analytical chemistry operations involving plutonium. This procedure is based upon analytic tree methodology and it has been adapted from the US Energy Research and Development Administration's safety program, the Management Oversight and Risk Tree

  10. Design of test and emergency procedures to improve operator behaviour in French nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Griffon-Fouco, M.; Gomolinski, M.

    1982-09-01

    The incident analyses performed in French nuclear power plants high-lighted that deficiencies in the design of procedures are frequent causes of human errors. The process for developing new guidelines for the writing of test and emergency procedures is presented: this process is based on operators interviews and observations at the plants or at simulators. The main principles for the writing of procedures are developed. For example: - the elaboration of a procedure for action and of a separate educational procedure, - the coordination of crew responses, - the choice of vocabulary, graphs, flow charts and so on as regards the format. Other complementary actions, such as the training of operators in the use of procedures, are described

  11. Design of test and emergency procedures to improve operator behavior in French nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Griffon-Fouco, M.; Gomolinski, M.

    1983-01-01

    The incident analyses performed in French nuclear power plants high-lighted that deficiencies in the design of procedures are frequent causes of human errors. The process for developing new guidelines for the writing of test and emergency procedures is presented: this process is based on operators interviews and observations at the plants or at simulators. The main principles for the writing of procedures are developed. For example: the elaboration of a procedure for action and of separate educational procedure; the coordination of crew responses; and the choice of vocabulary, graphs, flow charts and so on as regards the format. Other complementary actions, such as the training of operators in the use of procedures, are described

  12. Operability test procedure [Tank] 241-SY-101 equipment removal system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mast, J.C.

    1994-01-01

    The 241-SY-101 equipment removal system (ERS) consists of components, equipment, instrumentation and procedures that will provide the means to disconnect, retrieve, contain, load and transport the Mitigation Pump Assembly (MPA) from waste Tank 241-SY-101 to the Central Waste Complex (CWC). The Operability Test Procedure (OTP) will test the interfaces between ERS components and will rehearse the procedure for MPA removal and transportation to the extent they can be mocked-up at the CTF (Cold Test Facility). At the conclusion of the OTP, the ERS components and equipment will be removed from the CTF, entered into the Component Based Recall System (CBRS), and stored until needed for actual MPA removal and transportation

  13. General decoupling procedure for expectation values of four-operator products in electron–phonon quantum kinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teeny, Nicolas; Fähnle, Manfred

    2013-01-01

    In the density-matrix formalism of electron–phonon quantum kinetics, the hierarchy of infinitely many coupled equations of motion for the expectation values of products of electron and phonon creation and annihilation operators of arbitrary order is usually terminated on the level of the equations of motion for the expectation values of three-operator products by using decoupling procedures for the four-operator products occurring in these equations. In the literature, decoupling procedures are discussed for special types of electron and phonon states. In the present paper, generalized decoupling procedures are derived for arbitrary electron and phonon states. (paper)

  14. The European Stroke Organisation Guidelines: a standard operating procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ntaios, George; Bornstein, Natan M; Caso, Valeria; Christensen, Hanne; De Keyser, Jacques; Diener, Hans-Christoph; Diez-Tejedor, Exuperio; Ferro, Jose M; Ford, Gary A; Grau, Armin; Keller, Emanuella; Leys, Didier; Russell, David; Toni, Danilo; Turc, Guillaume; Van der Worp, Bart; Wahlgren, Nils; Steiner, Thorsten

    2015-10-01

    In 2008, the recently founded European Stroke Organisation published its guidelines for the management of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack. This highly cited document was translated in several languages and was updated in 2009. Since then, the European Stroke Organisation has published guidelines for the management of intracranial aneurysms and subarachnoidal hemorrhage, for the establishment of stroke units and stroke centers, and recently for the management of intracerebral hemorrhage. In recent years, the methodology for the development of guidelines has evolved significantly. To keep pace with this progress and driven by the strong determination of the European Stroke Organisation to further promote stroke management, education, and research, the European Stroke Organisation decided to delineate a detailed standard operating procedure for its guidelines. There are two important cornerstones in this standard operating procedure: The first is the implementation of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology for the development of its Guideline Documents. The second one is the decision of the European Stroke Organisation to move from the classical model of a single Guideline Document about a major topic (e.g. management of ischemic stroke) to focused modules (i.e. subdivisions of a major topic). This will enable the European Stroke Organisation to react faster when new developments in a specific stroke field occur and update its recommendations on the related module rather swiftly; with the previous approach of a single large Guideline Document, its entire revision had to be completed before an updated publication, delaying the production of up-to-date guidelines. After discussion within the European Stroke Organisation Guidelines Committee and significant input from European Stroke Organisation members as well as methodologists and analysts, this document presents the official standard operating procedure for

  15. Intraoperative blood loss in bimaxillary orthognathic surgery with multisegmental Le Fort I osteotomies and additional procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kretschmer, W B; Baciut, G; Bacuit, Mihaela; Zoder, W; Wangerin, K

    2010-06-01

    Autologous blood donation is not currently recommended by most authors for routine bimaxillary osteotomies. There are few data about bimaxillary procedures with multisegmental maxillary osteotomies. Our aim was to investigate the effect of additional osteotomies and iliac crest grafts on operative blood loss. A total of 225 consecutive patients having bimaxillary multisegmental osteotomies during a three-year period (January 2006-January 2009) were examined to see if their haemoglobin concentration and packed cell volume were reduced. The influence of iliac crest grafts, additional osteotomies (genioplasty, malar osteotomy, iliac crest graft, anterior mandibular segmental osteotomy), operating time, age, and sex were assessed. Neither age nor sex influenced blood loss, whereas operating time correlated significantly with reductions in haemoglobin concentration and packed cell volume. Blood loss was significantly higher in the group who had additional procedures (p 0.001 for haemoglobin concentration and packed cell volume) than in the group who had no additional procedures, whereas there were no significant differences among the three subgroups who had additional procedures (additional osteotomies, iliac crest grafts, or both procedures). Four patients who had additional procedures required transfusion, whereas no blood was given in the group who had no additional procedures. Because the transfusion rate was so low, we could make no general recommendation for preoperative blood donation in such cases. Copyright 2009 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Lessons learned from operating experience, maintenance procedures and training measures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guttner, K.; Gronau, D.

    2003-01-01

    Training programmes for nuclear facility personnel as a result of the developing phase of SAT have to be approved in the subsequent implementation and evaluation phases with the consequence of several feedback activities in the whole training process. The effectiveness of this procedure has to be evaluated especially with respect to an improvement of safety culture, shorter outage times or better plant performance, resulting in a smaller number of incidents due to human failures. The first two arguments are directly connected with all types of maintenance work in a nuclear power plant and the related preparatory training measures. The reduction of incidents due to human failures is the result of different influences, i.e. training of the operational as well as of the maintenance personnel together with changes of the operating procedures or system design. Though an evaluation of the training process should always be based on a clear definition of criteria by which the fulfilment of the learning objectives can be measured directly, the real effectiveness of training is proven by the behaviour and attitude of the personnel which can only be taken from indirect indicators. This is discussed in more detail for some examples being partly related to the above mentioned arguments. An excellent plant performance, representing a general objective of all activities, can be analysed by the changed number and reasons of incidents in a plant during its operation time. Two further examples are taken from the reactor service field where there is a tendency to reduce the individual dose rates by changed devices and/or procedures as an output from training experience with mockups. Finally the rationalisation of refresher training for operational personnel by the use of interactive teaching programs (Computer Based Training - CBT) is presented which integrate learning objectives together with a test module. (author)

  17. Volume reduction equipment for low-level radwastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofmann, J.; Schlich, E.

    1982-01-01

    Volume reduction of low-level radwaste has been used for years in Germany to reduce the on-site storage capacity which is required until an ultimate disposal site is available. The incineration of trash is a well established cost effective method for dry active waste volume reduction and now liquid radwaste treatment is gaining the operational experience which establishes it as a routine procedure. Resin pyrolysis is a promising new development which when successfully implemented will augment the other systems by safely volume reducing a radwaste which is of increasing concern

  18. Rules and procedures for the design and operation of hazardous research equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1978-12-01

    The manual has been prepared for use by research personnel involved in experiments at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. It contains rules and procedures for the design, test, installation, and operation of hazardous research equipment. Sect. I contains such information as responsibility of experimenters for safety, descriptions of the various Laboratory safety organizations, and enumeration of various services available to experimenters at the Laboratory. Sect. II describes specific rules for the setup and operation of experimental equipment at the Laboratory. Sect. III gives detailed design criteria and procedures for equipment frequently encountered in the high energy physics laboratory

  19. Probabilistic safety analysis procedures guide. Sections 1-7 and appendices. Volume 1, Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bari, R.A.; Buslik, A.J.; Cho, N.Z.

    1985-08-01

    A procedures guide for the performance of probabilistic safety assessment has been prepared for interim use in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission programs. It will be revised as comments are received, and as experience is gained from its use. The probabilistic safety assessment studies performed are intended to produce probabilistic predictive models that can be used and extended by the utilities and by NRC to sharpen the focus of inquiries into a range of issues affecting reactor safety. This first volume of the guide describes the determination of the probability (per year) of core damage resulting from accident initiators internal to the plant (i.e., intrinsic to plant operation) and from loss of off-site electric power. The scope includes human reliability analysis, a determination of the importance of various core damage accident sequences, and an explicit treatment and display of uncertainties for key accident sequences. The second volume deals with the treatment of the so-called external events including seismic disturbances, fires, floods, etc. Ultimately, the guide will be augmented to include the plant-specific analysis of in-plant processes (i.e., containment performance). This guide provides the structure of a probabilistic safety study to be performed, and indicates what products of the study are valuable for regulatory decision making. For internal events, methodology is treated in the guide only to the extent necessary to indicate the range of methods which is acceptable; ample reference is given to alternative methodologies which may be utilized in the performance of the study. For external events, more explicit guidance is given

  20. Effective and efficient learning in the operating theater with intraoperative video-enhanced surgical procedure training

    OpenAIRE

    van Det, M.J.; Meijerink, W.J.; Hoff, C.; Middel, B.; Pierie, J.P.

    2013-01-01

    INtraoperative Video Enhanced Surgical procedure Training (INVEST) is a new training method designed to improve the transition from basic skills training in a skills lab to procedural training in the operating theater. Traditionally, the master-apprentice model (MAM) is used for procedural training in the operating theater, but this model lacks uniformity and efficiency at the beginning of the learning curve. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of INVEST co...

  1. Comparison of different application systems and CT- assisted treatment planning procedures in primary endometrium cancer: Is it technically possible to include the whole uterus volume in the volume treated by brachytherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mock, U.; Knocke, Th.; Fellner, C.; Poetter, R.

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: Brachytherapy is regarded as the definitive component of treatment for inoperable patients with endometrium cancer. In published series the whole uterus has been claimed to represent the target volume independently of the individual tumor spread. The purpose of this work is to compare different planning and application procedures and to analyze the target volumes (whole uterus), treatment volumes and their respective relation for the given various conditions. Material and Methods: In ten patients with primary endometrium cancer the correlation between target- and treatment volume was analysed based on standard one-channel applicators or individual Heyman applicators. A comparative analysis of target volumes resulting from two different planning procedures of Heyman applications was performed. CT was carried out after insertion of the Heyman ovoids. Target volume was estimated by measuring the uterus size at different cross sections of the CT images. Dose calculation was performed with (PLATO-system) or without (NPS-system) transferring these data directly to the planning system. We report on the differences in treatment volumes resulting from the two application and planning systems. Results: The mean value of the uterus volume was 180 ccm (range 57 ccm to 316 ccm). Four out of 10 patients had an asymmetric uterus configuration with a side-difference (in longitudinal or transversal direction) of more than 1 cm. On average 70% (range 48-95%) of the uterus volume was included by the treatment volume when Heymann applicators were used compared to 45 % (range 25-89%) when standard one channel applicators were used. This represents an improvement of 25% (range from 11%-35%). By utilizing the more sophisticated way of treatment planning a more adequate coverage of the uterus volume was achieved in five out of ten patients. The treated volume increased on the average by 20 % (range 11 %-32%). In three cases changes in the irradiation volume were less than 5%. In

  2. Investigation of Causal Relationship between Stock Prices and Trading Volume using Toda and Yamamoto Procedure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sushil BAJAJ

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The present study probes the relationship between the stock prices and trading volume. For achieving this purpose, daily data of adjusted closing stock prices, trading volume of 39 individual securities and S&P CNX Nifty from January 1, 1998 to May 31, 2013 have been used. In this study, instead of applying ordinary Granger causality test to investigate the relationship between stock prices and trading volume, Toda and Yamamoto (1995 procedure has been applied for analyzing the data. Lag length chosen by AIC and FPE criterion has been insured by running Lagrange Multiplier (LM test and causality determined by Toda and Yamamoto test has also been confirmed by using VAR methodology. Although, Toda and Yamamoto and VAR test produced little dissimilar results, nevertheless, the empirical analysis provides sufficient grounds to declare the presence of interaction between stock prices and trading volume.

  3. Assessment of different concentrations of ketofol in procedural operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daabiss, Mohamed; Elsherbiny, Medhat; Al Otaibi, Rashed

    2009-01-01

    Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic that is often used as an adjuvant during monitored anesthesia care, the addition of ketamine to propofol may counteract the cardiorespiratory depression seen with propofol used alone. Ketofol (ketamine/propofol combination) was used for procedural sedation and analgesia. However, evaluation of the effectiveness of different concentrations of Ketofol in procedural operation regarding changes in haemodynamics, emergence phenomena, recovery time, the doses, and adverse effects was not yet studied, so this randomized, double blinded study was designed to compare the quality of analgesia and side effects of intravenous different concentrations of ketofol. One hundred children of both sex undergoing procedural operation, e.g. esophgoscopy, rectoscopy, bone marrow aspiration and liver biopsy participated in this. Patients received an infusion of a solution containing either combination of propofol: ketamine (1:1) (Group I) or propofol: ketamine (4:1) (Group II). Subsequent infusion rates to a predetermined sedation level using Ramsay Sedation Scale. Heart rate, noninvasive arterial blood pressure (NIBP), oxygen saturation (SpO2), end tidal carbon dioxide (Etco 2 ) and incidence of any side effects were recorded. There were no significant hemodynamic changes in both groups after induction. However, there was an increase in postoperative nausea, psychomimetic side effects, and delay in discharge times in group I compared to group II. The adjunctive use of smaller dose of ketamine in ketofol combination minimizes the psychomimetic side effects and shortens the time of hospital discharge. (author)

  4. Evaluation of potential severe accidents during low power and shutdown operations at Surry, Unit 1: Analysis of core damage frequency from internal events during mid-loop operations, Appendices A--D. Volume 2, Part 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, T.L.; Musicki, Z.; Kohut, P.

    1994-06-01

    During 1989, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) initiated an extensive program to carefully examine the Potential risks during low Power and shutdown operations. The program includes two parallel projects being performed by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). Two plants, Surry (pressurized water reactor) and Grand Gulf (boiling water reactor), were selected as the Plants to be studied. The objectives of the program are to assess the risks of severe accidents initiated during plant operational states other than full power operation and to compare the estimated core damage frequencies, important accident sequences and other qualitative and quantitative results with those accidents initiated during full power operation as assessed in NUREG-1150. The objective of this report is to document the approach utilized in the Surry plant and discuss the results obtained. A parallel report for the Grand Gulf plant is prepared by SNL. This study shows that the core-damage frequency during mid-loop operation at the Surry plant is comparable to that of power operation. We recognize that there is very large uncertainty in the human error probabilities in this study. This study identified that only a few procedures are available for mitigating accidents that may occur during shutdown. Procedures written specifically for shutdown accidents would be useful. This document, Volume 2, Pt. 2 provides appendices A through D of this report

  5. Evaluation of potential severe accidents during low power and shutdown operations at Surry, Unit 1: Analysis of core damage frequency from internal events during mid-loop operations, Appendices A--D. Volume 2, Part 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chu, T.L.; Musicki, Z.; Kohut, P. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)] [and others

    1994-06-01

    During 1989, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) initiated an extensive program to carefully examine the Potential risks during low Power and shutdown operations. The program includes two parallel projects being performed by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). Two plants, Surry (pressurized water reactor) and Grand Gulf (boiling water reactor), were selected as the Plants to be studied. The objectives of the program are to assess the risks of severe accidents initiated during plant operational states other than full power operation and to compare the estimated core damage frequencies, important accident sequences and other qualitative and quantitative results with those accidents initiated during full power operation as assessed in NUREG-1150. The objective of this report is to document the approach utilized in the Surry plant and discuss the results obtained. A parallel report for the Grand Gulf plant is prepared by SNL. This study shows that the core-damage frequency during mid-loop operation at the Surry plant is comparable to that of power operation. We recognize that there is very large uncertainty in the human error probabilities in this study. This study identified that only a few procedures are available for mitigating accidents that may occur during shutdown. Procedures written specifically for shutdown accidents would be useful. This document, Volume 2, Pt. 2 provides appendices A through D of this report.

  6. 9 CFR 354.210 - Minimum standards for sanitation, facilities, and operating procedures in official plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Minimum standards for sanitation, facilities, and operating procedures in official plants. 354.210 Section 354.210 Animals and Animal Products... sanitation, facilities, and operating procedures in official plants. The provisions of §§ 354.210 to 354.247...

  7. Prediction of post-operative pain after a laparoscopic tubal ligation procedure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rudin, A.; Wolner-Hanssen, P.; Hellbom, M.

    2008-01-01

    ligation procedure. METHODS: Assessments of anxiety, mood, psychological vulnerability and pre-operative pain were made before surgery using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), a psychological vulnerability test and the Short-Form McGill Pain......BACKGROUND: Pre-operative identification of reliable predictors of post-operative pain may lead to improved pain management strategies. We investigated the correlation between pre-operative pain, psychometric variables, response to heat stimuli and post-operative pain following a laparoscopic tubal...... Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), respectively. Pre-operative assessments of thermal thresholds and pain response to randomized series of heat stimuli (1 s, 44-48 degrees C) were made with quantitative sensory testing technique. Post-operative pain intensity was evaluated daily by a visual analogue scale during rest...

  8. Eigenvalues of the volume operator in loop quantum gravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meissner, Krzysztof A

    2006-01-01

    We present a simple method to calculate certain sums of the eigenvalues of the volume operator in loop quantum gravity. We derive the asymptotic distribution of the eigenvalues in the classical limit of very large spins, which turns out to be of a very simple form. The results can be useful for example in the statistical approach to quantum gravity

  9. Guidelines for the presentation of emergency operating procedures using advanced information technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, M.; Hollnagel, E.; Niwa, Yuji

    1994-01-01

    New methods of information presentation and interface design are changing the conditions for work in the modern NPP control room. One area receiving considerable attention is that of Emergency Operating Procedures (EOP). Conventionally such procedures are presented using hard copy manuals; however, development in IT means that there are new opportunities for the computerization of such procedures. This paper reports on the development of human factors guidelines for the computerized presentation of EOPs. After identifying the principle stages in the transition from procedures as documents to fully automated procedures, computerised procedure presentation is briefly discussed. Guidelines for the presentation of such procedures are outlined starting with the high level goals for guidelines themselves. Such goals also constitute the criteria against which the computerized procedures are measured during implementation. Six dimensions describing computerized procedure presentation are presented and two are explore in more detail by identifying points along each dimension that characterize different levels of IT sophistication. (author). 8 refs, 1 tab

  10. Pertinent anatomy and analysis for midface volumizing procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surek, Christopher C; Beut, Javier; Stephens, Robert; Jelks, Glenn; Lamb, Jerome

    2015-05-01

    The study was conducted to construct an anatomically inspired midfacial analysis facilitating safe, accurate, and dynamic nonsurgical rejuvenation. Emphasis is placed on determining injection target areas and adverse event zones. Twelve hemifacial fresh cadavers were dissected in a layered fashion. Dimensional measurements between the midfacial fat compartments, prezygomatic space, mimetic muscles, and neurovascular bundles were used to develop a topographic analysis for clinical injections. A longitudinal line from the base of the alar crease to the medial edge of the levator anguli oris muscle (1.9 cm), lateral edge of the levator anguli oris muscle (2.6 cm), and zygomaticus major muscle (4.6 cm) partitions the cheek into two aesthetic regions. A six-step facial analysis outlines three target zones and two adverse event zones and triangulates the point of maximum cheek projection. The lower adverse event zone yields an anatomical explanation to inadvertent jowling during anterior cheek injection. The upper adverse event zone localizes the palpebral branch of the infraorbital artery. The medial malar target area isolates quadrants for anterior cheek projection and tear trough effacement. The middle malar target area addresses lid-cheek blending and superficial compartment turgor. The lateral malar target area highlights lateral cheek projection and locates the prezygomatic space. This stepwise analysis illustrates target areas and adverse event zones to achieve midfacial support, contour, and profile in the repose position and simultaneous molding of a natural shape during animation. This reproducible method can be used both procedurally and in record-keeping for midface volumizing procedures.

  11. 76 FR 54528 - Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) Process for the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-01

    ...) of the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) Process for the Sequencing of Certification and... on the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) standard operating procedure (SOP) describing the process... comments on the SOP : AIR-100-001; Standard Operating Procedure--Aircraft Certification Service Project...

  12. Assembly, operation and disassembly manual for the Battelle Large Volume Water Sampler (BLVWS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, V.W.; Campbell, R.M.

    1984-12-01

    Assembly, operation and disassembly of the Battelle Large Volume Water Sampler (BLVWS) are described in detail. Step by step instructions of assembly, general operation and disassembly are provided to allow an operator completely unfamiliar with the sampler to successfully apply the BLVWS to his research sampling needs. The sampler permits concentration of both particulate and dissolved radionuclides from large volumes of ocean and fresh water. The water sample passes through a filtration section for particle removal then through sorption or ion exchange beds where species of interest are removed. The sampler components which contact the water being sampled are constructed of polyvinylchloride (PVC). The sampler has been successfully applied to many sampling needs over the past fifteen years. 9 references, 8 figures

  13. [Falling Short of Minimum Volume Standards, Exemptions and Their Consequences from 2018 Onwards. Complex Procedures on Oesophagus and Pancreas in German Hospitals from 2006 to 2014].

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Cruppé, Werner; Geraedts, Max

    2018-03-16

    The minimum volume standards for hospitals in Germany, in force since 2004, provide four exemptions for non-complying hospitals. This study investigates the extent and importance of these exemptions for complex procedures on the oesophagus and pancreas for all non-complying hospitals and for the revised minimum volume regulations in force since the beginning of 2018. Longitudinal, descriptive analyses of data on minimum volume standards and their exemptions for complex procedures on the oesophagus and pancreas, as presented by the hospital quality report cards of the reporting years from 2006 to 2014. For each year and both procedures, about 120 hospitals with some 500 cases report non-compliance with the minimum volume standards. Of these a third report no exemptions (with 180 procedures), a third state emergencies (110), and another third report exemptions due to internal hospital restructuring (210). Ensuring geographical access to care as an exemption is of no importance. After the three year exemption period for installation of a new service line, 20% of the hospitals with procedures on the oesophagus and 30% on the pancreas complied with the minimum volume standards. After the two-year period for staff realignment, the figures were 40 and 50%, respectively. Exemptions do not entirely explain all procedures performed by hospitals not complying with the minimum volume standards. The revised minimum volume regulations' restructuring of exemptions to "emergencies" and "new or renewed service lines" with a two year exemption period, are concordant with the empirical findings of this study. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  14. Safety procedures in operation of inspection and maintenance of pressure reduction and metering stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villas Boas, Ademar Jose; Biesemeyer, Marco Aurelio R.

    2000-01-01

    Each local Natural Gas Distribution Company in Brazil has its own working procedures for operations of inspection and maintenance on equipment and accessories connected to the gas network. Some of these Companies developed a better elaborated and documented way of working routines, while others only work based on their operators experience. The objective of this work is to create a standard procedure for operations of inspection and maintenance of Pressure Reducing Stations and Metering Stations, mainly the ones concerned to safety aspects. This work has no intention of exhausting all aspects related to this subject but to become the first step to standardize these types of operations among Natural Gas Distribution Companies. (author)

  15. An expert system-based aid for analysis of Emergency Operating Procedures in NPPs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jakubowski, Z.; Beraha, D.

    1996-01-01

    Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) generally and an accident management (AM) particularly play a significant part in the safety philosophy on NPPs since many years. A better methodology for development and validation of EOPs is desired. A prototype of an Emergency Operating Procedures Analysis System (EOPAS), which has been developed at GRS, is presented in the paper. The hardware configuration and software organisation of the system is briefly reviewed. The main components of the system such as the knowledge base of an expert system and the engineering simulator are described. (author)

  16. Environmental Sciences Division Toxicology Laboratory standard operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kszos, L.A.; Stewart, A.J.; Wicker, L.F.; Logsdon, G.M.

    1989-09-01

    This document was developed to provide the personnel working in the Environmental Sciences Division's Toxicology Laboratory with documented methods for conducting toxicity tests. The document consists of two parts. The first part includes the standard operating procedures (SOPs) that are used by the laboratory in conducting toxicity tests. The second part includes reference procedures from the US Environmental Protection Agency document entitled Short-Term Methods for Estimating the Chronic Toxicity of Effluents and Receiving Waters to Freshwater Organisms, upon which the Toxicology Laboratory's SOPs are based. Five of the SOPs include procedures for preparing Ceriodaphnia survival and reproduction test. These SOPs include procedures for preparing Ceriodaphnia food (SOP-3), maintaining Ceriodaphnia cultures (SOP-4), conducting the toxicity test (SOP-13), analyzing the test data (SOP-13), and conducting a Ceriodaphnia reference test (SOP-15). Five additional SOPs relate specifically to the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) larval survival and growth test: methods for preparing fathead minnow larvae food (SOP-5), maintaining fathead minnow cultures (SOP-6), conducting the toxicity test (SOP-9), analyzing the test data (SOP-12), and conducting a fathead minnow reference test (DOP-14). The six remaining SOPs describe methods that are used with either or both tests: preparation of control/dilution water (SOP-1), washing of glassware (SOP-2), collection and handling of samples (SOP-7), preparation of samples (SOP-8), performance of chemical analyses (SOP-11), and data logging and care of technical notebooks (SOP-16)

  17. Measurement of spatial dose distribution for evaluation operator dose during nero-interventional procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Su Chul; Hong, Dong Hee

    2016-01-01

    The spatial dose distribution was measured with ionization chamber as preliminary study to evaluate operator dose and to study dose reduction during neuro-interventional procedures. The zone of operators was divided into four area (45, 135, 225, and 315 degree).We supposed that operator exist on the four area and indicated location of critical organs(eyes, breast, gonad). The spatial doses were measured depending on distance( 80, 100, 120, and 140 cm) and location of critical organs. The spatial doses of area of 225 degree were 114.5 mR/h (eyes location), 143.1 mR/h (breast location) and 147 mR/h (gonad location) in 80 cm. When changed location of x-ray generator, spatial dose increased in 18.1±10.5%, averagely. We certified spatial dose in the operator locations, Using the results of this study, It is feasible to protect operator from radiation in neuro-interventional procedures

  18. Measurement of spatial dose distribution for evaluation operator dose during nero-interventional procedures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Su Chul [Division of Medical Radiation Equipment, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Hong, Dong Hee [Dept. of Radiology Science, Far East University, Eumseong (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-09-15

    The spatial dose distribution was measured with ionization chamber as preliminary study to evaluate operator dose and to study dose reduction during neuro-interventional procedures. The zone of operators was divided into four area (45, 135, 225, and 315 degree).We supposed that operator exist on the four area and indicated location of critical organs(eyes, breast, gonad). The spatial doses were measured depending on distance( 80, 100, 120, and 140 cm) and location of critical organs. The spatial doses of area of 225 degree were 114.5 mR/h (eyes location), 143.1 mR/h (breast location) and 147 mR/h (gonad location) in 80 cm. When changed location of x-ray generator, spatial dose increased in 18.1±10.5%, averagely. We certified spatial dose in the operator locations, Using the results of this study, It is feasible to protect operator from radiation in neuro-interventional procedures.

  19. Chemistry in water reactors: operating experience and new developments. 2 volumes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-01-01

    These proceedings of the International conference on chemistry in water reactors (Operating experience and new developments), Volume 1, are divided into 8 sessions bearing on: (session 1) Primary coolant activity, corrosion products (5 conferences), (session 2) Dose reduction (4 conferences), (session 3) New developments (4 conferences), poster session: Primary coolant chemistry (16 posters), (session 4) Decontamination (5 conferences), poster session (2 posters), (session 5) BWR-Operating experience (3 conferences), (session 6) BWR-Modelling of operating experience (4 conferences), (session 7) BWR-Basic studies (4 conferences), (session 8) BWR-New technologies (3 conferences)

  20. Bootstrap-based procedures for inference in nonparametric receiver-operating characteristic curve regression analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Álvarez, María Xosé; Roca-Pardiñas, Javier; Cadarso-Suárez, Carmen; Tahoces, Pablo G

    2018-03-01

    Prior to using a diagnostic test in a routine clinical setting, the rigorous evaluation of its diagnostic accuracy is essential. The receiver-operating characteristic curve is the measure of accuracy most widely used for continuous diagnostic tests. However, the possible impact of extra information about the patient (or even the environment) on diagnostic accuracy also needs to be assessed. In this paper, we focus on an estimator for the covariate-specific receiver-operating characteristic curve based on direct regression modelling and nonparametric smoothing techniques. This approach defines the class of generalised additive models for the receiver-operating characteristic curve. The main aim of the paper is to offer new inferential procedures for testing the effect of covariates on the conditional receiver-operating characteristic curve within the above-mentioned class. Specifically, two different bootstrap-based tests are suggested to check (a) the possible effect of continuous covariates on the receiver-operating characteristic curve and (b) the presence of factor-by-curve interaction terms. The validity of the proposed bootstrap-based procedures is supported by simulations. To facilitate the application of these new procedures in practice, an R-package, known as npROCRegression, is provided and briefly described. Finally, data derived from a computer-aided diagnostic system for the automatic detection of tumour masses in breast cancer is analysed.

  1. Standing operating procedures for developing acute exposure guideline levels for hazardous chemicals

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    National Research Council (U.S.). Subcommittee on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels

    2001-01-01

    Standing Operating Procedures for Developing Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Hazardous Chemicals contains a detailed and comprehensive methodology for developing acute exposure guideline levels (AEGLs...

  2. Operability test procedure for 241-U compressed air system and heat pump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freeman, R.D.

    1994-01-01

    The 241-U-701 compressed air system supplies instrument quality compressed air to Tank Farm 241-U. The supply piping to the 241-U Tank Farm is not included in the modification. Modifications to the 241-U-701 compressed air system include installation of a 15 HP Reciprocating Air Compressor, Ingersoll-Rand Model 10T3NLM-E15; an air dryer, Hankinson, Model DH-45; and miscellaneous system equipment and piping (valves, filters, etc.) to meet the design. A newly installed heat pump allows the compressor to operate within an enclosed relatively dust free atmosphere and keeps the compressor room within a standard acceptable temperature range, which makes possible efficient compressor operation, reduces maintenance, and maximizes compressor operating life. This document is an Operability Test Procedure (OTP) which will further verify (in addition to the Acceptance Test Procedure) that the 241-U-701 compressed air system and heat pump operate within their intended design parameters. The activities defined in this OTP will be performed to ensure the performance of the new compressed air system will be adequate, reliable and efficient. Completion of this OTP and sign off of the OTP Acceptance of Test Results is necessary for turnover of the compressed air system from Engineering to Operations

  3. Development of automated generation system of accidental operating procedures for a PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Artaud, J.L.

    1991-06-01

    The aim of the ACACIA project is to develop an automated generation system of accident operating procedures for a PWR. This research and development study, common at CEA and EDF, has two objectives: at mean-dated the realization of a validation tool and a procedure generation; at long-dated the dynamic generation of real time procedures. This work is consecrated at the realization of 2 prototypes. These prototypes and the technics used are described in detail. The last chapter explores the perspectives given by this type of tool [fr

  4. Improving the safety and quality of nursing care through standardized operating procedures in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ausserhofer, Dietmar; Rakic, Severin; Novo, Ahmed; Dropic, Emira; Fisekovic, Eldin; Sredic, Ana; Van Malderen, Greet

    2016-06-01

    We explored how selected 'positive deviant' healthcare facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina approach the continuous development, adaptation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of nursing-related standard operating procedures. Standardized nursing care is internationally recognized as a critical element of safe, high-quality health care; yet very little research has examined one of its key instruments: nursing-related standard operating procedures. Despite variability in Bosnia and Herzegovina's healthcare and nursing care quality, we assumed that some healthcare facilities would have developed effective strategies to elevate nursing quality and safety through the use of standard operating procedures. Guided by the 'positive deviance' approach, we used a multiple-case study design to examine a criterion sample of four facilities (two primary healthcare centres and two hospitals), collecting data via focus groups and individual interviews. In each studied facility, certification/accreditation processes were crucial to the initiation of continuous development, adaptation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of nursing-related SOPs. In one hospital and one primary healthcare centre, nurses working in advanced roles (i.e. quality coordinators) were responsible for developing and implementing nursing-related standard operating procedures. Across the four studied institutions, we identified a consistent approach to standard operating procedures-related processes. The certification/accreditation process is enabling necessary changes in institutions' organizational cultures, empowering nurses to take on advanced roles in improving the safety and quality of nursing care. Standardizing nursing procedures is key to improve the safety and quality of nursing care. Nursing and Health Policy are needed in Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish a functioning institutional framework, including regulatory bodies, educational systems for developing nurses' capacities or the

  5. Resident operative experience in general surgery, plastic surgery, and urology 5 years after implementation of the ACGME duty hour policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simien, Christopher; Holt, Kathleen D; Richter, Thomas H; Whalen, Thomas V; Coburn, Michael; Havlik, Robert J; Miller, Rebecca S

    2010-08-01

    Resident duty hour restrictions were implemented in 2002-2003. This study examines changes in resident surgical experience since these restrictions were put into place. Operative log data for 3 specialties were examined: general surgery, urology, and plastic surgery. The academic year immediately preceding the duty hour restrictions, 2002-2003, was used as a baseline for comparison to subsequent academic years. Operative log data for graduating residents through 2007-2008 were the primary focus of the analysis. Examination of associated variables that may moderate the relationship between fewer duty hours and surgical volume was also included. Plastic surgery showed no changes in operative volume following duty hour restrictions. Operative volume increased in urology programs. General surgery showed a decrease in volume in some operative categories but an increase in others. Specifically the procedures in vascular, plastic, and thoracic areas showed a consistent decrease. There was no increase in the percentage of programs' graduates falling below minimum requirements. Procedures in pancreas, endocrine, and laparoscopic areas demonstrated an increase in volume. Graduates in larger surgical programs performed fewer procedures than graduates in smaller programs; this was not the case for urology or plastic surgery programs. The reduction of duty hours has not resulted in an across the board decrease in operative volume. Factors other than duty hour reforms may be responsible for some of the observed findings.

  6. Main-coolant-pump shaft-seal guidelines. Volume 2. Operational guidelines. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fair, C.E.; Greer, A.O.

    1983-03-01

    This report presents a set of guidelines and criteria for improving main coolant pump shaft seal operational reliability. The noted guidelines are developed from EPRI sponsored nuclear power plant seal operating experience studies. Usage procedures/practices and operational environment influence on seal life and reliability from the most recent such survey are summarized. The shaft seal and its auxiliary supporting systems are discussed both from technical and operational related viewpoints

  7. The importance of production standard operating procedure in a family business company

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hongdiyanto, C.

    2017-12-01

    Plastic industry is a growing sector, therefore UD X which engage in this business has a great potential to grow as well. The problem faced by this family business company is that no standard operating procedure is used and it lead to problem in the quality and quantity produced. This research is aim to create a production standard operating procedure for UD X. Semistructure interview is used to gather information from respondent to help writer create the SOP. There are four SOP’s created, namely: classifying SOP, sorting SOP, milling SOP and packing SOP. Having SOP will improve the effectiveness of production because employees already know how to work in each stages of production process.

  8. Exact finite volume expectation values of local operators in excited states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pozsgay, B. [MTA-BME “Momentum” Statistical Field Theory Research Group,Budafoki út 8, 1111 Budapest (Hungary); Szécsényi, I.M. [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Institute of Theoretical Physics, Eötvös Loránd University,Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, 1117 Budapest (Hungary); Takács, G. [MTA-BME “Momentum” Statistical Field Theory Research Group,Budafoki út 8, 1111 Budapest (Hungary); Department of Theoretical Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics,Budafoki út 8, 1111 Budapest (Hungary)

    2015-04-07

    We present a conjecture for the exact expression of finite volume expectation values in excited states in integrable quantum field theories, which is an extension of an earlier conjecture to the case of general diagonal factorized scattering with bound states and a nontrivial bootstrap structure. The conjectured expression is a spectral expansion which uses the exact form factors and the excited state thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz as building blocks. The conjecture is proven for the case of the trace of the energy-moment tensor. Concerning its validity for more general operators, we provide numerical evidence using the truncated conformal space approach. It is found that the expansion fails to be well-defined for small values of the volume in cases when the singularity structure of the TBA equations undergoes a non-trivial rearrangement under some critical value of the volume. Despite these shortcomings, the conjectured expression is expected to be valid for all volumes for most of the excited states, and as an expansion above the critical volume for the rest.

  9. Finite-volume effects due to spatially non-local operators arXiv

    CERN Document Server

    Briceño, Raúl A.; Hansen, Maxwell T.; Monahan, Christopher J.

    Spatially non-local matrix elements are useful lattice-QCD observables in a variety of contexts, for example in determining hadron structure. To quote credible estimates of the systematic uncertainties in these calculations, one must understand, among other things, the size of the finite-volume effects when such matrix elements are extracted from numerical lattice calculations. In this work, we estimate finite-volume effects for matrix elements of non-local operators, composed of two currents displaced in a spatial direction by a distance $\\xi$. We find that the finite-volume corrections depend on the details of the matrix element. If the external state is the lightest degree of freedom in the theory, e.g.~the pion in QCD, then the volume corrections scale as $ e^{-m_\\pi (L- \\xi)} $, where $m_\\pi$ is the mass of the light state. For heavier external states the usual $e^{- m_\\pi L}$ form is recovered, but with a polynomial prefactor of the form $L^m/|L - \\xi|^n$ that can lead to enhanced volume effects. These ...

  10. Exact finite volume expectation values of local operators in excited states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pozsgay, B.; Szécsényi, I.M.; Takács, G.

    2015-01-01

    We present a conjecture for the exact expression of finite volume expectation values in excited states in integrable quantum field theories, which is an extension of an earlier conjecture to the case of general diagonal factorized scattering with bound states and a nontrivial bootstrap structure. The conjectured expression is a spectral expansion which uses the exact form factors and the excited state thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz as building blocks. The conjecture is proven for the case of the trace of the energy-moment tensor. Concerning its validity for more general operators, we provide numerical evidence using the truncated conformal space approach. It is found that the expansion fails to be well-defined for small values of the volume in cases when the singularity structure of the TBA equations undergoes a non-trivial rearrangement under some critical value of the volume. Despite these shortcomings, the conjectured expression is expected to be valid for all volumes for most of the excited states, and as an expansion above the critical volume for the rest.

  11. Effective and efficient learning in the operating theater with intraoperative video-enhanced surgical procedure training

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Det, M.J.; Meijerink, W.J.; Hoff, C.; Middel, B.; Pierie, J.P.

    INtraoperative Video Enhanced Surgical procedure Training (INVEST) is a new training method designed to improve the transition from basic skills training in a skills lab to procedural training in the operating theater. Traditionally, the master-apprentice model (MAM) is used for procedural training

  12. The licensing procedure for construction and operation of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salvatore, J.E.L.

    1980-03-01

    The licensing procedure for the construction and operation of the nuclear power plants in Brazil is analysed, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency orientation. The risks related to the nuclear energy is also emphasized. (A.L.) [pt

  13. Analysis of excimer laser radiant exposure effect toward corneal ablation volume at LASIK procedure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adiati, Rima Fitria; Rini Rizki, Artha Bona; Kusumawardhani, Apriani; Setijono, Heru; Rahmadiansah, Andi

    2016-11-01

    LASIK (Laser Asissted In Situ Interlamelar Keratomilieusis) is a technique for correcting refractive disorders of the eye such as myopia and astigmatism using an excimer laser. This procedure use photoablation technique to decompose corneal tissues. Although preferred due to its efficiency, permanency, and accuracy, the inappropriate amount radiant exposure often cause side effects like under-over correction, irregular astigmatism and problems on surrounding tissues. In this study, the radiant exposure effect toward corneal ablation volume has been modelled through several processes. Data collecting results is laser data specifications with 193 nm wavelength, beam diameter of 0.065 - 0.65 cm, and fluence of 160 mJ/cm2. For the medical data, the myopia-astigmatism value, cornea size, corneal ablation thickness, and flap data are taken. The first modelling step is determining the laser diameter between 0.065 - 0.65 cm with 0.45 cm increment. The energy, power, and intensity of laser determined from laser beam area. Number of pulse and total energy is calculated before the radiant exposure of laser is obtained. Next is to determine the parameters influence the ablation volume. Regression method used to create the equation, and then the spot size is substituted to the model. The validation used is statistic correlation method to both experimental data and theory. By the model created, it is expected that any potential complications can be prevented during LASIK procedures. The recommendations can give the users clearer picture to determine the appropriate amount of radiant exposure with the corneal ablation volume necessary.

  14. Operational procedure standard for occurrences involving radioactive materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piekarz, Leonardo; Rezende, Talita C.; Pinheiro, Christiano J.G.

    2017-01-01

    This study has as objective to analyze more deeply the actions of response to emergencies involving radioactive materials, in the intent to establish a pattern to the actions performed by the military fire fighters of the Military Fire Brigade of Minas Gerais. To met these goals, it has been attempted to analyze the procedures utilized and recommended, nowadays, for the military fire fighters of CBMMG, and through directed studies, to suggest new actions possible to be executed in the local of the emergency in a way that will not expose the garrison to doses of ionizing radiation that may prejudice them. It is a study of bibliographic, exploratory, and also descriptive nature, realized through a qualitative approach. The techniques used for the research were the analysis of institutional documents, norms and other literature produced by renamed entities in the radiologic and biosafety areas. It was then concluded that CBMMG, through simple actions of response, can provide higher quality and safety in the operations involving radiologic accidents, standing out that the implemented actions nowadays are very beneath the capacity of the corporation, due to the lack of knowledge of the matter by the fire fighters. It was proposed, then, that new actions be implemented and instituted as operational procedures to be used on those emergencies, with the objective of provide a higher safety and professionalism in the attendance to emergencies involving radioactive materials. (author)

  15. Operational procedure standard for occurrences involving radioactive materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Piekarz, Leonardo, E-mail: leonardopbm@yahoo.com.br [Academia de Bombeiros Militar de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Rezende, Talita C.; Pinheiro, Christiano J.G., E-mail: talitacolombi@yahoo.com, E-mail: christrieste@yahoo.it [Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo (CCA/UFES), Alegre, ES (Brazil). Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Química

    2017-07-01

    This study has as objective to analyze more deeply the actions of response to emergencies involving radioactive materials, in the intent to establish a pattern to the actions performed by the military fire fighters of the Military Fire Brigade of Minas Gerais. To met these goals, it has been attempted to analyze the procedures utilized and recommended, nowadays, for the military fire fighters of CBMMG, and through directed studies, to suggest new actions possible to be executed in the local of the emergency in a way that will not expose the garrison to doses of ionizing radiation that may prejudice them. It is a study of bibliographic, exploratory, and also descriptive nature, realized through a qualitative approach. The techniques used for the research were the analysis of institutional documents, norms and other literature produced by renamed entities in the radiologic and biosafety areas. It was then concluded that CBMMG, through simple actions of response, can provide higher quality and safety in the operations involving radiologic accidents, standing out that the implemented actions nowadays are very beneath the capacity of the corporation, due to the lack of knowledge of the matter by the fire fighters. It was proposed, then, that new actions be implemented and instituted as operational procedures to be used on those emergencies, with the objective of provide a higher safety and professionalism in the attendance to emergencies involving radioactive materials. (author)

  16. Library Operations Policies and Procedures, Volume 2. Central Archive for Reusable Defense Software (CARDS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-02-28

    use and customize those policies and procedures applicable to the implementor’s situation. It is not the intent of this manual to restrict the library...improvements. Pare 10 ka•- V •DkI U Release Manager The Release Manager provides franchisees with media copies of existing libraries, as needed. Security...implementors, and potential library franchisees . Security Team The Security Team assists the Security Officer with security analysis. Team members are

  17. Operability test procedure for the Rotary Mode Core Sampling System Exhausters 3 and 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    WSaldo, E.J.

    1995-01-01

    This document provides a procedure for performing operability testing of the Rotary Mode Core Sampling System Exhausters 3 ampersand 4. Upon completion of testing activities an operability testing report will be issued

  18. Efficient Procedure to Compute the Microcanonical Volume of Initial Conditions that Lead to Escape Trajectories from a Multidimensional Potential Well

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Waalkens, Holger; Burbanks, Andrew; Wiggins, Stephen

    2005-01-01

    A procedure is presented for computing the phase space volume of initial conditions for trajectories that escape or ‘‘react’’ from a multidimensional potential well. The procedure combines a phase space transition state theory, which allows one to construct dividing surfaces that are free of local

  19. The BWR [Boiling Water Reactor] Emergency Operating Procedures Tracking System (EOPTS): Evaluation by control-room operating crews

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spurgin, A.J.; Orvis, D.D.; Spurgin, J.P.; Luna, C.J.

    1990-05-01

    This report presents the results of a project sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Taiwan Power Company (TPC) and conducted by APG and TPC to perform evaluation of the Emergency Operating Procedures Tracking System (EOPTS). The EOPTS is an expert system employing artificial intelligence techniques developed by EPRI for Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) plants based on emergency operating procedures (EOPs). EOPTS is a computerized decision aid used to assist plant operators in efficient and reliable use of EOPs. The main objective of this project was to evaluate the EOPTS and determine how an operator aid of this type could noticeably improve the response time and the reliability of control room crews to multi-failure scenarios. A secondary objective was to collect data on how crew performance was affected. Experiments results indicate that the EOPTS measurably improves crew performance over crews using the EOP flow charts. Time-comparison measurements indicate that crews using the EOPTS perform required actions more quickly than do those using the flowcharts. The results indicate that crews using the EOPTS are not only faster and more consistent in their actions but make fewer errors. In addition, they have a higher likelihood of recovering from the errors that they do make. Use of the EOPTS in the control room should result in faster termination and mitigation of accidents and reduced risk of power plant operations. Recommendations are made towards possible applications of the EOPTS to operator training and evaluation, and for the applicability of the evaluation methodology developed for this project to the evaluation of similar operator aides. 17 refs., 14 figs., 14 tabs

  20. Guidelines for the preparation of emergency operating procedures. Resolution of comments on NUREG-0799

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-08-01

    The purpose of this document is to identify the elements necessary for utilities to prepare and implement a program of Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) for use by control room personnel to assist in mitigating the consequences of a broad range of accidents and multiple equipment failures. This document applies only to the EOPs so designated; it does not address emergency preparedness or emergency planning. It also represents the resolution of comments on NUREG-0799, Draft Criteria for Preparation of Emergency Operating Procedures

  1. Improved Short-Term Outcomes following Orthognathic Surgery Are Associated with High-Volume Centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berlin, Nicholas L; Tuggle, Charles T; Steinbacher, Derek M

    2016-08-01

    Previous studies assessing outcomes following orthognathic surgery rely primarily on single-center/surgeon experience. In addition to issues of generalizability, these studies are limited in evaluating the effect of operative volume on patient outcomes. Orthognathic procedures were identified in the 1999 to 2011 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Outcomes included occurrence of any in-hospital complication, extended length of stay (>2 days), and increased costs (>$10,784). High-volume hospitals were defined as the 90th percentile of case volume or higher (>31 cases/year). Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify independent predictors of outcomes. Trend analyses were performed to assess changes in the annual rate of patients treated at high-volume hospitals over the study period. Among 101,692 orthognathic surgery patients, 19.6 percent underwent concurrent ancillary procedures (i.e., genioplasty, rhinoplasty, or septoplasty), and 37.6 percent underwent double-jaw surgery. Fifty-three percent were treated at high-volume hospitals. High-volume hospitals more often performed ancillary procedures (21.4 percent versus 17.4 percent; p surgery (41.3 percent versus 33.4 percent; p orthognathic cases nationwide are performed at a small number of high-volume hospitals. These hospitals discharge patients earlier, perform more complex procedures, and have fewer complications. Risk, III.

  2. Manual for the GAW Precipitation Chemistry Programme: Guidelines, Data Quality Objectives and Standard Operating Procedures

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Allan, Mary A

    2004-01-01

    This is a manual for the Global Atmosphere Watch Precipitation Chemistry (GAW-PC) Programme. Where possible, it describes standard operating procedures and otherwise provides guidance on methods and procedures...

  3. Step Complexity Measure for Emergency Operating Procedures - Determining Weighting Factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea; Kim, Jaewhan; Ha, Jaejoo

    2003-01-01

    In complex systems, such as nuclear power plants (NPPs) or airplane control systems, human error has been regarded as the primary cause of many events. Therefore, to ensure system safety, extensive effort has been made to identify the significant factors that can cause human error. According to related studies, written manuals or operating procedures are revealed as one of the important factors, and the understandability is pointed out as one of the major reasons for procedure-related human errors.Many qualitative checklists have been suggested to evaluate emergency operating procedures (EOPs) of NPPs so as to minimize procedure-related human errors. However, since qualitative evaluations using checklists have some drawbacks, a quantitative measure that can quantify the complexity of EOPs is indispensable.From this necessity, Park et al. suggested the step complexity (SC) measure to quantify the complexity of procedural steps included in EOPs. To verify the appropriateness of the SC measure, averaged step performance time data obtained from emergency training records of the loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) and the excess steam demand event were compared with estimated SC scores. However, although averaged step performance time data and estimated SC scores show meaningful correlation, some important issues such as determining proper weighting factors have to be clarified to ensure the appropriateness of the SC measure. These were not properly dealt with due to a lack of backup data.In this paper, to resolve one of the important issues, emergency training records are additionally collected and analyzed in order to determine proper weighting factors. The total number of collected records is 66, and the training scenarios cover five emergency conditions including the LOCA, the steam generator tube rupture, the loss of all feedwater, the loss of off-site power, and the station blackout. From these records, average step performance time data are retrieved, and new

  4. Volume totalizers analysis of pipelines operated by TRANSPETRO National Operational Control Center; Analise de totalizadores de volume em oleodutos operados pelo Centro Nacional de Controle e Operacao da TRANSPETRO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aramaki, Thiago Lessa; Montalvao, Antonio Filipe Falcao [Petrobras Transporte S.A. (TRANSPETRO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Marques, Thais Carrijo [Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), RJ (Brazil)

    2012-07-01

    This paper aims to present the results and methodology in the analysis of differences in volume totals used in systems such as batch tracking and leak detection of pipelines operated by the National Center for Operational Control (CNCO) at TRANSPETRO. In order to optimize this type of analysis, software was developed to acquisition and processing of historical data using the methodology developed. The methodology developed takes into account the particularities encountered in systems operated by TRANSPETRO, more specifically, by CNCO. (author)

  5. Sampling procedures for inventory of commercial volume tree species in Amazon Forest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Netto, Sylvio P; Pelissari, Allan L; Cysneiros, Vinicius C; Bonazza, Marcelo; Sanquetta, Carlos R

    2017-01-01

    The spatial distribution of tropical tree species can affect the consistency of the estimators in commercial forest inventories, therefore, appropriate sampling procedures are required to survey species with different spatial patterns in the Amazon Forest. For this, the present study aims to evaluate the conventional sampling procedures and introduce the adaptive cluster sampling for volumetric inventories of Amazonian tree species, considering the hypotheses that the density, the spatial distribution and the zero-plots affect the consistency of the estimators, and that the adaptive cluster sampling allows to obtain more accurate volumetric estimation. We use data from a census carried out in Jamari National Forest, Brazil, where trees with diameters equal to or higher than 40 cm were measured in 1,355 plots. Species with different spatial patterns were selected and sampled with simple random sampling, systematic sampling, linear cluster sampling and adaptive cluster sampling, whereby the accuracy of the volumetric estimation and presence of zero-plots were evaluated. The sampling procedures applied to species were affected by the low density of trees and the large number of zero-plots, wherein the adaptive clusters allowed concentrating the sampling effort in plots with trees and, thus, agglutinating more representative samples to estimate the commercial volume.

  6. Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale and atrial septal defect in adults: the impact of clinical variables and hospital procedure volume on in-hospital adverse events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Opotowsky, Alexander R; Landzberg, Michael J; Kimmel, Stephen E; Webb, Gary D

    2009-05-01

    Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale/atrial septal defect (PFO/ASD) is an increasingly common procedure perceived as having minimal risk. There are no population-based estimates of in-hospital adverse event rates of percutaneous PFO/ASD closure. We used nationally representative data from the 2001-2005 Nationwide Inpatient Sample to identify patients >or-=20 years old admitted to an acute care hospital with an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code designating percutaneous PFO/ASD closure on the first or second hospital day. Variables analyzed included age, sex, number of comorbidities, year, same-day use of intracardiac or other echocardiography, same-day left heart catheterization, hospital size and teaching status, PFO/ASD procedural volume, and coronary intervention volume. Outcomes of interest included length of stay, charges, and adverse events. The study included 2,555 (weighted to United States population: 12,544 +/- 1,987) PFO/ASD closure procedures. Mean age was 52.0 +/- 0.4 years, and 57.3% +/- 1.0% were women. Annual hospital volume averaged 40.8 +/- 7.7 procedures (range, 1-114). Overall, 8.2 +/- 0.8% of admissions involved an adverse event. Older patients and those with comorbidities were more likely to sustain adverse events. Use of intracardiac echocardiography was associated with fewer adverse events. The risk of adverse events was inversely proportional to annual hospital volume (odds ratio [OR] 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86-0.96, per 10 procedures), even after limiting the analysis to hospitals performing >or=10 procedures annually (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.98). Adverse events were more frequent at hospitals in the lowest volume quintile as compared with the highest volume quintile (13.3% vs 5.4%, OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.55-3.78). The risk of adverse events of percutaneous PFO/ASD closure is inversely correlated with hospital volume. This relationship applies even to hospitals meeting the current guidelines

  7. Operating procedures for nuclear power plants and their presentation. Working material. Proceedings of a specialists meeting held in Vienna, 31 March - 2 April 1992

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1994-12-31

    With a view to exchanging information on most recent development of technology in the field the IAEA International Working Group on Nuclear Power Plant control and Instrumentation suggested to organize a Specialists` Meeting on ``Operating Procedures for Nuclear Power Plants and their Presentation``. The meeting was held in Vienna, at IAEA Headquarters from March 31 to April 2, 1992 and provided an opportunity to: share operators experience; discuss the different techniques of presenting the information; identify further trends of technology and needs of the industry. The meeting was attended by 46 participants representing 12 Member States and 3 international organizations. The present volume contains summary of the meeting, session summaries and papers of the national participants. Refs, figs and tabs.

  8. Operating procedures for nuclear power plants and their presentation. Working material. Proceedings of a specialists meeting held in Vienna, 31 March - 2 April 1992

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    With a view to exchanging information on most recent development of technology in the field the IAEA International Working Group on Nuclear Power Plant control and Instrumentation suggested to organize a Specialists' Meeting on ''Operating Procedures for Nuclear Power Plants and their Presentation''. The meeting was held in Vienna, at IAEA Headquarters from March 31 to April 2, 1992 and provided an opportunity to: share operators experience; discuss the different techniques of presenting the information; identify further trends of technology and needs of the industry. The meeting was attended by 46 participants representing 12 Member States and 3 international organizations. The present volume contains summary of the meeting, session summaries and papers of the national participants. Refs, figs and tabs

  9. Waste minimization handbook, Volume 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boing, L.E.; Coffey, M.J.

    1995-12-01

    This technical guide presents various methods used by industry to minimize low-level radioactive waste (LLW) generated during decommissioning and decontamination (D and D) activities. Such activities generate significant amounts of LLW during their operations. Waste minimization refers to any measure, procedure, or technique that reduces the amount of waste generated during a specific operation or project. Preventive waste minimization techniques implemented when a project is initiated can significantly reduce waste. Techniques implemented during decontamination activities reduce the cost of decommissioning. The application of waste minimization techniques is not limited to D and D activities; it is also useful during any phase of a facility`s life cycle. This compendium will be supplemented with a second volume of abstracts of hundreds of papers related to minimizing low-level nuclear waste. This second volume is expected to be released in late 1996.

  10. Waste minimization handbook, Volume 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boing, L.E.; Coffey, M.J.

    1995-12-01

    This technical guide presents various methods used by industry to minimize low-level radioactive waste (LLW) generated during decommissioning and decontamination (D and D) activities. Such activities generate significant amounts of LLW during their operations. Waste minimization refers to any measure, procedure, or technique that reduces the amount of waste generated during a specific operation or project. Preventive waste minimization techniques implemented when a project is initiated can significantly reduce waste. Techniques implemented during decontamination activities reduce the cost of decommissioning. The application of waste minimization techniques is not limited to D and D activities; it is also useful during any phase of a facility's life cycle. This compendium will be supplemented with a second volume of abstracts of hundreds of papers related to minimizing low-level nuclear waste. This second volume is expected to be released in late 1996

  11. TVT-Exact and midurethral sling (SLING-IUFT) operative procedures: a randomized study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aniuliene, Rosita; Aniulis, Povilas; Skaudickas, Darijus

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the study is to compare results, effectiveness and complications of TVT exact and midurethral sling (SLING-IUFT) operations in the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). A single center nonblind, randomized study of women with SUI who were randomized to TVT-Exact and SLING-IUFT was performed by one surgeon from April 2009 to April 2011. SUI was diagnosed on coughing and Valsalva test and urodynamics (cystometry and uroflowmetry) were assessed before operation and 1 year after surgery. This was a prospective randomized study. The follow up period was 12 months. 76 patients were operated using the TVT-Exact operation and 78 patients - using the SLING-IUFT operation. There was no statistically significant differences between groups for BMI, parity, menopausal status and prolapsed stage (no patients had cystocele greater than stage II). Mean operative time was significantly shorter in the SLING-IUFT group (19 ± 5.6 min.) compared with the TVT-Exact group (27 ± 7.1 min.). There were statistically significant differences in the effectiveness of both procedures: TVT-Exact - at 94.5% and SLING-IUFT - at 61.2% after one year. Hospital stay was statistically significantly shorter in the SLING-IUFT group (1. 2 ± 0.5 days) compared with the TVT-Exact group (3.5 ± 1.5 days). Statistically significantly fewer complications occurred in the SLING-IUFT group. the TVT-Exact and SLING-IUFT operations are both effective for surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence. The SLING-IUFT involved a shorter operation time and lower complications rate., the TVT-Exact procedure had statistically significantly more complications than the SLING-IUFT operation, but a higher effectiveness.

  12. Chapter 8. Medical procedures. Recommendations and standard operating procedures for intensive care unit and hospital preparations for an influenza epidemic or mass disaster

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zimmerman, Janice L.; Sprung, Charles L.; Christian, Michael D.; Camargo, Ruben; Ceraso, Daniel; Azoulay, Elie; Duguet, Alexandre; Guery, Benoit; Reinhart, Konrad; Adini, Bruria; Barlavie, Yaron; Benin-Goren, Odeda; Cohen, Robert; Klein, Motti; Leoniv, Yuval; Margalit, Gila; Rubinovitch, Bina; Sonnenblick, Moshe; Steinberg, Avraham; Weissman, Charles; Wolff, Donna; Kesecioglu, Jozef; de Jong, Menno; Moreno, Rui; An, Youzhong; Du, Bin; Joynt, Gavin M.; Colvin, John; Loo, Shi; Richards, Guy; Artigas, Antonio; Pugin, Jerome; Amundson, Dennis; Devereaux, Asha; Beigel, John; Danis, Marion; Farmer, Chris; Hick, John L.; Maki, Dennis; Masur, Henry; Rubinson, Lewis; Sandrock, Christian; Talmor, Daniel; Truog, Robert; Zimmerman, Janice; Brett, Steve; Montgomery, Hugh; Rhodes, Andrew; Sanderson, Frances; Taylor, Bruce

    2010-01-01

    To provide recommendations and standard operating procedures for intensive care unit and hospital preparations for an influenza pandemic or mass disaster with a specific focus on ensuring that adequate resources are available and appropriate protocols are developed to safely perform procedures in

  13. Technical procedures for water resources: Volume 4, Deaf Smith County site, Texas: Environmental Field Program: Final draft

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-08-01

    This volume contains Technical Procedures pursuant to the water Resources Site Study Plan: including Collection, Preservation, and Shipment of Ground-Water Samples; Inventory Current Water Use and Estimating Projected Water Use; Estimation of Precipitation Depth, Duration, Frequence; Estimation of Probable Maximum Precipitation; Calculation of Floodplains

  14. Operability test procedure for PFP wastewater sampling facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirzel, D.R.

    1995-01-01

    Document provides instructions for performing the Operability Test of the 225-WC Wastewater Sampling Station which monitors the discharge to the Treated Effluent Disposal Facility from the Plutonium Finishing Plant. This Operability Test Procedure (OTP) has been prepared to verify correct configuration and performance of the PFP Wastewater sampling system installed in Building 225-WC located outside the perimeter fence southeast of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). The objective of this test is to ensure the equipment in the sampling facility operates in a safe and reliable manner. The sampler consists of two Manning Model S-5000 units which are rate controlled by the Milltronics Ultrasonic flowmeter at manhole No.C4 and from a pH measuring system with the sensor in the stream adjacent to the sample point. The intent of the dual sampling system is to utilize one unit to sample continuously at a rate proportional to the wastewater flow rate so that the aggregate tests are related to the overall flow and thereby eliminate isolated analyses. The second unit will only operate during a high or low pH excursion of the stream (hence the need for a pH control). The major items in this OTP include testing of the Manning Sampler System and associated equipment including the pH measuring and control system, the conductivity monitor, and the flow meter

  15. Rancang Bangun Document Management System Untuk Mengelola Dokumen Standart Operational Procedure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Putu Susila Handika

    2017-09-01

    Standard Operational Procedure (SOP is one important document in a company because it is useful to improve the quality of the company. PT. Global Retailindo Pratama is one of the companies engaged in retail that using standard of quality management ISO 9001: 2008. Currently the management of SOP documents at PT. Global Retailindo Pratama still use manual way. Manual way cause some problems such as the search process and document distribution process takes quite a long time. This research aims to design and build Document Management System to manage SOP documents. The system development model used in this research is prototyping model. This application is built in web-based with PHP as programming language. Testing the application using Blak Box Testing and Usability Testing shows that the Document Management System can run in accordance with the needs and can be used easily so that the process of document management SOP becomes faster. Keywords: Document Management System, Standart Operational Procedure, Information System, PHP.

  16. Assisting emergency operating procedures execution with AMAS, an Accident Management Advisor System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guarro, S.; Milici, T.; Wu, J.S.; Apostolakis, G.

    2004-01-01

    In an accident situation, because any decisions that the operators make will depend on how instrumentation readings are ultimately interpreted, the issue of instrument uncertainty is of paramount importance. This uncertainty exists because instrument readings may not be available in the desired form - i.e., only indirect readings for a parameter of interest may exist, with uncertainty on which physical models may be used to deduce its value from these indirect indications -, or because readings may be coming from instruments whose accuracy and reliability in the face of the severe conditions produced by the accident are far from what may be expected under normal operating conditions. In following the EOPs, the operators must rely on instrumentation whose readings may not reflect the real situation. The Accident Management Advisor System (AMAS) is a decision aid intended to supplement plant Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) by accounting for instrumentation uncertainty, and by alerting the operators if they are on the wrong procedures, or otherwise performing an action that is not optimal in terms of preventing core damage. In AMAS, the availability and reliability of certain important instrument readings is treated in probabilistic, rather than deterministic terms. This issue is discussed in greater detail later in the paper, since it relates to one of the key characteristics of the AMAS decision aid. (author)

  17. Impact of operator experience and training strategy on procedural outcomes with leadless pacing: Insights from the Micra Transcatheter Pacing Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Chami, Mikhael; Kowal, Robert C; Soejima, Kyoko; Ritter, Philippe; Duray, Gabor Z; Neuzil, Petr; Mont, Lluis; Kypta, Alexander; Sagi, Venkata; Hudnall, John Harrison; Stromberg, Kurt; Reynolds, Dwight

    2017-07-01

    Leadless pacemaker systems have been designed to avoid the need for a pocket and transvenous lead. However, delivery of this therapy requires a new catheter-based procedure. This study evaluates the role of operator experience and different training strategies on procedural outcomes. A total of 726 patients underwent implant attempt with the Micra transcatheter pacing system (TPS; Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) by 94 operators trained in a teaching laboratory using a simulator, cadaver, and large animal models (lab training) or locally at the hospital with simulator/demo model and proctorship (hospital training). Procedure success, procedure duration, fluoroscopy time, and safety outcomes were compared between training methods and experience (implant case number). The Micra TPS procedure was successful in 99.2% of attempts and did not differ between the 55 operators trained in the lab setting and the 39 operators trained locally at the hospital (P = 0.189). Implant case number was also not a determinant of procedural success (P = 0.456). Each operator performed between one and 55 procedures. Procedure time and fluoroscopy duration decreased by 2.0% (P = 0.002) and 3.2% (P safety outcomes by training method. Among a large group of operators, implantation success was high regardless of experience. While procedure duration and fluoroscopy times decreased with implant number, complications were low and not associated with case number. Procedure and safety outcomes were similar between distinct training methodologies. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Image-guidance for surgical procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peters, Terry M

    2006-01-01

    Contemporary imaging modalities can now provide the surgeon with high quality three- and four-dimensional images depicting not only normal anatomy and pathology, but also vascularity and function. A key component of image-guided surgery (IGS) is the ability to register multi-modal pre-operative images to each other and to the patient. The other important component of IGS is the ability to track instruments in real time during the procedure and to display them as part of a realistic model of the operative volume. Stereoscopic, virtual- and augmented-reality techniques have been implemented to enhance the visualization and guidance process. For the most part, IGS relies on the assumption that the pre-operatively acquired images used to guide the surgery accurately represent the morphology of the tissue during the procedure. This assumption may not necessarily be valid, and so intra-operative real-time imaging using interventional MRI, ultrasound, video and electrophysiological recordings are often employed to ameliorate this situation. Although IGS is now in extensive routine clinical use in neurosurgery and is gaining ground in other surgical disciplines, there remain many drawbacks that must be overcome before it can be employed in more general minimally-invasive procedures. This review overviews the roots of IGS in neurosurgery, provides examples of its use outside the brain, discusses the infrastructure required for successful implementation of IGS approaches and outlines the challenges that must be overcome for IGS to advance further. (topical review)

  19. Emergency operating procedures guidelines for pressurized water reactors - a progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lyon, W.C.

    1984-01-01

    Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) contain the instructions the operator will follow to control a nuclear plant whenever a condition exists that potentially jeopardizes the fuel cladding, the reactor coolant system (RCS) pressure boundary, or the containment. The EOPs are prepared from guidelines which contain the major operator instructions that will be in the EOPs. Guidelines have been prepared by owners' groups having Babcock and Wilcox (BandW), Combustion Engineering (CE), General Electric (GE), and Westinghouse (W) plants. These guidelines cover many aspects of full power operation. Future effort is anticipated to complete coverage of transient events, including severe accidents, all power conditions, and shutdown. This paper describes the philosophy which has guided NRC technical review of guidelines, progress achieved in providing comprehensive coverage of emergency conditions for PWRs, and anticipated future technical activities

  20. Mental workload measurement for emergency operating procedures in digital nuclear power plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Qin; Wang, Yang; Song, Fei; Li, Zhizhong; Dong, Xiaolu

    2013-01-01

    Mental workload is a major consideration for the design of emergency operation procedures (EOPs) in nuclear power plants. Continuous and objective measures are desired. This paper compares seven mental workload measurement methods (pupil size, blink rate, blink duration, heart rate variability, parasympathetic/sympathetic ratio, total power and (Goals, Operations, Methods, and Section Rules)-(Keystroke Level Model) GOMS-KLM-based workload index) with regard to sensitivity, validity and intrusiveness. Eighteen participants performed two computerised EOPs of different complexity levels, and mental workload measures were collected during the experiment. The results show that the blink rate is sensitive to both the difference in the overall task complexity and changes in peak complexity within EOPs, that the error rate is sensitive to the level of arousal and correlate to the step error rate and that blink duration increases over the task period in both low and high complexity EOPs. Cardiac measures were able to distinguish tasks with different overall complexity. The intrusiveness of the physiological instruments is acceptable. Finally, the six physiological measures were integrated using group method of data handling to predict perceived overall mental workload. The study compared seven measures for evaluating the mental workload with emergency operation procedure in nuclear power plants. An experiment with simulated procedures was carried out, and the results show that eye response measures are useful for assessing temporal changes of workload whereas cardiac measures are useful for evaluating the overall workload.

  1. The step complexity measure for emergency operating procedures: measure verification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea; Ha, Jaejoo; Park, Changkue

    2002-01-01

    In complex systems, such as nuclear power plants (NPPs) or airplane control systems, human errors play a major role in many accidents. Therefore, to prevent an occurrence of accidents or to ensure system safety, extensive effort has been made to identify significant factors that can cause human errors. According to related studies, written manuals or operating procedures are revealed as one of the most important factors, and the understandability is pointed out as one of the major reasons for procedure-related human errors. Many qualitative checklists are suggested to evaluate emergency operating procedures (EOPs) of NPPs. However, since qualitative evaluations using checklists have some drawbacks, a quantitative measure that can quantify the complexity of EOPs is very necessary to compensate for them. In order to quantify the complexity of steps included in EOPs, Park et al. suggested the step complexity (SC) measure. In addition, to ascertain the appropriateness of the SC measure, averaged step performance time data obtained from emergency training records for the loss of coolant accident and the excess steam dump event were compared with estimated SC scores. Although averaged step performance time data show good correlation with estimated SC scores, conclusions for some important issues that have to be clarified to ensure the appropriateness of the SC measure were not properly drawn because of lack of backup data. In this paper, to clarify remaining issues, additional activities to verify the appropriateness of the SC measure are performed using averaged step performance time data obtained from emergency training records. The total number of available records is 36, and training scenarios are the steam generator tube rupture and the loss of all feedwater. The number of scenarios is 18 each. From these emergency training records, averaged step performance time data for 30 steps are retrieved. As the results, the SC measure shows statistically meaningful

  2. Impact of procedure on the post-operative infection risk of patients after elective colon surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blitzer, David N; Davis, John M; Ahmed, Nasim; Kuo, Yen-Hong; Kuo, Yen-Liang

    2014-12-01

    Post-operative infection impacts the quality of patient care, prolongs the length of hospital stay, and utilizes more health care resources. The purpose of this study was to compare the rates of surgical site infection among three major surgical procedures for treating patients with colon pathology. The location of colon resection impacts the post-operative infection rate. A retrospective cohort study was conducted by using the 2006 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Adult patients (age ≥18 yr) with colon diseases are the population of interest. The disease status and procedures were categorized according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Patients with a primary diagnosis of diverticulosis of the colon without hemorrhage (ICD-9-CM codes: 562.11 and 562.12) or malignant neoplasm of the colon (ICD-9-CM codes: 153.x, where x represents the possible digits within this ICD-9-CM code category), with procedures of open and other right hemicolectomy (ORH; ICD-9-CM code: 45.73) or open and other left hemicolectomy (OLH; ICD-9-CM code: 45.75), or open and other sigmoidectomy (OS; ICD-9-CM code: 45.76) were included for this study. The primary measured outcome for the study was surgical site infection. There were an estimated 26,381 ORH procedures, 9,558 OLH procedures, and 31,656 OS procedures performed in 2006. There was a significant difference among procedures with respect to their age distributions (mean [standard error]: ORH vs. OLH vs. OS=70.5 [0.2] vs. 63.8 [0.3] vs. 59.5 [0.2] yr, pinfection rates: ORH vs. OLH vs. OS=2.9% vs. 5.6% vs. 4.9%, pinfection for OLH (AOR [95% CI]: 1.31 [1.04-1.64], p=0.02) compared with OS. Different sites of colon operations were associated with different risks of surgical site infections. Accordingly, appropriate pre-operative measures should address these differences.

  3. Surveillance of Environmental and Procedural Measures of Infection Control in the Operating Theatre Setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Dallolio

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The microbiological contamination of operating theatres and the lack of adherence to best practices by surgical staff represent some of the factors affecting Surgical Site Infections (SSIs. The aim of the present study was to assess the microbiological quality of operating settings and the staff compliance to the SSI evidence-based control measures. Ten operating rooms were examined for microbiological contamination of air and surfaces, after cleaning procedures, in “at rest” conditions. Furthermore, 10 surgical operations were monitored to assess staff compliance to the recommended practices. None of the air samples exceeded microbiological reference standards and only six of the 200 surface samples (3.0% were slightly above recommended levels. Potentially pathogenic bacteria and moulds were never detected. Staff compliance to best practices varied depending on the type of behaviour investigated and the role of the operator. The major not compliant behaviours were: pre-operative skin antisepsis, crowding of the operating room and hand hygiene of the anaesthetist. The good environmental microbiological quality observed is indicative of the efficacy of the cleaning-sanitization procedures adopted. The major critical point was staff compliance to recommended practices. Awareness campaigns are therefore necessary, aimed at improving the organisation of work so as to facilitate compliance to operative protocols.

  4. Initial tank calibration at NUCEF critical facility. 1. Measurement procedure and its result

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yanagisawa, Hiroshi; Mineo, Hideaki; Tonoike, Kotaro; Takeshita, Isao; Hoshi, Katsuya; Hagiwara, Hiroyuki.

    1994-07-01

    Initial tank calibrations were carried out prior to hot operation of critical facilities in NUCEF: Nuclear Fuel Cycle Safety Engineering Research Facility, for the purpose of the nuclear material accountancy and control for the facility. Raw calibration data were collected from single run per one tank by measuring differential pressure with dip-tube systems, weight of calibration liquid (demineralized water) poured into the tank, temperature in the tank and so on, without operation of tank ventilation system. Volume and level data were obtained by applying density and buoyancy corrections to the raw data. As a result, the evaluated measurement errors of volume and level were small enough, e.g. within 0.2 lit. and 1.0 mm, respectively, for Pu accountancy tanks. This paper summarizes the above-mentioned measurement procedures, collected data, data correction procedures and evaluated measurement errors. (author)

  5. Outcome of the TURP-TUVP sandwich procedure for minimally ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    shanker

    TURP–TUVP sandwich procedure for the surgical treatment of BPH larger than 40cc in volume. 23 used was 21.5 L (SD = 4.9).The mean post-operative hospital stay was 3.5 days (range 3- 4 days). Overall,. 11 (19%) patients had blood transfusion, there was no incidence of TUR syndrome and one mortality was recorded ...

  6. Simulation model for wind energy storage systems. Volume II. Operation manual. [SIMWEST code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Warren, A.W.; Edsinger, R.W.; Burroughs, J.D.

    1977-08-01

    The effort developed a comprehensive computer program for the modeling of wind energy/storage systems utilizing any combination of five types of storage (pumped hydro, battery, thermal, flywheel and pneumatic). An acronym for the program is SIMWEST (Simulation Model for Wind Energy Storage). The level of detail of SIMWEST is consistent with a role of evaluating the economic feasibility as well as the general performance of wind energy systems. The software package consists of two basic programs and a library of system, environmental, and load components. Volume II, the SIMWEST operation manual, describes the usage of the SIMWEST program, the design of the library components, and a number of simple example simulations intended to familiarize the user with the program's operation. Volume II also contains a listing of each SIMWEST library subroutine.

  7. NRC/FEMA operational response procedures for response to a commercial nuclear reactor accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-11-01

    Procedures have been developed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which provide the response teams of both agencies with the steps to be taken in responding to an emergency at a commercial nuclear power plant. The emphasis of these procedures is mainly on the interface between NRC and FEMA at their respective Headquarters and Regional Offices and at the various sites at which such an emergency could occur. Detailed procedures are presented that cover for both agencies, notification schemes and manner of activation, organizations at Headquaters and the site, interface procedures, coordination of onsite and offsite operations, the role of the Senior FEMA Official, and the cooperative efforts of each agency's public information staff

  8. Operation of Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Field Study Training Program. Volume I. Second Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    California State Univ., Sacramento. Dept. of Civil Engineering.

    This manual was prepared by experienced wastewater collection system workers to provide a home study course to develop new qualified workers and expand the abilities of existing workers. This volume is directed primarily towards entry-level operators and the operators of ponds, package plants, or small treatment plants. Ten chapters examine the…

  9. Predictors of Post-Operative Pain Relief in Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis Undergoing the Frey or Whipple Procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinha, Amitasha; Patel, Yuval A; Cruise, Michael; Matsukuma, Karen; Zaheer, Atif; Afghani, Elham; Yadav, Dhiraj; Makary, Martin A; Hirose, Kenzo; Andersen, Dana K; Singh, Vikesh K

    2016-04-01

    Post-operative pain relief in chronic pancreatitis (CP) is variable. Our objective was to determine clinical imaging or histopathologic predictor(s) of post-operative pain relief in CP patients undergoing the Whipple or Frey procedure. All patients who underwent a Whipple (n = 30) or Frey procedure (n = 30) for painful CP between January 2003 and September 2013 were evaluated. A toxic etiology was defined as a history of alcohol use and/or smoking. The pre-operative abdominal CT was evaluated for calcification(s) and main pancreatic duct (MPD) dilation (≥5 mm). The post-operative histopathology was evaluated for severe fibrosis. Clinical imaging and histopathologic features were evaluated as predictors of post-operative pain relief using univariable and multivariable regression analysis. A total of 60 patients (age 51.6 years, 53% males) were included in our study, of whom 42 (70%) reported post-operative pain relief over a mean follow-up of 1.1 years. There were 37 (62%) patients with toxic etiology, 36 (60%) each with calcification(s) and MPD dilation. A toxic etiology, calcifications, and severe fibrosis were associated with post-operative pain relief on univariable analysis (all p Whipple or Frey procedure.

  10. Soil Sampling Operating Procedure

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA Region 4 Science and Ecosystem Support Division (SESD) document that describes general and specific procedures, methods, and considerations when collecting soil samples for field screening or laboratory analysis.

  11. A cost and time analysis of laryngology procedures in the endoscopy suite versus the operating room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hillel, Alexander T; Ochsner, Matthew C; Johns, Michael M; Klein, Adam M

    2016-06-01

    To assess the costs, charges, reimbursement, and efficiency of performing awake laryngology procedures in an endoscopy suite (ES) compared with like procedures performed in the operating room (OR). Retrospective review of billing records. Cost, charges, and reimbursements for the hospital, surgeon, and anesthesiologist were compared between ES injection laryngoplasty and laser excision procedures and matched case controls in the OR. Time spent in 1) the preoperative unit, 2) the operating or endoscopy suite, and 3) recovery unit were compared between OR and ES procedures. Hospital expenses were significantly less for ES procedures when compared to OR procedures. Reimbursement was similar for ES and OR injection laryngoplasty, though greater for OR laser excisions. Net balance (reimbursement-expenses) was greater for ES procedures. A predictive model of payer costs over a 3-year period showed similar costs for ES and OR laser procedures and reduced costs for ES compared to OR injection laryngoplasty. Times spent preoperatively and the procedure were significantly less for ES procedures. For individual laryngology procedures, the ES reduces time and costs compared to the OR, increasing otolaryngologist and hospital efficiency. This reveals cost and time savings of ES injection laryngoplasty, which occurs at a similar frequency as OR injection laryngoplasty. Given the increased frequency for ES laser procedures, total costs are similar for ES and OR laser excision of papilloma, which usually require repeated procedures. When regulated office space is unavailable, endoscopy rooms represent an alternative setting for unsedated laryngology procedures. NA Laryngoscope, 126:1385-1389, 2016. © 2015 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

  12. Impact of spinal anaesthesia on peri-operative lung volumes in obese and morbidly obese female patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regli, A; von Ungern-Sternberg, B S; Reber, A; Schneider, M C

    2006-03-01

    Although obesity predisposes to postoperative pulmonary complications, data on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and peri-operative respiratory performance are limited. We prospectively studied the impact of spinal anaesthesia, obesity and vaginal surgery on lung volumes measured by spirometry in 28 patients with BMI 30-40 kg.m(-2) and in 13 patients with BMI > or = 40 kg.m(-2). Vital capacity, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, mid-expiratory and peak expiratory flows were measured during the pre-operative visit (baseline), after effective spinal anaesthesia with premedication, and after the operation at 20 min, 1 h, 2 h, and 3 h (after mobilisation). Spinal anaesthesia and premedication were associated with a significant decrease in spirometric parameters. Spinal anaesthesia and premedication were associated with a significant decrease in spirometric parameters; mean (SD) vital capacities were - 19% (6.4) in patients with BMI 30-40 kg.m(-2) and - 33% (9.0) in patients with BMI > 40 kg.m(-2). The decrease of lung volumes remained constant for 2 h, whereas 3 h after the operation and after mobilisation, spirometric parameters significantly improved in all patients. This study showed that both spinal anaesthesia and obesity significantly impaired peri-operative respiratory function.

  13. Human factors review of electric power dispatch control centers. Volume 3. Operator information needs summary. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, R.J.; Najaf-Zadeh, K.; Darlington, H.T.; McNair, H.D.; Seidenstein, S.; Williams, A.R.

    1982-10-01

    Human factors is a systems-oriented interdisciplinary specialty concerned with the design of systems, equipment, facilities and the operational environment. An important aspect leading to the design requirements is the determination of the information requirements for electric power dispatch control centers. There are significant differences between the system operator's actions during normal and degraded states of power system operation, and power system restoration. This project evaluated the information the operator requires for normal power system and control system operations and investigates the changes of information required by the operator as the power system and/or the control system degrades from a normal operating state. The Phase II study, published in two volumes, defines power system states and control system conditions to which operator information content can be related. This volume presents a summary of operator information needs, identifying the needs for and the uses of power system information by a system operator in conditions ranging from normal through degraded operation. Training requirements are also included for planning entry-level and follow-on training for operators.

  14. Knowing the operative game plan: a novel tool for the assessment of surgical procedural knowledge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balayla, Jacques; Bergman, Simon; Ghitulescu, Gabriela; Feldman, Liane S; Fraser, Shannon A

    2012-08-01

    What is the source of inadequate performance in the operating room? Is it a lack of technical skills, poor judgment or a lack of procedural knowledge? We created a surgical procedural knowledge (SPK) assessment tool and evaluated its use. We interviewed medical students, residents and training program staff on SPK assessment tools developed for 3 different common general surgery procedures: inguinal hernia repair with mesh in men, laparoscopic cholecystectomy and right hemicolectomy. The tools were developed as a step-wise assessment of specific surgical procedures based on techniques described in a current surgical text. We compared novice (medical student to postgraduate year [PGY]-2) and expert group (PGY-3 to program staff) scores using the Mann-Whitney U test. We calculated the total SPK score and defined a cut-off score using receiver operating characteristic analysis. In all, 5 participants in 7 different training groups (n = 35) underwent an interview. Median scores for each procedure and overall SPK scores increased with experience. The median SPK for novices was 54.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] 21.6-58.8) compared with 98.05 (95% CP 94.1-100.0) for experts (p = 0.012). The SPK cut-off score of 93.1 discriminates between novice and expert surgeons. Surgical procedural knowledge can reliably be assessed using our SPK assessment tool. It can discriminate between novice and expert surgeons for common general surgical procedures. Future studies are planned to evaluate its use for more complex procedures.

  15. Human factors review of electric power dispatch control centers. Volume 4. Operator information needs. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, R.J.; Najaf-Zadeh, K.; Darlington, H.T.; McNair, H.D.; Seidenstein, S.; Williams, A.R.

    1982-10-01

    Human factors is a systems-oriented interdisciplinary specialty concerned with the design of systems, equipment, facilities and the operational environment. An important aspect leading to the design requirements is the determination of the information requirements for electric power dispatch control centers. There are significant differences between the system operator's actions during normal and degraded states of power system operation, and power system restoration. This project evaluated the information the operator requires for normal power system and control system operations and investigates the changes of information required by the operator as the power system and/or the control system degrades from a normal operating state. The Phase II study, published in two volumes, defines power system states and control system conditions to which operator information content can be related. This volume presents detailed data concerning operator information needs that identify the needs for and the uses of power system information by a system operator in conditions ranging from normal through degraded operation. The study defines power system states and control system conditions to which operator information content can be related, and it identifies the requisite information as consistent with current industry practice so as to aid control system designers. Training requirements are also included for planning entry-level and follow-on training for operators.

  16. Recent trends in operator theory and partial differential equations the Roland Duduchava anniversary volume

    CERN Document Server

    Natroshvili, David; Shargorodsky, Eugene; Wendland, Wolfgang

    2017-01-01

    This volume is dedicated to the eminent Georgian mathematician Roland Duduchava on the occasion of his 70th birthday. It presents recent results on Toeplitz, Wiener-Hopf, and pseudodifferential operators, boundary value problems, operator theory, approximation theory, and reflects the broad spectrum of Roland Duduchava's research. The book is addressed to a wide audience of pure and applied mathematicians.

  17. Radiation dose to procedural personnel and patients from an X-ray volume imaging system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paul, Jijo; Mbalisike, Emmanuel C.; Vogl, Thomas J.

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the radiation dose received by procedural personnel and patients from an X-ray volume imaging (XVI) system during interventional procedures. Forty patients were examined using catheter angiography (group A), digital subtraction angiography (group B) and cone-beam CT (CBCT, group C). Doses to procedural personnel (using thermo-luminescent dosimeters, TLDs) and patients were estimated. Image quality and lesion delineation were assessed using objective and subjective methods. Shapiro-Wilk, two-sided Student's t and Wilcoxon matched-pairs tests were used to test statistical significance. Doses (milligrays) measured in the hands and left knee of the interventionist were higher than those in an assistant physician (P < 0.05). Doses (dose-area product and skin entry dose) were lower in group A and higher in C compared with other groups; moreover, comparison among the groups were significant (all P = 0.0001). Subjective and objective lesion delineation showed significant results (all P < 0.05) among the tumour types considered. Image quality estimation showed the opposite results for objective and subjective analysis. More doses were obtained for hands of the procedural personnel compared to other anatomical regions measured. Catheter angiography showed lower dose compared with other imaging groups examined. Lesion delineation was clearly possible using CBCT. Objective and subjective analysis showed the opposite results regarding image quality because of higher noise levels and artefacts. (orig.)

  18. Operation Procedure of Inspection Equipment for TRISO-coated Fuel Particle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S. H.; Kim, Y. K.; Cho, M. S.; Kim, Y. M.; Park, J. Y.; Kim, W. J.; Jeong, K. C.; Oh, S. C.; Lee, Y. W.

    2007-03-01

    TRISO-coated fuel particle for HTGR(high temperature gas cooled reactor) is composed of fuel kernel and coating layers. The kernel and coated particle are characterized by inspection processes for inspection items such as diameter of kernel, thickness, density and an-isotropy of coating layer. The coating thickness can be nondestructively measured by X-ray inspection equipment. The coating thickness as well as the sphericity can be also measured by optical inspection system as a ceramography method. The an-isotropy can be characterized by photometer. The density of coating layer can be measured by density column. The size and sphericity of particles can be measured by PSA(particle size analyzer). The thermo-chemical characteristics of kernel can be analyzed by TG/DTA(Thermogravimetric/Differential Thermal Analyzer). The inspection objective, equipment composition, operation principle, operation manual for each equipment was described in this operation procedure, which will be used for the characterization of inspection items described above

  19. Association between hospital procedure volume and early complications after pacemaker implantation: results from a large, unselected, contemporary cohort of the German nationwide obligatory external quality assurance programme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nowak, Bernd; Tasche, Karl; Barnewold, Linda; Heller, Günther; Schmidt, Boris; Bordignon, Stefano; Chun, K R Julian; Fürnkranz, Alexander; Mehta, Rajendra H

    2015-05-01

    Several studies demonstrated an inverse relationship between cardioverter-defibrillator implantation volume and complication rates, suggesting better outcomes for higher volume centres. However, the association of institutional procedural volume with patient outcomes for permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation remains less known, especially in decentralized implantation systems. We performed retrospective examination of data on patients undergoing PPM from the German obligatory quality assurance programme (2007-12) to evaluate the relationship of hospital PPM volume (categorized into quintiles of their mean annual volume) with risk-adjusted in-hospital surgical complications (composite of pneumothorax, haemothorax, pericardial effusion, or pocket haematoma, all requiring intervention, or device infection) and pacemaker lead dislocation. Overall 430 416 PPM implantations were documented in 1226 hospitals. Systems included dual (72.8%) and single (25.8%) chamber PPM and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices (1.1%). Complications included surgical (0.92%), and ventricular (0.99%), and atrial (1.22%) lead dislocation. Despite an increase in relatively complex procedures (dual chamber, CRT), there was a significant decrease in the procedural and fluoroscopy times and complications from lowest to highest implantation volume quintiles (P for trend <0.0001). The greatest difference was observed between the lowest (1-50 implantations/year-reference group) and the second-lowest (51-90 implantations/year) quintile: surgical complications [odds ratio (OR) 0.69; confidence interval (CI) 0.60-0.78], atrial lead dislocations (OR 0.69; CI 0.59-0.80), and ventricular lead dislocations (OR 0.73; CI 0.63-0.84). Hospital annual PPM volume was directly related to indication-based implantation of relatively more complex PPM and yet inversely with procedural times and rates of early surgical complications and lead dislocations. Thus, our data suggest better performance and lower

  20. Upgrade of the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site's reactor operations and maintenance procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walsh, T.E.

    1991-01-01

    This paper describes the program in progress at the Savannah River Site (SRS) to upgrade the existing reactor operating and maintenance procedures to current commercial nuclear industry standards. In order to meet this goal, the following elements were established: administrative procedures to govern the upgrade process, tracking system to provide status and accountability; and procedure writing guides. The goal is to establish a benchmark of excellence by which other Department of Energy (DOE) sites will measure themselves. The above three elements are addressed in detail in this paper

  1. Generic procedure for designing and implementing plan management systems for space science missions operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaizy, P. A.; Dimbylow, T. G.; Allan, P. M.; Hapgood, M. A.

    2011-09-01

    This paper is one of the components of a larger framework of activities whose purpose is to improve the performance and productivity of space mission systems, i.e. to increase both what can be achieved and the cost effectiveness of this achievement. Some of these activities introduced the concept of Functional Architecture Module (FAM); FAMs are basic blocks used to build the functional architecture of Plan Management Systems (PMS). They also highlighted the need to involve Science Operations Planning Expertise (SOPE) during the Mission Design Phase (MDP) in order to design and implement efficiently operation planning systems. We define SOPE as the expertise held by people who have both theoretical and practical experience in operations planning, in general, and in space science operations planning in particular. Using ESA's methodology for studying and selecting science missions we also define the MDP as the combination of the Mission Assessment and Mission Definition Phases. However, there is no generic procedure on how to use FAMs efficiently and systematically, for each new mission, in order to analyse the cost and feasibility of new missions as well as to optimise the functional design of new PMS; the purpose of such a procedure is to build more rapidly and cheaply such PMS as well as to make the latter more reliable and cheaper to run. This is why the purpose of this paper is to provide an embryo of such a generic procedure and to show that the latter needs to be applied by people with SOPE during the MDP. The procedure described here proposes some initial guidelines to identify both the various possible high level functional scenarii, for a given set of possible requirements, and the information that needs to be associated with each scenario. It also introduces the concept of catalogue of generic functional scenarii of PMS for space science missions. The information associated with each catalogued scenarii will have been identified by the above procedure and

  2. The effect of duty hour regulation on resident surgical case volume in otolaryngology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtis, Stuart H; Miller, Robert H; Weng, Cindy; Gurgel, Richard K

    2014-10-01

    Evaluate the effect of duty hour regulation on graduating otolaryngology resident surgical case volume and analyze trends in surgical case volume for Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) key indicator cases from 1996 to 2011. Time-trend analysis of surgical case volume. Nationwide sample of otolaryngology residency programs. Operative logs from the American Board of Otolaryngology and ACGME for otolaryngology residents graduating in the years 1996 to 2011. Key indicator volumes and grouped domain volumes before and after resident duty hour regulations (2003) were calculated and compared. Independent t test was performed to evaluate overall difference in operative volume. Wilcoxon rank sum test evaluated differences between procedures per time period. Linear regression evaluated trend. The average total number of key indicator cases per graduating resident was 440.8 in 1996-2003 compared to 500.4 cases in 2004-2011, and overall average per number of key indicators was 31.5 and 36.2, respectively (P = .067). Four key indicator cases showed statistically significant (P otolaryngology residents. The overall trend in operative volume is increasing for several specific key indicators. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2014.

  3. Surveillance procedure for the rotary drilling operations of a well

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peltier, B; Deshais, R

    1988-06-17

    A surveillance procedure for the rotary drilling operations of a well is proposed. When the drilling pipe is drawn out of the well, or put into the well, pipe elements are taken away or added. At each moment the height of the trepan in the well is measured, together with the traction force of the lifting engine. The device permits to avoid the important damage that can be caused by an error on the drilling pipe's length.

  4. Surveillance procedure for the rotary drilling operations of a well

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peltier, B.; Deshais, R.

    1988-06-17

    A surveillance procedure for the rotary drilling operations of a well is proposed. When the drilling pipe is drawn out of the well, or put into the well, pipe elements are taken away or added. At each moment the height of the trepan in the well is measured, together with the traction force of the lifting engine. The device permits to avoid the important damage that can be caused by an error on the drilling pipe's length.

  5. Clinical significance of computed tomography in the measurement of thyroid volume after operation for Basedow's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasuga, Yoshio; Miyakawa, Makoto; Sugenoya, Akira

    1986-01-01

    The postoperative volume of the thyroid glands was measured using computed tomography (CT) in 16 patients with Basedow's disease. In the group which had normal postoperative thyroid function and did not need to receive T 4 , CT showed increase of thyroid volume. In three of the four patients who needed to receive it, CT showed decreased thyroid volume, as compared with that immediately after operation. CT has proved to serve as a tool for measuring postoperative thyroid volume for Basedow's disease in relation to postoperative prognosis. (Namekawa, K.)

  6. High lung cancer surgical procedure volume is associated with shorter length of stay and lower risks of re-admission and death

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Henrik; Riaz, Sharma P; Holmberg, Lars

    2016-01-01

    It is debated whether treating cancer patients in high-volume surgical centres can lead to improvement in outcomes, such as shorter length of hospital stay, decreased frequency and severity of post-operative complications, decreased re-admission, and decreased mortality. The dataset for this anal......It is debated whether treating cancer patients in high-volume surgical centres can lead to improvement in outcomes, such as shorter length of hospital stay, decreased frequency and severity of post-operative complications, decreased re-admission, and decreased mortality. The dataset...... to their geographical population. Higher volume hospitals had shorter length of stay and the odds of re-admission were 15% lower in the highest hospital volume quintile compared with the lowest quintile. Mortality risks were 1% after 30 d and 3% after 90 d. Patients from hospitals in the highest volume quintile had...

  7. Operative Landscape at Canadian Neurosurgery Residency Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tso, Michael K; Dakson, Ayoub; Ahmed, Syed Uzair; Bigder, Mark; Elliott, Cameron; Guha, Daipayan; Iorio-Morin, Christian; Kameda-Smith, Michelle; Lavergne, Pascal; Makarenko, Serge; Taccone, Michael S; Wang, Bill; Winkler-Schwartz, Alexander; Sankar, Tejas; Christie, Sean D

    2017-07-01

    Background Currently, the literature lacks reliable data regarding operative case volumes at Canadian neurosurgery residency programs. Our objective was to provide a snapshot of the operative landscape in Canadian neurosurgical training using the trainee-led Canadian Neurosurgery Research Collaborative. Anonymized administrative operative data were gathered from each neurosurgery residency program from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2014. Procedures were broadly classified into cranial, spine, peripheral nerve, and miscellaneous procedures. A number of prespecified subspecialty procedures were recorded. We defined the resident case index as the ratio of the total number of operations to the total number of neurosurgery residents in that program. Resident number included both Canadian medical and international medical graduates, and included residents on the neurosurgery service, off-service, or on leave for research or other personal reasons. Overall, there was an average of 1845 operative cases per neurosurgery residency program. The mean numbers of cranial, spine, peripheral nerve, and miscellaneous procedures were 725, 466, 48, and 193, respectively. The nationwide mean resident case indices for cranial, spine, peripheral nerve, and total procedures were 90, 58, 5, and 196, respectively. There was some variation in the resident case indices for specific subspecialty procedures, with some training programs not performing carotid endarterectomy or endoscopic transsphenoidal procedures. This study presents the breadth of neurosurgical training within Canadian neurosurgery residency programs. These results may help inform the implementation of neurosurgery training as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons residency training transitions to a competence-by-design curriculum.

  8. Consecutive operative procedures in patients with Marfan syndrome up to 28 years after initial aortic root surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puluca, Nazan; Burri, Melchior; Cleuziou, Julie; Krane, Markus; Lange, Rüdiger

    2018-02-28

    Most patients (75%) with Marfan syndrome present with aortic root dilatation that may require surgical intervention. However, associated cardiovascular disorders are not limited to the aortic root. These patients frequently require consecutive operations on the remaining thoracic aorta or the heart valves. Our intent was to characterize the spectrum of such procedures. Data from all patients with Marfan syndrome undergoing aortic root surgery at our centre between 1988 and 2016 were analysed retrospectively. Overall, 73 patients (26 women) were selected for the study. The median age at 1st operation was 30 years (3-68 years). Indications for aortic root surgery were aneurysm (78%) and dissection (22%). Initially, 33 Bentall procedures and 40 valve-sparing root replacement procedures were performed, with a 97% rate of follow-up completion. The median follow up was 8 years (0-28 years). Survival at 1, 10 and 15 years was 100%, 85% and 82%, respectively. During follow-up monitoring, 48 subsequent procedures were performed in 33 patients (aorta, 23; aortic valve, 11; mitral valve, 7 and combined procedures, 7). The 30-day mortality rate after subsequent procedures was 4.2%. Freedom from subsequent operation and death (combined end-point) after 5, 10 and 15 years was 70%, 53% and 34%, respectively. After the initial surgery, subsequent procedures required in the setting of Marfan syndrome most often involve the remaining native aorta, followed by the aortic and mitral valves. The continued need for additional operative procedures remains high, even decades after the initial surgeries are undertaken. Therefore, long-term patient monitoring at specialized centres is imperative.

  9. Surgical team turnover and operative time: An evaluation of operating room efficiency during pulmonary resection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azzi, Alain Joe; Shah, Karan; Seely, Andrew; Villeneuve, James Patrick; Sundaresan, Sudhir R; Shamji, Farid M; Maziak, Donna E; Gilbert, Sebastien

    2016-05-01

    Health care resources are costly and should be used judiciously and efficiently. Predicting the duration of surgical procedures is key to optimizing operating room resources. Our objective was to identify factors influencing operative time, particularly surgical team turnover. We performed a single-institution, retrospective review of lobectomy operations. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of different factors on surgical time (skin-to-skin) and total procedure time. Staff turnover within the nursing component of the surgical team was defined as the number of instances any nurse had to leave the operating room over the total number of nurses involved in the operation. A total of 235 lobectomies were performed by 5 surgeons, most commonly for lung cancer (95%). On multivariate analysis, percent forced expiratory volume in 1 second, surgical approach, and lesion size had a significant effect on surgical time. Nursing turnover was associated with a significant increase in surgical time (53.7 minutes; 95% confidence interval, 6.4-101; P = .026) and total procedure time (83.2 minutes; 95% confidence interval, 30.1-136.2; P = .002). Active management of surgical team turnover may be an opportunity to improve operating room efficiency when the surgical team is engaged in a major pulmonary resection. Copyright © 2016 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center Monitoring Manual Volume 2, Radiation Monitoring and Sampling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NSTec Aerial Measurement Systems

    2012-07-31

    The FRMAC Monitoring and Sampling Manual, Volume 2 provides standard operating procedures (SOPs) for field radiation monitoring and sample collection activities that are performed by the Monitoring group during a FRMAC response to a radiological emergency.

  11. Standard Operating Procedures for Female Genital Sexual Pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fugl-Meyer, Kerstin S; Bohm-Starke, Nina; Damsted Petersen, Christina

    2012-01-01

    Introduction.  Female genital sexual pain (GSP) is a common, distressing complaint in women of all ages that is underrecognized and undertreated. Definitions and terminology for female GSP are currently being debated. While some authors have suggested that GSP is not per se a sexual dysfunction......, but rather a localized genial pain syndrome, others adhere to using clearly sexually related terms such as dyspareunia and vaginismus. Aim.  The aims of this brief review are to present definitions of the different types of female GSP. Their etiology, incidence, prevalence, and comorbidity with somatic......-Meyer KS, Bohm-Starke N, Damsted Petersen C, Fugl-Meyer A, Parish S, and Giraldi A. Standard operating procedures for female genital sexual pain. J Sex Med **;**:**-**....

  12. Semiautomatic regional segmentation to measure orbital fat volumes in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy. A validation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comerci, M; Elefante, A; Strianese, D; Senese, R; Bonavolontà, P; Alfano, B; Bonavolontà, B; Brunetti, A

    2013-08-01

    This study was designed to validate a novel semi-automated segmentation method to measure regional intra-orbital fat tissue volume in Graves' ophthalmopathy. Twenty-four orbits from 12 patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy, 24 orbits from 12 controls, ten orbits from five MRI study simulations and two orbits from a digital model were used. Following manual region of interest definition of the orbital volumes performed by two operators with different levels of expertise, an automated procedure calculated intra-orbital fat tissue volumes (global and regional, with automated definition of four quadrants). In patients with Graves' disease, clinical activity score and degree of exophthalmos were measured and correlated with intra-orbital fat volumes. Operator performance was evaluated and statistical analysis of the measurements was performed. Accurate intra-orbital fat volume measurements were obtained with coefficients of variation below 5%. The mean operator difference in total fat volume measurements was 0.56%. Patients had significantly higher intra-orbital fat volumes than controls (p<0.001 using Student's t test). Fat volumes and clinical score were significantly correlated (p<0.001). The semi-automated method described here can provide accurate, reproducible intra-orbital fat measurements with low inter-operator variation and good correlation with clinical data.

  13. Requirements for Computer Based-Procedures for Nuclear Power Plant Field Operators. Results from a Qualitative Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Blanc, Katya; Oxstrand, J.H.; Waicosky, T.

    2012-01-01

    Although computer-based procedures (CBPs) have been investigated as a way to enhance operator performance on procedural tasks in the nuclear industry for almost thirty years, they are not currently widely deployed at United States utilities. One of the barriers to the wide scale deployment of CBPs is the lack of operational experience with CBPs that could serve as a sound basis for justifying the use of CBPs for nuclear utilities. Utilities are hesitant to adopt CBPs because of concern over potential costs of implementation, and concern over regulatory approval. Regulators require a sound technical basis for the use of any procedure at the utilities; without operating experience to support the use CBPs, it is difficult to establish such a technical basis. In an effort to begin the process of developing a technical basis for CBPs, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory are partnering with industry to explore CBPs with the objective of defining requirements for CBPs and developing an industry-wide vision and path forward for the use of CBPs. This paper describes the results from a qualitative study aimed at defining requirements for CBPs to be used by field operators and maintenance technicians. (author)

  14. Preintervention lesion remodelling affects operative mechanisms of balloon optimised directional coronary atherectomy procedures: a volumetric study with three dimensional intravascular ultrasound

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Birgelen, C; Mintz, G; de Vrey, E A; Serruys, P; Kimura, T; Nobuyoshi, M; Popma, J; Leon, M; Erbel, R; de Feyter, P J

    2000-01-01

    AIMS—To classify atherosclerotic coronary lesions on the basis of adequate or inadequate compensatory vascular enlargement, and to examine changes in lumen, plaque, and vessel volumes during balloon optimised directional coronary atherectomy procedures in relation to the state of adaptive remodelling before the intervention.
DESIGN—29 lesion segments in 29 patients were examined with intravascular ultrasound before and after successful balloon optimised directional coronary atherectomy procedures, and a validated volumetric intravascular ultrasound analysis was performed off-line to assess the atherosclerotic lesion remodelling and changes in plaque and vessel volumes that occurred during the intervention. Based on the intravascular ultrasound data, lesions were classified according to whether there was inadequate (group I) or adequate (group II) compensatory enlargement.
RESULTS—There was no significant difference in patient and lesion characteristics between groups I and II (n = 10 and 19), including lesion length and details of the intervention. Quantitative coronary angiographic data were similar for both groups. However, plaque and vessel volumes were significantly smaller in group I than in II. In group I, 9 (4)% (mean (SD)) of the plaque volume was ablated, while in group II 16 (11)% was ablated (p = 0.01). This difference was reflected in a lower lumen volume gain in group I than in group II (46 (18) mm3 v 80 (49) mm3 (p atherectomy procedures. Plaque ablation was found to be particularly low in lesions with inadequate compensatory vascular enlargement.


Keywords: intravascular ultrasound; ultrasonics; remodelling; coronary artery disease; atherectomy PMID:10648496

  15. Correlation of Objective Assessment Data With General Surgery Resident In-Training Evaluation Reports and Operative Volumes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelsattar, Jad M; AlJamal, Yazan N; Ruparel, Raaj K; Rowse, Phillip G; Heller, Stephanie F; Farley, David R

    2018-05-14

    Faculty evaluations, ABSITE scores, and operative case volumes often tell little about true resident performance. We developed an objective structured clinical examination called the Surgical X-Games (5 rooms, 15 minutes each, 12-15 tests total, different for each postgraduate [PGY] level). We hypothesized that performance in X-Games will prove more useful in identifying areas of strength or weakness among general surgery (GS) residents than faculty evaluations, ABSITE scores, or operative cases volumes. PGY 2 to 5 GS residents (n = 35) were tested in a semiannual X-Games assessment using multiple simulation tasks: laparoscopic skills, bowel anastomosis, CT/CXR analysis, chest tube placement, etc. over 1 academic year. Resident scores were compared to their ABSITE, in-training evaluation reports, and operating room case numbers. Academic medical center. PGY-2, 3, 4, and 5 GS residents at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Results varied greatly within each class except for staff evaluations: in-training evaluation reports medians for PGY-2s were 5.3 (range: 5.0-6.0), PGY-3s 5.9 (5.5-6.3), PGY-4s 5.6 (5.0-6.0), and PGY-5s were 6.1 (5.6-6.9). Although ABSITE and operating room case volumes fluctated greatly with each PGY class, only X-Games scores (median: PGY-2 = 82, PGY-3 = 61, PGY-4 = 76, and PGY-5 = 60) correlated positively (p < 0.05) with operative case volume and negatively (p < 0.05) with staff evaluations. X-Games assessment generated wide differentiation of resident performance quickly, inexpensively, and objectively. Although "Minnesota-nice" surgical staff may feel all GS trainees are "above average," objective assessment tells us otherwise. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Limiting excessive postoperative blood transfusion after cardiac procedures. A review.

    OpenAIRE

    Ferraris, V A; Ferraris, S P

    1995-01-01

    Analysis of blood product use after cardiac operations reveals that a few patients ( 80%). The risk factors that predispose a minority of patients to excessive blood use include patient-related factors, transfusion practices, drug-related causes, and procedure-related factors. Multivariate studies suggest that patient age and red blood cell volume are independent patient-related variables that predict excessive blood product transfusion aft...

  17. Cold and compression in the management of musculoskeletal injuries and orthopedic operative procedures: a narrative review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jon E Block

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Jon E BlockJon E Block, PhD., Incorporated, San Francisco, CA, USAAbstract: Cold and compression are routinely applied immediately after acute injury or ­following surgery to alleviate pain, reduce swelling and speed functional recovery. The objective of this literature review is to describe the published clinical findings regarding combined cold and compression therapy in the management of musculoskeletal injuries and after orthopedic operative procedures. Of 33 potential articles triaged, the findings of 21 randomized controlled trials were assessed and summarized. The findings reported by these 21 studies were largely subjective pain outcomes and, to a lesser degree, swelling and range of motion, and were inconsistent and divergent, making it difficult to recommend the most appropriate, effective clinical application of cold and compression. Further, 18 of the 21 reported studies evaluated cold and static compression, where the extent and duration of the compression was not uniform within or across studies. Operative procedures may offer a more controlled environment for rigorous investigations. However, such studies must be powered sufficiently to account for variations in surgical procedure that could affect outcomes. More uniform operative procedures, such as total knee arthroplasty, represent a well circumscribed intervention for studying the clinical utility of cold compression therapy because the operative technique is standardized, surgical tissue damage is extensive, intraoperative blood loss is high, and post-operative edema and pain are severe. Findings from randomized controlled trials of knee arthroplasty generally showed cold compression therapy provides better outcomes such as pain relief than alternative interventions. While the effects of cold and static compression are clearly better than no treatment, they do not appear to be directly additive.Keywords: cryotherapy, injury

  18. 33 CFR Appendix D to Part 157 - Example of a Procedure for Dedicated Clean Ballast Tanks Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Example of a Procedure for... ENVIRONMENT RELATING TO TANK VESSELS CARRYING OIL IN BULK Pt. 157, App. D Appendix D to Part 157—Example of a Procedure for Dedicated Clean Ballast Tanks Operations 1. Source. The example procedure for dedicated clean...

  19. Standard operating procedures improve acute neurologic care in a sub-Saharan African setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaiteh, Lamin E S; Helwig, Stefan A; Jagne, Abubacarr; Ragoschke-Schumm, Andreas; Sarr, Catherine; Walter, Silke; Lesmeister, Martin; Manitz, Matthias; Blaß, Sebastian; Weis, Sarah; Schlund, Verena; Bah, Neneh; Kauffmann, Jil; Fousse, Mathias; Kangankan, Sabina; Ramos Cabrera, Asmell; Kronfeld, Kai; Ruckes, Christian; Liu, Yang; Nyan, Ousman; Fassbender, Klaus

    2017-07-11

    Quality of neurologic emergency management in an under-resourced country may be improved by standard operating procedures (SOPs). Neurologic SOPs were implemented in a large urban (Banjul) and a small rural (Brikama) hospital in the Gambia. As quality indicators of neurologic emergency management, performance of key procedures was assessed at baseline and in the first and second implementation years. At Banjul, 100 patients of the first-year intervention group exhibited higher rates of general procedures of emergency management than 105 control patients, such as neurologic examination (99.0% vs 91.4%; p process quality of neurologic emergency management in under-resourced settings. This study provides Class IV evidence that, for patients with suspected neurologic emergencies in sub-Saharan Africa, neurologic SOPs increase the rate of performance of guideline-recommended procedures. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.

  20. Fluidized bed volume reduction of diverse radwastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McFee, J.N.; McConnell, J.W.; Waddoups, D.A.; Gray, M.F.; Harwood, L.E.; Clayton, N.J.; Drown, D.C.

    1981-01-01

    Method and apparatus for a fluidized bed radwaste volume reduction system are claimed. Low level radioactive wastes, combustible solids, ion exchange resins and filter sludges, and liquids, emanating from a reactor facility are introduced separately through an integrated waste influent system into a common fluidized bed vessel where volume reduction either through incineration or calcination occurs. Addition of a substance to the ion exchange resin before incineration inhibits the formation of low-melting point materials which tend to form clinkers in the bed. Solid particles are scrubbed or otherwise removed from the gaseous effluent of the vessel in an off-gas system, before the cooled and cleaned off-gas is released to the atmosphere. Iodine is chemically or physically removed from the off-gas. Otherwise, the only egress materials from the volume reduction system are containerized dry solids and tramp material. The bed material used during each mode may be circulated, cleaned, stored and exchanged from within the bed vessel by use of a bed material handling system. An instrumentation and control system provides operator information, monitors performance characteristics, implements start up and shut down procedures, and initiates alarms and emergency procedures during abnormal conditions

  1. A simple and cheap system to speed up and to control the tumescent technique procedure: the Tedde's system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubino, C; Marongiu, F; Manzo, M J; Tedde, G; Madonia, M; Campus, G V; Farace, F

    2014-06-01

    We have devised a low cost system to quickly infiltrate tumescent solution: we call it the "Tedde's system". This low-cost system offers an improvement in quality and quantity of the infiltration because all the procedure depends on the operators, reducing also the time of the infiltration and consequently of the whole surgical procedure. Moreover, this system can be applied to other surgical procedure that requires large infiltration volumes.

  2. Optimisation of Forensic Genetics Procedures Used in Disputed Paternity Testing: Adjustment of the PCR Reaction Volume

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Damir Marjanović

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available Standard molecular techniques, with only a slight modification, are very useful in obtaining and interpreting the final results in the field of forensic genetic. Data obtained through such analysis are highly reliable and can be used as a very powerful tool that produces valuable results. However, success and swiftness of DNA typing of biological evidence either that found at a crime scene or used in disputed paternity testing, depends on the optimization of numerous factors. One of the most important and critical phases that ensures reliability of the whole procedure is the choice of the most suitable volume for the amplification protocol. Buccal swabs were collected from volunteers. DNA was extracted by Qiagen Dnaeasy Tissue Kit. PowerPlex 16 kit was used to simultaneously amplify 15 STR loci by PCR. Amplification was carried out as described previously. The tested total working reaction volumes were 5, 10 and 25 microl. The PCR amplification was carried out in PE Gene Amp PCR System Thermal Cycler (ABI, Foster City, CA. Amplification products were analyzed on an ABI PRISM 377 instrument (ABI, Foster City, CA in 5% bis-acrilamide gel. Amplification was generally successful for all the tested reaction volumes. Lower partial to complete DNA profiles ratio, the quality of obtained STR profiles, significantly reduced amount of reaction's components give advantage to 5 microl reaction volume over other two tested volumes in this case.

  3. Concept for a Satellite-Based Advanced Air Traffic Management System : Volume 4. Operational Description and Qualitative Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1974-02-01

    The volume presents a description of how the Satellite-Based Advanced Air Traffic Management System (SAATMS) operates and a qualitative assessment of the system. The operational description includes the services, functions, and tasks performed by the...

  4. Feasibility study report for Operable Unit 4: Volume 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-02-01

    This report documents the Feasibility Study (FS) phase of the Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) Operable Unit 4 Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) Program. The FEMP, formerly known as the Feed Materials Production Center (FMPC), is a US Department of Energy (DOE) facility that operated from 1952 to 1989. The facility's primarily function was to provide high purity uranium metal products to support United States defense programs. Production operations were suspended in 1989 to focus on environmental restoration and waste management activities at the facility. The RI/FS is being conducted pursuant to the terms of a Consent Agreement between DOE and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Sections 120 and 106(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) is also participating in the RI/FS process at the FEMP through direct involvement in program review meetings and technical review of project documentation. The objective of the RI/FS process is to gather information to support an informed risk management decision regarding which remedy appears to be the most appropriate action for addressing the environmental concerns identified at the FEMP. This volume contains appendices A--E

  5. GRUKON - A package of applied computer programs system input and operating procedures of functional modules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinitsa, V.V.; Rineiskij, A.A.

    1993-04-01

    This manual describes a software package for the production of multigroup neutron cross-sections from evaluated nuclear data files. It presents the information necessary for the implementation of the program's modules in the framework of the execution of the program, including: operating procedures of the program, the data input, the macrocommand language, the assignment of the system's procedures. This report also presents the methodology used in the coding of the individual modules: the rules, the syntax, the method of procedures. The report also presents an example of the application of the data processing module. (author)

  6. RECOMMENDED OPERATING PROCEDURE NO. 56: COLLECTION OF GASEOUS GRAB SAMPLES FROM COMBUSTION SOURCES FOR NITROUS OXIDE MEASUREMENT

    Science.gov (United States)

    The document is a recommended operating procedure, prepare or use in research activities conducted by EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory (AEERL). The procedure applies to the collection of gaseous grab samples from fossil fuel combustion sources for subsequent a...

  7. The step complexity measure for emergency operating procedures - comparing with simulation data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea; Kim, Jaewhan; Ha, Jaejoo; Shin, Yunghwa

    2001-01-01

    In complex systems, such as nuclear power plants (NPPs) or airplane control systems, human errors play a major role in many accidents. Therefore, to prevent occurrences of accidents or to ensure system safety, extensive effort has been made to identify significant factors that cause human errors. According to related studies, written manuals or operating procedures are revealed as one of the most important factors, and complexity or understandability of a procedure is pointed out as one of the major reasons that make procedure-related human errors. Many qualitative checklists are suggested to evaluate emergency operating procedures (EOPs) of NPPs. However, since qualitative evaluations using checklists have some drawbacks, a quantitative measure that can quantify the complexity of EOPs is imperative to compensate for them. In order to quantify the complexity of EOPs, Park et al. suggested the step complexity (SC) measure to quantify the complexity of a step included in EOPs. In this paper, to ensure the appropriateness of the SC measure, SC scores are compared with averaged step performance time data obtained from emergency training records. The total number of available records is 36, and training scenarios are the loss of coolant accident and the excess steam dump event. The number of scenario is 18 each. From these emergency training records, step performance time data for 39 steps are retrieved, and they are compared with estimated SC scores of them. In addition, several questions that are needed to clarify the appropriateness of the SC measure are also discussed. As a result, it was observed that estimated SC scores and step performance time data have a statistically meaningful correlation. Thus, it can be concluded that the SC measure can quantify the complexity of steps included in EOPs

  8. A note on the implementation of variational procedures involving Green's operators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blakemore, M; Evans, G A; Hyslop, J

    1975-12-01

    The numerical implementation of a minimum energy principle for atoms and molecules involving integral operators is discussed. It is demonstrated that the use of unscaled trial functions may be as convenient computationally as the earlier procedures involving scaled trial functions and that the revised prescription has advantages, mainly in ease of interpretation and comparison of results. By way of illustration, some earlier calculations on the hydrogen ion are reconsidered and compared. (auth)

  9. Authorization procedure for the construction and operation of nuclear installations within the EC Member States, including supervision and control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amaducci, Sandro; Didier, J.M.

    1978-01-01

    This report is an updating of the report EUR 5284, Authorization procedure for the construction and operation of nuclear installations within the EEC Member States, prepared in 1974 by J.M. Didier and Associates. Recent developments regarding the authorization procedure for the construction and operation of nuclear installations have taken place in Italy (introduction of a site approval procedure) and in Denmark (adoption of an overall legislation on the subject, however not yet in force). With respect to supervision and control of nuclear installations during construction and operation, competences of, as well as their exercise by, supervisory authorities in all EC Member States, with the exception of Ireland, are also analysed in the current study

  10. Solid Waste Operations Complex W-113, Detail Design Report (Title II). Volume 3: Specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-09-01

    The Solid Waste Retrieval Facility--Phase 1 (Project W113) will provide the infrastructure and the facility required to retrieve from Trench 04, Burial ground 4C, contact handled (CH) drums and boxes at a rate that supports all retrieved TRU waste batching, treatment, storage, and disposal plans. This includes (1) operations related equipment and facilities, viz., a weather enclosure for the trench, retrieval equipment, weighing, venting, obtaining gas samples, overpacking, NDE, NDA, shipment of waste and (2) operations support related facilities, viz., a general office building, a retrieval staff change facility, and infrastructure upgrades such as supply and routing of water, sewer, electrical power, fire protection, roads, and telecommunication. Title I design for the operations related equipment and facilities was performed by Raytheon/BNFL, and that for the operations support related facilities including infrastructure upgrade was performed by KEH. These two scopes were combined into an integrated W113 Title II scope that was performed by Raytheon/BNFL. Volume 3 is a compilation of the construction specifications that will constitute the Title II materials and performance specifications. This volume contains CSI specifications for non-equipment related construction material type items, performance type items, and facility mechanical equipment items. Data sheets are provided, as necessary, which specify the equipment overall design parameters

  11. Solid Waste Operations Complex W-113, Detail Design Report (Title II). Volume 3: Specifications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-09-01

    The Solid Waste Retrieval Facility--Phase 1 (Project W113) will provide the infrastructure and the facility required to retrieve from Trench 04, Burial ground 4C, contact handled (CH) drums and boxes at a rate that supports all retrieved TRU waste batching, treatment, storage, and disposal plans. This includes (1) operations related equipment and facilities, viz., a weather enclosure for the trench, retrieval equipment, weighing, venting, obtaining gas samples, overpacking, NDE, NDA, shipment of waste and (2) operations support related facilities, viz., a general office building, a retrieval staff change facility, and infrastructure upgrades such as supply and routing of water, sewer, electrical power, fire protection, roads, and telecommunication. Title I design for the operations related equipment and facilities was performed by Raytheon/BNFL, and that for the operations support related facilities including infrastructure upgrade was performed by KEH. These two scopes were combined into an integrated W113 Title II scope that was performed by Raytheon/BNFL. Volume 3 is a compilation of the construction specifications that will constitute the Title II materials and performance specifications. This volume contains CSI specifications for non-equipment related construction material type items, performance type items, and facility mechanical equipment items. Data sheets are provided, as necessary, which specify the equipment overall design parameters.

  12. Integrated operations plan for the MFTF-B Mirror Fusion Test Facility. Volume I. Organization plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1981-12-01

    This plan and the accompanying MFTF-B Integrated Operations Plan are submitted in response to UC/LLNL Purchase Order 3883801, dated July 1981. The organization plan also addresses the specific tasks and trade studies directed by the scope of work. The Integrated Operations Plan, which includes a reliability, quality assurance, and safety plan and an integrated logistics plan, comprises the burden of the report. In the first section of this volume, certain underlying assumptions and observations are discussed setting the requirements and limits for organization. Section B presents the recommended structure itself. Section C Device Availability vs Maintenance and Support Efforts and Section D Staffing Levels and Skills provide backup detail and justification. Section E is a trade study on maintenance and support by LLNL staff vs subcontract and Section F is a plan for transitioning from the construction phase into operation. A brief summary of schedules and estimated costs concludes the volume

  13. Hazard and operability study (Haz Op) of the 2 MW IEA-R1 reactor startup procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sauer, Maria E.L.J.; Correa, Francisco; Sara Neto, Antonio J.; Costa, Carlos A.R. da; Santos, Cilas C. dos; Cardenas, Jose P.N.; Berretta, Jose R.; Neves Conti, Thadeu das

    1997-01-01

    This work presents the Hazard and Operability Study (Haz Op) applied to startup procedures of the 2 MW IEA-R1 research reactor, at IPEN/CNEN-S P. The Haz Op was developed by reviewing the procedures of the installation startup, in order to identify hazards and/or operational problems caused by deviations in the execution of these routines. This paper summarizes this study. describing some potential problems of relevant importance to safety as well as preventives and/or correctives measures to avoid their occurrence. Besides, an benefits evaluation and the technique limitations is made. (author). 5 refs., 1 tab

  14. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses applied to criticality safety validation. Volume 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broadhead, B.L.; Hopper, C.M.; Parks, C.V.

    1999-01-01

    This report presents the application of sensitivity and uncertainty (S/U) analysis methodologies developed in Volume 1 to the code/data validation tasks of a criticality safety computational study. Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis methods were first developed for application to fast reactor studies in the 1970s. This work has revitalized and updated the existing S/U computational capabilities such that they can be used as prototypic modules of the SCALE code system, which contains criticality analysis tools currently in use by criticality safety practitioners. After complete development, simplified tools are expected to be released for general use. The methods for application of S/U and generalized linear-least-square methodology (GLLSM) tools to the criticality safety validation procedures were described in Volume 1 of this report. Volume 2 of this report presents the application of these procedures to the validation of criticality safety analyses supporting uranium operations where enrichments are greater than 5 wt %. Specifically, the traditional k eff trending analyses are compared with newly developed k eff trending procedures, utilizing the D and c k coefficients described in Volume 1. These newly developed procedures are applied to a family of postulated systems involving U(11)O 2 fuel, with H/X values ranging from 0--1,000. These analyses produced a series of guidance and recommendations for the general usage of these various techniques. Recommendations for future work are also detailed

  15. Time cycle calculation procedure for the special crew during the mining mobile machine complex operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shmurygin, V; Lukyanov, V; Maslovsky, A

    2015-01-01

    The relevance of the research is specified by the necessity to optimize the delft mobile tunneling equipment operation. Target of the research is tunneling time cycle justification for the special crew during the mining mobile machine complex operation. Methods of the research included the consideration of operation organization schemes in the drifting face and effective use of the mobile equipment during mine exploratory working operations. Time cycle calculation procedures for major processes have been considered. This has been done for the special crew during the mobile machine complex operations for several working faces and various organization schemes

  16. The development of a quantitative measure for the complexity of emergency tasks stipulated in emergency operating procedures of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jin Kyun; Jung, Won Dea

    2006-11-01

    Previous studies have continuously pointed out that human performance is a decisive factor affecting the safety of complicated process systems. Subsequently, as the result of extensive efforts, it has been revealed that the provision of procedures is one of the most effective countermeasures, especially if human operators have to carry out their tasks under a very stressful environment. That is, since good procedures are helpful to not only enhance the performance of human operators but also the reduction of the possibility of a human error through stipulating detailed tasks to be done by human operators. Ironically, it has been emphasized that the performance of human operators could be impaired due to complicated procedures, because procedures directly govern the physical as well as cognitive behavior of human operators by institutionalizing detailed actions. Therefore, it is a prerequisite to develop a systematic framework that properly evaluate the complexity of tasks described in procedures. For this reason, a measure called TACOM (Task Complexity) that can quantify the complexity of emergency tasks described in the emergency operating procedures (EOPs) of NPPs has been developed. In this report, a technical background as well as practical steps to quantify the complexity of tasks were presented with a series of studies that were conducted to ensure the validity of the TACOM measure. As a result of validation studies, since it is shown that the TACOM measure seem to properly quantify the complexity of emergency tasks, it is desirable that the TACOM measure plays an important role in improving the performance of human operators

  17. The development of a quantitative measure for the complexity of emergency tasks stipulated in emergency operating procedures of nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jin Kyun; Jung, Won Dea

    2006-11-15

    Previous studies have continuously pointed out that human performance is a decisive factor affecting the safety of complicated process systems. Subsequently, as the result of extensive efforts, it has been revealed that the provision of procedures is one of the most effective countermeasures, especially if human operators have to carry out their tasks under a very stressful environment. That is, since good procedures are helpful to not only enhance the performance of human operators but also the reduction of the possibility of a human error through stipulating detailed tasks to be done by human operators. Ironically, it has been emphasized that the performance of human operators could be impaired due to complicated procedures, because procedures directly govern the physical as well as cognitive behavior of human operators by institutionalizing detailed actions. Therefore, it is a prerequisite to develop a systematic framework that properly evaluate the complexity of tasks described in procedures. For this reason, a measure called TACOM (Task Complexity) that can quantify the complexity of emergency tasks described in the emergency operating procedures (EOPs) of NPPs has been developed. In this report, a technical background as well as practical steps to quantify the complexity of tasks were presented with a series of studies that were conducted to ensure the validity of the TACOM measure. As a result of validation studies, since it is shown that the TACOM measure seem to properly quantify the complexity of emergency tasks, it is desirable that the TACOM measure plays an important role in improving the performance of human operators.

  18. Simultaneous bilateral stereotactic procedure for deep brain stimulation implants: a significant step for reducing operation time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonoff, Erich Talamoni; Azevedo, Angelo; Angelos, Jairo Silva Dos; Martinez, Raquel Chacon Ruiz; Navarro, Jessie; Reis, Paul Rodrigo; Sepulveda, Miguel Ernesto San Martin; Cury, Rubens Gisbert; Ghilardi, Maria Gabriela Dos Santos; Teixeira, Manoel Jacobsen; Lopez, William Omar Contreras

    2016-07-01

    OBJECT Currently, bilateral procedures involve 2 sequential implants in each of the hemispheres. The present report demonstrates the feasibility of simultaneous bilateral procedures during the implantation of deep brain stimulation (DBS) leads. METHODS Fifty-seven patients with movement disorders underwent bilateral DBS implantation in the same study period. The authors compared the time required for the surgical implantation of deep brain electrodes in 2 randomly assigned groups. One group of 28 patients underwent traditional sequential electrode implantation, and the other 29 patients underwent simultaneous bilateral implantation. Clinical outcomes of the patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who had undergone DBS implantation of the subthalamic nucleus using either of the 2 techniques were compared. RESULTS Overall, a reduction of 38.51% in total operating time for the simultaneous bilateral group (136.4 ± 20.93 minutes) as compared with that for the traditional consecutive approach (220.3 ± 27.58 minutes) was observed. Regarding clinical outcomes in the PD patients who underwent subthalamic nucleus DBS implantation, comparing the preoperative off-medication condition with the off-medication/on-stimulation condition 1 year after the surgery in both procedure groups, there was a mean 47.8% ± 9.5% improvement in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS-III) score in the simultaneous group, while the sequential group experienced 47.5% ± 15.8% improvement (p = 0.96). Moreover, a marked reduction in the levodopa-equivalent dose from preoperatively to postoperatively was similar in these 2 groups. The simultaneous bilateral procedure presented major advantages over the traditional sequential approach, with a shorter total operating time. CONCLUSIONS A simultaneous stereotactic approach significantly reduces the operation time in bilateral DBS procedures, resulting in decreased microrecording time, contributing to the optimization of functional

  19. Computerized procedures system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipner, Melvin H.; Mundy, Roger A.; Franusich, Michael D.

    2010-10-12

    An online data driven computerized procedures system that guides an operator through a complex process facility's operating procedures. The system monitors plant data, processes the data and then, based upon this processing, presents the status of the current procedure step and/or substep to the operator. The system supports multiple users and a single procedure definition supports several interface formats that can be tailored to the individual user. Layered security controls access privileges and revisions are version controlled. The procedures run on a server that is platform independent of the user workstations that the server interfaces with and the user interface supports diverse procedural views.

  20. Procedural Portfolio Planning in Plastic Surgery, Part 2: Collaboration Between Surgeons and Hospital Administrators to Develop a Funds Flow Model for Procedures Performed at an Academic Medical Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hultman, Charles Scott

    2016-06-01

    Although plastic surgeons make important contributions to the clinical, educational, and research missions of academic medical centers (AMCs), determining the financial value of a plastic surgery service can be difficult, due to complex cost accounting systems. We analyzed the financial impact of plastic surgery on an AMC, by examining the contribution margins and operating income of surgical procedures. We collaborated with hospital administrators to implement 3 types of strategic changes: (1) growth of areas with high contribution margin, (2) curtailment of high-risk procedures with negative contribution margin, (3) improved efficiency of mission-critical services with high resource consumption. Outcome measures included: facility charges, hospital collections, contribution margin, operating margin, and operating room times. We also studied the top 50 Current Procedural Terminology codes (total case number × charge/case), ranking procedures for profitability, as determined by operating margin. During the 2-year study period, we had no turnover in faculty; did not pursue any formal marketing; did not change our surgical fees, billing system, or payer mix; and maintained our commitment to indigent care. After rebalancing our case mix, through procedural portfolio planning, average hospital operating income/procedure increased from $-79 to $+816. Volume and diversity of cases increased, with no change in payer mix. Although charges/case decreased, both contribution margin and operating margin increased, due to improved throughput and decreased operating room times. The 5 most profitable procedures for the hospital were hernia repair, mandibular osteotomy, hand skin graft, free fibula flap, and head and neck flap, whereas the 5 least profitable were latissimus breast reconstruction, craniosynostosis repair, free-flap breast reconstruction, trunk skin graft, and cutaneous free flap. Total operating income for the hospital, from plastic surgery procedures, increased

  1. 40 CFR Appendix K to Part 75 - Quality Assurance and Operating Procedures for Sorbent Trap Monitoring Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Pump. Use a leak-tight, vacuum pump capable of operating within the candidate system's flow range. 5.1... sorbent trap monitoring system typically operates. The gas flow meter shall be equipped with any necessary... system typically operates. You may either follow the procedures in section 10.3.1 of Method 5 in appendix...

  2. Classifier-ensemble incremental-learning procedure for nuclear transient identification at different operational conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baraldi, Piero, E-mail: piero.baraldi@polimi.i [Dipartimento di Energia - Sezione Ingegneria Nucleare, Politecnico di Milano, via Ponzio 34/3, 20133 Milano (Italy); Razavi-Far, Roozbeh [Dipartimento di Energia - Sezione Ingegneria Nucleare, Politecnico di Milano, via Ponzio 34/3, 20133 Milano (Italy); Zio, Enrico [Dipartimento di Energia - Sezione Ingegneria Nucleare, Politecnico di Milano, via Ponzio 34/3, 20133 Milano (Italy); Ecole Centrale Paris-Supelec, Paris (France)

    2011-04-15

    An important requirement for the practical implementation of empirical diagnostic systems is the capability of classifying transients in all plant operational conditions. The present paper proposes an approach based on an ensemble of classifiers for incrementally learning transients under different operational conditions. New classifiers are added to the ensemble where transients occurring in new operational conditions are not satisfactorily classified. The construction of the ensemble is made by bagging; the base classifier is a supervised Fuzzy C Means (FCM) classifier whose outcomes are combined by majority voting. The incremental learning procedure is applied to the identification of simulated transients in the feedwater system of a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) under different reactor power levels.

  3. Classifier-ensemble incremental-learning procedure for nuclear transient identification at different operational conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baraldi, Piero; Razavi-Far, Roozbeh; Zio, Enrico

    2011-01-01

    An important requirement for the practical implementation of empirical diagnostic systems is the capability of classifying transients in all plant operational conditions. The present paper proposes an approach based on an ensemble of classifiers for incrementally learning transients under different operational conditions. New classifiers are added to the ensemble where transients occurring in new operational conditions are not satisfactorily classified. The construction of the ensemble is made by bagging; the base classifier is a supervised Fuzzy C Means (FCM) classifier whose outcomes are combined by majority voting. The incremental learning procedure is applied to the identification of simulated transients in the feedwater system of a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) under different reactor power levels.

  4. The alteration of gray matter volume in children with mental retardation: the differences between the patients presented with operation deficit predominantly and those presented with language deficit mainly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan Xinyu; Jiang Xuexiang; Jin Chunhua; Zhang Yuanchao; Bai Zhenhua; Yi Xiaoli; Xiao Jiangxi

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To detect the differences of grey matter volume between the patients with mental retardation (MR) presented clinically as operation deficit (OD) or as language deficit (LD) and the children with typical normal development using optimal VBM. The developmental connections between brain gray matter and language or operation skills were examined. Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging was obtained from 9 children with mental retardation presented as OD predominantly and 11 children with mental retardation presented as LD mainly, as well as the age-matched control group (11 and 14 normal children,respectively) on a 1.5 T scanner. Voxel-based morphometry analysis with an optimization of spatial segmentation and normalization procedures was applied to compare the volume of grey matter between the two groups (OD VS.control; LD VS.control). Statistically, the total and local gray matter volumes were compared between the two groups with t test. Results: The total gray matter volume of OD group was [(1.030 ± 0.078) × 10 6 mm 3 ]. Compared to that of controls [(0.984 ± 0.058) × 10 6 mm 3 ], it was increased significantly (t=-2.6, P<0.05). And the gray matter volume in the posterior cingulated gyrus, left superior prefrontal gyrus, left cuneus, left middle prefrontal gyrus and the body of left caudate nucleus showed significantly increased. Meanwhile, the total gray matter volume of the MR children presented as LD [(1.002 ± 0.068) × 10 6 mm 3 ] showed significantly increased(t=-3.0, P<0.05) compared with that of control group [(0.957 ±0.057) × 10 6 mm 3 ]. The gray matter volume in bilateral thalami, the left inferior temporal gyrus,the left inferior frontal gyrus, and the left cerebellum of the LD group was more than that of normal children. Conclusion: As revealed by VBM, there are differences in alterations of gray matter volume between MR children presented with OD and with LD relative to control. (authors)

  5. NRC/FEMA operational response procedures for response to a commercial nuclear reactor accident. Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-02-01

    Procedures have been developed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which provide the response teams of both agencies with the steps to be taken in responding to an emergency at a commercial nuclear power plant. The emphasis of these procedures is mainly on the interface between NRC and FEMA at their respective Headquarters and Regional Offices and at the various sites at which such an emergency could occur. Detailed procedures are presented that cover for both agencies, notification schemes and manner of activation, organizations at Headquarters and the site, interface procedures, coordination of onsite and offsite operations, the role of the Senior FEMA Official, and the cooperative efforts of each agency's public information staff

  6. An abnormal event advisory expert system prototype for reactor operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hance, D.C.

    1989-01-01

    Nuclear plant operators must respond correctly during abnormal conditions in the presence of dynamic and potentially overwhelming volumes of information. For this reason, considerable effort has been directed toward the development of nuclear plant operator aids using artificial intelligence techniques. The objective of such systems is to diagnose abnormal conditions within the plant, possibly predict consequences, and advise the operators of corrective actions in a timely manner. The objective of the work is the development of a prototype expert system to diagnose abnormal events at a nuclear power plant and advise plant operators of the event and applicable procedures in an on-line mode. The major difference between this effort and previous work is the use of plant operating procedures as a knowledge source and as an integral part of the advice provided by the expert system. The acceptance by utilities of expert systems as operator aids requires that such systems be compatible with the regulatory environment and provide economic benefits. For this reason, commercially viable operator aid systems developed in the near future must complement existing plant procedures rather than reach beyond them in a revolutionary manner. A knowledge source is the resource providing facts and relationships that are coded into the expert system program. In this case, the primary source of knowledge is a set of selected abnormal operating procedures for a modern Westinghouse pressurized water reactor

  7. PROCEDIMENTOS DE CONTROLE DO VOLUME DE MADEIRA ESTIMADO E COLHIDO EM UM PLANTIO DE Pinus spp. NO PARANÁ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvane Vatraz

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this research was to improve the operating procedures of control of the volume of timber estimated by the forest inventory and the effectively harvested volume in order to reduce inconsistencies in the forest planning practiced in a forestry plantation of Pinus spp. in Paraná state. Accordingly, we used the tools of quality: storming and PDCA Cycle through an exploratory research project to study together. The study showed an inconsistency initial volume – 24,73% of the volume estimated by the inventory and the effectively harvested wood. This inconsistency was composed of operational failures in the activities of Forest Inventory (+13,84%, Forest Harvesting (+15,62% and Expedition Wood (-3,08%. The application of quality tools helped in the identification of inconsistency, as well as the revelation of operational failures, which suggested some routine monitoring and checking each of the activities involved in managing operational forestry.

  8. Soil Gas Sampling Operating Procedure

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA Region 4 Science and Ecosystem Support Division (SESD) document that describes general and specific procedures, methods, and considerations when collecting soil gas samples for field screening or laboratory analysis.

  9. Construction and operation of the Spallation Neutron Source: Draft environmental impact statement. Volume 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-12-01

    DOE proposes to construct and operate a state-of-the-art, short-pulsed spallation neutron source comprised of an ion source, a linear accelerator, a proton accumulator ring, and an experiment building containing a liquid mercury target and a suite of neutron scattering instrumentation. The proposed Spallation Neutron Source would be designed to operate at a proton beam power of 1 megawatt. The design would accommodate future upgrades to a peak operating power of 4 megawatts. These upgrades may include construction of a second proton accumulation ring and a second target. Volume 1 of this document analyzes the potential environmental impacts from the proposed action and the alternatives. The analysis assumes a facility operating at a power of 1 MW and 4 MW over the life of the facility. The two primary alternatives analyzed in this EIS are: the proposed action (to proceed with building the Spallation Neutron Source) and the No-Action Alternative. This volume contains the following appendices: (A) SNS accident source terms for EIS input; (B) Reports on the selection of alternative sites for the SNS; (C) Letters of consultation on protected species and cultural resources; (D) Ecological resource survey reports and summaries; (E) Descriptions of ORNL research projects in the Walker Branch Watershed; (F) Atmospheric dispersion and dose calculations for normal and accident conditions; (G) Projected air quality modeling effects at NOAA's Walker Branch Monitoring Tower

  10. Impact of backwashing procedures on deep bed filtration productivity in drinking water treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slavik, Irene; Jehmlich, Alexander; Uhl, Wolfgang

    2013-10-15

    Backwash procedures for deep bed filters were evaluated and compared by means of a new integrated approach based on productivity. For this, different backwash procedures were experimentally evaluated by using a pilot plant for direct filtration. A standard backwash mode as applied in practice served as a reference and effluent turbidity was used as the criterion for filter run termination. The backwash water volumes needed, duration of the filter-to-waste period, time out of operation, total volume discharged and filter run-time were determined and used to calculate average filtration velocity and average productivity. Results for filter run-times, filter backwash volumes, and filter-to-waste volumes showed considerable differences between the backwash procedures. Thus, backwash procedures with additional clear flushing phases were characterised by an increased need for backwash water. However, this additional water consumption could not be compensated by savings during filter ripening. Compared to the reference backwash procedure, filter run-times were longer for both single-media and dual-media filters when air scour and air/water flush were optimised with respect to flow rates and the proportion of air and water. This means that drinking water production time is longer and less water is needed for filter bed cleaning. Also, backwashing with additional clear flushing phases resulted in longer filter run-times before turbidity breakthrough. However, regarding the productivity of the filtration process, it was shown that it was almost the same for all of the backwash procedures investigated in this study. Due to this unexpected finding, the relationships between filter bed cleaning, filter ripening and filtration performance were considered and important conclusions and new approaches for process optimisation and resource savings were derived. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Effect of operator and institutional volume on clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary interventions performed in Canada and the United States: a brief report from the Enhanced Suppression of the Platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Receptor with Integrilin Therapy (ESPRIT) study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madan, Mina; Nikhil, Janarthan; Hellkamp, Anne S; Pieper, Karen S; Labinaz, Marino; Cohen, E A; Buller, Christopher E; Cantor, Warren J; Seidelin, Peter; Ducas, John; Carere, Ronald G; Natarajan, Madhu K; O'Shea, J Conor; Tcheng, James E

    2009-08-01

    The Enhanced Suppression of the Platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Receptor with Integrilin Therapy (ESPRIT) trial compared the use of eptifibatide with placebo in 2064 coronary intervention patients. It was previously reported that Canadian patients had reduced rates of 30-day and one-year death, myocardial infarction (MI) or target vessel revascularization (TVR) compared with patients in the United States (US). To examine whether operator or institutional volume differences explain the regional variation in clinical outcome. Each site received an operator and institutional volume survey. Fifty-seven sites (62%) returned complete data on 1338 patients. In this smaller cohort, Canadian patients had reduced rates of 30-day and one-year death, MI or TVR compared with US patients (6.3% versus 10.3% and 14.9% versus 20.1%, respectively; PESPRIT study, institutional volume was associated with a modest reduction in risk of death, MI or TVR over short- and long-term follow-up periods. The Canadian and US investigators and institutions selected in ESPRIT had similar annual procedural volumes. Therefore, volume variables did not explain the differential risk of clinical events observed for patients enrolled in the two countries.

  12. The use of operator surveys by the CEGB to evaluate nuclear control room design and initiatives in the design of alarm systems and control room operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackson, A.R.G.

    1988-01-01

    This paper reports on the use of operator surveys and trip report analysis methods which the Central Electricity Generating Board has developed to assess the extent and adequacy of operator support systems currently installed on its four twin-reactor, first generation Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor nuclear power plants. The survey consisted of a programme of structured interviews with control room engineers. The scope of the questions addressed; working environment, communications, man-machine interface, procedural information, and the diagnostic and predictive support system. The analysis of trip reports was targetted at identifying aspects of the performance of the operator support systems which might have been contributory to the cause of reactor trip. The results of this work are being used to assist in determining guidelines for the development of operator support systems, computerised controls and the structure of station operating procedures

  13. Technical procedures for implementation of meteorology/air quality site studies, Deaf Smith County site, Texas: Environmental Field Program: Preliminary draft

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-09-01

    This report describes The Technical Procedures that will be used to monitor air quality and meteorology. Topics include: high-volume filter handling; operation, maintenance, and calibration of the 10-M meteorological and air quality system; processing data from the 10-M meteorological tower; processing data from the 60-M meteorological tower; processing total suspended particulate filters and data from the high-volume air samplers; operation maintenance, and calibration of the 60-M meteorological and air quality system; and auditing the air quality system. 4 refs., 6 figs

  14. Estimating the operator's performance time of emergency procedural tasks based on a task complexity measure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Won Dae; Park, Jink Yun

    2012-01-01

    It is important to understand the amount of time required to execute an emergency procedural task in a high-stress situation for managing human performance under emergencies in a nuclear power plant. However, the time to execute an emergency procedural task is highly dependent upon expert judgment due to the lack of actual data. This paper proposes an analytical method to estimate the operator's performance time (OPT) of a procedural task, which is based on a measure of the task complexity (TACOM). The proposed method for estimating an OPT is an equation that uses the TACOM as a variable, and the OPT of a procedural task can be calculated if its relevant TACOM score is available. The validity of the proposed equation is demonstrated by comparing the estimated OPTs with the observed OPTs for emergency procedural tasks in a steam generator tube rupture scenario.

  15. Operant Variability: Procedures and Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machado, Armando; Tonneau, Francois

    2012-01-01

    Barba's (2012) article deftly weaves three main themes in one argument about operant variability. From general theoretical considerations on operant behavior (Catania, 1973), Barba derives methodological guidelines about response differentiation and applies them to the study of operant variability. In the process, he uncovers unnoticed features of…

  16. Task Analysis of Emergency Operating Procedures for Generating Quantitative HRA Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Yochan; Park, Jinkyun; Kim, Seunghwan; Choi, Sun Yeong; Jung, Wondea; Jang, Inseok [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    In this paper, the analysis results of the emergency task in the procedures (EOPs; emergency operating procedures) that can be observed from the simulator data are introduced. The task type, component type, system type, and additional information related with the performance of the operators were described. In addition, a prospective application of the analyzed information to HEP quantification process was discussed. In the probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) field, various human reliability analyses (HRAs) have been performed to produce estimates of human error probabilities (HEPs) for significant tasks in complex socio-technical systems. To this end, Many HRA methods have provided basic or nominal HEPs for typical tasks and the quantitative relations describing how a certain performance context or performance shaping factors (PSFs) affects the HEPs. In the HRA community, however, the necessity of appropriate and sufficient human performance data has been recently indicated. This is because a wide range of quantitative estimates in the previous HRA methods are not supported by solid empirical bases. Hence, there have been attempts to collect HRA supporting data. For example, KAERI has started to collect information on both unsafe acts of operators and the relevant PSFs. A characteristic of the database that is being developed at KAERI is that human errors and related PSF surrogates that can be objectively observable are collected from full-scope simulator experiences. In this environment, to produce concretely grounded bases of the HEPs, the traits or attributes of tasks where significant human errors can be observed should be definitely determined. The determined traits should be applicable to compare the HEPs on the traits with the data in previous HRA methods or databases. In this study, task characteristics in a Westinghouse type of EOPs were analyzed with the defining task, component, and system taxonomies.

  17. Aortic root reimplantation procedure: a new milestone in aortic valve-sparing operations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    А. М. Чернявский

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Aim: Emphasis in this study was placed on clinical and functional assessment of a modified "Florida Sleeve" procedure during surgical correction of ascending aorta aneurysms with concomitant aortic insufficiency.Methods: 32 patients with an aneurysm of the ascending aorta and aortic insufficiency underwent a modified "Florida Sleeve" procedure. The average follow-up was 17 (0-60 months. The average age of patients was 57±13 (23-73 years 56±13 years.Results: The expected 4-year cumulative survival rate was 84.3%. Overall freedom from aortic insufficiency in the late period was 88.9%. Median aortic regurgitation was 1+ (1; 2. Long-term follow-up revealed no valve-associated complications.Conclusion: The aortic root reimplantation procedure enables optimal correction of the existing lesions of the aortic root without performing aortic valve replacement and demonstrates stable clinical and functional outcomes in the long-term period.Key words: aortic aneurysm; aortic valve; valve-sparing operations.FundingThe study had no sponsorship.Conflict of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest.

  18. Infection Risk in Sterile Operative Procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tacconelli, Evelina; Müller, Niklas F; Lemmen, Sebastian; Mutters, Nico T; Hagel, Stefan; Meyer, Elisabeth

    2016-04-22

    The main objective of hospital hygiene and infection prevention is to protect patients from preventable nosocomial infections. It was recently stated that the proper goal should be for zero infection rates in sterile surgical procedures. In this article, we attempt to determine whether this demand is supported by the available literature. We systematically searched the Medline and EMBASE databases for studies published in the last 10 years on the efficacy of infection control measures and carried out a meta-analysis according to the PRISMA tool. We used the following search terms: "aseptic surgery," "intervention," "surgical site infection," "nosocomial infection," "intervention," and "prevention." 2277 articles were retrieved, of which 204 were acquired in full text and analyzed. The quantitative analysis included 7 prospective cohort studies on the reduction of nosocomial infection rates after aseptic surgery. The measures used included training sessions, antibiotic prophylaxis, and operative-site disinfection and cleaning techniques. These interventions succeeded in reducing postoperative wound infections (relative risk (RR] 0.99 [0.98; 1.00]). Subgroup analyses on antibiotic prophylaxis (RR 0.99 [0.98; 1.01]) and noncontrolled trials (RR 0.97 [0.92; 1.02]) revealed small, insignificant effects. A multimodal approach with the participation of specialists from various disciplines can further reduce the rate of postoperative infection. A reduction to zero is not realistic and is not supported by available evidence.

  19. Operational circular No.10 – Principles and procedures governing investigation of fraud

    CERN Multimedia

    2013-01-01

    Operational Circular No. 10 entitled “Principles and procedures governing investigation of Fraud”, approved by the Director-General following discussion at the Standing Concertation Committee meeting of 4 December 2012 and entering into force on 1 January 2013, is available on the intranet site of the Human Resources Department.   This circular is applicable to all persons working at or on behalf of CERN. The purpose of this new operational circular is to specify the definition of fraud and to lay down the Organization’s fraud investigation process pursuant to the CERN Anti-fraud Policy and in accordance with the principles of due process. Department Head Office HR Department

  20. Evaluation of potential severe accidents during low power and shutdown operations at Surry: Unit 1, Volume 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, T.L.; Pratt, W.T.

    1995-10-01

    This document contains a summarization of the results and insights from the Level 1 accident sequence analyses of internally initiated events, internally initiated fire and flood events, seismically initiated events, and the Level 2/3 risk analysis of internally initiated events (excluding fire and flood) for Surry, Unit 1. The analysis was confined to mid-loop operation, which can occur during three plant operational states (identified as POSs R6 and R10 during a refueling outage, and POS D6 during drained maintenance). The report summarizes the Level 1 information contained in Volumes 2--5 and the Level 2/3 information contained in Volume 6 of NUREG/CR-6144

  1. Evaluation of potential severe accidents during low power and shutdown operations at Surry: Unit 1, Volume 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chu, T.L.; Pratt, W.T. [eds.; Musicki, Z. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

    1995-10-01

    This document contains a summarization of the results and insights from the Level 1 accident sequence analyses of internally initiated events, internally initiated fire and flood events, seismically initiated events, and the Level 2/3 risk analysis of internally initiated events (excluding fire and flood) for Surry, Unit 1. The analysis was confined to mid-loop operation, which can occur during three plant operational states (identified as POSs R6 and R10 during a refueling outage, and POS D6 during drained maintenance). The report summarizes the Level 1 information contained in Volumes 2--5 and the Level 2/3 information contained in Volume 6 of NUREG/CR-6144.

  2. Relation between task complexity and variability of procedure progression during an emergency operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yochan; Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • The relation between task complexity and the variability of procedure progression was investigated. • The two quantitative measures, TACOM and VPP, were applied to this study. • The task complexity was positively related with the operator’s procedural variability. • The VPP measure can be useful for explaining the operator’s behaviors. - Abstract: In this study, the relation between task complexity and variability of procedure progression during an emergency operation was investigated by comparing the two quantitative measures. To this end, the TACOM measure and VPP measure were applied to evaluate the complexity of tasks and variability of procedure progression, respectively. The TACOM scores and VPP scores were obtained for 60 tasks in the OPERA database, and a correlation analysis between two measures and a multiple regression analysis between the sub-measures of the TACOM measure and VPP measure were conducted. The results showed that the TACOM measure is positively associated with the VPP measure, and the abstraction hierarchy complexity mainly affected the variability among the sub-measures of TACOM. From these findings, it was discussed that the task complexity is related to an operator’s procedural variability and VPP measure can be useful for explaining the operator’s behaviors

  3. Procedure for estimating nonfuel operation and maintenance costs for large steam-electric power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myers, M.L.; Fuller, L.C.

    1979-01-01

    Revised guidelines are presented for estimating annual nonfuel operation and maintenance costs for large steam-electric power plants, specifically light-water-reactor plants and coal-fired plants. Previous guidelines were published in October 1975 in ERDA 76-37, a Procedure for Estimating Nonfuel Operating and Maintenance Costs for Large Steam-Electric Power Plants. Estimates for coal-fired plants include the option of limestone slurry scrubbing for flue gas desulfurization. A computer program, OMCOST, is also presented which covers all plant options

  4. Process automation system for integration and operation of Large Volume Plasma Device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugandhi, R.; Srivastava, P.K.; Sanyasi, A.K.; Srivastav, Prabhakar; Awasthi, L.M.; Mattoo, S.K.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Analysis and design of process automation system for Large Volume Plasma Device (LVPD). • Data flow modeling for process model development. • Modbus based data communication and interfacing. • Interface software development for subsystem control in LabVIEW. - Abstract: Large Volume Plasma Device (LVPD) has been successfully contributing towards understanding of the plasma turbulence driven by Electron Temperature Gradient (ETG), considered as a major contributor for the plasma loss in the fusion devices. Large size of the device imposes certain difficulties in the operation, such as access of the diagnostics, manual control of subsystems and large number of signals monitoring etc. To achieve integrated operation of the machine, automation is essential for the enhanced performance and operational efficiency. Recently, the machine is undergoing major upgradation for the new physics experiments. The new operation and control system consists of following: (1) PXIe based fast data acquisition system for the equipped diagnostics; (2) Modbus based Process Automation System (PAS) for the subsystem controls and (3) Data Utilization System (DUS) for efficient storage, processing and retrieval of the acquired data. In the ongoing development, data flow model of the machine’s operation has been developed. As a proof of concept, following two subsystems have been successfully integrated: (1) Filament Power Supply (FPS) for the heating of W- filaments based plasma source and (2) Probe Positioning System (PPS) for control of 12 number of linear probe drives for a travel length of 100 cm. The process model of the vacuum production system has been prepared and validated against acquired pressure data. In the next upgrade, all the subsystems of the machine will be integrated in a systematic manner. The automation backbone is based on 4-wire multi-drop serial interface (RS485) using Modbus communication protocol. Software is developed on LabVIEW platform using

  5. Process automation system for integration and operation of Large Volume Plasma Device

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sugandhi, R., E-mail: ritesh@ipr.res.in; Srivastava, P.K.; Sanyasi, A.K.; Srivastav, Prabhakar; Awasthi, L.M.; Mattoo, S.K.

    2016-11-15

    Highlights: • Analysis and design of process automation system for Large Volume Plasma Device (LVPD). • Data flow modeling for process model development. • Modbus based data communication and interfacing. • Interface software development for subsystem control in LabVIEW. - Abstract: Large Volume Plasma Device (LVPD) has been successfully contributing towards understanding of the plasma turbulence driven by Electron Temperature Gradient (ETG), considered as a major contributor for the plasma loss in the fusion devices. Large size of the device imposes certain difficulties in the operation, such as access of the diagnostics, manual control of subsystems and large number of signals monitoring etc. To achieve integrated operation of the machine, automation is essential for the enhanced performance and operational efficiency. Recently, the machine is undergoing major upgradation for the new physics experiments. The new operation and control system consists of following: (1) PXIe based fast data acquisition system for the equipped diagnostics; (2) Modbus based Process Automation System (PAS) for the subsystem controls and (3) Data Utilization System (DUS) for efficient storage, processing and retrieval of the acquired data. In the ongoing development, data flow model of the machine’s operation has been developed. As a proof of concept, following two subsystems have been successfully integrated: (1) Filament Power Supply (FPS) for the heating of W- filaments based plasma source and (2) Probe Positioning System (PPS) for control of 12 number of linear probe drives for a travel length of 100 cm. The process model of the vacuum production system has been prepared and validated against acquired pressure data. In the next upgrade, all the subsystems of the machine will be integrated in a systematic manner. The automation backbone is based on 4-wire multi-drop serial interface (RS485) using Modbus communication protocol. Software is developed on LabVIEW platform using

  6. Data management tools and operational procedures in ATLAS : Example of the German cloud

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serfon, Cedric

    2010-01-01

    A set of tools have been developed to ensure the Data Management operations (deletion, consistency checks) within the German cloud for ATLAS. These tools are described hereafter and presented in the context of the operational procedures of the German cloud. A particular emphasis is put on the consistency checks between the different catalogs (LFC, DQ2 Central Catalogs) and the files stored on the Storage Element. These consistency checks are crucial to be sure that all the data stored in the sites are actually available for the users and to get rid of non registered files also known as Dark Data.

  7. National symposium on commissioning and operating experiences in heavy water plants and associated chemical industries [Preprint volume

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-02-01

    A symposium on commissioning and operating experiences in heavy water plants and associated chemical industries (SCOPEX-92) was organised to share the experience and exchange the ideas among plant operators, designers, consultants and vendors in the areas of operation, commissioning and equipment performance. This pre-print volume has been brought out as an integrated source of information on commissioning and operation of heavy water plants. The following aspects of heavy water plants are covered: commissioning and operation, instrumentation and control, and safety and environment. (V.R.)

  8. Test and evaluation procedures for Sandia's Teraflops Operating System (TOS) on Janus.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barnette, Daniel Wayne

    2005-10-01

    This report describes the test and evaluation methods by which the Teraflops Operating System, or TOS, that resides on Sandia's massively-parallel computer Janus is verified for production release. Also discussed are methods used to build TOS before testing and evaluating, miscellaneous utility scripts, a sample test plan, and a proposed post-test method for quickly examining the large number of test results. The purpose of the report is threefold: (1) to provide a guide to T&E procedures, (2) to aid and guide others who will run T&E procedures on the new ASCI Red Storm machine, and (3) to document some of the history of evaluation and testing of TOS. This report is not intended to serve as an exhaustive manual for testers to conduct T&E procedures.

  9. Operating range, hold-up, droplet size and axial mixing of pulsed plate columns in highly disperse and low-continuity volume flows

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, H.; Miller, H.

    Operating behavior, hold-up, droplet size and axial mixing are investigated in highly disperse and slightly continuous volume flows in a pulsed plate column. The geometry of the column of 4-m length and 10-cm inside diameter was held constant. The hole shape of the column bases was changed, wherby the cylindrical, sharp-edge drilled hole is compared with the punched, nozzle-shaped hole in their effects on the fluid-dynamic behavior. In this case we varied the volume flows, the ratio of volume flows, the pulse frequency and the operating temperature. The operation was held constant for the aqueous, the organic, the continuous and the disperse phases. The objective was to demonstrate the applicability of pulsed plate columns with very large differences between the organic disperse and the aqueous continuous volume flow, to obtain design data for such columns and to perform a scale-up to industrial reprocessing plant-size. 18 references, 11 figures, 3 tables

  10. Accuracy of axial depth of cut in micromilling operations - Simplified procedure and uncertainty model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bissacco, Giuliano

    2005-01-01

    , due to the easy breakage particularly when milling on hard materials [1]. Typical values for the errors on the control of the axial depth of cut are in the order of 50 microns, while the aimed depth of cut can be as low as 5 microns. The author has developed a machining procedure for optimal control...... of this investigation is the determination of the uncertainty of the set depth of cut, using the developed procedure, in a range of practical operating conditions and thereby the estimation of the expected accuracy of the method prior to verification of the machined parts....

  11. 3. Procedures and Recursion

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 1; Issue 6. Algorithms Procedures and Recursion. R K Shyamasundar. Series Article Volume 1 ... Author Affiliations. R K Shyamasundar1. Computer Science Group, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road Mumbai 400 005, India.

  12. The spill prevention, control, and countermeasures (SPCC) plan for the Y-12 Plant. Volume 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-08-01

    This spill prevention, control and countermeasures (SPCC) Plan is divided into two volumes. Volume I addresses Y-12`s compliance with regulations pertinent to the content of SPCC Plans. Volume II is the SPCC Hazardous Material Storage Data Base, a detailed tabulation of facility-specific information and data on potential spill sources at the Y-12 Plant. Volume I follows the basic format and subject sequence specified in 40 CFR 112.7. This sequence is prefaced by three additional chapters, including this introduction and brief discussions of the Y-12 Plant`s background/environmental setting and potential spill source categories. Two additional chapters on containers and container storage areas and PCB and PCB storage for disposal facilities are inserted into the required sequence. The following required subjects are covered in this volume: Spill history, site drainage; secondary containment/diversion structures and equipment; contingency plans; notification and spill response procedures; facility drainage; bulk storage tanks; facility transfer operations, pumping, and in-plant processes; transfer stations (facility tank cars/tank tracks); inspections and records; security, and personnel, training, and spill prevention procedures.

  13. Licensing procedure for the construction and operation of nuclear installations within the EEC member states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Didier, J.M.

    1976-08-01

    For Belgium and Luxembourg, the authorization procedure varies according to the Class in which the installation concerned falls (assigned according to the degree of hazard involved: Classes I, II or III). Moreover, separate authorizations are needed, one for construction and another for operation of Class I and II installations. With respect to Germany also, two such separate authorization are needed, but there is no specific procedure relating to the potential extent of hazard involved in the installation concerned. In France, the 'basic' nuclear installations are subject to a special procedure. Furthermore, the construction and operation of these installations are also subject to two separate authorizations. While the latter two authorizations are required in Italy for the main nuclear installations, no system of 'classified' installations exists according to extent of hazard involved. Similar legislation is applicable in the Netherlands. Neither does such a system of 'classified' installations exist in the United Kingdom. Moreover, there is only one single authorization (the 'site licence'), which is succesively adapted during construction. On the other hand, in Denmark and Ireland, no detailed legislation has been developed on the subject

  14. Authorization procedure for the construction and operation of nuclear installations within the EEC member states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Didier, J.M.

    1974-12-01

    For Belgium and Luxembourg, the authorization procedure varies according to the class in which the installation concerned falls (assigned according to the degree of hazard involved classes I, II or III). Moreover, separate authorizations are needed, one for construction and another for operation of class I and II installations. With respect to Germany also, two such separate authorizations are needed, but there is no specific procedure relating to the potential extent of hazard involved in the installation concerned. In France, the basic nuclear installations are subject to a special procedure. Furthermore, the construction and operation of these installations are also subject to two separate authorizations. While the latter two authorizations are required in Italy for the main nuclear installations, no system of classified installations exists according to extent of hazard involved. Similar legislation is applicable in the Netherlands. Neither does such a system of classified installations exist in the United Kingdom. Moreover, there is only one single authorization (the site licence), which is successively adapted during construction. On the other hand, in Denmark and Ireland, no detailed legislation has been developed on the subject

  15. Procedures for using expert judgment to estimate human-error probabilities in nuclear power plant operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seaver, D.A.; Stillwell, W.G.

    1983-03-01

    This report describes and evaluates several procedures for using expert judgment to estimate human-error probabilities (HEPs) in nuclear power plant operations. These HEPs are currently needed for several purposes, particularly for probabilistic risk assessments. Data do not exist for estimating these HEPs, so expert judgment can provide these estimates in a timely manner. Five judgmental procedures are described here: paired comparisons, ranking and rating, direct numerical estimation, indirect numerical estimation and multiattribute utility measurement. These procedures are evaluated in terms of several criteria: quality of judgments, difficulty of data collection, empirical support, acceptability, theoretical justification, and data processing. Situational constraints such as the number of experts available, the number of HEPs to be estimated, the time available, the location of the experts, and the resources available are discussed in regard to their implications for selecting a procedure for use

  16. The Ross Procedure in Pediatric Patients: A 20-Year Experience of Ross Procedure in a Single Institution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Dong Woog; Yang, Ji-Hyuk; Jun, Tae-Gook; Park, Pyo Won

    2017-08-01

    The Ross/Ross-Konno procedure is considered a good option for irreparable aortic valve disease in pediatric patients because of its hemodynamic performance and potential for growth of the pulmonary autograft. This study is a review of the long-term results of our 20-year experience with the Ross and Ross-Konno operations in a single institution. Between June 1995 and January 2016, 16 consecutive patients (mean age, 6.0±5.9 years; range, 16 days to 17.4 years) underwent either a Ross operation (n=9) or a Ross-Konno operation (n=7). The study included 12 males and 4 females, with a median follow-up period of 47 months (range, 6 to 256 months). There were no cases of in-hospital or late mortality. Six reoperations were performed in 5 patients. Four patients underwent right ventricular-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) conduit replacement. Two patients underwent concomitant replacement of the pulmonary autograft and RV-PA conduit 10 years and 8 years after the Ross operation, respectively. The rate of freedom from adverse outcomes of the pulmonary autograft was 88% and 70% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. The rate of freedom from valve-related reoperations was 79% and 63% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Pulmonary autografts demonstrated good durability with low mortality. The Ross/Ross-Konno procedure is a good option that can be performed safely in pediatric patients with aortic valve disease, even in a small-volume center.

  17. Guidelines for the design and operation of makeup water treatment systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Y.H.; Planek, M.A.; Sopocy, D.M.; Tomaga, C.M.; Abrams, I.M.; Anderson, C.C.; Balazs, M.K.; Houskava, J.; Williams, R.

    1989-06-01

    These guidelines present the industry with a standardized program to ensure the optimum design and operation of their individual makeup water treatment systems. These guidelines present, in a non-technical and non-proprietary format, the makeup water treatment system design and operating topics that are discussed in detail in Volumes 1 and 2 of NP-6377-SL. The individual guidelines contained in Volumes 1 and 2 are presented as separate imperative statements, followed by a technical justification discussion, which provides further explanations. In addition and when applicable, the guidelines relate pertinent operational in regard to monitoring parameters for operation, alternative actions, troubleshooting, management responsibilities and shutdown practices. Design considerations are also addressed, when applicable, in regard to equipment cost and advantages and disadvantages for the design recommendations. Appendices provide background information for performance criteria, component description, economic evaluation procedures and definitions. 4 refs

  18. Modification of Operating Procedure for EZ-Retriever (Trademark) Microwave to Produce Consistent and Reproducible Immunohistochemical Results

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Tompkins, Christina P; Fath, Denise M; Hamilton, Tracey A; Kan, Robert K

    2006-01-01

    The present study was conducted to optimize the operating procedure for the EZ- Retriever" microwave oven to produce consistent and reproducible staining results with microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2...

  19. Effect of the full implementation of the European Working Time Directive on operative training in adult cardiac surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahesh, Balakrishnan; Sharples, Linda; Codispoti, Massimiliano

    2014-01-01

    Surgical specialties rely on practice and apprenticeship to acquire technical skills. In 2009, the final reduction in working hours to 48 per week, in accordance with the European Working Time Directive (EWTD), has also led to an expansion in the number of trainees. We examined the effect of these changes on operative training in a single high-volume [>1500 procedures/year] adult cardiac surgical center. Setting: A single high-volume [>1500 procedures/year] adult cardiac surgical center. Design: Consecutive data were prospectively collected into a database and retrospectively analyzed. Procedures and Main Outcome Measures: Between January 2006 and August 2010, 6688 consecutive adult cardiac surgical procedures were analyzed. The proportion of cases offered for surgical training were compared for 2 non-overlapping consecutive time periods: 4504 procedures were performed before the final implementation of the EWTD (Phase 1: January 2006-December 2008) and 2184 procedures after the final implementation of the EWTD (Phase 2: January 2009-August 2010). Other predictors of training considered in the analysis were grade of trainee, logistic European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation (EuroSCORE), type of surgical procedure, weekend or late procedure, and consultant. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of training cases (procedure performed by trainee) and to evaluate the effect of the EWTD on operative surgical training after correcting for confounding factors. Proportion of training cases rose from 34.6% (1558/4504) during Phase 1 to 43.6% (953/2184) in Phase 2 (p hours [153 (3.4) during Phase 1 vs 116 (5.3) during Phase 2, p hours' procedures, and surgery other than coronary artery bypass grafts. Implementation of the final phase of EWTD has not decreased training in a high-volume center. The positive adjustment of trainers' attitudes and efforts to match trainees' needs allow maintenance of adequate training, despite reduction in

  20. SWIFT BAT Loop Heat Pipe Thermal System Characteristics and Ground/Flight Operation Procedure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Michael K.

    2003-01-01

    The SWIFT Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) Detector Array has a total power dissipation of 208 W. To meet the stringent temperature gradient and thermal stability requirements in the normal operational mode, and heater power budget in both the normal operational and safehold modes, the Detector Array is thermally well coupled to eight constant conductance heat pipes (CCHPs) embedded in the Detector Array Plate (DAP), and two loop heat pipes (LHPs) transport heat fiom the CCHPs to a radiator. The CCHPs have ammonia as the working fluid and the LHPs have propylene as the working fluid. Precision heater controllers, which have adjustable set points in flight, are used to control the LHP compensation chamber and Detector Array XA1 ASIC temperatures. The radiator has the AZ-Tek AZW-LA-II low-alpha white paint as the thermal coating and is located on the anti-sun side of the spacecraft. This paper presents the characteristics, ground operation and flight operation procedures of the LHP thermal system.

  1. Test Operations Procedure (TOP) 08-2-188 Chemical Point Detector Vapor Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-04-27

    Final 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Test Operations Procedure (TOP) 08-2-188 Chemical Point Detector Vapor Testing 5a. CONTRACT...NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING...ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) US Army Dugway Proving Ground West Desert Test Center (TEDT-DPW) Dugway, UT 84022-5000 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

  2. Hip arthroscopy protocol: expert opinions on post-operative weight bearing and return to sports guidelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rath, Ehud; Sharfman, Zachary T; Paret, Matan; Amar, Eyal; Drexler, Michael; Bonin, Nicolas

    2017-01-01

    The objectives of this study are to survey the weight-bearing limitation practices and delay for returning to running and impact sports of high volume hip arthroscopy orthopedic surgeons. The study was designed in the form of expert survey questionnaire. Evidence-based data are scares regarding hip arthroscopy post-operative weight-bearing protocols. An international cross-sectional anonymous Internet survey of 26 high-volume hip arthroscopy specialized surgeons was conducted to report their weight-bearing limitations and rehabilitation protocols after various arthroscopic hip procedures. The International Society of Hip Arthroscopy invited this study. The results were examined in the context of supporting literature to inform the studies suggestions. Four surgeons always allow immediate weight bearing and five never offer immediate weight bearing. Seventeen surgeons provide weight bearing depending on the procedures performed: 17 surgeons allowed immediate weight bearing after labral resection, 10 after labral repair and 8 after labral reconstruction. Sixteen surgeons allow immediate weight bearing after psoas tenotomy. Twenty-one respondents restrict weight bearing after microfracture procedures for 3-8 weeks post-operatively. Return to running and impact sports were shorter for labral procedures and bony procedures and longer for cartilaginous and capsular procedures. Marked variability exists in the post-operative weight-bearing practices of hip arthroscopy surgeons. This study suggests that most surgeons allow immediate weight bearing as tolerated after labral resection, acetabular osteoplasty, chondroplasty and psoas tenotomy. For cartilage defect procedures, 6 weeks or more non-weight bearing is suggested depending on the area of the defect and lateral central edge angle. Delayed return to sports activities is suggested after microfracture procedures. The level of evidence was Level V expert opinions.

  3. MITS Feed and Withdrawal Subsystem: operating procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, W.S.

    1980-01-01

    This procedure details the steps involved in establishing closed loop flows, providing UF 6 vapor to the FEED header of the Sampling Subsystem and returning it through the PRODUCT and TAILS headers via the F and W recycle valves. It is essentially a Startup Procedure

  4. 21 CFR 606.100 - Standard operating procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... units. (9) Procedures for investigating adverse donor and recipient reactions. (10) Storage temperatures... accurately relating the product(s) to the donor. (5) Blood collection procedure, including in-process precautions taken to measure accurately the quantity of blood removed from the donor. (6) Methods of component...

  5. A study on development of the step complexity measure for emergency operating procedures using entropy concepts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, J. K.; Jung, W. D.; Kim, J. W.; Ha, J. J.

    2001-04-01

    In complex systems, such as nuclear power plants (NPPs) or airplane control systems, human errors play a major role in many accidents. For example, it was reported that about 70% of aviation accidents are due to human errors, and that approximately 28% of accidents in process industries are caused by human errors. According to related studies, written manuals or operating procedures are revealed as one of the most important factors in aviation and manufacturing industries. In case of NPPs, the importance of procedures is more salient than other industries because not only over 50% of human errors were due to procedures but also about 18% of accidents were caused by the failure of following procedures. Thus, the provision of emergency operating procedures (EOPs) that are designed so that the possibility of human errors can be reduced is very important. To accomplish this goal, a quantitative and objective measure that can evaluate EOPs is indispensable. The purpose of this study is the development of a method that can quantify the complexity of a step included in EOPs. In this regard, the step complexity measure (SC) is developed based on three sub-measures such as the SIC (step information complexity), the SLC (step logic complexity) and the SSC (step size complexity). To verify the SC measure, not only quantitative validations (such as comparing SC scores with subjective evaluation results and with averaged step performance time) but also qualitative validations to clarify physical meanings of the SC measure are performed

  6. A study on development of the step complexity measure for emergency operating procedures using entropy concepts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, J. K.; Jung, W. D.; Kim, J. W.; Ha, J. J

    2001-04-01

    In complex systems, such as nuclear power plants (NPPs) or airplane control systems, human errors play a major role in many accidents. For example, it was reported that about 70% of aviation accidents are due to human errors, and that approximately 28% of accidents in process industries are caused by human errors. According to related studies, written manuals or operating procedures are revealed as one of the most important factors in aviation and manufacturing industries. In case of NPPs, the importance of procedures is more salient than other industries because not only over 50% of human errors were due to procedures but also about 18% of accidents were caused by the failure of following procedures. Thus, the provision of emergency operating procedures (EOPs) that are designed so that the possibility of human errors can be reduced is very important. To accomplish this goal, a quantitative and objective measure that can evaluate EOPs is indispensable. The purpose of this study is the development of a method that can quantify the complexity of a step included in EOPs. In this regard, the step complexity measure (SC) is developed based on three sub-measures such as the SIC (step information complexity), the SLC (step logic complexity) and the SSC (step size complexity). To verify the SC measure, not only quantitative validations (such as comparing SC scores with subjective evaluation results and with averaged step performance time) but also qualitative validations to clarify physical meanings of the SC measure are performed.

  7. A Guide for Developing Standard Operating Job Procedures for the Tertiary Chemical Treatment - Lime Precipitation Process Wastewater Treatment Facility. SOJP No. 6.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrasek, Al, Jr.

    This guide describes the standard operating job procedures for the tertiary chemical treatment - lime precipitation process of wastewater treatment plants. Step-by-step instructions are given for pre-start up, start-up, continuous operation, and shut-down procedures. In addition, some theoretical material is presented along with some relevant…

  8. Pancreaticoduodenectomy in children: optimising outcome of uncommon paediatric procedures.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Yeap, B H

    2012-02-01

    Contemporary surgical practice is increasingly dominated by subspecialisation in response to improved outcome from high volume centres, though uncertainties persist for uncommon paediatric procedures. Three paediatric pancreaticoduodenectomies performed at Our Lady\\'s Children\\'s Hospital, Dublin, over a period of 9 years were evaluated to substantiate their continuing performance by paediatric rather than adult pancreatic surgeons. With ages ranging from 18 months to 8 years old, the mean operating time was 263 minutes, while the average hospital stay was 12 days. There was no perioperative mortality, although complication rate was 100%. Re-operation was required in 33%. The long term outcome of this small paediatric cohort was comparable to adult series despite the low patient accrual, underscoring the advantages of a multidisciplinary approach afforded by tertiary paediatric institutions for intricate yet infrequent operations in children.

  9. Expiratory flow limitation and operating lung volumes during exercise in older and younger adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Joshua R; Kurti, Stephanie P; Meskimen, Kayla; Harms, Craig A

    2017-06-01

    We determined the effect of aging on expiratory flow limitation (EFL) and operating lung volumes when matched for lung size. We hypothesized that older adults will exhibit greater EFL and increases in EELV during exercise compared to younger controls. Ten older (5M/5W; >60years old) and nineteen height-matched young adults (10M/9W) were recruited. Young adults were matched for%predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) (Y-matched%Pred FVC; n=10) and absolute FVC (Y-matched FVC; n=10). Tidal flow-volume loops were recorded during the incremental exercise test with maximal flow-volume loops measured pre- and post-exercise. Compared to younger controls, older adults exhibited more EFL at ventilations of 26, 35, 51, and 80L/min. The older group had higher end-inspiratory lung volume compared to Y-matched%Pred FVC group during submaximal ventilations. The older group increased EELV during exercise, while EELV stayed below resting in the Y-matched%Pred FVC group. These data suggest older adults exhibit more EFL and increase EELV earlier during exercise compared to younger adults. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Standard operating procedures for female orgasmic disorder: consensus of the International Society for Sexual Medicine

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Laan, Ellen; Rellini, Alessandra H.; Barnes, Tricia

    2013-01-01

    As the field of sexual medicine evolves, it is important to continually improve patient care by developing contemporary "standard operating procedures" (SOPs), reflecting the consensus view of experts in sexual medicine. Few, if any, consensus SOPs have been developed for the diagnosis and treatment

  11. Evaluation of potential severe accidents during low power and shutdown operations at Surry, Unit-1: Analysis of core damage frequency from internal events during mid-loop operations. Appendices F-H, Volume 2, Part 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, T.L.; Musicki, Z.; Kohut, P.; Yang, J.; Bozoki, G.; Hsu, C.J.; Diamond, D.J.; Bley, D.; Johnson, D.; Holmes, B.

    1994-06-01

    Traditionally, probabilistic risk assessments (PRA) of severe accidents in nuclear power plants have considered initiating events potentially occurring only during full power operation. Some previous screening analyses that were performed for other modes of operation suggested that risks during those modes were small relative to full power operation. However, more recent studies and operational experience have implied that accidents during low power and shutdown could be significant contributors to risk. Two plants, Surry (pressurized water reactor) and Grand Gulf (boiling water reactor), were selected as the plants to be studied. The objectives of the program are to assess the risks of severe accidents initiated during plant operational states other than full power operation and to compare the estimated core damage frequencies, important accident sequences and other qualitative and quantitative results with those accidents initiated during full power operation as assessed in NUREG-1150. The scope of the program includes that of a level-3 PRA. In phase 2, mid-loop operation was selected as the plant configuration to be analyzed based on the results of the phase 1 study. The objective of the phase 2 study is to perform a detailed analysis of the potential accident scenarios that may occur during mid-loop operation, and compare the results with those of NUREG-1150. The scope of the level-1 study includes plant damage state analysis, and uncertainty analysis. Volume 1 summarizes the results of the study. Internal events analysis is documented in Volume 2. It also contains an appendix that documents the part of the phase 1 study that has to do with POSs other than mid-loop operation. Internal fire and internal flood analyses are documented in Volumes 3 and 4. A separate study on seismic analysis, documented in Volume 5, was performed for the NRC by Future Resources Associates, Inc. Volume 6 documents the accident progression, source terms, and consequence analysis

  12. Managing Operating Procedures in Distributed Collaborative Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hool, A.; Beuzelin Ollivier, M.-G.; Roubert, F.

    2013-04-01

    In recent years, large distributed collaborative projects have become very prominent in scientific research, allowing exchanges between laboratories located in different institutions and countries and between various domains of competence. Particularly the work on nanotoxicity - a field which has only been under investigation for a few years and is still lacking regulatory framework - highlighted the need for well-controlled methods, as well as rules for the handling and disposal of used materials. To obtain comparable and reproducible results of experiments conducted in a distributed context, the standardisation and proper documentation of the applied methods is crucial. The European project NanoDiaRA, whose aim is to develop nanoparticles and biomarkers for the early diagnosis of inflammatory disease, faces this situation as it involves 15 European partners and brings together different scientific cultures and professional backgrounds. Protocols especially developed for Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and a management system were designed and implemented within the NanoDiaRA project to fulfil those needs. The main goals were the establishment of standardised Standard Operating Procedures assuring transparency and reproducibility and the provision of access to these protocols to every project partner, as well as their clear allocation to carry out precise measurements and production steps.

  13. Managing Operating Procedures in Distributed Collaborative Projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hool, A; Ollivier, M-G Beuzelin; Roubert, F

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, large distributed collaborative projects have become very prominent in scientific research, allowing exchanges between laboratories located in different institutions and countries and between various domains of competence. Particularly the work on nanotoxicity – a field which has only been under investigation for a few years and is still lacking regulatory framework – highlighted the need for well-controlled methods, as well as rules for the handling and disposal of used materials. To obtain comparable and reproducible results of experiments conducted in a distributed context, the standardisation and proper documentation of the applied methods is crucial. The European project NanoDiaRA, whose aim is to develop nanoparticles and biomarkers for the early diagnosis of inflammatory disease, faces this situation as it involves 15 European partners and brings together different scientific cultures and professional backgrounds. Protocols especially developed for Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and a management system were designed and implemented within the NanoDiaRA project to fulfil those needs. The main goals were the establishment of standardised Standard Operating Procedures assuring transparency and reproducibility and the provision of access to these protocols to every project partner, as well as their clear allocation to carry out precise measurements and production steps.

  14. CAI and training system for the emergency operation procedure in the advanced thermal reactor, FUGEN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kozaki, T.; Imanaga, K.; Nakamura, S.; Maeda, K.; Sakurai, N.; Miyamoto, M.

    2003-01-01

    In the Advanced Thermal Reactor (ATR ) of the JNC, 'FUGEN', a symptom based Emergency Operating Procedure (EOF) was introduced in order to operate Fugen more safely and it became necessary for the plant operators to master the EOF. However it took a lot of time for the instructor to teach the EOP to operators and to train them. Thus, we have developed a Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) and Training System for the EOP, by which the operators can learn the EOP and can be trained. This system has two major functions, i.e., CAI and training. In the CAI function, there are three learning courses, namely, the EOP procedure, the simulation with guidance and Q and A, and the free simulation. In the training function, all of necessary control instruments (indicators, switches, annunciators and so forth) and physics models for the EOP training are simulated so that the trainees can be trained for all of the EOPs. In addition, 50 kinds of malfunction models are installed in order to perform appropriate accident scenarios for the EOP. The training of the EOP covers the range from AOO (Anticipated Operational Occurrence) to Over-DBAs (Design Based Accidents). This system is built in three personal computers that are connected by the computer network. One of the computers is expected to be used for the instructor and the other two are for the trainees. The EOP is composed of eight guidelines, such as 'Reactor Control' and 'Depression and Cooling', and the operation screens which are corresponded to the guidelines are respectively provided. According to the trial, we have estimated that the efficiency of the learning and the training would be improved about 30% for the trainee and about 75% for the instructor in the actual learning and training. (author)

  15. The study on development of emergency operating procedures based on symptom and risk for accident management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, K. S.; Jeong, H. J.

    1998-01-01

    The Advanced EOP(AEOP) has been developed by focusing on the importance of the operators role in emergency conditions. In the AEOP, to overcome the complexity of current EOPs and maintain the consistency of operators action according to plant emergency conditions, operator's task were allocated according to their duties. As an alternative, the Computerized Operator Aid System (COAS) has been developed to reduce operator's burden and provide detailed instructions of procedure. Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) results were synthesized in the AEOP using the event tree to give the awareness and the prediction of accident progression in advance. In conclusion, the existing EOP with its inherent complexity should be simplified and consolidated using computerized operator support system and task allocation to prevent more severe accidents and to reduce operator cognitive overload in emergency conditions

  16. Development of Small UAS Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS Flight Operations: System Requirements and Procedures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott Xiang Fang

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Due to safety concerns of integrating small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS into non-segregated airspace, aviation authorities have required a set of detect and avoid (DAA systems to be equipped on small UAS for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS flight operations in civil airspace. However, the development of small UAS DAA systems also requires BVLOS flights for testing and validation. To mitigate operational risks for small UAS BVLOS flight operations, this paper proposes to initially test small UAS DAA systems in BVLOS flights in a restricted airspace with additional safety features. Later, this paper further discusses the operating procedures and emergency action plans for small UAS BVLOS flight operations. The testing results show that these safety systems developed can help improve operational safety for small UAS BVLOS flight operations.

  17. A Multiscale Enrichment Procedure for Nonlinear Monotone Operators

    KAUST Repository

    Efendiev, Yalchin R.

    2014-03-11

    In this paper, multiscale finite element methods (MsFEMs) and domain decomposition techniques are developed for a class of nonlinear elliptic problems with high-contrast coefficients. In the process, existing work on linear problems [Y. Efendiev, J. Galvis, R. Lazarov, S. Margenov and J. Ren, Robust two-level domain decomposition preconditioners for high-contrast anisotropic flows in multiscale media. Submitted.; Y. Efendiev, J. Galvis and X. Wu, J. Comput. Phys. 230 (2011) 937–955; J. Galvis and Y. Efendiev, SIAM Multiscale Model. Simul. 8 (2010) 1461–1483.] is extended to treat a class of nonlinear elliptic operators. The proposed method requires the solutions of (small dimension and local) nonlinear eigenvalue problems in order to systematically enrich the coarse solution space. Convergence of the method is shown to relate to the dimension of the coarse space (due to the enrichment procedure) as well as the coarse mesh size. In addition, it is shown that the coarse mesh spaces can be effectively used in two-level domain decomposition preconditioners. A number of numerical results are presented to complement the analysis.

  18. The cost of obesity for nonbariatric inpatient operative procedures in the United States: national cost estimates obese versus nonobese patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mason, Rodney J; Moroney, Jolene R; Berne, Thomas V

    2013-10-01

    To evaluate the economic impact of obesity on hospital costs associated with the commonest nonbariatric, nonobstetrical surgical procedures. Health care costs and obesity are both rising. Nonsurgical costs associated with obesity are well documented but surgical costs are not. National cost estimates were calculated from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, 2005-2009, for the highest volume nonbariatric nonobstetric procedures. Obesity was identified from the HCUP-NIS severity data file comorbidity index. Costs for obese patients were compared with those for nonobese patients. To control for medical complexity, each obese patient was matched one-to-one with a nonobese patient using age, sex, race, and 28 comorbid defined elements. Of 2,309,699 procedures, 439,8129 (19%) were successfully matched into 2 medically equal groups (obese vs nonobese). Adjusted total hospital costs incurred by obese patients were 3.7% higher with a significantly (P cost of $648 (95% confidence interval [CI]: $556-$736) compared with nonobese patients. Of the 2 major components of hospital costs, length of stay was significantly increased in obese patients (mean difference = 0.0253 days, 95% CI: 0.0225-0.0282) and resource utilization determined by costs per day were greater in obese patients due to an increased number of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures needed postoperatively (odds ratio [OR] = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.93-0.96). Postoperative complications were equivalent in both groups (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.93-1.02). Annual national hospital expenditures for the largest volume surgical procedures is an estimated $160 million higher in obese than in a comparative group of nonobese patients.

  19. Graduating general surgery resident operative confidence: perspective from a national survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonseca, Annabelle L; Reddy, Vikram; Longo, Walter E; Gusberg, Richard J

    2014-08-01

    General surgical training has changed significantly over the last decade with work hour restrictions, increasing subspecialization, the expanding use of minimally invasive techniques, and nonoperative management for solid organ trauma. Given these changes, this study was undertaken to assess the confidence of graduating general surgery residents in performing open surgical operations and to determine factors associated with increased confidence. A survey was developed and sent to general surgery residents nationally. We queried them regarding demographics and program characteristics, asked them to rate their confidence (rated 1-5 on a Likert scale) in performing open surgical procedures and compared those who indicated confidence with those who did not. We received 653 responses from the fifth year (postgraduate year 5) surgical residents: 69% male, 68% from university programs, and 51% from programs affiliated with a Veterans Affairs hospital; 22% from small programs, 34% from medium programs, and 44% from large programs. Anticipated postresidency operative confidence was 72%. More than 25% of residents reported a lack of confidence in performing eight of the 13 operations they were queried about. Training at a university program, a large program, dedicated research years, future fellowship plans, and training at a program that performed a large percentage of operations laparoscopically was associated with decreased confidence in performing a number of open surgical procedures. Increased surgical volume was associated with increased operative confidence. Confidence in performing open surgery also varied regionally. Graduating surgical residents indicated a significant lack of confidence in performing a variety of open surgical procedures. This decreased confidence was associated with age, operative volume as well as type, and location of training program. Analyzing and addressing this confidence deficit merits further study. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All

  20. The use of virtual reality and intelligent database systems for procedure planning, visualisation, and real-time component tracking in remote handling operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robbins, Edward; Sanders, Stephen; Williams, Adrian; Allan, Peter

    2009-01-01

    The organisation of remote handling (RH) operations in fusion environments is increasingly critical as the number of tasks, components and tooling that RH operations teams must deal with inexorably rises. During the recent JET EP1 RH shutdown the existing virtual reality (VR) and procedural database systems proved essential for visualisation and tracking of operations, particularly due to the increasing complexity of remote tasks. A new task planning system for RH operations is in development, and is expected to be ready for use during the next major shutdown, planned for 2009. The system will make use of information available from the remote operations procedures, the RH equipment human-machine interfaces, the on-line RH equipment control systems and also the virtual reality (VR) system to establish a complete database for the location of plant items and RH equipment as RH operations progress. It is intended that the system be used during both preparation and implementation of shutdowns. In the preparations phase the system can be used to validate procedures and overall logistics by allowing an operator to increment through each operation step and to use the VR system to visualise the location and status of all components, manipulators and RH tools. During task development the RH operations engineers can plan and visualise movement of components and tooling to examine handling concepts and establish storage requirements. In the implementation of operations the daily work schedules information will be integrated with the RH operations procedures tracking records to enable the VR system to provide a visual representation of the status of remote operations in real time. Monitoring of the usage history of items will allow estimates of radiation dosage and contaminant exposure to be made. This paper describes the overall aims, structure and use of the system, discusses its application to JET and also considers potential future developments.

  1. Evaluation of potential severe accidents during low power and shutdown operations at Grand Gulf, Unit 1: Summary of results. Volume 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whitehead, D.W.; Staple, B.D.; Daniel, S.L.

    1995-07-01

    During 1989 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) initiated an extensive program to examine the potential risks during low power and shutdown operations. Two plants, Surry and Grand Gulf, were selected as the plants to be studied by Brookhaven National Laboratory (Surry) and Sandia National Laboratories (Grand Gulf). This report documents the work performed during the analysis of the Grand Gulf plant. A phased approach was used for the overall study. In Phase 1, the objectives were to identify potential vulnerable plant configurations, to characterize (on a high, medium, or low basis) the potential core damage accident scenario frequencies and risks, and to provide a foundation for a detailed Phase 2 analysis. It was in Phase 1 that the concept of plant operational states (POSs) was developed to allow the analysts to better represent the plant as it transitions from power operation to nonpower operation than was possible with the traditional technical specification divisions of modes of operation. This phase consisted of a coarse screening analysis performed for all POSs, including seismic and internal fire and flood for some POSs. In Phase 2, POS 5 (approximately cold shutdown as defined by Grand Gulf Technical Specifications) during a refueling outage was selected as the plant configuration to be analyzed based on the results of the Phase 1 study. The scope of the Level 1 study includes plant damage state analysis and uncertainty analysis and is documented in a multi-volume NUREG/CR report (i.e., NUREG/CR-6143). The internal events analysis is documented in Volume 2. Internal fire and internal flood analyses are documented in Volumes 3 and 4, respectively. A separate study on seismic analysis, documented in Volume 5, was performed for the NRC by Future Resources Associates, Inc. The Level 2/3 study of the traditional internal events is documented in Volume 6, and a summary of the results for all analyses is documented in Volume 1

  2. Evaluation of potential severe accidents during low power and shutdown operations at Grand Gulf, Unit 1: Summary of results. Volume 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Whitehead, D.W. [ed.; Staple, B.D.; Daniel, S.L. [and others

    1995-07-01

    During 1989 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) initiated an extensive program to examine the potential risks during low power and shutdown operations. Two plants, Surry and Grand Gulf, were selected as the plants to be studied by Brookhaven National Laboratory (Surry) and Sandia National Laboratories (Grand Gulf). This report documents the work performed during the analysis of the Grand Gulf plant. A phased approach was used for the overall study. In Phase 1, the objectives were to identify potential vulnerable plant configurations, to characterize (on a high, medium, or low basis) the potential core damage accident scenario frequencies and risks, and to provide a foundation for a detailed Phase 2 analysis. It was in Phase 1 that the concept of plant operational states (POSs) was developed to allow the analysts to better represent the plant as it transitions from power operation to nonpower operation than was possible with the traditional technical specification divisions of modes of operation. This phase consisted of a coarse screening analysis performed for all POSs, including seismic and internal fire and flood for some POSs. In Phase 2, POS 5 (approximately cold shutdown as defined by Grand Gulf Technical Specifications) during a refueling outage was selected as the plant configuration to be analyzed based on the results of the Phase 1 study. The scope of the Level 1 study includes plant damage state analysis and uncertainty analysis and is documented in a multi-volume NUREG/CR report (i.e., NUREG/CR-6143). The internal events analysis is documented in Volume 2. Internal fire and internal flood analyses are documented in Volumes 3 and 4, respectively. A separate study on seismic analysis, documented in Volume 5, was performed for the NRC by Future Resources Associates, Inc. The Level 2/3 study of the traditional internal events is documented in Volume 6, and a summary of the results for all analyses is documented in Volume 1.

  3. OPERATIONAL RESTRICTIONS FOR REDUCING NOISE AND THE SAFETY OF AIR OPERATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna KWASIBORSKA

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Many European airports are located in close proximity to residential or protected areas. Aircraft noise emissions caused by the landing and taking off of aircraft are a big problem in these areas. From an operational point of view, the method for reducing noise is to reduce traffic volume or change its organization, especially during the night. Some procedures and tools have been developed to support air traffic management in the implementation of operational constraints necessary to maintain noise at an acceptable level. The objective of this paper is to analyse the effectiveness of these tools. For this purpose, we have analysed existing methods of operational noise reduction, taking into account their influence on the structure, smoothness, punctuality and, especially, the safety of air traffic. As a result, existing risks have been identified, while methods have been proposed to combine two important air traffic service tasks: ensuring safety, while taking into account the environmental constraints, especially in relation to the acoustic climate.

  4. Best Practices During Hip Arthroscopy: Aggregate Recommendations of High-Volume Surgeons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Asheesh; Suarez-Ahedo, Carlos; Redmond, John M; Gerhardt, Michael B; Hanypsiak, Bryan; Stake, Christine E; Finch, Nathan A; Domb, Benjamin G

    2015-09-01

    To survey surgeons who perform a high volume of hip arthroscopy procedures regarding their operative technique, type of procedure, and postoperative management. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 27 high-volume orthopaedic surgeons specializing in hip arthroscopy to report their preferences and practices related to their operative practice and postoperative rehabilitation protocol. All participants completed the survey in person in an anonymous fashion during a meeting of the American Hip Institute. All surgeons perform hip arthroscopy with the patient in the supine position, accessing the central compartment of the hip initially, using intraoperative fluoroscopy. All surgeons perform labral repair (100%), with the majority performing labral reconstructions (77.8%) and gluteus medius repairs (81.5%). There is variability in the type of anchors used during labral repair. Most surgeons perform capsular closure in most cases (88.9%), inject either intra-articular cortisone or platelet-rich plasma at the conclusion of the procedure (59%), and prescribe a postoperative hip brace for some or all patients (59%). There is considerable variability in rehabilitation protocols. All surgeons routinely prescribe postoperative heterotopic ossification prophylaxis to their patients, with most surgeons (88.9%) prescribing a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication for 3 weeks. Forty percent of the respondents use the modified Harris Hip Score as the most important outcome measure. Consistent practices such as use of intraoperative fluoroscopy, heterotopic ossification prophylaxis, and labral repair skills were identified by surveying 27 hip arthroscopy surgeons at high-volume centers. Most of the surgeons performed routine capsular closure unless underlying conditions precluded capsular release or plication. The survey identified higher variability between surgeons regarding postoperative rehabilitation protocols and use of intra-articular pharmacologic injections at the

  5. The study on development of emergency operating procedures based on symptom and risk for accident management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, K. S.; Jeong, H. J. [KOPEC, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1998-10-01

    The Advanced EOP(AEOP) has been developed by focusing on the importance of the operators role in emergency conditions. In the AEOP, to overcome the complexity of current EOPs and maintain the consistency of operators action according to plant emergency conditions, operator's task were allocated according to their duties. As an alternative, the Computerized Operator Aid System (COAS) has been developed to reduce operator's burden and provide detailed instructions of procedure. Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) results were synthesized in the AEOP using the event tree to give the awareness and the prediction of accident progression in advance. In conclusion, the existing EOP with its inherent complexity should be simplified and consolidated using computerized operator support system and task allocation to prevent more severe accidents and to reduce operator cognitive overload in emergency conditions.

  6. Minimal invasive treatment of ureteropelvic junction obstruction in low volume pelvis: A comparative study of endopyelotomy and laparoscopic nondismembered pyeloplasty

    OpenAIRE

    Singh, Pratipal; Jain, Paresh; Dharaskar, Anand; Mandhani, Anil; Dubey, Deepak; Kapoor, Rakesh; Kumar, Anant; Srivastava, Aneesh

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the role of nondismembered laparoscopic pyeloplasty and percutaneous endopyelotomy for ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) with low volume renal pelvis. Material and Methods: Retrospective acquired data of 34 patients of laparoscopic nondismembered pyeloplasty was compared with 26 patients of UPJO with pelvic volume less than 50 ml undergoing antegrade endopyelotomy and analyzed for clinical parameters, operative outcomes and success of procedures. All patient...

  7. Procedures for treating common cause failures in safety and reliability studies: Volume 2, Analytic background and techniques: Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mosleh, A.; Fleming, K.N.; Parry, G.W.; Paula, H.M.; Worledge, D.H.; Rasmuson, D.M.

    1988-12-01

    This report presents a framework for the inclusion of the impact of common cause failures in risk and reliability evaluations. Common cause failures are defined as that subset of dependent failures for which causes are not explicitly included in the logic model as basic events. The emphasis here is on providing procedures for a practical, systematic approach that can be used to perform and clearly document the analysis. The framework and the methods discussed for performing the different stages of the analysis integrate insights obtained from engineering assessments of the system and the historical evidence from multiple failure events into a systematic, reproducible, and defensible analysis. This document, Volume 2, contains a series of appendices that provide additional background and methodological detail on several important topics discussed in Volume 1

  8. Operational waste volume projection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koreski, G.M.; Strode, J.N.

    1995-06-01

    Waste receipts to the double-shell tank system are analyzed and wastes through the year 2015 are projected based on generation trends of the past 12 months. A computer simulation of site operations is performed, which results in projections of tank fill schedules, tank transfers, evaporator operations, tank retrieval, and aging waste tank usage. This projection incorporates current budget planning and the clean-up schedule of the tri-party agreement. Assumptions are current as of June 1995

  9. Operational Waste Volume Projection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    STRODE, J.N.

    2000-08-28

    Waste receipts to the double-shell tank system are analyzed and wastes through the year 2015 are projected based on generation trends of the past 12 months. A computer simulation of site operations is performed, which results in projections of tank fill schedules, tank transfers, evaporator operations, tank retrieval, and aging waste tank usage. This projection incorporates current budget planning and the clean-up schedule of the Tri-Party Agreement. Assumptions were current as of June. 2000.

  10. Operational Waste Volume Projection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    STRODE, J.N.

    2000-01-01

    Waste receipts to the double-shell tank system are analyzed and wastes through the year 2015 are projected based on generation trends of the past 12 months. A computer simulation of site operations is performed, which results in projections of tank fill schedules, tank transfers, evaporator operations, tank retrieval, and aging waste tank usage. This projection incorporates current budget planning and the clean-up schedule of the Tri-Party Agreement. Assumptions were current as of June. 2000

  11. 30 CFR 761.15 - Procedures for waiving the prohibition on surface coal mining operations within the buffer zone...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Procedures for waiving the prohibition on surface coal mining operations within the buffer zone of an occupied dwelling. 761.15 Section 761.15... surface coal mining operations within the buffer zone of an occupied dwelling. (a) This section does not...

  12. Acceptance/Operational Test Report for Tank 241-AN-104 camera and camera purge control system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castleberry, J.L.

    1995-11-01

    This Acceptance/Operational Test Procedure (ATP/OTP) will document the satisfactory operation of the camera purge panel, purge control panel, color camera system and associated control components destined for installation. The final acceptance of the complete system will be performed in the field. The purge panel and purge control panel will be tested for its safety interlock which shuts down the camera and pan-and-tilt inside the tank vapor space during loss of purge pressure and that the correct purge volume exchanges are performed as required by NFPA 496. This procedure is separated into seven sections. This Acceptance/Operational Test Report documents the successful acceptance and operability testing of the 241-AN-104 camera system and camera purge control system

  13. Operating procedures for the manufacture of radioactive SYNROC in the actinide laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Western, K.F.

    1986-03-01

    The purpose of this manual is to acquaint the operator with the procedures required to manufacture SYNROC-containing radioactive materials in the SYNROC actinide laboratory, Lucas Heights Research Laboratories. The actinide-doped SYNROC production facility is a series of four interconnected glove boxes and one free-standing glove box. The samples of radioactive SYNROC produced in the actinide laboratory are used to carry out physical testing of the product at various laboratories on site, e.g. leach testing, auto-radiographic examination, electron-microscopc examination, atomic absorption spectrophotometry and analysis

  14. Solid Waste Operations Complex W-113: Project cost estimate. Preliminary design report. Volume IV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-01-01

    This document contains Volume IV of the Preliminary Design Report for the Solid Waste Operations Complex W-113 which is the Project Cost Estimate and construction schedule. The estimate was developed based upon Title 1 material take-offs, budgetary equipment quotes and Raytheon historical in-house data. The W-113 project cost estimate and project construction schedule were integrated together to provide a resource loaded project network

  15. Transuranic (TRU) waste volume reduction operations at a plutonium facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cournoyer, Michael E.; Nixon, Archie E.; Fife, Keith W.; Sandoval, Arnold M.; Garcia, Vincent E.; Dodge, Robert L.

    2011-01-01

    Programmatic operations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Plutonium Facility (TA-55) involve working with various amounts of plutonium and other highly toxic, alpha-emitting materials. The spread of radiological contamination on surfaces, airborne contamination, and excursions of contaminants into the operator's breathing zone are prevented through use of a variety of gloveboxes (the glovebox, coupled with an adequate negative pressure gradient, provides primary confinement). Size-reduction operations on glovebox equipment are a common activity when a process has been discontinued and the room is being modified to support a new customer. The Actinide Processing Group at TA-55 uses one-meter or longer glass columns to process plutonium. Disposal of used columns is a challenge, since they must be size-reduced to get them out of the glovebox. The task is a high-risk operation because the glass shards that are generated can puncture the bag-out bags, leather protectors, glovebox gloves, and the worker's skin when completing the task. One of the Lessons Learned from these operations is that Laboratory management should critically evaluate each hazard and provide more effective measures to prevent personnel injury. A bag made of puncture-resistant material was one of these enhanced controls. We have investigated the effectiveness of these bags and have found that they safely and effectively permit glass objects to be reduced to small pieces with a plastic or rubber mallet; the waste can then be easily poured into a container for removal from the glovebox as non-compactable transuranic (TRU) waste. This size-reduction operation reduces solid TRU waste volume generation by almost 2½ times. Replacing one-time-use bag-out bags with multiple-use glass crushing bags also contributes to reducing generated waste. In addition, significant costs from contamination, cleanup, and preparation of incident documentation are avoided. This effort contributes to the Los Alamos

  16. 14 CFR 25.1585 - Operating procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ...) Non-normal procedures for malfunction cases and failure conditions involving the use of special... envelopes, determined under § 25.251 must be furnished. The buffet onset envelopes presented may reflect the...

  17. An independent safety assessment of Department of Energy nuclear reactor facilities: Procedures, operations and maintenance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toto, G.; Lindgren, A.J.

    1981-02-01

    The 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island commercial nuclear power plant has led to a number of studies of nuclear reactors, in both the public and private sectors. One of these is that of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Nuclear Facilities Personnel Qualification and Training (NFPQT) Committee, which has outlined tasks for assessment of 13 reactors owned by DOE and operated by contractors. This report covers one of the tasks, the assessment of procedures, operations, and maintenance at the DOE reactor facilities, based on a review of actual documents used at the reactor sites

  18. Writer`s guide for technical procedures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-12-01

    A primary objective of operations conducted in the US Department of Energy (DOE) complex is safety. Procedures are a critical element of maintaining a safety envelope to ensure safe facility operation. This DOE Writer`s Guide for Technical Procedures addresses the content, format, and style of technical procedures that prescribe production, operation of equipment and facilities, and maintenance activities. The DOE Writer`s Guide for Management Control Procedures and DOE Writer`s Guide for Emergency and Alarm Response Procedures are being developed to assist writers in developing nontechnical procedures. DOE is providing this guide to assist writers across the DOE complex in producing accurate, complete, and usable procedures that promote safe and efficient operations that comply with DOE orders, including DOE Order 5480.19, Conduct of Operations for DOE Facilities, and 5480.6, Safety of Department of Energy-Owned Nuclear Reactors.

  19. An approach toward estimating the safety significance of normal and abnormal operating procedures in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grant, T.F.; Harris, M.S.

    1989-01-01

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's TMI Action Plan calls for a long-term plan to upgrade operating procedures in nuclear power plants. The scope of Generic Issue Human Factors 4.4, which stems from this requirement, includes the recommendation of improvements in nuclear power plant normal and abnormal operating procedures (NOPs and AOPs) and the implementation of appropriate regulatory action. This paper will describe the objectives, methodologies, and results of a Battelle-conducted value impact assessment to determine the costs and benefits of having the NRC implement regulatory action that would specify requirements for the preparation of acceptable NOPs and AOPs by the Commission's nuclear power plant licensees. The results of this value impact assessment are expressed in terms of ten cost/benefit attributes that can be affected by the NRC regulatory action. Five of these attributes require the calculation of change in public risk that could be expected to result from the action which, in this case, required determining the safety significance of NOPs and AOPs. In order to estimate this safety significance, a multi-step methodology was created that relies on an existing Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) to provide a quantitative framework for modeling the role of operating procedures. The purpose of this methodology is to determine what impact the improvement of NOPs and AOPs would have on public health and safety

  20. Interaction between peri-operative blood transfusion, tidal volume, airway pressure and postoperative ARDS: an individual patient data meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serpa Neto, Ary; Juffermans, Nicole P; Hemmes, Sabrine N T; Barbas, Carmen S V; Beiderlinden, Martin; Biehl, Michelle; Fernandez-Bustamante, Ana; Futier, Emmanuel; Gajic, Ognjen; Jaber, Samir; Kozian, Alf; Licker, Marc; Lin, Wen-Qian; Memtsoudis, Stavros G; Miranda, Dinis Reis; Moine, Pierre; Paparella, Domenico; Ranieri, Marco; Scavonetto, Federica; Schilling, Thomas; Selmo, Gabriele; Severgnini, Paolo; Sprung, Juraj; Sundar, Sugantha; Talmor, Daniel; Treschan, Tanja; Unzueta, Carmen; Weingarten, Toby N; Wolthuis, Esther K; Wrigge, Hermann; de Abreu, Marcelo Gama; Pelosi, Paolo; Schultz, Marcus J

    2018-01-01

    Transfusion of blood products and mechanical ventilation with injurious settings are considered risk factors for postoperative lung injury in surgical Patients. A systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis was done to determine the independent effects of peri-operative transfusion of blood products, intra-operative tidal volume and airway pressure in adult patients undergoing mechanical ventilation for general surgery, as well as their interactions on the occurrence of postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Observational studies and randomized trials were identified by a systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and CENTRAL and screened for inclusion into a meta-analysis. Individual patient data were obtained from the corresponding authors. Patients were stratified according to whether they received transfusion in the peri-operative period [red blood cell concentrates (RBC) and/or fresh frozen plasma (FFP)], tidal volume size [≤7 mL/kg predicted body weight (PBW), 7-10 and >10 mL/kg PBW] and airway pressure level used during surgery (≤15, 15-20 and >20 cmH 2 O). The primary outcome was development of postoperative ARDS. Seventeen investigations were included (3,659 patients). Postoperative ARDS occurred in 40 (7.2%) patients who received at least one blood product compared to 40 patients (2.5%) who did not [adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 2.32; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.25-4.33; P=0.008]. Incidence of postoperative ARDS was highest in patients ventilated with tidal volumes of >10 mL/kg PBW and having airway pressures of >20 cmH 2 O receiving both RBC and FFP, and lowest in patients ventilated with tidal volume of ≤7 mL/kg PBW and having airway pressures of ≤15 cmH 2 O with no transfusion. There was a significant interaction between transfusion and airway pressure level (P=0.002) on the risk of postoperative ARDS. Peri-operative transfusion of blood products is associated with an increased risk of

  1. Rapid fusion of 2D X-ray fluoroscopy with 3D multislice CT for image-guided electrophysiology procedures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zagorchev, Lyubomir; Manzke, Robert; Cury, Ricardo; Reddy, Vivek Y.; Chan, Raymond C.

    2007-03-01

    Interventional cardiac electrophysiology (EP) procedures are typically performed under X-ray fluoroscopy for visualizing catheters and EP devices relative to other highly-attenuating structures such as the thoracic spine and ribs. These projections do not however contain information about soft-tissue anatomy and there is a recognized need for fusion of conventional fluoroscopy with pre-operatively acquired cardiac multislice computed tomography (MSCT) volumes. Rapid 2D-3D integration in this application would allow for real-time visualization of all catheters present within the thorax in relation to the cardiovascular anatomy visible in MSCT. We present a method for rapid fusion of 2D X-ray fluoroscopy with 3DMSCT that can facilitate EP mapping and interventional procedures by reducing the need for intra-operative contrast injections to visualize heart chambers and specialized systems to track catheters within the cardiovascular anatomy. We use hardware-accelerated ray-casting to compute digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) from the MSCT volume and iteratively optimize the rigid-body pose of the volumetric data to maximize the similarity between the MSCT-derived DRR and the intra-operative X-ray projection data.

  2. Procedural Portfolio Planning in Plastic Surgery, Part 1: Strategic Changes in Clinical Practice to Increase Physician Revenue, Improve Operative Throughput, and Maintain Patient Satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hultman, Charles Scott

    2016-06-01

    Portfolio planning in health care represents the strategic prioritization of services that permits an organization to better achieve its goals of margin and mission. Because of recent volatility in the economy, declining reimbursement, and rising costs of providing care, such strategic planning has become increasingly important if physicians want to remain leaders in health care. This project assesses the financial impact of procedural portfolio planning on an academic plastic surgery practice from the physician's perspective. We tracked the top 50 procedures, defined as total charges per CPT code, that were performed in our baseline year, for 6 providers in a stable plastic surgery practice. At the end of the first year, we implemented 3 types of strategic changes: growth of areas with high contribution margin (laser resurfacing of burn scars), curtailment of high-risk procedures with negative contribution margin (panniculectomy in smokers), and improved efficiency of mission-critical services with high resource consumption (free-flap breast reconstruction). During the 2-year study period, we had no turnover in faculty, did not pursue any formal marketing, did not change our surgical fees or billing system, provided care independent of payer mix, and maintained our commitment to indigent care. Outcome measures included procedural charges and revenue, collection rates, work relative value units, operating room times, idle times (room time less case time), receipts/minute in operating room, uncompensated charity care, and patient satisfaction (Press-Gainey scores). Before the study period, annual incremental growth in our practice was 1% to 2%, in terms of charges and receipts. After implementation of the portfolio planning project, the financial position of our division improved significantly, with patient satisfaction rates increasing from 85.5% to 94.1% and charity care remaining constant at US $400,000 per year. Encounters, work relative value units, charges

  3. ORGANIZATIONS AND STRATEGIES IN ASTRONOMY VOLUME 7

    CERN Document Server

    HECK, ANDRÉ

    2006-01-01

    This book is the seventh volume under the title Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy (OSA). The OSA series covers a large range of fields and themes: in practice, one could say that all aspects of astronomy-related life and environment are considered in the spirit of sharing specific expertise and lessons learned. The chapters of this book are dealing with socio-dynamical aspects of the astronomy (and related space sciences) community: characteristics of organizations, strategies for development, operational techniques, observing practicalities, journal and magazine profiles, public outreach, publication studies, relationships with the media, research communication, series of conferences, evaluation and selection procedures, research indicators, national specificities, contemporary history, and so on. The experts contributing to this volume have done their best to write in a way understandable to readers not necessarily hyperspecialized in astronomy while providing specific detailed information and somet...

  4. Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy Volume 6

    CERN Document Server

    Heck, André

    2006-01-01

    This book is the sixth volume under the title Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy (OSA). The OSA series is intended to cover a large range of fields and themes. In practice, one could say that all aspects of astronomy-related life and environment are considered in the spirit of sharing specific expertise and lessons learned. The chapters of this book are dealing with socio-dynamical aspects of the astronomy (and related space sciences) community: characteristics of organizations, strategies for development, legal issues, operational techniques, observing practicalities, educational policies, journal and magazine profiles, public outreach, publication studies, relationships with the media, research communication, evaluation and selection procedures, research indicators, national specificities, contemporary history, and so on. The experts contributing to this volume have done their best to write in a way understandable to readers not necessarily hyperspecialized in astronomy while providing specific detai...

  5. An ergonomics study of computerized emergency operating procedures: Presentation style, task complexity, and training level

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Song; Song Fei; Li Zhizhong; Zhao Qianyi; Luo Wei; He Xuhong; Salvendy, Gavriel

    2008-01-01

    Emergency operating procedures (EOPs) are widely used in nuclear power plants (NPPs). With the development of information technology, computerized EOPs are taking the place of paper-based ones. Unlike paper-based EOPs, the industrial practice of computerized EOPs is still quite limited. Ergonomics issues of computerized EOPs have not been studied adequately. This study focuses on the effects of EOP presentation style, task complexity, and training level on the performance of the operators in the execution of computerized EOPs. One simulated computerized EOP system was developed to present two EOPs, each with different task complexity levels, by two presentation styles (Style A: one- and two-dimensional flowcharts combination; Style B: two-dimensional flowchart and success logic tree combination). Forty subjects participated in the experiment of EOP execution using the simulated system. Statistical analysis of the experimental results indicates that: (1) complexity, presentation style, and training level all can significantly influence the error rate. High-complexity tasks and lack of sufficient training may lead to a higher error rate. Style B caused a significantly higher error rate than style A did in the skilled phase. So the designers of computerized procedures should take the presentation styles of EOPs into account. (2) Task complexity and training level can significantly influence operation time. No significant difference was found in operation time between the two presentation styles. (3) Training level can also significantly influence the subjective workload of EOPs operations. This implies that adequate training is very important for the performance of computerized EOPs even if emergency responses with computerized EOPs are much more simple and easy than that with paper-based EOPs

  6. An ergonomics study of computerized emergency operating procedures: Presentation style, task complexity, and training level

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu Song; Song Fei [Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Li Zhizhong [Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)], E-mail: zzli@tsinghua.edu.cn; Zhao Qianyi; Luo Wei [Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); He Xuhong [Scanpower Risk Management China Inc., Towercrest International Plaza, No. 3 Maizidian West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100016 (China); Salvendy, Gavriel [Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2008-10-15

    Emergency operating procedures (EOPs) are widely used in nuclear power plants (NPPs). With the development of information technology, computerized EOPs are taking the place of paper-based ones. Unlike paper-based EOPs, the industrial practice of computerized EOPs is still quite limited. Ergonomics issues of computerized EOPs have not been studied adequately. This study focuses on the effects of EOP presentation style, task complexity, and training level on the performance of the operators in the execution of computerized EOPs. One simulated computerized EOP system was developed to present two EOPs, each with different task complexity levels, by two presentation styles (Style A: one- and two-dimensional flowcharts combination; Style B: two-dimensional flowchart and success logic tree combination). Forty subjects participated in the experiment of EOP execution using the simulated system. Statistical analysis of the experimental results indicates that: (1) complexity, presentation style, and training level all can significantly influence the error rate. High-complexity tasks and lack of sufficient training may lead to a higher error rate. Style B caused a significantly higher error rate than style A did in the skilled phase. So the designers of computerized procedures should take the presentation styles of EOPs into account. (2) Task complexity and training level can significantly influence operation time. No significant difference was found in operation time between the two presentation styles. (3) Training level can also significantly influence the subjective workload of EOPs operations. This implies that adequate training is very important for the performance of computerized EOPs even if emergency responses with computerized EOPs are much more simple and easy than that with paper-based EOPs.

  7. Quality assurance: Importance of systems and standard operating procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manghani, Kishu

    2011-01-01

    It is mandatory for sponsors of clinical trials and contract research organizations alike to establish, manage and monitor their quality control and quality assurance systems and their integral standard operating procedures and other quality documents to provide high-quality products and services to fully satisfy customer needs and expectations. Quality control and quality assurance systems together constitute the key quality systems. Quality control and quality assurance are parts of quality management. Quality control is focused on fulfilling quality requirements, whereas quality assurance is focused on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled. The quality systems must be commensurate with the Company business objectives and business model. Top management commitment and its active involvement are critical in order to ensure at all times the adequacy, suitability, effectiveness and efficiency of the quality systems. Effective and efficient quality systems can promote timely registration of drugs by eliminating waste and the need for rework with overall financial and social benefits to the Company.

  8. Quality assurance: Importance of systems and standard operating procedures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kishu Manghani

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available It is mandatory for sponsors of clinical trials and contract research organizations alike to establish, manage and monitor their quality control and quality assurance systems and their integral standard operating procedures and other quality documents to provide high-quality products and services to fully satisfy customer needs and expectations. Quality control and quality assurance systems together constitute the key quality systems. Quality control and quality assurance are parts of quality management. Quality control is focused on fulfilling quality requirements, whereas quality assurance is focused on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled. The quality systems must be commensurate with the Company business objectives and business model. Top management commitment and its active involvement are critical in order to ensure at all times the adequacy, suitability, effectiveness and efficiency of the quality systems. Effective and efficient quality systems can promote timely registration of drugs by eliminating waste and the need for rework with overall financial and social benefits to the Company.

  9. Evaluation of economic and technical efficiency of diesel engines operation on the basis of volume combustion rate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    І. О. Берестовой

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with a new approach to evaluation of complex efficiency of diesel engines. Traditionally, cylinder’s capacity, rotation frequency, average efficient pressure inside cylinder, piston’s stroke, average piston’s velocity, fuel specific consumption and other indices are used as generalizing criteria, characterizing diesel engine’s efficiency, but they do not reflect interrelation between engine’s complex efficiency and a set of economic, mass-dimensional, operational and ecological efficiency. The approach applied in the article makes it possible to reveal the existing and modify the existing methods of solving the problem of improving diesel engine’s efficiency with due regard to interrelation of the parameters, characterizing efficiency of their operation. Statistic analyses were carried out, on the basis of which an assumption regarding the existence of interrelation between specific fuel consumption and the analyzed engine’s parameters was made. Processing of statistical data for various analyzed functions of diesel engines helped offer a function, illustrating the link between volume combustion rate, piston’s area and nominal theoretical specific fuel consumption. Interrelation between volume combustion rate, nominal parameters of diesel operation and efficiency indices, obtained by processing statistical data of more than 500 models of diesels of different series was evaluated, the main feature of it being a mathematical trend. The analysis of the obtained function makes it possible to establish an interrelation between economic efficiency of a diesel, its main index being specific fuel consumption and volume combustion rate and design peculiarities

  10. Human factors evaluation of teletherapy: Human-system interfaces and procedures. Volume 3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaye, R.D.; Henriksen, K.; Jones, R.; Morisseau, D.S.; Serig, D.I.

    1995-07-01

    A series of human factors evaluations was undertaken to better understand the contributing factors to human error in the teletherapy environment. Teletherapy is a multidisciplinary methodology for treating cancerous tissue through selective exposure to an external beam of ionizing radiation. The principal sources of radiation are a radioactive isotope, typically cobalt60 (Co-60), or a linear accelerator device capable of producing very high energy x-ray and electron beams. A team of human factors specialists conducted site visits to radiation oncology departments at community hospitals, university centers, and free-standing clinics. In addition, a panel of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and radiation technologists served as subject matter experts. A function and task analysis was initially performed to guide subsequent evaluations in the areas of user-system interfaces, procedures, training and qualifications, and organizational policies and practices. The present report focuses on an evaluation of the human-system interfaces in relation to the treatment machines and supporting equipment (e.g., simulators, treatment planning computers, control consoles, patient charts) found in the teletherapy environment. The report also evaluates operating, maintenance and emergency procedures and practices involved in teletherapy. The evaluations are based on the function and task analysis and established human engineering guidelines, where applicable

  11. Human factors evaluation of teletherapy: Human-system interfaces and procedures. Volume 3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaye, R.D.; Henriksen, K.; Jones, R. [Hughes Training, Inc., Falls Church, VA (United States); Morisseau, D.S.; Serig, D.I. [Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States). Div. of Systems Technology

    1995-07-01

    A series of human factors evaluations was undertaken to better understand the contributing factors to human error in the teletherapy environment. Teletherapy is a multidisciplinary methodology for treating cancerous tissue through selective exposure to an external beam of ionizing radiation. The principal sources of radiation are a radioactive isotope, typically cobalt60 (Co-60), or a linear accelerator device capable of producing very high energy x-ray and electron beams. A team of human factors specialists conducted site visits to radiation oncology departments at community hospitals, university centers, and free-standing clinics. In addition, a panel of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and radiation technologists served as subject matter experts. A function and task analysis was initially performed to guide subsequent evaluations in the areas of user-system interfaces, procedures, training and qualifications, and organizational policies and practices. The present report focuses on an evaluation of the human-system interfaces in relation to the treatment machines and supporting equipment (e.g., simulators, treatment planning computers, control consoles, patient charts) found in the teletherapy environment. The report also evaluates operating, maintenance and emergency procedures and practices involved in teletherapy. The evaluations are based on the function and task analysis and established human engineering guidelines, where applicable.

  12. Mandibular marginal contouring in oriental aesthetic surgery: refined surgical concept and operative procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satoh, Kaneshige; Mitsukawa, Nobuyuki

    2014-05-01

    In aesthetic mandibular contouring surgery, which is often conducted in Asians, the operative procedure is thought to deliver a more aesthetic mandibular shape by means of contouring conducted as a whole from the ramus to the symphysis. The authors describe the refined concept and operative procedures of mandibular marginal contouring. For the 7-year period from 2004 to 2011, mandibular marginal contouring has been used in 57 consecutive series of Japanese subjects. Patient ages ranged from 18 to 33 years, and the subjects included 15 men and 42 women. The surgery was carried out by cutting off the protruding deformed mandibular margin from the ramus to the symphysis. In 53 of 57 cases, the focus was on angle contouring. Concomitant genioplasty by horizontal osteotomy of the chin was conducted in 42 of 57 cases (recession, advancement, shortening, elongation, and correction of the shift variously). In 22 materials exhibiting bulk around the mandibular, the ramus to the body was excised sagittally and thinned. In all the patients, mandibular marginal contouring from the ramus to the symphysis was completed. Partial masseter muscle resection was conducted in 11 of 57 cases. Mandibular contouring effectively achieved a highly satisfactory result in all cases. The upper portion of the peripheral branch of the trunk of the mental nerve was dissected by an electric scalpel in 1 case but sutured immediately using an 8-0 nylon stitch. Transient palsy of the mental nerve was noticed in a few cases but subsided in 1 to 2 months. No particular complications were encountered. No secondary revision was required in this series. In mandibular angle plasty, mandibular marginal contouring from the ramus to the symphysis should be carried out by cutting off the angle keeping in mind the entire mandibular shape. This concept and the procedure can deliver greater patient satisfaction.

  13. Operations managers conference: summary of proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None,

    1982-02-01

    The Association for Energy Systems, Operations, and Programming (AESOP) was created to provide Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE-contractor management personnel with a means for acquiring and exchanging information concerning effective management of ADP resources and personnel as well as a variety of computer applications. AESOP serves as a forum for the data processing management of more than 50 DOE offices and private corporations under contract to DOE. AESOP Operations Managers Conferences are held approximately every 18 months. Conference topics include personnel problems, training situations, reorganization plans, and work scheduling. Security and other issues affecting ADP procedures and personnel are also often addressed. Papers published in this volume of the proceedings have been summarized from speeches and discussions that were presented at the seventh AESOP Operations Managers Conference.

  14. NEPTUNIX 2: Operating on computers network - Catalogued procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roux, Pierre.

    1982-06-01

    NEPTUNIX 2 is a package which carries out the simulation of complex processes described by numerous non linear algebro-differential equations. Main features are: non linear or time dependent parameters, implicit form, stiff systems, dynamic change of equations leading to discontinuities on some variables. Thus the mathematical model is built with an equations set F(x,x',1,t), where t is the independent variable, x' the derivative of x and 1 an ''algebrized'' logical variable. The NEPTUNIX 2 package is divided into two successive major steps: a non numerical step and a numerical step. The numerical step, using results from a picture of the model translated in FORTRAN language, in a form fitted for the executive computer, carries out the simulmations; in this way, NEPTUNIX 2 numerical step is portable. On the opposite, the non numerical step must be executed on a series 370 IBM computer or on a compatible computer. The present manual describes NEPTUNIX 2 operating procedures when the two steps are executed on the same computer and also when the numerical step is executed on an other computer connected or not on the same computing network [fr

  15. 40 CFR 63.1104 - Process vents from continuous unit operations: applicability assessment procedures and methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...) Necessitating that the owner or operator make product in excess of demand. (e) TOC or Organic HAP concentration....306×10 −2 a Use according to procedures outlined in this section. MJ/scm = Mega Joules per standard cubic meter. scm/min = Standard cubic meters per minute. (2) Nonhalogenated process vents. The owner or...

  16. Synfuel program analysis. Volume 2: VENVAL users manual

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muddiman, J. B.; Whelan, J. W.

    1980-07-01

    This volume is intended for program analysts and is a users manual for the VENVAL model. It contains specific explanations as to input data requirements and programming procedures for the use of this model. VENVAL is a generalized computer program to aid in evaluation of prospective private sector production ventures. The program can project interrelated values of installed capacity, production, sales revenue, operating costs, depreciation, investment, dent, earnings, taxes, return on investment, depletion, and cash flow measures. It can also compute related public sector and other external costs and revenues if unit costs are furnished.

  17. Process improvement of the emergency operating procedures for Embalse Nuclear Power Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mariotti, A.D.; Pomerantz, M.; Moreno, C., E-mail: dmariotti@na-sa.com.ar, E-mail: mpomerantz@na-sa.com.ar, E-mail: cmoreno@na-sa.com.ar [Embalse Nuclear Power Plant, Nuclear Safety Dept., Embalse (Argentina)

    2014-07-01

    Emergency Operating Procedures (EOP) package of the Embalse Nuclear Power Plant (CNE) were made entirely by the plant staff since the beginning of its operation. With the emergence of Severe Accidents Guidelines (SAMG) and the latest events related to Fukushima, the EOP philosophy should include a new concept. It should consider that the EOP may be unsuccessful and an exit to the SAMG must be necessary. However, due to abnormal event mitigation using EOP is the way to prevent the beginning of a severe accident, EOP always had significant relevance in the plant documentation. For this reason, added to the overall requirement of an exit to the SAMG, it emerges a general review of the use efficiency of the EOP during an abnormal event. For this reason, a comprehensive process improvement has emerged using the operating experience, full-scope simulator training of the control room staff, advances in technology and the arrival of new generations. In this work, fundamental changes, new document format and ergonomic redesign for validation at full-scope simulator and use at main control room of new EOP for CNE are presented. (author)

  18. Stimulus- and response-reinforcer contingencies in autoshaping, operant, classical, and omission training procedures in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atnip, G W

    1977-07-01

    Separate groups of rats received 500 trials of lever-press training under autoshaping (food delivery followed 10-second lever presentations, or occurred immediately following a response); operant conditioning (responding was necessary for food delivery); and classical conditioning (food followed lever presentations regardless of responding). Each group then received 500 trials on an omission procedure in which food was omitted on trials with a response. Another group received 1000 trials on the omission procedure, and a fifth group, random control, received 1000 uncorrelated presentations of lever and food. The autoshaping, operant, and classical groups reached high response levels by the end of initial training. Acquisition was fastest in the autoshaping group. Responding remained consistently low in the control group. The omission group responded at a level between the control group and the other three groups. During omission training, responding in these three groups declined to the omission-group level. During omission training, the rats continued contacting the lever frequently after lever pressing had declined. Response maintenance under omission training seems not to require topographic similarity between the response and reinforcer-elicited consummatory behaviors.

  19. Sparse PDF Volumes for Consistent Multi-Resolution Volume Rendering

    KAUST Repository

    Sicat, Ronell Barrera

    2014-12-31

    This paper presents a new multi-resolution volume representation called sparse pdf volumes, which enables consistent multi-resolution volume rendering based on probability density functions (pdfs) of voxel neighborhoods. These pdfs are defined in the 4D domain jointly comprising the 3D volume and its 1D intensity range. Crucially, the computation of sparse pdf volumes exploits data coherence in 4D, resulting in a sparse representation with surprisingly low storage requirements. At run time, we dynamically apply transfer functions to the pdfs using simple and fast convolutions. Whereas standard low-pass filtering and down-sampling incur visible differences between resolution levels, the use of pdfs facilitates consistent results independent of the resolution level used. We describe the efficient out-of-core computation of large-scale sparse pdf volumes, using a novel iterative simplification procedure of a mixture of 4D Gaussians. Finally, our data structure is optimized to facilitate interactive multi-resolution volume rendering on GPUs.

  20. Plutonium Protection System (PPS). Volume 2. Hardware description. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyoshi, D.S.

    1979-05-01

    The Plutonium Protection System (PPS) is an integrated safeguards system developed by Sandia Laboratories for the Department of Energy, Office of Safeguards and Security. The system is designed to demonstrate and test concepts for the improved safeguarding of plutonium. Volume 2 of the PPS final report describes the hardware elements of the system. The major areas containing hardware elements are the vault, where plutonium is stored, the packaging room, where plutonium is packaged into Container Modules, the Security Operations Center, which controls movement of personnel, the Material Accountability Center, which maintains the system data base, and the Material Operations Center, which monitors the operating procedures in the system. References are made to documents in which details of the hardware items can be found

  1. Is mammary reconstruction with the anatomical Becker expander a simple procedure? Complications and hidden problems leading to secondary surgical procedures: a follow-up study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farace, Francesco; Faenza, Mario; Bulla, Antonio; Rubino, Corrado; Campus, Gian Vittorio

    2013-06-01

    Debate over the role of Becker expander implants (BEIs) in breast reconstruction is still ongoing. There are no clear indications for BEI use. The main indications for BEI use are one-stage breast reconstruction procedure and congenital breast deformities correction, due to the postoperative ability to vary BEI volume. Recent studies showed that BEIs were removed 5 years after mammary reconstruction in 68% of operated patients. This entails a further surgical procedure. BEIs should not, therefore, be regarded as one-stage prostheses. We performed a case-series study of breast reconstructions with anatomically shaped Becker-35™ implants, in order to highlight complications and to flag unseen problems, which might entail a second surgical procedure. A total of 229 patients, reconstructed from 2005 to 2010, were enrolled in this study. Data relating to implant type, volume, mean operative time and complications were recorded. All the patients underwent the same surgical procedure. The minimum follow-up period was 18 months. During a 5-year follow-up, 99 patients required secondary surgery to correct their complications or sequelae; 46 of them underwent BEI removal within 2 years of implantation, 56 within 3 years, 65 within 4 years and 74 within 5 years. Our findings show that two different sorts of complications can arise with these devices, leading to premature implant removal, one common to any breast implant and one peculiar to BEIs. The Becker implant is a permanent expander. Surgeons must, therefore, be aware that, once positioned, the Becker expander cannot be adjusted at a later date, as in two-stage expander/prosthesis reconstructions for instance. Surgeons must have a clear understanding of possible BEI complications in order to be able to discuss these with their patients. Therefore, only surgeons experienced in breast reconstruction should use BEIs. Copyright © 2013 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by

  2. The utility experience of implementing the emergency operating procedure tracking system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, W.C.; Cheng, J.F.

    1990-01-01

    This report presents the experience of a project sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Taiwan Power Company (TPC) and supported by the Nuclear Software Service (NSS), General Electric Company (GE) and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to implement the Emergency Operating Procedure Tracking System (EOPTS) in Kuosheng Nuclear Power Station Simulator. Before implement the EOPTS in Kuosheng Simulator, the Safety Parameter Display System (SPDS) of the Energency Response Facility Technical Data System (ERFTDS) shall be simulated, the hardware and software linkage between the simulator and ERFTDS shall be established, that include installation of a VAX-8200 computer, Gould - Vax computer hardware linkage, ERFTDS software installation, simulator source variables selection and linkage it to the ERFTDS database

  3. Pre-operative and early post-operative factors associated with surgical site infection after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Tovar, Jaime; Oller, Inmaculada; Llavero, Carolina; Arroyo, Antonio; Muñoz, Jose Luis; Calero, Alicia; Diez, María; Zubiaga, Lorea; Calpena, Rafael

    2013-08-01

    Surgical procedures on obese patients are expected to have a high incidence of surgical site infection (SSI). The identification of pre-operative or early post-operative risk factors for SSI may help the surgeon to identify subjects in risk and adequately optimize their status. We conducted a study of the association of comorbidities and pre- and post-operative analytical variables with SSI following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for the treatment of morbid obesity. We performed a prospective study of all morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as a bariatric procedure between 2007 and 2011. An association of clinical and analytical variables with SSI was investigated. The study included 40 patients with a mean pre-operative body mass index (BMI) of 51.2±7.9 kg/m(2). Surgical site infections appeared in three patients (7.5%), of whom two had an intra-abdominal abscess located in the left hypochondrium and the third had a superficial incisional SSI. Pre-operatively, a BMI >45 kg/m(2) (OR 8.7; p=0.008), restrictive disorders identified by pulmonary function tests (OR 10.0; p=0.012), a serum total protein concentration 30 mcg/dL (OR 13.0; p=0.003), and a mean corpuscular volume (MCV) operative SSI. Post-operatively, a serum glucose >128 mg/dL (OR 4.7; p=0.012) and hemoglobin operative anemia and hyperglycemia as risk factors for SSI. In these situations, the surgeon must be aware of and seek to control these risk factors.

  4. Defect assessment procedures at high temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ainsworth, R.A.

    1991-01-01

    A comprehensive assessment procedure for the high-temperature response of structures is being produced. The procedure is referred to as R5 and is written as a series of step-by-step instructions in a number of volumes. This paper considers in detail those parts of R5 which address the behaviour of defects. The defect assessment procedures may be applied to defects found in service, postulated defects, or defects formed during operation as a result of creep-fatigue loading. In the last case, a method is described for deducing from endurance data the number of cycles to initiate a crack of a specified size. Under steady loading, the creep crack tip parameter C * is used to assess crack growth. Under cyclic loading, the creep crack growth during dwell periods is stiell governed by C * but crack growth due to cyclic excursions must also be included. This cyclic crack growth is described by an effective stress intensity factor range. A feature of the R5 defect assessment procedures in that they are based on simplified methods and approximate reference stress methods are described which enable C * in a component to be evaluated. It is shown by comparison with theoretical calculations and experimental data that reliable estimates of C * and the associated crack growth are obtained provided realistic creep strain rate date are used in the reference stress approximation. (orig./HP)

  5. A low-volume polyethylene glycol solution was associated with an increased suboptimal bowel preparation rate but had similar recommendations for an early repeat colonoscopy, procedure times, and adenoma detection rates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sam C Hankins

    Full Text Available Low-volume polyethylene glycol (PEG bowel preparations are better tolerated by patients than high-volume preparations and may achieve similar preparation quality. However, there is little data comparing their effects on a recommendation for an early repeat colonoscopy (because of a suboptimal preparation, procedure times, adenoma detection rate (ADR, and advanced adenoma detection rate (AADR.This is a retrospective cohort study of outpatient colonoscopies performed during a one-year period at a single academic medical center in which low-volume MoviPrep® (n = 1841 or high-volume Colyte® (n = 1337 was used. All preparations were split-dosed. Appropriate covariates were included in regression models assessing suboptimal preparation quality (fair, poor, or inadequate, procedure times, recommendation for an early repeat colonoscopy, ADR, and AADR.MoviPrep® was associated with an increase in having a suboptimal bowel preparation (OR 1.36; 95% CI: 1.06-1.76, but it was not associated with differences in insertion (p = 0.43, withdrawal (p = 0.22, or total procedure times (p = 0.10. The adjusted percentage with a suboptimal preparation was 11.7% for patients using MoviPrep® and 8.8% for patients using Colyte®. MoviPrep® was not associated with a significant difference in overall ADR (OR 0.93; 95% CI: 0.78-1.11, AADR (OR 1.18; 95% CI: 0.87-1.62, or recommendation for early repeat colonoscopy (OR 1.16; 95% CI: 0.72-1.88.MoviPrep® was associated with a small absolute increase in having a suboptimal preparation, but did not affect recommendations for an early repeat colonoscopy, procedure times, or adenoma detection rates. Mechanisms to reduce financial barriers limiting low-volume preparations should be considered because of their favorable tolerability profile.

  6. Augmented reality in the slaughterhouse - A future operation facility?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lars Bager Christensen

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The present case study sums up the results of an initial attempt to adapt the emerging technology of Augmented Reality (AR to support routine operations performed in Danish slaughterhouse facilities. Our aim is to reveal the applicability of off-the-shelf components and programming platforms to the trimming and boning process for pork bellies. The AR technology has demonstrated lucrative applications in industrial QA procedures and even farm management applications (Wu, Xiao & Guo, 2013 appear to benefit from applying the technology. With the ever-increasing turnover of labour in the meat industry, we investigate here the application of AR-assisted production procedures as a potential management tool and support tool to assist a novice operator in a specific trimming operation. The case study concerns the trimming and cutting of pork bellies, a widely used and versatile procedure in the Danish pork meat industry. Many similar belly products made from similar raw materials are exported to specific customers and markets. Due to biological variability between pigs, final products are produced with variability in yield, despite the fact that the final product qualities are similar. The best management option is to use the correct raw material for each product, thus generating fewer by-products and increasing the volume/weight of the final product. The application of AR to the cutting operation appears to increase the production yield; however, the operators need training in order to benefit fully from the efficiency and capacity of the application rather than adopting the standard procedure of oral communication of instructions.

  7. Standard operating procedures for ESPEN guidelines and consensus papers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bischoff, Stephan C; Singer, Pierre; Koller, Michael; Barazzoni, Rocco; Cederholm, Tommy; van Gossum, André

    2015-12-01

    The ESPEN Guideline standard operating procedures (SOP) is based on the methodology provided by the Association of Scientific Medical Societies of Germany (AWMF), the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), and the Centre for Evidence-based Medicine at the University of Oxford. The SOP is valid and obligatory for all future ESPEN-sponsored guideline projects aiming to generate high-quality guidelines on a regular basis. The SOP aims to facilitate the preparation of guideline projects, to streamline the consensus process, to ensure quality and transparency, and to facilitate the dissemination and publication of ESPEN guidelines. To achieve this goal, the ESPEN Guidelines Editorial board (GEB) has been established headed by two chairmen. The GEB will support and supervise the guideline processes and is responsible for the strategic planning of ESPEN guideline activities. Key elements of the SOP are the generation of well-built clinical questions according to the PICO system, a systemic literature search, a classification of the selected literature according to the SIGN evidence levels providing an evidence table, and a clear and straight-forward consensus procedure consisting of online voting's and a consensus conference. Only experts who meet the obligation to disclosure any potential conflict of interests and who are not employed by the Industry can participate in the guideline process. All recommendations will be graded according to the SIGN grading and novel outcome models besides biomedical endpoints. This approach will further extent the leadership of ESPEN in creating up-to-date and suitable for implementation guidelines and in sharing knowledge on malnutrition and clinical nutrition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

  8. Computerized Operator Support System – Phase II Development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ulrich, Thomas A.; Boring, Ronald L.; Lew, Roger T.; Thomas, Kenneth D.

    2015-02-01

    A computerized operator support system (COSS) prototype for nuclear control room process control is proposed and discussed. The COSS aids operators in addressing rapid plant upsets that would otherwise result in the shutdown of the power plant and interrupt electrical power generation, representing significant costs to the owning utility. In its current stage of development the prototype demonstrates four advanced functions operators can use to more efficiently monitor and control the plant. These advanced functions consist of: (1) a synthesized and intuitive high level overview display of system components and interrelations, (2) an enthalpy-based mathematical chemical and volume control system (CVCS) model to detect and diagnose component failures, (3) recommended strategies to mitigate component failure effects and return the plant back to pre-fault status, and (4) computer-based procedures to walk the operator through the recommended mitigation actions. The COSS was demonstrated to a group of operators and their feedback was collected. The operators responded positively to the COSS capabilities and features and indicated the system would be an effective operator aid. The operators also suggested several additional features and capabilities for the next iteration of development. Future versions of the COSS prototype will include additional plant systems, flexible computer-based procedure presentation formats, and support for simultaneous component fault diagnosis and dual fault synergistic mitigation action strategies to more efficiently arrest any plant upsets.

  9. Evaluation of the behavioral characteristics of the mdx mouse model of duchenne muscular dystrophy through operant conditioning procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewon, Matthew; Peters, Christina M; Van Ry, Pam M; Burkin, Dean J; Hunter, Kenneth W; Hayes, Linda J

    2017-09-01

    The mdx mouse is an important nonhuman model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) research. Characterizing the behavioral traits of the strain relative to congenic wild-type (WT) mice may enhance our understanding of the cognitive deficits observed in some humans with DMD and contribute to treatment development and evaluation. In this paper we report the results of a number of experiments comparing the behavior of mdx to WT mice in operant conditioning procedures designed to assess learning and memory. We found that mdx outperformed WT in all learning and memory tasks involving food reinforcement, and this appeared to be related to the differential effects of the food deprivation motivating operation on mdx mice. Conversely, WT outperformed mdx in an escape/avoidance learning task. These results suggest motivational differences between the strains and demonstrate the potential utility of operant conditioning procedures in the assessment of the behavioral characteristics of the mdx mouse. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Financial Reporting Procedures for Defense Distribution Depots - Defense Logistics Agency Business Area of the Defense Business Operations Fund

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Young, Shelton

    1994-01-01

    In our audit of the FY 1993 Financial Statements for the Distribution Depots--Defense Logistics Agency Business Mea of the Defense Business Operations Fund, we evaluated procedures and controls used...

  11. Procedure automation: the effect of automated procedure execution on situation awareness and human performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andresen, Gisle; Svengren, Haakan; Heimdal, Jan O.; Nilsen, Svein; Hulsund, John-Einar; Bisio, Rossella; Debroise, Xavier

    2004-04-01

    As advised by the procedure workshop convened in Halden in 2000, the Halden Project conducted an experiment on the effect of automation of Computerised Procedure Systems (CPS) on situation awareness and human performance. The expected outcome of the study was to provide input for guidance on CPS design, and to support the Halden Project's ongoing research on human reliability analysis. The experiment was performed in HAMMLAB using the HAMBO BWR simulator and the COPMA-III CPS. Eight crews of operators from Forsmark 3 and Oskarshamn 3 participated. Three research questions were investigated: 1) Does procedure automation create Out-Of-The-Loop (OOTL) performance problems? 2) Does procedure automation affect situation awareness? 3) Does procedure automation affect crew performance? The independent variable, 'procedure configuration', had four levels: paper procedures, manual CPS, automation with breaks, and full automation. The results showed that the operators experienced OOTL problems in full automation, but that situation awareness and crew performance (response time) were not affected. One possible explanation for this is that the operators monitored the automated procedure execution conscientiously, something which may have prevented the OOTL problems from having negative effects on situation awareness and crew performance. In a debriefing session, the operators clearly expressed their dislike for the full automation condition, but that automation with breaks could be suitable for some tasks. The main reason why the operators did not like the full automation was that they did not feel being in control. A qualitative analysis addressing factors contributing to response time delays revealed that OOTL problems did not seem to cause delays, but that some delays could be explained by the operators having problems with the freeze function of the CPS. Also other factors such as teamwork and operator tendencies were of importance. Several design implications were drawn

  12. Aortic root operations for Marfan syndrome: a comparison of the Bentall and valve-sparing procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Nishant D; Weiss, Eric S; Alejo, Diane E; Nwakanma, Lois U; Williams, Jason A; Dietz, Harry C; Spevak, Philip J; Gott, Vincent L; Vricella, Luca A; Cameron, Duke E

    2008-06-01

    We compared results of the Bentall procedure with valve-sparing aortic root replacement (VSRR) for aortic root aneurysm in Marfan syndrome. Marfan syndrome patients who had the Bentall procedure or VSRR at our institution between April 1997 and September 2006 were identified. Follow-up information was obtained from hospital charts and contact with patients or their physicians. Kaplan-Meier survival and propensity score analyses were performed. One hundred forty Marfan syndrome patients had either the Bentall procedure (n = 56) or VSRR (n = 84; 40 remodeling and 44 reimplantation). Bentall patients were older than VSRR patients (38 versus 29 years; p = 0.0001) and had more aortic dissections (16% versus 1%; p = 0.0012); more urgent/emergent surgery (20% versus 2%; p = 0.0008); larger preoperative sinus diameter (5.7 versus 5.1 cm; p = 0.0004); and more preoperative 3+/4+ aortic insufficiency (59% versus 10%; p valve replacement was 90% for VSRR patients. Eight-year survival was 90% for Bentall and 100% for VSRR patients (p = 0.01). Propensity-adjusted regression showed that the Bentall procedure did not predict mortality (p = 1.00) and did not protect from reoperation (odds ratio = 0.28; 95% confidence interval: 0.01 to 4.33; p = 0.36). The Bentall procedure and VSRR have similar operative results in Marfan syndrome. The procedures are distinguished by higher rates of thromboembolism among Bentall patients and higher rates of reoperation among VSRR patients. Lower late survival among Bentall patients probably reflects the preferential use of the Bentall procedure for higher risk patients.

  13. Computerized operating procedures for shearing and dissolution of segments from LWBR [Light Water Breeder Reactor] fuel rods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osudar, J.; Deeken, P.G.; Graczyk, D.G.; Fagan, J.E.; Martino, F.J.; Parks, J.E.; Levitz, N.M.; Kessie, R.W.; Leddin, J.M.

    1987-05-01

    This report presents two detailed computerized operating procedures developed to assist and control the shearing and dissolution of irradiated fuel rods. The procedures were employed in the destructive analysis of end-of-life fuel rods from the Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) that was designed by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. Seventeen entire fuel rods from the end-of-life core of the LWBR were sheared into 169 precisely characterized segments, and more than 150 of these segments were dissolved during execution of the LWBR Proof-of-Breeding (LWBR-POB) Analytical Support Project at Argonne National Laboratory. The procedures illustrate our approaches to process monitoring, data reduction, and quality assurance during the LWBR-POB work

  14. IAEA-NULIFE VERLIFE - Procedure for integrity and lifetime assessment of components and piping in WWER NPPs during operation - Tool for LTO

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brumovsky, M.

    2012-01-01

    VERLIFE - 'Unified Procedure for Lifetime Assessment of Components and Piping in WWER NPPs during Operation' was developed within the 5th Framework Programme of the European Union in 2003 and later upgraded within the 6th Framework Programme 'COVERS - Safety of WWER NPPs' of the European Union in 2008. This Procedure had to fill the gap in original Soviet/Russian Codes and Rules for WWER type NPPs, as these codes were developed only for design and manufacture and were not changed since their second edition in 1989. VERLIFE Procedure is based on these Russian codes but incorporates also new developments in research, mainly in fracture mechanics, and also some principal approaches used in PWR codes. To assure that VERLIFE Procedure will remain a living document, new 3-years IAEA project (in close cooperation with another project of the 6th Framework Programme of the European Union 'NULIFE - Plant Life Management of NPPs') has started in 2009. Final document, was approved by expert groups of the IAEA and NULIFE in June 28-30, 2011, and will be issued as 'IAEA/NULIFE Guidelines for Integrity and Lifetime Assessment of Components and Piping in WWER NPPs during Operation'. This document represents a necessary part for any integrity and lifetime assessment during operation that is a bases for further decision about safe and potential long term operation. To prepare documents like TLAA, it is necessary to have a tool that is able to evaluate lifetime of the main NPP components taking into account existing past operation as well as proposal for the future. (author)

  15. U.S. Geological Survey Noble Gas Laboratory’s standard operating procedures for the measurement of dissolved gas in water samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, Andrew G.

    2015-08-12

    This report addresses the standard operating procedures used by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Noble Gas Laboratory in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., for the measurement of dissolved gases (methane, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide) and noble gas isotopes (helium-3, helium-4, neon-20, neon-21, neon-22, argon-36, argon-38, argon-40, kryton-84, krypton-86, xenon-103, and xenon-132) dissolved in water. A synopsis of the instrumentation used, procedures followed, calibration practices, standards used, and a quality assurance and quality control program is presented. The report outlines the day-to-day operation of the Residual Gas Analyzer Model 200, Mass Analyzer Products Model 215–50, and ultralow vacuum extraction line along with the sample handling procedures, noble gas extraction and purification, instrument measurement procedures, instrumental data acquisition, and calculations for the conversion of raw data from the mass spectrometer into noble gas concentrations per unit mass of water analyzed. Techniques for the preparation of artificial dissolved gas standards are detailed and coupled to a quality assurance and quality control program to present the accuracy of the procedures used in the laboratory.

  16. FFTF fuel pin design procedure verification for transient operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baars, R.E.

    1975-05-01

    The FFTF design procedures for evaluating fuel pin transient performance are briefly reviewed, and data where available are compared with design procedure predictions. Specifically, burst conditions derived from Fuel Cladding Transient Tester (FCTT) tests and from ANL loss-of-flow tests are compared with burst pressures computed using the design procedure upon which the cladding integrity limit was based. Failure times are predicted using the design procedure for evaluation of rapid reactivity insertion accidents, for five unterminated TREAT experiments in which well characterized fuel failures were deliberately incurred. (U.S.)

  17. Variability of Arthroscopy Case Volume in Orthopaedic Surgery Residency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil, Joseph A; Waryasz, Gregory R; Owens, Brett D; Daniels, Alan H

    2016-05-01

    To examine orthopaedic surgery case logs for arthroscopy case volume during residency training and to evaluate trends in case volume and variability over time. Publicly available Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education surgical case logs from 2007 to 2013 for orthopaedic surgery residency were assessed for variability and case volume trends in shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle arthroscopy. The national average number of procedures performed in each arthroscopy category reported was directly compared from 2009 to 2013. The 10th and 90th percentile arthroscopy case volume was compared between 2007 and 2013 for shoulder and knee arthroscopy procedures. Subsequently, the difference between the 10th and 90th percentile arthroscopy case volume in each category in 2007 was compared with the difference between the 10th and 90th percentile arthroscopy case volume in each category in 2013. From 2007 to 2013, shoulder arthroscopy procedures performed per resident increased by 43.1% (P = .0001); elbow arthroscopy procedures increased by 28.0% (P = .00612); wrist arthroscopy procedures increased by 8.6% (P = .05); hip arthroscopy procedures, which were first reported in 2012, increased by 588.9%; knee arthroscopy procedures increased by 8.5% (P = .0435); ankle arthroscopy increased by 27.6% (P = .00149). The difference in knee and shoulder arthroscopy volume between residents in the 10th and 90th percentile in 2007 and residents in the 10th and 90th percentile in 2013 was not significant (P > .05). There was a 3.66-fold difference in knee arthroscopy volume between residents in the 10th and 90th percentile in 2007, whereas the difference was 3.36-fold in 2013 (P = .70). There was a 5.86-fold difference in shoulder arthroscopy case volume between residents in the 10th and 90th percentile in 2007, whereas the difference was 4.96-fold in 2013 (P = .29). The volume of arthroscopy cases performed by graduating orthopaedic surgery residents has

  18. A successful approach for the implementation of symptom-based emergency operating procedures for VVER reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lhoest, V.; Prior, R.; Pascal, G.

    2000-01-01

    The paper provides an overview of the organization, the progress and the results of the various Emergence Operating Procedure (EOP) development programs for VVER type reactors conducted by Westinghouse so far. The detailed working process is presented through the solutions to some major plant issues. The EOPs have been developed for the Temelin, Dukovany, Bohunice, Mochovce and Paks VVER nuclear power plants. The procedures are developed in working teams of experts from the utility and Westinghouse. The completion of the programs constitute an indication of the overall success of this approach. This is further reinforced by the general acceptance of the new procedures by the plant personnel, together with the good results obtained so far from procedure testing. This is also confirmed by a new PSA-level 1 analysis for Dukovany plant, which shows a significant improvement in the overall plant safety. This means a 20% reduction in the Core Damage Frequency due to the introduction of the new EOPs. The fact that some modifications have been implemented to the plants to solve design weaknesses identified in the course of this programs also constitute a positive result

  19. Framework and operational procedure for implementing Strategic Environmental Assessment in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bao Cunkuan; Lu Yongsen; Shang Jincheng

    2004-01-01

    Over the last 20 years, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been implemented and become an important instrument for decision-making in development projects in China. The Environmental Impact Assessment Law of the P.R. China was promulgated on 28 October 2002 and will be put into effect on 1 September of 2003. The law provides that Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is required in regional and sector plans and programs. This paper introduces the research achievements and practice of SEA in China, discusses the relationship of SEA and 'integrating of environment and development in decision-making (IEDD)', and relevant political and legal basis of SEA. The framework and operational procedures of SEA administration and enforcement are presented. Nine cases are analyzed and some proposals are given

  20. HYDRA-II: A hydrothermal analysis computer code: Volume 1, Equations and numerics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCann, R.A.

    1987-04-01

    HYDRA-II is a hydrothermal computer code capable of three-dimensional analysis of coupled conduction, convection, and thermal radiation problems. This code is especially appropriate for simulating the steady-state performance of spent fuel storage systems. The code has been evaluated for this application for the US Department of Energy's Commercial Spent Fuel Management Program. HYDRA-II provides a finite difference solution in Cartesian coordinates to the equations governing the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. A cylindrical coordinate system may also be used to enclose the Cartesian coordinate system. This exterior coordinate system is useful for modeling cylindrical cask bodies. The difference equations for conservation of momentum are enhanced by the incorporation of directional porosities and permeabilities that aid in modeling solid structures whose dimensions may be smaller than the computational mesh. The equation for conservation of energy permits of modeling of orthotropic physical properties and film resistances. Several automated procedures are available to model radiation transfer within enclosures and from fuel rod to fuel rod. The documentation of HYDRA-II is presented in three separate volumes. This volume, Volume I - Equations and Numerics, describes the basic differential equations, illustrates how the difference equations are formulated, and gives the solution procedures employed. Volume II - User's Manual contains code flow charts, discusses the code structure, provides detailed instructions for preparing an input file, and illustrates the operation of the code by means of a model problem. The final volume, Volume III - Verification/Validation Assessments, presents results of numerical simulations of single- and multiassembly storage systems and comparisons with experimental data. 4 refs

  1. Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems recommendation for space data system standards: Telecommand. Part 2.1: Command operation procedures

    Science.gov (United States)

    1991-01-01

    This recommendation contains the detailed specification of the logic required to carry out the Command Operations Procedures of the Transfer Layer. The Recommendation for Telecommand--Part 2, Data Routing Service contains the standard data structures and data communication procedures used by the intermediate telecommand system layers (the Transfer and Segmentation Layers). In particular, it contains a brief description of the Command Operations Procedures (COP) within the Transfer Layer. This recommendation contains the detailed definition of the COP's in the form of state tables, along with definitions of the terms used. It is assumed that the reader of this document is familiar with the data structures and terminology of part 2. In case of conflict between the description of the COP's in part 2 and in this recommendation, the definition in this recommendation will take precedence. In particular, this document supersedes section 4.3.3.1 through 4.3.3.4 of part 2.

  2. Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) procedures manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chieco, N.A.; Bogen, D.C.; Knutson, E.O.

    1990-11-01

    Volume 1 of this manual documents the procedures and existing technology that are currently used by the Environmental Measurements Laboratory. A section devoted to quality assurance has been included. These procedures have been updated and revised and new procedures have been added. They include: sampling; radiation measurements; analytical chemistry; radionuclide data; special facilities; and specifications. 228 refs., 62 figs., 37 tabs. (FL)

  3. HEMP emergency planning and operating procedures for electric power systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reddoch, T.W.; Markel, L.C. (Electrotek Concepts, Inc., Knoxville, TN (United States))

    1991-01-01

    Investigations of the impact of high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) on electric power systems and electrical equipment have revealed that HEMP creates both misoperation and failures. These events result from both the early time E[sub 1] (steep-front pulse) component and the late time E[sub 3] (geomagnetic perturbations) component of HEMP. In this report a HEMP event is viewed in terms of its marginal impact over classical power system disturbances by considering the unique properties and consequences of HEMP. This report focuses on system-wide electrical component failures and their potential consequences from HEMP. In particular, the effectiveness of planning and operating procedures for electric systems is evaluated while under the influence of HEMP. This assessment relies on published data and characterizes utilities using the North American Electric Reliability Council's regions and guidelines to model electric power system planning and operations. Key issues addressed by the report include how electric power systems are affected by HEMP and what actions electric utilities can initiate to reduce the consequences of HEMP. The report also reviews the salient features of earlier HEMP studies and projects, examines technology trends in the electric power industry which are affected by HEMP, characterizes the vulnerability of power systems to HEMP, and explores the capability of electric systems to recover from a HEMP event.

  4. 40 CFR 73.18 - Submittal procedures for units commencing commercial operation during the period from January 1...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... commencing commercial operation during the period from January 1, 1993, through December 31, 1995. 73.18 Section 73.18 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE ALLOWANCE SYSTEM Allowance Allocations § 73.18 Submittal procedures for units...

  5. Operational calculus

    CERN Document Server

    Boehme, Thomas K

    1987-01-01

    Operational Calculus, Volume II is a methodical presentation of operational calculus. An outline of the general theory of linear differential equations with constant coefficients is presented. Integral operational calculus and advanced topics in operational calculus, including locally integrable functions and convergence in the space of operators, are also discussed. Formulas and tables are included.Comprised of four sections, this volume begins with a discussion on the general theory of linear differential equations with constant coefficients, focusing on such topics as homogeneous and non-ho

  6. Southern forest inventory and analysis volume equation user’s guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christopher M. Oswalt; Roger C. Conner

    2011-01-01

    Reliable volume estimation procedures are fundamental to the mission of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. Moreover, public access to FIA program procedures is imperative. Here we present the volume estimation procedures used by the southern FIA program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Southern Research Station. The guide presented...

  7. Recommended operating procedure number 56: Collection of gaseous grab samples from combustion sources for nitrous oxide measurement. Final report, Jan-Dec 91

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryan, J.V.; Karns, S.A.

    1992-07-01

    The document is a recommended operating procedure (ROP), prepared for use in research activities conducted by EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory (AEERL). The procedure applies to the collection of gaseous grab samples from fossil fuel combustion sources for subsequent analysis of nitrous oxide. The procedure details only the grab sampling methodology and associated equipment

  8. Windows Calorimeter Control (WinCal) system configuration control board (SCCB) operating procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Westsik, G.A.

    1997-01-01

    This document describes the operating procedure for the System Configuration Control Board (SCCB) performed in support of the Windows Calorimeter Control (WinCal) system. This board will consist of representatives from Babcock and Wilcox Hanford Company Babcock and Wilcox Protec, Inc.; and Lockheed Martin Services, Inc. In accordance with agreements for the joint use of the Babcock and Wilcox Hanford Company calorimeters located in the Hanford Site Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Nondestructive Assay Laboratory, concurrence regarding changes to the WinCal system will be obtained from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Further, changes to the WinCal software will be communicated to Los Alamos National Laboratory

  9. Operating experience feedback report -- turbine-generator overspeed protection systems: Commercial power reactors. Volume 11

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ornstein, H.L.

    1995-04-01

    This report presents the results of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data (AEOD) review of operating experience of main turbine-generator overspeed and overspeed protection systems. It includes an indepth examination of the turbine overspeed event which occurred on November 9, 1991, at the Salem Unit 2 Nuclear Power Plant. It also provides information concerning actions taken by other utilities and the turbine manufacturers as a result of the Salem overspeed event. AEOD's study reviewed operating procedures and plant practices. It noted differences between turbine manufacturer designs and recommendations for operations, maintenance, and testing, and also identified significant variations in the manner that individual plants maintain and test their turbine overspeed protection systems. AEOD's study provides insight into the shortcomings in the design, operation, maintenance, testing, and human factors associated with turbine overspeed protection systems. Operating experience indicates that the frequency of turbine overspeed events is higher than previously thought and that the bases for demonstrating compliance with NRC's General Design Criterion (GDC) 4, Environmental and dynamic effects design bases, may be nonconservative with respect to the assumed frequency

  10. 46 CFR 296.40 - Billing procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... OPERATORS MARITIME SECURITY PROGRAM (MSP) Billing and Payment Procedures § 296.40 Billing procedures. Submission of voucher. For contractors operating under more than one MSP Operating Agreement, the contractor may submit a single monthly voucher applicable to all its MSP Operating Agreements. Each voucher...

  11. Developing control room operator selection procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bosshardt, M.J.; Bownas, D.A.

    1979-01-01

    PDRI is performing a two-year study to identify the tasks performed and attributes required in electric power generating plant operating jobs, and focusing on the control room operator position. Approximately 65 investor-owned utilities are participating in the study

  12. Does surgeon volume matter in the outcome of endoscopic inguinal hernia repair?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Köckerling, F; Bittner, R; Kraft, B; Hukauf, M; Kuthe, A; Schug-Pass, C

    2017-02-01

    For open and endoscopic inguinal hernia surgery, it has been demonstrated that low-volume surgeons with fewer than 25 and 30 procedures, respectively, per year are associated with significantly more recurrences than high-volume surgeons with 25 and 30 or more procedures, respectively, per year. This paper now explores the relationship between the caseload and the outcome based on the data from the Herniamed Registry. The prospective data of patients in the Herniamed Registry were analyzed using the inclusion criteria minimum age of 16 years, male patient, primary unilateral inguinal hernia, TEP or TAPP techniques and availability of data on 1-year follow-up. In total, 16,290 patients were enrolled between September 1, 2009, and February 1, 2014. Of the participating surgeons, 466 (87.6 %) had carried out fewer than 25 endoscopic/laparoscopic operations (low-volume surgeons) and 66 (12.4 %) surgeons 25 or more operations (high-volume surgeons) per year. Univariable (1.03 vs. 0.73 %; p = 0.047) and multivariable analysis [OR 1.494 (1.065-2.115); p = 0.023] revealed that low-volume surgeons had a significantly higher recurrence rate compared with the high-volume surgeons, although that difference was small. Multivariable analysis also showed that pain on exertion was negatively affected by a lower caseload <25 [OR 1.191 (1.062-1.337); p = 0.003]. While here, too, the difference was small, the fact that in that group there was a greater proportion of patients with small hernia defect sizes may have also played a role since the risk in that group was higher. In this analysis, no evidence was found that pain at rest [OR 1.052 (0.903-1.226); p = 0.516] or chronic pain requiring treatment [OR 1.108 (0.903-1.361); p = 0.326] were influenced by the surgeon volume. As confirmed by previously published studies, the data in the Herniamed Registry also demonstrated that the endoscopic/laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery caseload impacted the outcome. However

  13. Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation in Elderly Patients with the Cox Maze Procedure Concurrently with Other Cardiac Operations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ja Hong Kuh

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: In elderly patients who have atrial fibrillation (AF, surgical ablation of the arrhythmia during cardiac surgery may be challenging. Despite the reported advantages of ablating AF with the Cox maze procedure (CMP, the addition of the CMP may complicate other cardiac operations. We evaluated the effect of the CMP in elderly patients concurrent with other cardiac operations. Methods: From October 2007 to December 2015, we enrolled 27 patients aged >70 years who had AF and who underwent the CMP concurrently with other cardiac operations. The mean preoperative additive European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation score was 8±11 (high risk. Results: Only 1 hospital death occurred (4%. The Kaplan-Meier method showed a high 5‐year cumulative survival rate (92%. At mean follow‐up of 51 months, 23 patients (89% had sinus rhythm conversion. The postoperative left atrial dimensions did not significantly differ between the 8 patients who had reduction plasty for giant left atrium (53.4±7.5 cm and the 19 patients who did not have reduction plasty (48.7±5.7 cm. Conclusion: In patients aged >70 years, concurrent CMP may be associated with a high rate of sinus rhythm conversion without increased surgical risk, despite the added complexity of the main cardiac procedure.

  14. Is the Ross procedure a riskier operation? Perioperative outcome comparison with mechanical aortic valve replacement in a propensity-matched cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouhout, Ismail; Noly, Pierre-Emmanuel; Ghoneim, Aly; Stevens, Louis-Mathieu; Cartier, Raymond; Poirier, Nancy; Bouchard, Denis; Demers, Philippe; El-Hamamsy, Ismail

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to compare perioperative outcomes in young adults following isolated Ross procedure versus mechanical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in a high-volume centre. From 2007 to 2015, 337 elective isolated mechanical AVRs and 137 Ross procedures were performed in young adults (Ross cohort versus six (9%) in the mechanical AVR cohort (P = 0.49). A significant increase in serum creatinine (>2-fold increase) was more commonly observed after the Ross procedure (11 vs 1%; P = 0.03), but there was no significant difference in the rate of temporary dialysis. Twenty-seven patients (39%) required ≥1 blood product transfusion in the Ross group, whereas 21 patients (31%) did so in the mechanical AVR group (P = 0.47). Median hospital length of stay was similar in both the groups (6 days). There are no differences in mortality or major perioperative outcomes in adults undergoing an isolated Ross procedure or mechanical AVR. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

  15. Aircraft Configuration and Flight Crew Compliance with Procedures While Conducting Flight Deck Based Interval Management (FIM) Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shay, Rick; Swieringa, Kurt A.; Baxley, Brian T.

    2012-01-01

    Flight deck based Interval Management (FIM) applications using ADS-B are being developed to improve both the safety and capacity of the National Airspace System (NAS). FIM is expected to improve the safety and efficiency of the NAS by giving pilots the technology and procedures to precisely achieve an interval behind the preceding aircraft by a specific point. Concurrently but independently, Optimized Profile Descents (OPD) are being developed to help reduce fuel consumption and noise, however, the range of speeds available when flying an OPD results in a decrease in the delivery precision of aircraft to the runway. This requires the addition of a spacing buffer between aircraft, reducing system throughput. FIM addresses this problem by providing pilots with speed guidance to achieve a precise interval behind another aircraft, even while flying optimized descents. The Interval Management with Spacing to Parallel Dependent Runways (IMSPiDR) human-in-the-loop experiment employed 24 commercial pilots to explore the use of FIM equipment to conduct spacing operations behind two aircraft arriving to parallel runways, while flying an OPD during high-density operations. This paper describes the impact of variations in pilot operations; in particular configuring the aircraft, their compliance with FIM operating procedures, and their response to changes of the FIM speed. An example of the displayed FIM speeds used incorrectly by a pilot is also discussed. Finally, this paper examines the relationship between achieving airline operational goals for individual aircraft and the need for ATC to deliver aircraft to the runway with greater precision. The results show that aircraft can fly an OPD and conduct FIM operations to dependent parallel runways, enabling operational goals to be achieved efficiently while maintaining system throughput.

  16. Nuclear computerized library for assessing reactor reliability (NUCLARR): Part 2, Guide to operations: User's guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilmore, W.E.; Gentillon, C.D.; Gertman, D.I.; Beers, G.H.; Galyean, W.J.; Gilbert, B.G.

    1988-06-01

    The Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR) is an automated data base management system for processing and storing human error probability and hardware component failure data. The NUCLARR system software resides on an IBM (or compatible) personal micro-computer. NUCLARR can be used by the end user to furnish data inputs for both human and hardware reliability analysis in support of a variety of risk assessment activities. The NUCLARR system is documented in a five-volume series of reports. Volume IV of this series is the User's Guide for operating the NUCLARR software and is presented in three parts. This volume, Part 2: Guide to Operations, contains the instructions and basic procedures for using the NUCLARR software. Part 2 provides guidance and information for getting started, performing the desired functions, and making the most efficient use of the system's features

  17. Reoperations within 48 hours following 7942 pediatric neurosurgery procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Anil K; Chu, Jason; Bozeman, Caroline; Sarda, Samir; Sawvel, Michael; Chern, Joshua J

    2017-06-01

    OBJECTIVE Various indicators are used to evaluate the quality of care delivered by surgical services, one of which is early reoperation rate. The indications and rate of reoperations within a 48-hour time period have not been previously reported for pediatric neurosurgery. METHODS Between May 1, 2009, and December 30, 2014, 7942 surgeries were performed by the pediatric neurosurgery service in the operating rooms at a single institution. Demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical characteristics associated with each of the operations were prospectively collected. The procedures were grouped into 31 categories based on the nature of the procedure and underlying diseases. Reoperations within 48 hours at the conclusion of the index surgery were reviewed to determine whether the reoperation was planned or unplanned. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to analyze risk factors associated with unplanned reoperations. RESULTS Cerebrospinal fluid shunt-and hydrocephalus-related surgeries accounted for 3245 (40.8%) of the 7942 procedures. Spinal procedures, craniotomy for tumor resections, craniotomy for traumatic injury, and craniofacial reconstructions accounted for an additional 8.7%, 6.8%, 4.5%, and 4.5% of surgical volume. There were 221 reoperations within 48 hours of the index surgery, yielding an overall incidence of 2.78%; 159 of the reoperation were unplanned. Of these 159 unplanned reoperations, 121 followed index operations involving shunt manipulations. Using unplanned reoperations as the dependent variable (n = 159), index operations with a starting time after 3 pm and admission through the emergency department (ED) were associated with a two- to threefold increase in the likelihood of reoperations (after-hour surgery, odds ratio [OR] 2.01 [95% CI 1.43-2.83, p < 0.001]; ED admission, OR 1.97 (95% CI 1.32-2.96, p < 0.05]). CONCLUSIONS Approximately 25% of the reoperations within 48 hours of a pediatric neurosurgical procedure were planned. When

  18. Integrated Hatchery Operations Team: Policies and Procedures for Columbia Basin Anadromous Salmonid Hatcheries, 1994 Annual Report.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Integrated Hatchery Operations Team (Northwest Power Planning Council, Portland, OR)

    1995-01-01

    This document outlines regional policies and procedures for hatchery operations in the Columbia River Basin. The purpose of these policies is to provide regional guidelines by which all anadromous fish hatcheries will be operated. These policies will be adopted by the fisheries co-managers, and will provide guidance to operate hatcheries in an efficient and biologically sound manner. The hatchery policies presented in this manual are not intended to establish production priorities. Rather, the intent is to guide hatchery operations once production numbers are established. Hatchery operations discussed in this report include broodstock collection, spawning, incubation of eggs, fish rearing and feeding, fish release, equipment maintenance and operations, and personnel training. Decisions regarding production priorities must be provided by fishery managers through a comprehensive plan that addresses both natural and hatchery fish production. The Integrated Hatchery Operations Team is a multi-agency group called for by the Northwest Power Planning Council. This team was directed to develop new basinwide policies for managing and operating all existing and future anadromous fish hatcheries in the Columbia River Basin. The parties pledge to confer with each other and to use their authorities and resources to accomplish these mutually acceptable hatchery practices.

  19. Robotic vascular resections during Whipple procedure

    OpenAIRE

    Allan, Bassan J.; Novak, Stephanie M.; Hogg, Melissa E.; Zeh, Herbert J.

    2018-01-01

    Indications for resection of pancreatic cancers have evolved to include selected patients with involvement of peri-pancreatic vascular structures. Open Whipple procedures have been the standard approach for patients requiring reconstruction of the portal vein (PV) or superior mesenteric vein (SMV). Recently, high-volume centers are performing minimally invasive Whipple procedures with portovenous resections. Our institution has performed seventy robotic Whipple procedures with concomitant vas...

  20. Estimating the Cost of Neurosurgical Procedures in a Low-Income Setting: An Observational Economic Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelgadir, Jihad; Tran, Tu; Muhindo, Alex; Obiga, Doomwin; Mukasa, John; Ssenyonjo, Hussein; Muhumza, Michael; Kiryabwire, Joel; Haglund, Michael M; Sloan, Frank A

    2017-05-01

    There are no data on cost of neurosurgery in low-income and middle-income countries. The objective of this study was to estimate the cost of neurosurgical procedures in a low-resource setting to better inform resource allocation and health sector planning. In this observational economic analysis, microcosting was used to estimate the direct and indirect costs of neurosurgical procedures at Mulago National Referral Hospital (Kampala, Uganda). During the study period, October 2014 to September 2015, 1440 charts were reviewed. Of these patients, 434 had surgery, whereas the other 1006 were treated nonsurgically. Thirteen types of procedures were performed at the hospital. The estimated mean cost of a neurosurgical procedure was $542.14 (standard deviation [SD], $253.62). The mean cost of different procedures ranged from $291 (SD, $101) for burr hole evacuations to $1,221 (SD, $473) for excision of brain tumors. For most surgeries, overhead costs represented the largest proportion of the total cost (29%-41%). This is the first study using primary data to determine the cost of neurosurgery in a low-resource setting. Operating theater capacity is likely the binding constraint on operative volume, and thus, investing in operating theaters should achieve a higher level of efficiency. Findings from this study could be used by stakeholders and policy makers for resource allocation and to perform economic analyses to establish the value of neurosurgery in achieving global health goals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Proposal of a post-prostatectomy clinical target volume based on pre-operative MRI: volumetric and dosimetric comparison to the RTOG guidelines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Croke, Jennifer; Maclean, Jillian; Nyiri, Balazs; Li, Yan; Malone, Kyle; Avruch, Leonard; Kayser, Cathleen; Malone, Shawn

    2014-01-01

    Recurrence rates following radiotherapy for prostate cancer in the post-operative adjuvant or salvage setting remain substantial. Previous work from our institution demonstrated that published prostate bed CTV guidelines frequently do not cover the pre-operative MRI defined prostate. Inadequate target delineation may contribute to the high recurrence rates, but increasing target volumes may increase dose to organs at risk. We propose guidelines for delineating post-prostatectomy target volumes based upon an individual’s co-registered pre-operative MRI. MRI-based CTVs and PTVs were compared to those created using the RTOG guidelines in 30 patients. Contours were analysed in terms of absolute volume, intersection volume (Jaccard Index) and the ability to meet the RADICALS and QUANTEC rectal and bladder constraints (tomotherapy IMRT plans with PTV coverage of V98% ≥98%). CTV MRI was a mean of 18.6% larger than CTV RTOG: CTV MRI mean 138 cc (range 72.3 - 222.2 cc), CTV RTOG mean 116.3 cc (range 62.1 - 176.6 cc), (p < 0.0001). The difference in mean PTV was only 4.6%: PTV MRI mean 386.9 cc (range 254.4 – 551.2), PTV RTOG mean 370 cc (range 232.3 - 501.6) (p = 0.05). The mean Jaccard Index representing intersection volume between CTVs was 0.72 and 0.84 for PTVs. Both criteria had a similar ability to meet rectal and bladder constraints. Rectal DVH: 77% of CTV RTOG cases passed all RADICALS criteria and 37% all QUANTEC criteria; versus 73% and 40% for CTV MRI (p = 1.0 for both). Bladder DVH; 47% of CTV RTOG cases passed all RADICALS criteria and 67% all QUANTEC criteria, versus 57% and 60% for CTV MRI (p = 0.61for RADICALS, p = 0.79 for QUANTEC). CTV MRI spares more of the lower anterior bladder wall than CTV RTOG but increases coverage of the superior lateral bladder walls. CTV contours based upon the patient’s co-registered pre-operative MRI in the post-prostatectomy setting may improve coverage of the individual’s prostate bed without substantially increasing

  2. Reactor operating procedures for start up of continuously operated chemical plants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verwijs, J.W.; Verwijs, J.W.; Kösters, P.H.; van den Berg, Henderikus; Westerterp, K.R.; Kosters, P.G.H.

    1995-01-01

    Rules are presented for the startup of an adiabatic tubular reactor, based on a qualitative analysis of the dynamic behavior of continuously-operated vapor- and liquid-phase processes. The relationships between the process dynamics, operating criteria, and operating constraints are investigated,

  3. Terminal Procedures Publication/Airport Diagrams - Aeronautical Information Services Digital Products

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Transportation — The U.S. Terminal Procedure Publications (TPPs) is a 26 volume set of printed paper books containing Instrument Approach Procedure charts (IAP), Departure Procedure...

  4. Evaluation of potential severe accidents during low power and shutdown operations at Surry, Unit 1: Analysis of core damage frequency from internal events during mid-loop operations. Appendix E (Sections E.9-E.16), Volume 2, Part 3B

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, T.L.; Musicki, Z.; Kohut, P.; Yang, J.; Bozoki, G.; Hsu, C.J.; Diamond, D.J.; Wong, S.M.; Bley, D.; Johnson, D.

    1994-06-01

    Traditionally, probabilistic risk assessments (PRA) of severe accidents in nuclear power plants have considered initiating events potentially occurring only during full power operation. Some previous screening analyses that were performed for other modes of operation suggested that risks during those modes were small relative to full power operation. However, more recent studies and operational experience have implied that accidents during low power and shutdown could be significant contributors to risk. Two plants, Surry (pressurized water reactor) and Grand Gulf (boiling water reactor), were selected as the plants to be studied. The objectives of the program are to assess the risks of severe accidents initiated during plant operational states other than full power operation and to compare the estimated core damage frequencies, important accident sequences and other qualitative and quantitative results with those accidents initiated during full power operation as assessed in NUREG-1150. The scope of the program includes that of a level-3 PRA. In phase 2, mid-loop operation was selected as the plant configuration to be analyzed based on the results of the phase 1 study. The objective of the phase 2 study is to perform a detailed analysis of the potential accident scenarios that may occur during mid-loop operation, and compare the results with those of NUREG-1150. The scope of the level-1 study includes plant damage state analysis, and uncertainty analysis. Volume 1 summarizes the results of the study. Internal events analysis is documented in Volume 2. It also contains an appendix that documents the part of the phase 1 study that has to do with POSs other than mid-loop operation. Internal fire and internal flood analyses are documented in Volumes 3 and 4. A separate study on seismic analysis, documented in Volume 5, was performed for the NRC by Future Resources Associates, Inc. Volume 6 documents the accident progression, source terms, and consequence analysis

  5. Evaluation of potential severe accidents during low power and shutdown operations at Surry, Unit 1: Analysis of core damage frequency from internal events during mid-loop operations. Appendix E (Sections E.9-E.16), Volume 2, Part 3B

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chu, T.L.; Musicki, Z.; Kohut, P.; Yang, J.; Bozoki, G.; Hsu, C.J.; Diamond, D.J.; Wong, S.M. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Bley, D.; Johnson, D. [PLG Inc., Newport Beach, CA (United States)] [and others

    1994-06-01

    Traditionally, probabilistic risk assessments (PRA) of severe accidents in nuclear power plants have considered initiating events potentially occurring only during full power operation. Some previous screening analyses that were performed for other modes of operation suggested that risks during those modes were small relative to full power operation. However, more recent studies and operational experience have implied that accidents during low power and shutdown could be significant contributors to risk. Two plants, Surry (pressurized water reactor) and Grand Gulf (boiling water reactor), were selected as the plants to be studied. The objectives of the program are to assess the risks of severe accidents initiated during plant operational states other than full power operation and to compare the estimated core damage frequencies, important accident sequences and other qualitative and quantitative results with those accidents initiated during full power operation as assessed in NUREG-1150. The scope of the program includes that of a level-3 PRA. In phase 2, mid-loop operation was selected as the plant configuration to be analyzed based on the results of the phase 1 study. The objective of the phase 2 study is to perform a detailed analysis of the potential accident scenarios that may occur during mid-loop operation, and compare the results with those of NUREG-1150. The scope of the level-1 study includes plant damage state analysis, and uncertainty analysis. Volume 1 summarizes the results of the study. Internal events analysis is documented in Volume 2. It also contains an appendix that documents the part of the phase 1 study that has to do with POSs other than mid-loop operation. Internal fire and internal flood analyses are documented in Volumes 3 and 4. A separate study on seismic analysis, documented in Volume 5, was performed for the NRC by Future Resources Associates, Inc. Volume 6 documents the accident progression, source terms, and consequence analysis.

  6. The appropriateness of TACOM for a task complexity measure for emergency operating procedures of nuclear power plants - A comparison with OPAS scores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea

    2007-01-01

    It is well known that complicated procedures frequently cause human performance related problems that can result in a serious consequence. Unfortunately a systematic framework to evaluate the complexity of procedures is very rare. For this reason Park et al. suggested a measure called TACOM (Task Complexity) which is able to quantify the complexity of tasks stipulated in procedures. In addition, it was observed that there is a significant correlation between averaged task performance time data and estimated TACOM scores. In this study, for an additional verification activity, TACOM scores are compared with operators' performance data that are measured by Operator Performance Assessment System (OPAS). As a result, it is believed that TACOM scores seem to be meaningfully correlated with OPAS scores. Thus, it is reasonable to expect that the result of this study can be regarded as a supplementary evidence for supporting the fact that TACOM measure is applicable for quantifying the complexity of tasks to be done by operators

  7. A comparison of procedures for unpairing conditioned reflexive motivating operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kettering, Tracy L; Neef, Nancy A; Kelley, Michael E; Heward, William L

    2018-03-01

    This study compared the effectiveness of two procedures to reduce behavior evoked by a reflexive conditioned motivating operation (CMO-R). Task demands were shown to evoke escape-maintained problem behavior for 4 students with disabilities. Alternative communication responses were taught as an appropriate method to request escape and this treatment combined with extinction for problem behavior led to decreases in problem behavior for all students. A beeping timer was then arranged to temporally precede the task demand to create a CMO-R that evoked communication responses. When data showed that the sound of the timer was functioning as a CMO-R, two methods to reduce behavior evoked by a CMO-R-extinction unpairing and noncontingent unpairing-were evaluated. Results indicated that noncontingent unpairing was an effective method to reduce the evocative effects of the CMO-R. Extinction produced unsystematic effects across participants. Results are discussed in terms of abolishing CMOs and the implications of CMOs. © 2018 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

  8. New Procedure for Account Operations at the CERN Service Desk

    CERN Multimedia

    The Computer Security Team

    2011-01-01

    Who can activate your computing account? Who can unblock it? And who can reset your password if you've forgotten it? Until recently, users who addressed such problems to the Service Desk were asked a set of questions...   The corresponding answers were designed to properly verify the requestor’s identity such that only the real owner could activate/unblock/reset his computing account. However, it turned out that the answers were easily obtainable (and that there is no better set of questions to ask). Therefore, in order to ensure optimal protection of your account, this procedure will be replaced on 28 November 2011. From that date on, users will be asked to produce a physical ID when requesting the Service Desk to perform operations like computer account activation, account unblocking or password resets. This physical ID can either be a passport/ID card or the CERN access card. If you need to activate/unblock/reset your computing account, you will either have to produ...

  9. Automation of Command and Data Entry in a Glovebox Work Volume: An Evaluation of Data Entry Devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steele, Marianne K.; Nakamura, Gail; Havens, Cindy; LeMay, Moira

    1996-01-01

    The present study was designed to examine the human-computer interface for data entry while performing experimental procedures within a glovebox work volume in order to make a recommendation to the Space Station Biological Research Project for a data entry system to be used within the Life Sciences Glovebox. Test subjects entered data using either a manual keypad, similar to a standard computer numerical keypad located within the glovebox work volume, or a voice input system using a speech recognition program with a microphone headset. Numerical input and commands were programmed in an identical manner between the two systems. With both electronic systems, a small trackball was available within the work volume for cursor control. Data, such as sample vial identification numbers, sample tissue weights, and health check parameters of the specimen, were entered directly into procedures that were electronically displayed on a video monitor within the glovebox. A pen and paper system with a 'flip-chart' format for procedure display, similar to that currently in use on the Space Shuttle, was used as a baseline data entry condition. Procedures were performed by a single operator; eight test subjects were used in the study. The electronic systems were tested under both a 'nominal' or 'anomalous' condition. The anomalous condition was introduced into the experimental procedure to increase the probability of finding limitations or problems with human interactions with the electronic systems. Each subject performed five test runs during a test day: two procedures each with voice and keypad, one with and one without anomalies, and one pen and paper procedure. The data collected were both quantitative (times, errors) and qualitative (subjective ratings of the subjects).

  10. Intra-operative radiotherapy of malignant tumors: Past, present and perspectives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazeron, J.J.; Le Bourgeois, J.P.; Ganem, G.

    1986-01-01

    Intra-operative radiotherapy consists of electron or photon radiation which is used during the operative procedure. The treatment field is arranged very precisely after critical organs have been previously arranged out of the field. The target volume includes the remaining tumor which could not be removed surgically, and the surrounding tumor bed which is also felt to be high risk for recurrence. It is preferable to have as little tumor remaining as possible before the intra-operative treatment radiation is given. Intra-operative radiotherapy was developed less than a quarter century ago in Japon, and it was later used in U.S.A. The accumulated experience in Japan and U.S.A. is rewieved here. Intra-operative radiotherapy has only recently been introduced to France. The biology, physics and medical and technical problems of intra-operative therapy are discussed [fr

  11. Analysis of minor incidents in the operation of nuclear power plants: a case study on the use of procedures in organizations dealing with hazardous technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carvalho, Paulo Victor Rodrigues de; Vidal, Mario Cesar Rodriguea; Carvalho, Eduardo Ferro de

    2005-01-01

    Organizations that work with hazardous materials, such as nuclear power plants, offshore installations, and chemical and petrochemical plants, have risk management systems involving accident control and mitigation to ensure the safety of their facilities. These systems are based on physical devices, such as protective barriers, equipment and systems aimed at preventing the occurrence and propagation of accidents, and on human aspects such as regulations and procedures. This paper analyzes the use of a variety of procedures by nuclear power plant control room operators. The methodology consisted of analyzing the work of control room operators during the normal operations, shutdown, and startup of a nuclear power plant, and in full scale simulator training. This survey revealed that routine noncompliance to procedures was considered normal according to the operating rationale, which is based on technical, organizational and cultural factors. These findings indicate that the competencies nuclear power plant operators must possess far exceed proper technical training and the ability to follow written instructions. (author)

  12. Robotic vascular resections during Whipple procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allan, Bassan J; Novak, Stephanie M; Hogg, Melissa E; Zeh, Herbert J

    2018-01-01

    Indications for resection of pancreatic cancers have evolved to include selected patients with involvement of peri-pancreatic vascular structures. Open Whipple procedures have been the standard approach for patients requiring reconstruction of the portal vein (PV) or superior mesenteric vein (SMV). Recently, high-volume centers are performing minimally invasive Whipple procedures with portovenous resections. Our institution has performed seventy robotic Whipple procedures with concomitant vascular resections. This report outlines our technique.

  13. Evaluation of the computerized procedures Manual II (COPMA II)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Converse, S.A.

    1995-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a computerized procedure system, the Computerized Procedure Manual II (COPMA-II), on the performance and mental workload of licensed reactor operators. To evaluate COPMA-II, eight teams of two operators were trained to operate a scaled pressurized water reactor facility (SPWRF) with traditional paper procedures and with COPMA-II. Following training, each team operated the SPWRF under normal operating conditions with both paper procedures and COPMA-II. The teams then performed one of two accident scenarios with paper procedures, but performed the remaining accident scenario with COPMA-II. Performance measures and subjective estimates of mental workload were recorded for each performance trial. The most important finding of the study was that the operators committed only half as many errors during the accident scenarios with COPMA-II as they committed with paper procedures. However, time to initiate a procedure was fastest for paper procedures for accident scenario trials. For performance under normal operating conditions, there was no difference in time to initiate or to complete a procedure, or in the number of errors committed with paper procedures and with COPMA-II. There were no consistent differences in the mental workload ratings operators recorded for trials with paper procedures and COPMA-II

  14. Formal Verification of Computerized Procedure with Colored Petri Nets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yun Goo; Shin, Yeong Cheol

    2008-01-01

    Computerized Procedure System (CPS) supports nuclear power plant operators in performing operating procedures which are instructions to guide in monitoring, decision making and controlling nuclear power plants. Computerized Procedure (CP) should be loaded to CPS. Due to its execution characteristic, computerized procedure acts like a software in CPS. For example, procedure flows are determined by operator evaluation and computerized procedure logic which are pre-defined. So the verification of Computerized Procedure logic and execution flow is needed before computerized procedures are installed in the system. Formal verification methods are proposed and the modeling of operating procedures with Coloured Petri Nets(CP-nets) is presented

  15. Design Guidelines and Criteria for User/Operator Transactions with Battlefield Automated Systems. Volume III-A. Human Factors Analyses of User/ Operator Transactions with TACFIRE - The Tactical Fire Direction System

    Science.gov (United States)

    1981-02-01

    7. Reseaarch Product 81-26 - DESIGN GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA FOR USER/ I;. I’OPERATOR TRANSACTIONS WITH BATTLEFIELD AUTOMIATED SYSTEMS I’ /HVtAN...FACTORS XWLYSES :’F K~R/ OPERATOR TRANSACTIONS WTHT TACFIRE - THE TACTICAL FIRE DiRECTION SY2T3EM A HUMAN FACTORS TECHNICAL AREA L~h~h K L-J 1’ U~~i~ ll...Battlefield Auto- Inter : Oct 1979-Feb 1981 mated Systems Volume III-A: Human Factors 4t C/ Analyses of User/Operator Transactions with 6. PERFORMING

  16. Waste isolation in the U.S., technical programs and public education. Volume 2 - low level waste, volume reduction methodologies and economics. Vol. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Post, R.G.

    1984-01-01

    This volume presents information regarding low-level waste, volume reduction methodologies and economics. Topics include: public education on nuclear waste; economics of low-level waste management systems; operating experience with advanced volume reduction techniques; solidification of waste; operating experience with advanced volume reduction techniques--incineration; regional plans for the disposal of low-level waste; radwaste system modifications at nuclear power plants; operating experience with advanced volume reduction techniques--operations and on-site storage issues; and economic impact of 10CFR61

  17. Can proceduralization support coping with the unexpected?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Norros, Leena; Savioja, Paula; Liinasuo, Marja; Wahlstrom, Mikael

    2014-01-01

    Operations of safety critical industries unquestionably require a diversity of technical and organizational control measures to increase stability and predictability of the complex sociotechnical systems. Nevertheless, experiences from recent severe accidents and results of safety research have questioned the effectiveness of the prevailing safety management strategy that mainly relies on standardization and designed-in defenses. This paper discusses the identified need to balance between stability and flexibility in a concrete safety issue, i.e., proceduralization. The main research problem of our study is whether procedure guided practice can offer sufficient support for flexibility of operating activity. We shall frame our study with the help of a model that explains different aspects of procedures. We then elaborate how these different aspects were considered empirically in our 3-phase study. In the first study we interviewed 62 main control room operators and asked how they consider procedures to support balancing. In the second study we observed in detail 12 NPP operator crews' activity in a simulated loss-of-coolant accident. In a third study we inquired 5 procedure designers about their conceptions concerning procedure guidance in operator work. Drawing on either interview or behavioral data we analyzed the personnel's stance to the flexibility and stability balancing, and how the conceptions portray in the practices of procedure usage. Our results demonstrate that the operators are aware of the need for balancing flexibility and stability and consider successful balancing to represent 'good' professional action. In actual action many operators, however, tend towards more straightforward following of procedures. Designers also see the capability for balancing stability and flexibility as a key operator competence but describe actual acting simply as procedure-following. According to the documents of the nuclear community, procedure

  18. Can proceduralization support coping with the unexpected?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Norros, Leena; Savioja, Paula; Liinasuo, Marja; Wahlstrom, Mikael [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Vuorimiehentie (Finland)

    2014-08-15

    Operations of safety critical industries unquestionably require a diversity of technical and organizational control measures to increase stability and predictability of the complex sociotechnical systems. Nevertheless, experiences from recent severe accidents and results of safety research have questioned the effectiveness of the prevailing safety management strategy that mainly relies on standardization and designed-in defenses. This paper discusses the identified need to balance between stability and flexibility in a concrete safety issue, i.e., proceduralization. The main research problem of our study is whether procedure guided practice can offer sufficient support for flexibility of operating activity. We shall frame our study with the help of a model that explains different aspects of procedures. We then elaborate how these different aspects were considered empirically in our 3-phase study. In the first study we interviewed 62 main control room operators and asked how they consider procedures to support balancing. In the second study we observed in detail 12 NPP operator crews' activity in a simulated loss-of-coolant accident. In a third study we inquired 5 procedure designers about their conceptions concerning procedure guidance in operator work. Drawing on either interview or behavioral data we analyzed the personnel's stance to the flexibility and stability balancing, and how the conceptions portray in the practices of procedure usage. Our results demonstrate that the operators are aware of the need for balancing flexibility and stability and consider successful balancing to represent 'good' professional action. In actual action many operators, however, tend towards more straightforward following of procedures. Designers also see the capability for balancing stability and flexibility as a key operator competence but describe actual acting simply as procedure-following. According to the documents of the nuclear community, procedure

  19. Applying computer-based procedures in nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliveira, Mauro V. de; Carvalho, Paulo V.R. de; Santos, Isaac J.A.L. dos; Grecco, Claudio H.S. [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Div. de Instrumentacao e Confiabilidade Humana], e-mail: mvitor@ien.gov.br, e-mail: paulov@ien.gov.br, e-mail: luquetti@ien.gov.br, e-mail: grecco@ien.gov.br; Bruno, Diego S. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Escola Politecnica. Curso de Engenharia de Controle e Automacao], e-mail: diegosalomonebruno@gmail.com

    2009-07-01

    Plant operation procedures are used to guide operators in coping with normal, abnormal or emergency situations in a process control system. Historically, the plant procedures have been paper-based (PBP), with the digitalisation trend in these complex systems computer-based procedures (CBPs) are being developed to support procedure use. This work shows briefly the research on CBPs at the Human-System Interface Laboratory (LABIHS). The emergency operation procedure EOP-0 of the LABIHS NPP simulator was implemented in the ImPRO CBP system. The ImPRO system was chosen for test because it is available for download in the Internet. A preliminary operation test using the implemented procedure in the CBP system was realized and the results were compared to the operation through PBP use. (author)

  20. Automated procedure execution for space vehicle autonomous control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broten, Thomas A.; Brown, David A.

    1990-01-01

    Increased operational autonomy and reduced operating costs have become critical design objectives in next-generation NASA and DoD space programs. The objective is to develop a semi-automated system for intelligent spacecraft operations support. The Spacecraft Operations and Anomaly Resolution System (SOARS) is presented as a standardized, model-based architecture for performing High-Level Tasking, Status Monitoring and automated Procedure Execution Control for a variety of spacecraft. The particular focus is on the Procedure Execution Control module. A hierarchical procedure network is proposed as the fundamental means for specifying and representing arbitrary operational procedures. A separate procedure interpreter controls automatic execution of the procedure, taking into account the current status of the spacecraft as maintained in an object-oriented spacecraft model.